Shooting squared up

870P

870P

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I've changed from a typically bladed stance to a squared up one when shooting a shotgun (or any kind of longarm) in a tactical context. As in, body facing the target, with the gun mounted on my chest about 2 inches right of center rather than the shoulder pocket.

Why? The main reason is simply that you can move a lot more naturally when your body is situated in its normal walk-around position. I also find it less tiring to maintain that position over a long period of time vs pushing out your shoulder to form a 'pocket' for the butt of the gun.

I also find it a bit easier to load the gun quickly when its sitting square in front of me vs across the body, although that's not a huge deal.

As for downsides, other than feeling weird at first, is that you probably need to run less LOP than you do with a bladed stance, especially on a pump, where the reach to the fore end may be an issue. On my 870 I find even my 12" Hogue stock is barely short enough to let me get away with it.

More later.
 
Interesting! I’ve always shot my shotgun in the bladed or Weaver stance. I shoot rifles and pistols squared or isosceles. Never actually thought about it....will give this a try next time. I have a multi-position AR stock on my shotgun so LOP isn’t an issue.
 
I'd like to see someone demonstrate firing a .577 NE, or even a hot loaded .458, from a squared up stance. Like I said to my kid one day when he was going to shoot my .458 while wearing snowshoes, it jumps around a mite, so watch you don't drop it . . . then he did. Squared up is okay I guess to quell the awesome recoil of the .223, but if you're going to shoot a real rifle, or even a slug loaded shotgun, you'd better know how to shoot from a bladed position.
 
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I do a blend of the two stances, partially squared up but with my dominant leg behind my non dominant one for quicker movements if I need to move or pivot.
 
Boomer said:
I'd like to see someone demonstrate firing a .577 NE, or even a hot loaded .458, from a squared up stance. Like I said to my kid one day when he was going to shoot my .458 while wearing snowshoes, it jumps around a mite, so watch you don't drop it . . . then he did. Squared up is okay I guess to quell the awesome recoil of the .223, but if you're going to shoot a real rifle, or even a slug loaded shotgun, you'd better know how to shoot from a bladed position.
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Personally I find squared up works much better for me when shooting shotgun. So long as the SG fits me properly (mainly a shorter LOP) then I find the benefits 870P laid out apply to me. With a stupid "1 size fits some" 14.5" LOP factory stock made for a 6'6" or taller man the stock becomes a hindrance for a squared up stance with my smaller 5'8 stature. The recoil of moderate slug loads just isn't in big bore magnum rifle territory and I find it much faster to cycle and get back on target when squared up since the recoil doesn't push me around much in that position. Now if we're talking heavy 3" or 3.5" loads in a light hunting SG, long LOP or a heavy hitting big bore then I agree bladed is the best choice.
 
Still alive said:
Interesting! I’ve always shot my shotgun in the bladed or Weaver stance. I shoot rifles and pistols squared or isosceles. Never actually thought about it....will give this a try next time. I have a multi-position AR stock on my shotgun so LOP isn’t an issue.
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Yeah give it a try. I thought it was awkward at first due to LOP, but after firing a few rounds I liked it better than bladed.

I also found teaching people who are a bit recoil shy with shotguns to square up with the target helps them quite a bit.
 
Boomer said:
I'd like to see someone demonstrate firing a .577 NE, or even a hot loaded .458, from a squared up stance. Like I said to my kid one day when he was going to shoot my .458 while wearing snowshoes, it jumps around a mite, so watch you don't drop it . . . then he did. Squared up is okay I guess to quell the awesome recoil of the .223, but if you're going to shoot a real rifle, or even a slug loaded shotgun, you'd better know how to shoot from a bladed position.
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I've shot squared up with slugs on many occasions, its no big deal even when doing it with my Ithaca that lacks a recoil pad. Squared up shooting naturally lends itself to the push-pull method, and its that straighted forward arm that's getting most of the work.

The big rifle calibers would probably be pretty uncomfortable regardless, but that's not really what we're talking about here.

Anyway, as previously mentioned, adjustable LOP, preferably some kind of sliding stock, is a huge help for squared up shooting. I like a pistol grip if running a really short LOP anyway since you don't have your rear hand crowding your face.
 
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Sounds like a good reason for me to finally try a pistol grip stock. Although the magpul SGA is a good fit for me. You can't change the LOP on the fly, but you can easily swap out the spacers with simple tools and dial it in.
 
Fore end length is a big consideration also, at least on pumps, since the required reach appears to be about 50% longer when going from bladed to squared. A short riot style fore end may be marginal even with a short stock.

It might not be much of an issue if you're shooting relatively slowly, but If you're handing out a quick series of shots then it becomes clear that having to overstretch to run the action is not a good thing.
 
Although the magpul SGA is a good fit for me. You can't change the LOP on the fly, but you can easily swap out the spacers with simple tools and dial it in.
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Get rid of all of the spacers.
That will give you a 12" length of pull.
 
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