Whatever happened to the shockwave and other like shotguns

[CAJUNLAWYER]

For a while they were all the rage and then suddenly....crickets. Did people finally realize thet these were nothing but a short lived fad???

 

[Mule Packer]

To be honest, I've never shot one. But, while they look cool, I think this article in Lucky Gunner pretty much sums up why the Shockwave and similar type shotguns lost their popularity. As the author states, "Mostly useless."

https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/the-mossberg-shockwave-is-mostly-useless/

 

[glenwolde]

They bought them, they shot them, they sold them...

 

[Screwball]

I still have one… but was braced. Now, ATF says it isn't allowed, even though they approved them. [emoji849]

So, it is getting ready to be Parkerized with an 18.5" barrel, then SBSing it. Longer barrel will allow travel when I can't get a permission slip.

I love mine. It was identical to the 14" 870s we used to have at work.

 

[DWalt]

They made about as much sense as those stupid Mare's Leg-style lever action things made by Taurus and Henry.

 

[Drm50]

While they have some use as law enforcement tool they are a novelty for the gamester crowd. For most people a clumsy weapon. Most would be better served with a riot model.
It has no purpose other than close range anti personnel or range toy. The movies and video games exaggerate the power & effectiveness of this type of weapon.

 

[Bald1]

I disagree. They were a fine maneuverable home defense option in areas that limited handgun access. When shot properly ( not from hip) they are plenty accurate. Here in NY they changed the definition of "other" which is the classification the FFL gave them. So possessing one is a felony. You were expected to sell or surrender it. I believe there are laws/amendments against this but nobody is challenging it. NY has been challenged a lot lately but nobody has picked this one up yet. I never owned one but have shot a few. Really fun and quit manageable recoil despite the stories.

 

[gdogs]

Anyone that thinks 5 rounds of buckshot in a short barreled gun isn't powerful or effective doesn't know much. Like any gun, it takes practice to master or even use somewhat proficiently, and unfortunately a lot of people just won't get it. I don't know of an indoor range around me that will even let you shoot a shotgun unless using slugs. A laser will help tremendously, especially from the hip. The biggest problem I see with them is that most people buy the 12ga. Recoil is harsh, and they either decide that they can't hit anything with it (due to lack of practice), or that they aren't up for the abuse. They make way more sense in 20ga and 410ga.

That said, I made a plug for my 20ga TAC-14 and took it with me dove hunting a few years ago just to see if I could hit one with it. I hit exactly 3... after shooting at exactly 3. I saw no point in continuing to use it, as it was simply a test of whether or not I could do it. Sure, it has limited use, and as soon as that KSG 410 comes out, it will very likely get replaced as my bump in the night go-to, but don't think for a second that it isn't extremely capable in the house. I'm betting some of you probably don't think a 410 is good for the house either, but I'd suggest you watch some video of 410 buckshot tests.

Yes, most people bought them simply because they look cool, and while that is a good enough reason to me, it probably isn't enough to keep their demand high. Are there better choices for most applications... that depends on whether or not you want to train with them.

 

[DWalt]

I still have one… but was braced. Now, ATF says it isn't allowed, even though they approved them. [emoji849]

So, it is getting ready to be Parkerized with an 18.5" barrel, then SBSing it. Longer barrel will allow travel when I can't get a permission slip.

I love mine. It was identical to the 14" 870s we used to have at work.

Is that a recent BATFE ruling? Everything I have read says that "Shockwave"-style guns, as they come from the factory, are not considered by BATFE to be NFA firearms or even shotguns, but rather as some type of handgun. Obviously that interpretation would not apply to conversion of a conventional shotgun into the same form by a private individual.

 

[Screwball]

Is that a recent BATFE ruling? Everything I have read says that "Shockwave"-style guns, as they come from the factory, are not considered by BATFE to be NFA firearms or even shotguns, but rather as some type of handgun. Obviously that interpretation would not apply to conversion of a conventional shotgun into the same form by a private individual.

Recent brace ruling… even though there were numerous letters/approvals on that setup. Hell, Black Aces had their DT approved WITH a folding brace.

Then people started putting folders on AR pistols, and asking if they could still get their 26+" OAL to allow for a vertical grip. Nixed the folding braces on those… to include that version of the DT. Black Aces had to swap in fixed adapters for those guns.

The new ruling says they are not pistols, so cannot use pistol braces. But I'll play that game. I SBRed everything for free that I could/was planning on… I'll pay $200 for the TAC-14 and my .45 AR.

 

[xfarfuldog]

Back in the 80's my department bought a few new Ford Fairmonts as cruisers. Previously we stored our full size 870's in a pouch below the front seat. That wouldn't work in the Fairmonts. So instead of putting a vertical mount in front (not sure if that would have worked either) or putting shotguns in the trunk, we converted some of our shotguns to pistol grip.

At that time I started attending state firearms instructor school. The beginning class was for revolver and shotgun. The first range day for shotgun I used the pistol gripped 870. After about 60 rounds I borrowed a full size shotgun for the rest of the class.

I have zero interest in any shotgun not utilizing a full stock.

 

[Richard Simmons]

At some point or another everything is/was a "fad". I enjoy my 12 ga Shockwave as well as my Rossi Ranch Hand in .357.

 

[SAFireman]

They have a place for sure.

Remember during the Floyd riots where the protesters were blocking freeways and local streets? The Tac-14 was a great comfort in the cab of a pickup.

Easy to maneuver in the front seat of a pickup truck, and likely to cause a change of thinking in most street urchins

 

[Ranger514]

Never shot one either, but like the Governor or Judge, I think they fill a niche that some folks might find useful for defense. Not for everyone, but then what is? I think #4 Buck out of a 20 ga. would make for a good home defense setup out of one of those bad boys.

 

[Bald1]

Back in the 80's my department bought a few new Ford Fairmonts as cruisers. Previously we stored our full size 870's in a pouch below the front seat. That wouldn't work in the Fairmonts. So instead of putting a vertical mount in front (not sure if that would have worked either) or putting shotguns in the trunk, we converted some of our shotguns to pistol grip.

At that time I started attending state firearms instructor school. The beginning class was for revolver and shotgun. The first range day for shotgun I used the pistol gripped 870. After about 60 rounds I borrowed a full size shotgun for the rest of the class.

I have zero interest in any shotgun not utilizing a full stock.

Ford Fairmont!!!!! Lol I took my road test in a red 4 door 78 Fairmont. I hope you were not involved in any high speed pursuits. If so I bet the bad guys got away.

 

[wood714]

I traded a Taurus 22 revolver for a new Shockwave a few years ago. Bought an adapter and a brace for it.

Never owned a Mossberg before that. It had the roughest action I'd ever experienced on a pump gun. Took it apart and cleaned it didn't help, I bet I cycled that gun a 1000 times and it was still bad.

Put it back to original and sold it.

I really liked the concept of it. If it had been like my 870's and my old Winchester 1200, I'd have never let it go.

 

[brian686]

I have one and arthritis. Shooting a pistol grip hurts my hand after a few rounds, shooting a shoulder stock shotgun hurts my shoulder. Shooting the Shockwave with the birds head grip doesn't bother me at all. All my shotguns are 12 ga. Clint Smith did a very short video on how he thought you should properly mount and shoot it. Followed his method and it works.

 

[xfarfuldog]

Ford Fairmont!!!!! Lol I took my road test in a red 4 door 78 Fairmont. I hope you were not involved in any high speed pursuits. If so I bet the bad guys got away.

One of our Sergeants drove a Fairmont on its first day on the streets. On a "check and advise" he rounded a curve and hit a utulity pole head on. Another Fairmont almost rammed another cruiser on a pursuit due to brake failure.

After that only Crown Vics were purchased.

 

[upcountry]

I have one and have shot it a bit. Takes practice to do properly and develop muscle memory, but is manageable.
I bought it because it looked interesting, and I said to myself "Get one before they outlaw them."
I figure it's a compact, out in the boonies, camping accessory and can be tucked away easily.

 

[majick47]

SAFireman is spot on where a Shockwave style "weapon" would be ideal, in the close quarters of a vehicle. Add to that very close confines in a building. I remember seeing a similar modified weapon in a LE weapons annual from the 1980s used by the NYPD plain clothes officers for witness protection.

 

[Pisgah]

For a while they were all the rage and then suddenly....crickets. Did people finally realize thet these were nothing but a short lived fad???

For me, I just realized I could have a stock on a shotgun with the overall length of a Shockwave but an 18" barrel, so I bought a KelTec KS-7. Makes the Shockwave et al a little superfluous, unless you just want something that is hard to shoot...

 

[waffles]

They're still sold, still purchased, still used, but I think you're seeing a bit of the newness wearing off so they're not being discussed as much. Now that lots of people have/had them, they're not that much more interesting than the full sized variants, which also don't get their own dedicated threads that much.

I had two (both 12g 590s), I think I paid $250 for one and $200 for the other. They were pretty useless for both things, with the exception of being fun to sit with while doing something else (pumping a shotgun is always satisfying). I don't care much for Mossberg shotguns, but if I found one of the Remington offerings in the $200 range I'd probably pick one up for the fun of it.

 

[smoothshooter]

Because people realized they were pretty worthless for most purposes.
Surprise, surprise!!

 

[Echo40]

I think that their main appeal was basically as an Anti-NFA legal loophole into the lurid world of Short-Barrel Shotguns, but once everyone who wanted one had one, and it became clear that they weren't going to be reclassified by the ATF as an SBS, that was the end of the craze.

I still have my Mossberg 590 Shockwave 12 Gauge and I still love it just as much as the day that I bought it!

It has an extremely exhilarating yet not at all painful jolt when fired and serves as my bedside Home Defense firearm which is ideal for the relatively cramped quarters that I live in.

People often make comments about them being difficult to aim and shoot accurately, but like anything else, all it really requires is the proper technique.
Also, you can still hipfire it accurately with the aid of a laser sight, even if it is more for the sake of kicks and giggles than actual combat effectiveness.

Still, I have no issue whatsoever with admitting to the fact that the main reason I wanted one was because it was cool! Not sorry, I'm a grown man and I like what I like. Heck yeah, I watch movies and I play videogames!
I feel sorry for folks who avoid buying firearms just because it pleases them and feel the need to justify every purchase they make to others, especially strangers on the internet.

I like short-barreled scatterguns, and that's the only justification a free man needs.

 

[rockquarry]

Pure fad for the newschoolers and YouTubers. Such gimmicks seldom last long as they serve little in the way of practical purpose. The very plain and purposeful 12 ga. 870 Remington with 20" barrel and no after-market adornments or gimcracks remains as useful today as it did decades ago.

 

[smoothshooter]

I would not like one of those being shown to a jury as " Exhibit A " in my trial after I had to shoot someone in self-defense.
They look like gangster guns, a lot of juries would see someone that had one of those as someone that was of " questionable character ", no matter if the facts of the case indicated otherwise.

 

[ralph7]

I put them in the same category as the AR "pistols".
A gimmick that no one can shoot well.

 

[Bald1]

I think that their main appeal was basically as an Anti-NFA legal loophole into the lurid world of Short-Barrel Shotguns, but once everyone who wanted one had one, and it became clear that they weren't going to be reclassified by the ATF as an SBS, that was the end of the craze.

I still have my Mossberg 590 Shockwave 12 Gauge and I still love it just as much as the day that I bought it!

It has an extremely exhilarating yet not at all painful jolt when fired and serves as my bedside Home Defense firearm which is ideal for the relatively cramped quarters that I live in.

People often make comments about them being difficult to aim and shoot accurately, but like anything else, all it really requires is the proper technique.
Also, you can still hipfire it accurately with the aid of a laser sight, even if it is more for the sake of kicks and giggles than actual combat effectiveness.

Still, I have no issue whatsoever with admitting to the fact that the main reason I wanted one was because it was cool! Not sorry, I'm a grown man and I like what I like. Heck yeah, I watch movies and I play videogames!
I feel sorry for folks who avoid buying firearms just because it pleases them and feel the need to justify every purchase they make to others, especially strangers on the internet.

I like short-barreled scatterguns, and that's the only justification a free man needs.

Hallelujah brother!!!!!! Get it cuz u want it ! They are fun. In a cross back scabbard they'd be the almost perfect bear gun. Tons of threads about .40 .45 10mm and 44. 1 oz 12 gauge slug trumps them all. In a tent , in a camper, in the saddle bag of a Road Glide.

 

[AJ]

Never thought much of the "shorty" shotguns. Much prefer the one that I use. Taught a course that was designed by Jeff Cooper and the Marine Corps.

 

[ACORN]

I would not like one of those being shown to a jury as " Exhibit A " in my trial after I had to shoot someone in self-defense.
They look like gangster guns, a lot of juries would see someone that had one of those as someone that was of " questionable character ", no matter if the facts of the case indicated otherwise.

As the saying goes, "Better judged by 12, than carried by 6."