proper shell orientation and mix on side saddle

[GrandPooba]

I have an 870 with factory 6 round mag tube. I just purchased a six round side saddle and was wondering if there is a "proper" or recommended mix/orientation for buckshot/slugs on the side saddle. Rounds up or down? A mix of slugs and buck or slugs only?

Mag tube is filled with Federal tactical 12ga 00 buckshot w/ flite control wad.

[usmcvet]

I am a right handed shooter. I was taught to load my shotgun shells in my side saddle primer down. I reload with my left hand while keeping my shotgun on target. It would work the same from the left side using your right hand to reload.

[drkhrt532]

I got a 6 shell carrier. I have 1 or 2 shells primer up at the front end. These are for a combat reload--feeding an empty chamber from over the top. The rest are primer down for topping off the tube.
00 buck is the golden standard so that's what my side saddle is stocked with. I personally have no immediate use for slugs though I got them around. My shotgun doesn't leave home defense duty much. If I were an officer using it on a duty configuration, id have 1 or 2 slugs. James Yeagers gun has full slugs in the saddle, 00buck in the tube.

The magpul dvd talks a lot about this topic.

[kmrtnsn]

Proper? Depends on your needs and usage.

For me, I carry an 870 in "cruiser carry" condition, hammer down on an empty chamber, safety off, action closed, and the tube loaded to capacity with 00 Buck. My side saddle is loaded with 5 rounds of slug, brass side up and one 00 Buck brass side down for a top-off after cycling the action. This works for me, as my SG is moved in and out of a vehicle very often and 00 Buck fit 99.9% of my usage needs. In this carry condition I can single load a Slug as needed, repeatedly without having to download the magazine tube and the SG can be safely carried and moved. Your mileage may vary.

K

[usmcvet]

I should add my training Inc is about 20 years old and I was reloading from the sleeve on my stock. I was taught to reload the chamber from the palm of my left hand. I checked some of the high speed stuff in you tube. Looks like I need a tune up. My training was OK, anxious am smooth at it but there has been much more thought out into the new gear and training.

[Failure2Stop]

There are a few different approaches to the shotgun side saddle:
Competition
Duty
Breaching

For competition, the saddle is either onboard carriage for alternate ammo (slugs or a lower number shot), more primary ammo, or a combination of the two. The shells that will be going into the mag tube are generally carried primer down to facilitate a faster, more efficient movement into the gate, and the ones intended on going into the ejection port (dry reload or select shell) are generally carried primer up, for the same reason.

For duty, I prefer to carry everything primer up, as it reduces the probability of losing rounds to recoil, gravity, and snagging.

For breaching I will carry mostly primer down, as the breaching shotty will spend most of it's time in a vertical position, and I will source "lethal" rounds from my gear, only having breaching rounds in the tube and saddle. This is in case I have to pass off the gun (our if it has to be taken off of me) it is set up to do it's primary job of breaching without having to worry about someone pumping a slug blindly into a room.

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[Iraqgunz]

That's pretty much how I was taught as well. I keep all slugs on my side sadddle, simply because if I blow through the 5 or 6 rounds I have loaded then I probably need something stronger.


I am a right handed shooter. I was taught to load my shotgun shells in my side saddle primer down. I reload with my left hand while keeping my shotgun on target. It would work the same from the left side using your right hand to reload.

[KeithD]

Comes down to what your going to be doing with it, shotty set up, running an optic where emergency reloads may be better going under opposed to over.

Are you running 00 and slugs ie slug selects?

It all comes down to what your running, how your running it and personal prefference.

[JEL458]

I load my tube to 1 round less than capacity with 00 Buck and my side saddle with 5 slugs brass up and the rear most loop with an additional 00 Buck round.

When I deploy it out of my vehicle, I can direct load 2 slugs or top off with the extra 00 Buck, depending on the nature of the call.

I load my side-saddle brass up for the same reasons as F2S and others have said. Brass up I'm less likely to have rounds fall out and it also sets me up for what I believe my worst case scenario would be with the shotgun - having to combat reload all rounds in the side-saddle.

I perform my combat reloads out of a SS over the top. The only circumstances in which I can imagine myself loading the tube is the old "time, distance, cover or opportunity" adage; at which point I am ok with the trade off of having to take a little longer to load the tube because my rounds are brass up.

As others have said, best will depend on your circumstances and what you are comfortable with as far as trade-offs go.

[blake g]

14" 870 with XS Big Dot front bead, tube (with WC +1 extension) is loaded with Winchester Ranger 00B and the 4 rd side saddle has 3 rds of 00B brass down and 1 rd of Brenneke slug brass up at the front position.

[Redmanfms]

I am a right handed shooter. I was taught to load my shotgun shells in my side saddle primer down. I reload with my left hand while keeping my shotgun on target. It would work the same from the left side using your right hand to reload.

This is what I do when I run a shell carrier. Lately I've been keeping a shoulder bag of shells with the shotgun and running the shotgun clean of everything but a sling and light.

I don't use slugs.

[LHS]

I alternate up/down with each shell. This gives my truckasaurus hands enough clearance to grab one shell without fumbling two out of the SS. I tend to run slugs primer-down, and buck primer-up. That way I can do select slug drills or an emergency ejection port reload with buckshot. Be aware, over time the primer-down shells do have a tendency to vibrate out of the SS. Some SS are worse about that than others.

[kh86]

No mix on the saddle.

[jaxman7]

This is my competition setup:

-5 round side saddle, 2 most forward rounds facing up for over the top bolt lock reloads and the other 3 facing down for some odd reason I cant reach my shell caddies and need to load the tube
-2 slugs mounted on a carrier on the fore end a few inches ahead of the ejection port. Allows me to load the slugs while holding bolt open

-Jax

[agr1279]

Try both ways and use what works best for you and stick with it. I run slugs brass up and buck brass down.

[shooterfpga]

Try both ways and use what works best for you and stick with it. I run slugs brass up and buck brass down.

same here, this way i can visually see the slug.