Photo By Master Sgt. Daniel Palermo | Spc. Andrew Davis of the New Jersey Army National Guard's 50th Special Troops...... read more read more
Subscribe
Sgt. Christian M. DeJohn
109th MPAD
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa.-- The shotgun has always had a colorful aura about it, bringing to mind stagecoach robbers of the Old West. When American Soldiers began to adopt modified civilian shotguns for trench warfare in the First World War, they appreciated the simple but powerful weapon's ability to clear enemy bunkers and trenches. After seeing how effectively a shotgun can clear or "sweep" enemy positions, they nicknamed them "trench brooms." Many of the original hastily adapted civilian models from 1917 served on into the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
The latest generation of Soldiers to use them includes the New Jersey Army National Guard's 50th Special Troops Battalion out of Port Murray. The battalion, which returned from an Iraq deployment in June 2009, conducted a shotgun familiarization course here March 6-7.
The New Jersey Soldiers used four firing ranges here. Capt. Kevin Murphy, who commands the 50th's Headquarters Company, praised the training facilities.
"It's practical to train here," Murphy said, "because Fort Dix, N.J., is overwhelmed with returning units. There's also more good terrain for training here; trees and hills."
Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Hawkins was impressed by the "beautiful, up-to-date firing ranges."
Why continue to use the shotgun? "It's used today for 'urban breaching,' or shooting the lock out of a door to enter a building," said Spc. Kyle Trew.
"Our combat engineers use them for blowing down doors," said Hawkins. "They have to be able to hit a doorknob at five feet, and you don't even have to aim it. You can kick open a door by firing a shotgun."
On Range 17's firing line, Soldiers stood in a line of five, approximately 25 feet behind the green plastic silhouette-shaped targets. The air was full of loud blasts and the frequent, distinct sound of shooters "racking," or chambering more rounds into their weapons after firing. Unlike the clean single holes made by a rifle, the man-shaped targets were quickly peppered with a wide spray of multiple holes.
The model used by the 50th STB's Soldiers is the Mossberg 500, a civilian sportsman's model adapted for Army use by adding a black non-glare finish. It fires buckshot shells with a capacity of five rounds.
"It has an effective range of approximately 25-50 feet, and each shell contains approximately 30-50 pellets," added Trew.
The weapon seems to be a hit with the 50th STB Soldiers. Even after marching six miles to the range, they were quick to offer enthusiastic praise for it.
"This is one of the easiest weapons to use and clean," said Pvt. Daniel Kubik.
Though Spc. Andrew Davis has shot civilian shotguns before, he is amazed by the weapon's power. "The powerful kick still gets me - wow! You try to prepare for it, but it still surprises me."
"Their shoulders will be worn out after firing fifteen rounds," joked Capt. Murphy.
"It's a beast, but I love it. This is a good back-up weapon," added Pfc. Eliezer Guzman.
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 03.10.2010 10:27 |
| Story ID: | 46447 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 474 |
| Downloads: | 231 |
This work, New Jersey Army National Guard trains on shotguns, by SGT Christian Dejohn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
