The power to shock and awe

The time has come for me to enter the world of shotguns. Opening a box can hardly be more exciting...

Benelli M4 Super 90 with pistol grip and skeletonized stock


I first seriously considered owning a shotgun for home defense when the media covered looting in New Orleans after it was hit by Katrina. If you had been following the news, you would have seen how nasty it was. One photograph drove it home for me. Someone tried to deter looters with spray painted warning "I am sleeping inside with a big dog, an ugly woman, two shotguns and a claw hammer.". I mean, wow... It was pitiful, desperate yet awakening at the same time. I had a sudden urge to own a shotgun.

And now I, too, am prepared for the worst. If anything, this is the exact same combat shotgun currently used by the U.S. Marine Corps.


But what good would a nice gun do if you can't use it properly? So I went to the range at the next available opportunity, propped three targets in a line formation with bad guys from left to right at 15, 17 and 15 meters, then mowed them down as quickly as I could with OO buckshots.


Incredibly easy to shoot. Target acquisition was fairly quick with ghost ring sight. Recoil was surprisingly bearable, thanks to the gun's inner mechanism and recoil pad. The only thing it lacks is that spine-chilling sound effect of a pump action chambering a shell. But that can be fixed with a purchase of an additional Remington Model 870. Ooopss...

Back to business. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon with the range all to myself so I had time for another round of my simulated home defense scenario. Same setup, nearer distance (10, 12 and 10 meters), this time with my trusty Sig Sauer P226.


Mission accomplished. Bad guys down.

Bringing two..., no, three passions together: firearms, watches and photography

An Italian shotgun and a Swiss watch of Italian descent


A German gun and a Swiss watch with German connection


I'm a happy man all right!