When I joined the Aberdeen Police Department in Harford County, Maryland, in May of 1998, policing was very different—officers, tactics, and tools have all evolved since then. As a gun enthusiast, I was thrilled to learn that our issued handgun was the Glock 19, while detectives carried the Glock 26. Even better, we were allowed to carry backup guns. Before that, while attending the Baltimore Police Academy (Class 97-2), I worked for the Baltimore City School Police, who issued the Beretta 92FS. Having served in the Army as a Military Police officer, I was already very familiar with the Beretta. I was part of the last MP class to qualify with the 1911 and also the last to earn the Bayonet Badge. While the Beretta was a fine, accurate pistol, it was heavy and difficult to conceal off duty.
When you’re new to an agency, you don’t want to be the guy constantly asking about the department’s firearms. Tactical-minded officers are often shunned by the administration. But once I had a chance to look around, I found the arms room stocked with old Remington 870 shotguns and several Ruger Camp Carbines, which had been purchased because they used the same magazines as the previously issued Smith & Wesson pistols. While I have a deep appreciation for S&W revolvers, I’ve never been a fan of their semi-auto pistols.
Our qualification with the Remington 870 included both OO Buck and slugs, but only buckshot was issued, and there were no slugs in the arms room. When I asked about it, the range sergeant handed me two boxes, making it clear that before that moment, the only available long guns were loaded with buckshot, which had a maximum effective range of about 50 yards (and that’s assuming only half the pellets actually hit the target). Our qualification only extended to 25 yards, meaning that in a real engagement, our shotguns didn’t offer much more reach than our 9mm handguns. However, they did provide the ability to put multiple projectiles on target with one trigger pull. This meant that in any scenario involving a barricaded subject or someone behind cover, we were forced into extremely close-range engagements.
Despite only qualifying with slugs out to 25 yards, I personally trained until I could consistently hit man-sized targets at 100 yards using just the bead sight on the 870. At the time, I was probably the only one making this effort, essentially turning myself into a designated marksman with a shotgun.
Few officers carried shotguns on patrol, but once I became an FTO and firearms instructor, I strongly encouraged my trainees to take a shotgun on every shift. I also ensured they were issued slugs and trained them to engage targets out to 100 yards.
Until I asked, it wasn’t widely known that our chief allowed officers to purchase and carry personally owned shotguns. This was before 2025, when every patrol officer carried an M4. Even in major cities like Baltimore, only supervisors or designated shotgun cars carried long guns. Patrol rifles were mostly used in rural departments. Since department-issued rifles weren’t an option, I set out to find the best shotgun for my needs. The choice was clear: the Mossberg 590. While Remington 870s dominated law enforcement, the 590 was designed for military use and had several advantages, including ghost ring sights, an ambidextrous safety, and an 8+1 capacity compared to the 870’s 4+1. At the time, I had a two-year-old at home and no spare gun money, so I borrowed from a retired Army SF buddy who wrote for Jane’s Defense. He agreed with my decision.
Everything changed after April 20, 1999—the Columbine shooting. The old strategy of setting up a command post and waiting for SWAT while people were being killed was over (or should have been). The National Tactical Officers Association’s new guidance stated that the first three officers on scene had to make entry and neutralize the threat. I welcomed this shift, though it made many career desk jockeys uncomfortable. Our new chief, a retired Maryland State Police officer, was on board with the updated training—until I pointed out a flaw in front of two shifts at roll call. I informed him that the NTOA recommended officers use long guns for active shooter responses, and that if those long guns were shotguns, they should be loaded with slugs. He wasn’t a gun guy, but within a few days, we were all issued slugs.
Fast forward to February 2000. While working midnight shift, a call came in at 0050 hours about a bar patron refusing to pay. Of the five officers on duty, four of us were on SWAT, and I was a team leader. En route, we were updated that the suspect had displayed a gun. I won’t go into all the details, but during the confrontation, I fired a single 147-grain Federal Hydra-Shok round through a four-inch gap between a water tank and a brick wall. It struck the suspect but failed to penetrate due to his leather and denim jackets. A brief foot chase ensued.
I retrieved my 590, consciously choosing to swap out slugs for OO buck due to the close-quarters environment and heavy brush. The suspect, now hit multiple times by 9mm and .40 S&W rounds, lay wounded about seven yards away. I fired two rounds of OO buck, which caused him to drop his weapon momentarily. He then picked it up again, prompting me to fire two more rounds. A single pellet struck his descending aorta, proving fatal. Another pellet blew off his thumb, forcing him to drop the gun.
At the time, my 590 lacked a weapon light, but Maryland State Police’s Trooper 1 helicopter illuminated the scene like a stadium. Reviewing my tactics, training, and tools afterward, the only change I made was adding a weapon light, eventually settling on a Surefire for end that was cumbersome but the only game in town at the time. That has since been replaced with a G & G Shotgun Mount with a Streamlight. A Magpul two-point sling has also been added. A single point on a shotgun is a ball basher. A shotguns effectiveness is only limited by the shooters ability to keep it fed. For this reason, a side saddle shell holder is a must.
A few years later, I attended the U.S. Army Breaching School when instructors came down from West Point, where we conducted hundreds of live breaches on our high school we were tearing down. All my breaching was done with my 590. Later, during a barricade situation, I was authorized to deploy a less-lethal 12-gauge bean bag round against a suspect wielding two balisongs. He turned at the last second, and I hit his upper right arm, knocking him back into the house. Everyone thought I had shot him with live rounds—it was a mess.
Over the years, I’ve trained extensively with my 590, attending multiple firearms instructor courses, including Blackwater’s Shotgun & Pistol Instructor Course. I deployed it hundreds of times in both SWAT and patrol operations, and it remains one of my favorite firearms.
Many officers show little interest in firearms beyond basic qualifications. Even though I retired in 2007 and am now 52, I still train harder and maintain a stronger survival mindset than most active officers. Many avoid shotguns due to recoil, weight, or perceived difficulty in maneuverability. With the rise of patrol rifles, undertrained officers are now carrying weapons capable of lethal engagements hundreds of yards away.
For the average person, the 12-gauge pump shotgun remains an excellent choice—especially the Mossberg 590. Even the Mossberg 500 serves most needs. My 590 has endured abuse that would have destroyed a blued gun. While I initially dismissed the heavy barrel, I appreciated it more when using the shotgun for breaching. The bayonet lug was another feature I enjoyed—until I had to remove it to accommodate the SureFire forend. In hindsight, I wish I had kept it—shotguns and bayonets are a perfect combination.
Once you have your shotgun, practice moving with it unloaded in your home and vehicle. Many dismiss pump shotguns due to their weight, recoil, and perceived bulkiness, but those issues can be managed by keeping the stock closer to your center mass. The movies show officers holding firearms fully extended, but anyone who has ever had to hold a weapon at the ready for an extended period knows that’s not sustainable. I will add here that for most instances beyond breaching, pistol grip only shotguns are stupid. In defense of this practice many will site maneuverability concerns. As shown below that is nonsense, it is very easy to make shotguns “short” when needed. There is NOTHING you cannot accomplish with a pistol grip shotgun that you can’t with a full stock, the same cannot be said for the other way around. Just as any legitimate firearms instructor will not allow SERPA holsters to be used in their classes or advise open carry, no self-respecting firearms instructor will advocate for a pistol grip shotgun.
Paul Castle’s Center Axis Relock System validated much of what I had naturally been doing. Keeping a long gun closer to the body improves control, sustainability, and target acquisition. I am proud to say that I am one of about 40 Master CAR instructors that were chosen and trained by Paul himself (RIP my old friend) Gun handling—not just shooting—separates professionals from amateurs. Don’t be a tactical LARPER. Get some training for the tools you carry.
