Fried Chicken Blowout
Well-Known Fanatic
For those looking to jumpstart their experience with their SLP shotgun, I've got some suggestions after I've had mine for some time now.... I started out with the typical factory gun and jumped on a few times that i felt were needed right away. This items include the Nordic Compoents extended bolt handle and bolt release. To me these items were no brainers. They were easily better than the stock setup and not too expensive. The bolt release says it's for a Benelli, but just ignore that and install it on your FN without worrying about a thing. What you end up with is this setup....
IMG_4294 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
IMG_4296 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
After those basic items, I would suggest an efficient loading system. I had initially started out with the typical California Competition Works 4 round shot shell holders. They were great. I could hold a ton of shells on my belt and load them okay. Unfortunately I was never that fast with weak hand reloading and when it was really cold... Like below 30 degrees, I would drop a ton of shells and look like a total ass trying to load. Thankfully I had started working with Mark from Carbon Arms. Mark is heading up with Colorado State Multi Gun Championship match that is happening in April of this year, and I'm doing the website for the match. It just so happens that Mark is the maker of what is the baddest shotgun loading system on the market today!!! The TWinS Shotgun Loading System allows you to grab two shells at a time and load them into the shotgun. For me, this has proved to be significantly faster than weak hand reloading.
I ended up with a SSL Backbone, SSL Pinwheel, and the SSL Chest Rig as my complete loading system... This system allowed me to reducing my shoot 1, load 4, shoot 1 time by 15% immediately. This is without any practice... I ran several runs on the shot timer with the weak hand reload and then ran the Carbon Arms system for the first time after setting up the system... It was an instant 15% decrease in the overall time. I was amazed and sold on the system!
Up until this time, I had always treated the shotgun like a 3rd wheel... I've always been a big fan of pistol shooting and I enjoy shooting rifle so training for those have been easy. The shotgun has been the red headed stepchild... Now it's a primary part of my training and match shooting....
The next thing I jumped on came out of a class that James and Mark from Carbon Arms taught regarding Multi-Gun matches... A +1 tube on the SLP Mk1 is legal in most matches. It hadn't dawned on me before, but with the TWinS loading system, you are always loading two shells at a time. Well if you shoot to bolt lock, you will grab two shells from your loading system and drop one into the ejection port, and then load the next one into the loading tube. This sets you up for having an odd number of shells loaded. This becomes a problem since you're loading 2 at a time. So adding a +1 Nordic Extension turns your 8 round mag tube into a 9 round mag tube and you're back in business. Being that I shoot tactical, I need to make sure I only load 8 round in the tube at the start of the stage, but after that start, it's game on. Load up to 9 round in the tube and you're all set.
IMG_4298 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
After setting up for the +1 extension, I realized that some speed could be picked up by being able to load the round faster. This is accomplished by a couple of things... First having your lifter welded up so the pitch fork is gone and there is a smooth ramp into the mag tube... The factory lifter, is forked in order to cradle the round going into the chamber. Unfortunately this is a pinch point when loading and not the smoothest ramp when trying to load quickly. Here's a comparison of the factory lifter and the modified lifter.... Factory on the bottom and modified on the top...
IMG_0531 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
I sent my lifter off theC-Rums to have it welded up and extended for smooth loading of shells. The work took about a month to ship and return, but it was well worth the time and money. Loading is smooth, fast and pinch free now.
This loading system was also improved by attacking the receiver with the Dremel. Normally I'm not a Dremel type of guy, but I didn't want to pay a gunsmith to open my loading port, so I did it myself. The opening of the loading port is most important in the front of the port, which allows you to seat the loaded shells into the mag tub quickly without having to shove them forward past the shell retainer. As you can see from the photos, there has been some significant material removed to ease the loading process...
IMG_4301 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
IMG_4304 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
IMG_4302 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
You can also see from the photos the that I needed to cut back the hand guard in order to make room for the cuts into the receiver and for the loading thumb not to be impeded during the loading process....
More to come...
IMG_4294 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
IMG_4296 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
After those basic items, I would suggest an efficient loading system. I had initially started out with the typical California Competition Works 4 round shot shell holders. They were great. I could hold a ton of shells on my belt and load them okay. Unfortunately I was never that fast with weak hand reloading and when it was really cold... Like below 30 degrees, I would drop a ton of shells and look like a total ass trying to load. Thankfully I had started working with Mark from Carbon Arms. Mark is heading up with Colorado State Multi Gun Championship match that is happening in April of this year, and I'm doing the website for the match. It just so happens that Mark is the maker of what is the baddest shotgun loading system on the market today!!! The TWinS Shotgun Loading System allows you to grab two shells at a time and load them into the shotgun. For me, this has proved to be significantly faster than weak hand reloading.
I ended up with a SSL Backbone, SSL Pinwheel, and the SSL Chest Rig as my complete loading system... This system allowed me to reducing my shoot 1, load 4, shoot 1 time by 15% immediately. This is without any practice... I ran several runs on the shot timer with the weak hand reload and then ran the Carbon Arms system for the first time after setting up the system... It was an instant 15% decrease in the overall time. I was amazed and sold on the system!
Up until this time, I had always treated the shotgun like a 3rd wheel... I've always been a big fan of pistol shooting and I enjoy shooting rifle so training for those have been easy. The shotgun has been the red headed stepchild... Now it's a primary part of my training and match shooting....
The next thing I jumped on came out of a class that James and Mark from Carbon Arms taught regarding Multi-Gun matches... A +1 tube on the SLP Mk1 is legal in most matches. It hadn't dawned on me before, but with the TWinS loading system, you are always loading two shells at a time. Well if you shoot to bolt lock, you will grab two shells from your loading system and drop one into the ejection port, and then load the next one into the loading tube. This sets you up for having an odd number of shells loaded. This becomes a problem since you're loading 2 at a time. So adding a +1 Nordic Extension turns your 8 round mag tube into a 9 round mag tube and you're back in business. Being that I shoot tactical, I need to make sure I only load 8 round in the tube at the start of the stage, but after that start, it's game on. Load up to 9 round in the tube and you're all set.
IMG_4298 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
After setting up for the +1 extension, I realized that some speed could be picked up by being able to load the round faster. This is accomplished by a couple of things... First having your lifter welded up so the pitch fork is gone and there is a smooth ramp into the mag tube... The factory lifter, is forked in order to cradle the round going into the chamber. Unfortunately this is a pinch point when loading and not the smoothest ramp when trying to load quickly. Here's a comparison of the factory lifter and the modified lifter.... Factory on the bottom and modified on the top...
IMG_0531 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
I sent my lifter off theC-Rums to have it welded up and extended for smooth loading of shells. The work took about a month to ship and return, but it was well worth the time and money. Loading is smooth, fast and pinch free now.
This loading system was also improved by attacking the receiver with the Dremel. Normally I'm not a Dremel type of guy, but I didn't want to pay a gunsmith to open my loading port, so I did it myself. The opening of the loading port is most important in the front of the port, which allows you to seat the loaded shells into the mag tub quickly without having to shove them forward past the shell retainer. As you can see from the photos, there has been some significant material removed to ease the loading process...
IMG_4301 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
IMG_4304 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
IMG_4302 by FriedChickenBlowout, on Flickr
You can also see from the photos the that I needed to cut back the hand guard in order to make room for the cuts into the receiver and for the loading thumb not to be impeded during the loading process....
More to come...
