Review: Stoeger Coach Gun Pt 2.

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There’s nothing like seeing yourself on video to make you feel self-conscious and awkward, unless you’re Anthony Weiner. On the orders of, uh, I mean gentle request of our Fearless Leader, I videoed myself going through a house with the Stoeger Coach Gun I reviewed a while back for TTAG, and learned several things in the process. First, I’ve got to get better camera technology. Second, even though I moved through a house against cardboard silhouettes, my adrenaline still pumped quite a bit, causing me to get tunnel vision and forget several things I was supposed to do . . .

I cannot imagine the stark terror that must accompany a situation involving real live home invaders who hold bad intentions.

In such a situation, holing up and waiting for the cavalry to arrive would almost always be the best choice to make. Going through a building containing real bad guys is something best left to an entire squad, team, or platoon of trained professionals. The only way I would ever attempt moving through a house containing bad guys would be if I knew my son, wife, or somebody else I loved was trapped in that house, and had to be reached right then.

Third, old habits die very hard. Very early in my life, I was taught to shoot by an old Marine. He had learned the “chicken wing” technique in boot camp, (watch my right elbow to see what I mean) and thus taught it to me. Behold how the chicken wing manifests itself, appearing considerably before the twin barrels of the coach gun when I move to my right.

Fourth, I shouldn’t stand framed by a doorway to reload, and should take a step to one side instead. Again, that adrenaline and tunnel vision thing got to me, even though I knew the targets were just cardboard. Note, some of the targets were recycled ones, and already had holes shot in them. In fact, the last target I hold up contains several holes made by a 5.56 rifle at 300 yards.  But that’ s another TTAG post for the future.

Fifth, even though I practiced, practiced, practiced my loading and reloading technique, I wasn’t able perform it as smoothly once I added in the twin pressures of being in front of a camera and looking for targets whose locations I did not know. Magnify that by several hundred times if the targets are mobile, agile and hostile.

In short, there are no guarantees in a self-defense situation. If you buy a Stoeger Coach Gun for self-defense, you are buying an extremely simple, potent and reliable firearm. Using it effectively requires training; it’s not so easy to reload under pressure. As always, the weak link will be . . . you.

I’ll have the tubes polished and try again . . .