“birdshot”

Frank Miniter, author of The Ultimate Man’s Survival Guide, dug up these five bloody tales that prove anything is possible when it comes to bear attacks.

Some marvel at the terminal energy of the .338 Lapua. Others do the same for the .50 BMG. Personally it's the versatility and power of the 12-gauge shotgun that most intrigues me. Its close-range energy is just devastating—the equivalent of about four simultaneous rounds of .45 ACP.

A hunter was pursuing ruffed grouse with his bird dog near Park Rapids, Minn., when all heck broke loose. There was a commotion, and the dog ran back toward the hunter with a wolf hot on its heels.

Why did the grouse hunter carry a gun? In case of a bear attack, of course. Unfortunately, the unlikely scenario became a frightening reality for one Wisconsin man and his dog.

Jeff Johnston has often heard that homeowners looking for a home defense round should use a shotgun “with birdshot” because it won’t penetrate walls and therefore can't hurt family members in other rooms. But does that theory really hold up?

Weatherby is known for rifles, but the company has darn nice shotguns, too.

In this, its 150th year in business, the history of Winchester firearms is well known. After all, “The gun that won the west” was a Winchester, the Model 1873. The Winchester Model 70 is known as the “Rifleman’s Rifle” and the Model 1894 is perhaps the most successful sporting rifle in history. The company also shook up the scattergun market with classic shotguns like the Model 1897, Model 21 and Model 12. The raw truth, however, is that none of these guns could have made their mark in history without ammo to shoot out of them. It’s kind of the red-headed stepchild in terms of glory and glamor, but Winchester has been in the ammo business as long as they have been in the gun business.

Quick thinking and good instincts helped an 11-year-old boy save himself and his family from a charging brown bear on June 18, according to a report from the Juneau Empire.

A good wingshooter mounts the gun, focuses on the target with both eyes and pulls the trigger in one smooth motion so the shot pattern strikes the target where the shooter expects the target to be. Here’s how to practice all that so you look—and shoot—like a natural.