Military Arms Corporation MAC 2 Tactical Wood Shotgun (MSRP: $548.99)
The Benelli M2 holds a special place in the hearts of defensive shotgun aficionados. Rugged and reliable, it has an operating system that can take just about any load you put in it and send it downrange.
The patents on that action have expired, which now allows just about anyone to come out with their interpretation of that classic scattergun. Military Armament Corporation has taken advantage of this fact, and now has a series of tactical shotguns based on the Benelli action.
The model we’re looking at today is the MAC 2 Tactical Wood, which, as the name suggests, has a stock and fore-end made from Turkish walnut. Feature-wise, the MAC 2 Tactical Wood has everything you’d expect in a modern defensive shotgun. The barrel accepts Mobil chokes, and there is a bladed front sight on the top of the barrel which works with the rear adjustable ghost ring sight. If red dots are your thing, there is a section of Picatinny rail on top of the receiver to add the optic of your choice. Underneath the barrel is a five-round tubular magazine as well as a sling loop. There is a slight chamfer on the loading port to facilitate faster reloads, and the charging handle is oversize and knurled for when you need to get your scattergun into action as quickly as possible.
If I have one complaint about the MAC 2 Tactical Wood, it’s that the length of pull of the stock is a tad long for my liking, and I’m hesitant to replace that beautiful wood stock with something adjustable and plastic.
Vang Comp Shotshell Holder (MSRP: $30)
One of the common complaints about the defensive shotgun is a relative lack of magazine capacity compared to the modern semi-automatic rifle, which is why it’s a good idea to carry rounds on your shotgun right next to the loading port where they can be quickly accessed during the thick of the fight. There are many ways to do this, but one of the most reliable and most effective ways is to have a hook-and-loop fastener on one side of the receiver and then slap a shell holder with the other side onto your gun.
The Vang Comp version of this is built a little more ruggedly than other, less-expensive models, which tend to have thinner material holding up the shells. We accidentally used one of those versions in our video, and the result was shotgun shells scattered all over the range. Spend the extra money, and keep your ammo where it belongs.
Federal FliteControl 00 Buckshot (MSRP: $13.99)
Buckshot is usually made of lead, which is a soft metal that can deform under the shock of being fired and cause a pellet to wobble in flight like a lopsided football. Ammo manufacturers can get around some of this problem by plating the shot pellets with copper, a harder metal which deforms less under pressure.
With FliteControl, Federal takes this two steps further. First, Federal not plates the shot and adds a granulated buffer material inside the shotshell to soak up recoil. Secondly, the cup inside the shotshell is built so the pellets remain in the cup longer than in a conventional cup. All of this working together means that a round of FliteControl buckshot will have tighter patterns than conventional buckshot.
