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While most shooters can easily grasp the fundamentals of loading / unloading a shotgun with a detachable box magazine, the same cannot always be said about shotguns with tubular magazines. Some tube-fed models feature a less-intuitive manual of arms than new gun owners are accustomed to, which can cause confusion and frustration at the range or in the field.
Shotguns with tubular magazines typically feature a loading gate with a shell elevator that is designed to lift shells from the magazine tube into the chamber.
Loading the gun is as simple as inserting one shotshell at a time into the loading gate and pushing forward until it is retained in the magazine tube, repeating until full. To charge the firearm, the shooter must pull the charging handle (for semi-autos) or run the pump (for pump action models).
Once a round is chambered, the charging handle / pump action cannot be manipulated by hand until the trigger is depressed and the bolt is released again.
But what if the action is locked in place and you can't chamber a round, or you need to completely unload your shotgun without pulling the trigger or firing a chambered round?
The primary function of the bolt release lever is to allow the action to cycle freely without depressing the trigger each time. This enables the shooter to rack in a fresh shotshell without dropping the hammer on an empty chamber, which can damage certain models if done repeatedly.
You can also use the bolt release to eject any rounds that are currently in the chamber or stored in the magazine tube by pushing the lever and cycling the gun until it is completely empty.
Prior to your first range outing or hunting trip, determine where the bolt release is located on your specific model of shotgun. It may or may not be positioned next to the safety and will almost certainly be less instinctive than removing a loaded magazine from your rifle or pistol. However, with enough practice, loading and unloading your shotgun will soon become second nature.
Watch our video below to learn how you can train to shoot shotguns more efficiently, whether you're new to firearms or simply want to improve your skillset.
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