An automatic shotgun is an automatic firearm that fires

shotgun shell A shotgun shell, shotshell or simply shell is a type of rimmed, cylindrical (straight-walled) cartridges used specifically in shotguns, and is typically loaded with numerous small, pellet-like spherical sub- projectiles called shot, fired th ...

s (thereby making it a

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub- p ...

) and uses some of the energy of each shot to automatically cycle the action and load a new round. It will fire repeatedly until the trigger is released or ammunition runs out. Automatic shotguns have a very limited range, but provide tremendous firepower at close range.

Design

Automatic shotguns generally employ mechanisms very similar to other kinds of automatic weapons. There are several methods of operation, with the most common being

gas Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma). A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...

recoil Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged. In technical terms, the recoil is a result of conservation of momentum, as according to Newton's third law the force r ...

, and blowback operated: * Gas operation uses the pressure of the gas (created by the burning propellant) behind the projectile to unlock the bolt assembly and then move it rearward. * Blowback operation uses the backward force applied by the projectile (due to Newton's Third Law of Motion) to retract the bolt assembly. * Recoil operation uses the backward force to retract the entire barrel and bolt assembly, which unlock at the rear of the barrel's path. Each of these methods use springs to return the retracted parts to their forward positions and restart the cycle. Many automatic shotguns are capable of

selective fire Selective fire is the capability of a weapon to be adjusted to fire in semi-automatic, fully automatic, and/or burst mode. The modes are chosen by means of a selector switch, which varies depending on the weapon's design. Some selective-fire w ...

, meaning they can fire in multiple modes ( semi-automatic,

burst Burst may refer to: * Burst mode (disambiguation), a mode of operation where events occur in rapid succession ** Burst transmission, a term in telecommunications ** Burst switching, a feature of some packet-switched networks **Bursting, a signaling ...

, and sometimes

fully automatic An automatic firearm is an auto-loading firearm that continuously chambers and fires rounds when the trigger mechanism is actuated. The action of an automatic firearm is capable of harvesting the excess energy released from a previous disch ...

Ammunition

They generally store ammunition in detachable

box A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and ca ...

drum magazine A drum magazine is a type of high-capacity magazine for firearms. Cylindrical in shape (similar to a drum), drum magazines store rounds in a spiral around the center of the magazine, facing the direction of the barrel. Drum magazines are contr ...

s in order to decrease reloading time, whereas most pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns use under-barrel

tubular magazine A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device for a repeating firearm, either integral within the gun (internal/fixed magazine) or externally attached (detachable magazine). The magazine functions by holding several cartridges withi ...

s. Automatic shotgun ammunition choices are slightly limited because the fired shot must provide sufficient recoil energy to reliably cycle the action. This means they are not compatible for use with low powered rounds, e.g.

less-than-lethal Non-lethal weapons, also called nonlethal weapons, less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, compliance weapons, or pain-inducing weapons are weapons intended to be less likely to kill a living target than conventional ...

ammunition. The most common

used in combat shotguns contains 00 buckshot, 8 to 10 lead balls, which is very effective against unarmored targets.

Strengths and weaknesses

A standard shotgun shot fires multiple small projectiles at once, increasing the chances of hitting the target. Shotguns have a short effective range of about , but provide a lot of firepower at close range. Automatic fire enhances these effects, due to the increase in the rate of fire. Automatics typically have much shorter barrels than

pump-action shotgun Pump action or slide action is a repeating firearm action that is operated manually by moving a sliding handguard on the gun's forestock. When shooting, the sliding forend is pulled rearward to eject any expended cartridge and typically to ...

s (especially hunting shotguns). Short-barreled automatic shotguns have a very high chance of hitting close range targets, and can even hit multiple targets in one area, which is ideal for combat situations. Long-barreled pump action shotguns are more accurate and have increased range, which is ideal for hunting and sporting purposes. Automatic shotguns are generally viewed as less reliable than manual operation shotguns, because there are more moving parts and increased chances of error. If any one piece fails, it will most likely halt the operation and cause damage to the weapon and/or user. Automatic weapons are also more susceptible to jamming and negative effects from dirtiness.

Use

Automatic shotguns are intended for use as military

combat shotgun A combat shotgun is a shotgun issued by militaries for warfare. The earliest shotguns specifically designed for combat were the trench guns or trench shotguns issued in World War I. While limited in range, the multiple projectiles typically u ...

s. They typically have a high

rate of fire Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. This can be influenced by several factors, including operator training level, mechanical limitations, ammunition availability, and weapon condition. In m ...

and relatively low

, making them ideal for engaging targets in a fast-paced, close range combat situation. They are able to fulfill many different combat roles due to the wide variety of shotgun ammunition available. Automatic shotguns have not seen much use in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, but have been slightly more popular in some other countries.

List

AAI CAWS The AAI CAWS (Close Assault Weapon System) is a prototype automatic shotgun—designed as a combat shotgun— produced by the AAI Corporation during the 1980s. It was AAI's entry into the U.S military's Close Assault Weapon System program. It is ...

Atchisson AA-12 The AA-12 (Auto Assault-12), originally designed and known as the Atchisson Assault Shotgun, is an automatic combat shotgun developed in 1972 by Maxwell Atchisson (however, the original development by Atchisson seems to have produced only a few gu ...

Daewoo USAS-12 The USAS-12 (Universal Sporting Automatic Shotgun 12 gauge) is an automatic shotgun manufactured in South Korea by Daewoo Precision Industries since the 1980s. Design The USAS-12 is a gas-operated, selective fire weapon, designed to provide ...

*FAS-173 *Gordon CSWS *

Heckler & Koch HK CAWS The Heckler & Koch HK CAWS (Close Assault Weapon System) is a prototype automatic shotgun—designed as a combat shotgun—co-produced by Heckler & Koch and Winchester/Olin during the 1980s. It was Heckler & Koch's entry into the U.S military's C ...

*LW-3 * Pancor Jackhammer *

Saiga-12 The Saiga-12 () is a shotgun available in a wide range of configurations, patterned after the Kalashnikov series of rifles and named after the Saiga antelope native to Russia. Like the Kalashnikov rifle variants, it is a rotating bolt, long-s ...

(if converted to fully automatic fire) * Smith & Wesson AS-3 *Special Operations Weapon *Remington 7188 *

Vepr-12 The Vepr-12 is a multipurpose semi-automatic detachable-magazine shotgun, produced by Molot-Oruzhie Ltd. It is patterned after the original Kalashnikov rifle and built on the heavier RPK light machine gun receiver. History Early versions of th ...

(when converted to full auto)

References

{{Firearms Paramilitary weapons

Design

Ammunition

Strengths and weaknesses

Use

List

See also

References