A shotgun (also known as a fowling piece^[1] or scattergun^[2]) is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot or a solid projectile. A firearm is a Tool that projects either single or multiple Projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion Lead shot is a collective term for small balls of Lead. It is used primarily as Projectiles in Shotguns but is also used for a variety of other purposes Shotguns come in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from 5. 5 mm (. 22 inch) bore up to 5 cm (2 inch) bore, and in a range of firearm operating mechanisms, including breech loading, double barreled shotguns, pump-action, bolt-action, lever-action, and semi-automatic models. A double-barreled shotgun is a Shotgun with two parallel barrels allowing two shots to be fired in quick succession

The shot pellets from a shotgun spread upon leaving the barrel, the power of the burning charge is divided among the pellets, which means that the energy of any one ball of shot is fairly low. A shotgun (also known as a scattergun) is a Firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number In a hunting context, this makes shotguns useful primarily for hunting birds and other small game. Game is any Animal hunted for Food or not normally domesticated (such as Venison) However, in a military or law enforcement context, the large number of projectiles makes the shotgun useful as a close quarters combat weapon or a defensive weapon. Close Quarters Battle ( CQB) or close quarters combat ( CQC) is a type of fighting in which small units engage the enemy with personal weapons at very A weapon is a Tool used either in Hunting, or attack or defence in Combat for the purpose of subduing enemy personnel or to destroy enemy weapons A defensive weapon is a Personal weapon that is primarily intended for defending the user against an attacker Shotguns are also used for target shooting sports such as skeet, trap, and sporting clay shooting. Skeet shooting is one of the three major types of competitive shotgun shooting at targets (the others are Trap shooting and Sporting clays) Trap shooting is one of the three major forms of competitive Clay pigeon shooting ( Shotgun shooting at Clay targets. Sporting Clays is a form of Clay pigeon shooting. Often described as Golf with a Shotgun, the sport differs from trap and Skeet These involve shooting clay disks, also known as clay pigeons, thrown in various ways.

Precursors to the shotgun, such as the musket were widely used by armies in the 18th century. A musket is a muzzle -loaded Smoothbore Long gun, which is intended to be fired from the shoulder However, in the 19th century, shotgun-type weapons were largely replaced on the battlefield with rifles, which were more accurate over longer ranges. A rifle is a Firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves ("rifling" cut into the barrel walls The decline in military use of shotguns reversed in World War I, when American forces used 12-gauge pump action shotguns in close-quarters trench fighting. Since the end of World War II, the shotgun has remained in use with modern armies mostly in specialist roles, such as door breaching or for naval boarding parties. Door breaching is a process used by military police or emergency services to force open a closed and/or locked door On the other hand, shotguns have become a standard firearm for law enforcement use in many countries. Police often use specialty less-lethal or non-lethal ammunitions, such as tear gas shells, bean bags, stun rounds, and rubber projectiles.

Contents 1 Characteristics 2 Uses 2.1 Sporting 2.2 Hunting 2.3 Law enforcement 2.4 Military 3 Design features for various uses 4 Definition 5 History 5.1 19th century 5.2 Daniel Myron LeFever 5.3 John Moses Browning 5.4 World wars 5.5 Late 20th century to present 6 Design factors 6.1 Action 6.1.1 Break-action 6.1.2 Pump-action 6.1.3 Lever-action 6.1.4 Semi-automatic 6.1.5 Bolt-action 6.1.6 Other 6.2 Gauge 6.3 Shot 6.4 Pattern and choke 6.5 Barrel length 7 Ammunition 7.1 Specialty ammunition 7.1.1 Hunting, defensive, and military 7.1.2 Less-than-lethal rounds, for riot and animal control 7.1.3 Novelty and other 8 Legal issues 8.1 UK 8.2 USA 8.3 Australia 8.4 Canada 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

Characteristics

Shotguns come in a wide variety of forms, from rimfire models with 5. A rimfire is a type of Firearm cartridge. It is called a rimfire because instead of the Firing pin striking the primer cap at the center of the base 5 mm (. 22 inch ) bores up to massive punt guns with 5 cm (2 inch) bores, and in nearly every type of firearm operating mechanism. A punt gun is a type of extremely large Shotgun used in the 19th and 20th centuries for shooting large numbers of Waterfowl for commercial harvesting operations The common characteristics that make a shotgun unique center around the requirements of firing shot. These features are the features typical of a shotgun shell, namely a relatively short, wide cartridge, with straight walls, and operating at a relatively low pressure. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun.

Ammunition for shotguns is referred to in the USA as shotgun shells, shotshells, or just shells (when it is not likely to be confused with artillery shells). Ammunition, often referred to as ammo, is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. A shell is a payload-carrying Projectile, which as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling though modern usage includes large solid projectiles The term cartridges is standard usage in the United Kingdom. A cartridge (also known as a "round" packages the Bullet, Gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the Single projectile loads are generally called shotgun slugs or just slugs. A shotgun slug is a heavy Lead projectile usually with pre-cut Rifling, often used for hunting large game

The shot pellets from a shotgun spread upon leaving the barrel which makes it easier to hit small targets at suitable ranges than with a rifle. The shot is usually fired from a smoothbore barrel; another configuration is the rifled slug barrel, which is used to fire a single projectile (though some slugs can also be fired from smoothbore weapons). Lead shot is a collective term for small balls of Lead. It is used primarily as Projectiles in Shotguns but is also used for a variety of other purposes Smoothbore refers to a Firearm or Cannon which does not have a rifled barrel. For the fictional characters see Gunbarrel (Transformers. A gun barrel is the tube usually Metal, through which a controlled Explosion Rifling refers to the Helix -shaped pattern in the barrel of a Firearm, which imparts a spin to a Projectile around its long axis A slug barrel is a barrel for a Shotgun that is designed primarily to fire slugs.

Since the power of the burning charge is divided among the pellets, the energy of any one ball of shot is fairly low, making shotguns useful primarily for hunting birds and other small game. A shotgun (also known as a scattergun) is a Firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number Game is any Animal hunted for Food or not normally domesticated (such as Venison) However, the large number of projectiles makes the shotgun useful as a close-combat weapon or defensive weapon, where the short range ensures that many of the projectiles of shot will hit the target (see riot shotgun and combat shotgun). A weapon is a Tool used either in Hunting, or attack or defence in Combat for the purpose of subduing enemy personnel or to destroy enemy weapons A defensive weapon is a Personal weapon that is primarily intended for defending the user against an attacker A shotgun (also known as a scattergun) is a Firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number This article refers to shotguns designed for use by law enforcement agencies and private civilians A combat shotgun is a Shotgun that is intended for use in an offensive role typically by a military force

Uses

The typical use of a shotgun is against small and/or fast moving targets, often taken while in the air. The spreading of the shot allows the user to point the shotgun close to the target, rather than having to aim precisely as in the case of a single projectile. The disadvantages of shot are limited range and limited penetration of the shot, which is why shotguns are used at short ranges, and typically against smaller targets. Larger shot size, up to the extreme case of the single projectile slug load, results in increased penetration, but at the expense of fewer projectiles and lower probability of hitting the target.

Aside from the most common use against small, fast moving targets, the shotgun has several advantages when used against still targets. First, it has enormous stopping power at short range, more than nearly all handguns and comparable to most rifle cartridges. Stopping power is a Colloquial term used to describe the ability of a weapon to stop the actions of an individual through a penetrating ballistic injury A rifle is a Firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves ("rifling" cut into the barrel walls The wide spread of shot produced by the gun makes it easier to aim and to be used by inexperienced marksmen. A marksman is a person that is skilled in Precision shooting, using projectile weapons such as with a Rifle but most commonly with a Sniper rifle, A typical self-defense load of buckshot contains 8-27 large lead pellets, resulting in many wound tracks in the target. Lead shot is a collective term for small balls of Lead. It is used primarily as Projectiles in Shotguns but is also used for a variety of other purposes Also, unlike a rifle bullet, each pellet of shot is less likely to penetrate walls and hit bystanders. It is favored by law enforcement for its low penetration and high stopping power. Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force Stopping power is a Colloquial term used to describe the ability of a weapon to stop the actions of an individual through a penetrating ballistic injury

On the other hand, the hit potential of a defensive shotgun is often overstated. The typical defensive shot is typically taken at very close ranges, at which the shot charge expands no more than a few centimetres. Self-defense (or self-defence &mdash see spelling differences) is the act of defending oneself one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm This means the shotgun must still be aimed at the target with some care. Balancing this is the fact that shot spreads further upon entering the target, and the multiple wound channels of a defensive load are far more likely to produce a disabling wound than a rifle or handgun^[3]

Sporting

Some of the most common uses of shotguns are the sports of skeet shooting, trap shooting, and sporting clays. Skeet shooting is one of the three major types of competitive shotgun shooting at targets (the others are Trap shooting and Sporting clays) Trap shooting is one of the three major forms of competitive Clay pigeon shooting ( Shotgun shooting at Clay targets. Sporting Clays is a form of Clay pigeon shooting. Often described as Golf with a Shotgun, the sport differs from trap and Skeet These involve shooting clay disks, also known as clay pigeons, thrown in various ways. Both skeet and trap competitions are featured at the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games

Hunting

The shotgun is used for bird hunting, although it is also increasingly used in deer hunting in semi-populated areas where the range of the rifle bullet may pose too great a hazard. Hunting is the practice of pursuing Animals for Food, Recreation, or Trade. Many modern smooth bore shotguns using rifled slugs are extremely accurate out to 75 m (80 yards) or more, while the rifled barrel shotgun with the use of sabot slugs are typically accurate to 100 m (110 yards) and beyond -- well within the range of the majority of kill shots by experienced deer hunters using shotguns. A sabot (ˈseɪboʊ "saybow" or /ˈsæboʊ/ "sabbow" is a device used in a Firearm or Cannon to fire a Projectile, such as a

However, given the relatively low muzzle velocity of slug ammunition typically around 500 m/s (about 1600 feet per second) and blunt, poorly streamlined shape of typical slugs (which cause them to lose velocity very rapidly, compared to rifle bullets), a hunter must pay close attention to the ballistics of the particular make of ammunition to ensure a humane killing shot on a deer. Ballistics ( gr βάλλειν ('ba'llein' "throw" is the science of Mechanics that deals with the motion behavior and effects of Projectiles Shotguns are normally used to hunt whitetail deer in the thick brush and briars of the south-eastern and upper midwestern US, where, due to the dense cover, ranges tend to be very close--25 m or less. At any reasonable range, shotgun slugs make effective lethal wounds due to their tremendous mass, reducing the length of time that an animal might suffer. A typical 12 gauge shotgun slug is a blunt piece of metal that could be described as a 18 mm (. 729) caliber that weighs 28 grams (432 grains); for comparison, a common deer-hunting rifle round is a . 308 (7. 62 mm) slug weighing 9. 7 g (150 grains), however the dynamics of the rifle cartridge allow for a different type of wound, and also a much further reach.

Law enforcement

In the US, law enforcement agencies often use riot shotguns, especially for crowd and riot control where they may be loaded with less-lethal rounds such as rubber bullets or bean bags. The Gurkha Contingent ( Abbreviation: GC) or 辜加警察团,Nepali (गोरखालि is a line department of the Singapore Police Force. Singapore This article refers to shotguns designed for use by law enforcement agencies and private civilians Less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, or more recently compliance weapons are weapons intended Rubber bullets are Rubber or rubber-coated Projectiles fired from Firearms They are usually non-lethal, unless fired at short range but The flexible baton round is the trademarked name for a "bean bag round" a type of Shotgun shell used for semi-lethal apprehension of suspects

Military

Shotguns are common weapons in military use, particularly for special purposes: see combat shotgun. A combat shotgun is a Shotgun that is intended for use in an offensive role typically by a military force Shotguns are found aboard Naval vessels for shipboard security and are used by military police units. United States Marines have used shotguns since their inception at the squad level, often in the hands of NCOs, while the US Army often issued them to a squad's point man. Point Man is an American English term used to refer to a soldier who is assigned to a position some distance ahead of a patrol as a lookout or to a man who leads or inspires Shotguns were modified for and used in the trench warfare of WWI, in the jungle combat of WWII and Vietnam and are being used today in Iraq, being popular with soldiers and Marines in urban combat environments.

Design features for various uses

Compared to handguns, shotguns are heavier, larger, and not as maneuverable in close quarters (which also presents a greater retention problem), but do have these advantages:

• They are generally much more powerful.
• They are easier for most shooters to hit with.
• They are generally perceived as more intimidating.
• On average, a quality pump-action shotgun is generally less expensive than a quality handgun (self-loading shotguns are generally more expensive than their pump-action counterparts).
• Shotguns are, in general, not as heavily regulated by legislation as handguns are (and are thus easier to obtain).
• When loaded with smaller shot, a shotgun will not penetrate walls as readily as rifle and pistol rounds, making it safer for non-combatants when fired in or around populated structures.
• For some purposes, a shotgun can be made with a pistol grip and no stock.

Definition

The wide range of forms the shotgun can take leads to some significant differences between what is technically a shotgun and what is legally considered a shotgun. A fairly broad attempt to define a shotgun is made in the United States legal code (18 USC 921), which defines the shotgun as "a weapon designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder, and designed or redesigned and made or remade to use the energy of the explosive in a fixed shotgun shell to fire through a smooth bore either a number of ball shot or a single projectile for each single pull of the trigger. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the "

A rifled slug, with finned rifling designed to spin the bullet and stabilize it in order to improve its accuracy, is an example of a single projectile. For other meanings see Slug (disambiguation A slug is a term used for a solid ballistic projectile Rifling refers to the Helix -shaped pattern in the barrel of a Firearm, which imparts a spin to a Projectile around its long axis A bullet is a solid Projectile propelled by a Firearm or Air gun and is normally made from metal (usually Lead) Some shotguns have rifled barrels and are designed to be used with a "saboted" bullet, one which is typically encased in a two-piece plastic ring (sabot) designed to peel away after it exits the barrel, leaving the bullet, now spinning after passing through the rifled barrel, to continue toward the target. For the fictional characters see Gunbarrel (Transformers. A gun barrel is the tube usually Metal, through which a controlled Explosion A sabot (ˈseɪboʊ "saybow" or /ˈsæboʊ/ "sabbow" is a device used in a Firearm or Cannon to fire a Projectile, such as a A bullet is a solid Projectile propelled by a Firearm or Air gun and is normally made from metal (usually Lead) For the fictional characters see Gunbarrel (Transformers. A gun barrel is the tube usually Metal, through which a controlled Explosion A bullet is a solid Projectile propelled by a Firearm or Air gun and is normally made from metal (usually Lead) For the fictional characters see Gunbarrel (Transformers. A gun barrel is the tube usually Metal, through which a controlled Explosion These shotguns, although they have rifled barrels, still use a shotgun-style shell instead of a rifle cartridge and may in fact still fire regular multipellet shotgun shells, but the rifling in the barrel will affect the shot pattern. For the fictional characters see Gunbarrel (Transformers. A gun barrel is the tube usually Metal, through which a controlled Explosion A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. A cartridge (also known as a "round" packages the Bullet, Gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the The use of a rifled barrel blurs the distinction between rifle and shotgun, and in fact the early rifled shotgun barrels went by the name Paradox for just that reason^[4]. Hunting laws may differentiate between smooth barreled and rifled barreled guns.

Also, many people would likely call a fully automatic shotgun a shotgun, even though legally it would fall into a different category. For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. Amongst the general populace, any gun that fires shotgun shells could be considered a shotgun. This might include the rare shot-pistol (a pistol designed to fire a standard shotgun shell). ^[5]

Riot gun has long been a synonym for a shotgun, especially a short-barrelled shotgun. This article refers to shotguns designed for use by law enforcement agencies and private civilians This article deals with the general meaning of the term "synonym" During the 19th and early 20th century, these were used to disperse rioters and revolutionaries. The wide spray of the shot ensured a large group would be hit, but the light shot would ensure more wounds than fatalities. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. When the ground was paved, police officers would often ricochet the shot off the ground, slowing down the shot and spreading pattern even further. A ricochet (ˈrɪkəʃeɪ RICK-uh-shay) is a rebound bounce or skip off a surface particularly in the case of a Projectile. To this day specialized police and defensive shotguns are called riot shotguns. This article refers to shotguns designed for use by law enforcement agencies and private civilians The introduction of rubber bullets and bean bag rounds ended the practice of using shot for the most part, but riot shotguns are still used to fire a variety of less than lethal rounds for riot control. Rubber bullets are Rubber or rubber-coated Projectiles fired from Firearms They are usually non-lethal, unless fired at short range but The flexible baton round is the trademarked name for a "bean bag round" a type of Shotgun shell used for semi-lethal apprehension of suspects Less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, or more recently compliance weapons are weapons intended Riot control refers to the measures used by police military or other forces to control, disperse and arrest civilians that are involved in a Riot, demonstration

A sawed-off shotgun refers to a shotgun whose barrel has been shortened, leaving it more maneuverable, easier to use at short range and more readily concealed. A sawed-off shotgun ( US) also known as a sawn-off shotgun ( UK, AU, NZ; also used in US) or a short-barreled shotgun Many countries establish a legal minimum barrel length. The sawed-off shotgun is sometimes known as a "Lupara" (in Italian a generic reference to the word "Lupo" ("Wolf")) in Southern Italy and Sicily. For the Italian city see Lupara (commune. Lupara is an Italian word used to refer to a Sawed-off shotgun of the Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy.

Coach guns are similar to sawn-off shotguns, except they are manufactured with an 46 cm (18") barrel and are legal for civilian ownership in some jurisdictions. A coach gun is a Double-barrel shotgun, traditionally configured with 12 gauge barrels approximately 18" in length placed side by side (SxS Coach guns are also more commonly associated with the American Old West or Australian Colonial period, and often used for hunting in bush, scrub, or marshland where a longer barrel would be unwieldy or impractical.

A backpacker shotgun has a short barrel and either a full-size stock or pistol grip, depending on legislation in intended markets. The overall length of these weapons is frequently less than 90 cm (36 inches), with some measuring up at less than 63 cm (25 inches). These weapons are typically break-action . 410 "gauge" (caliber), single-barrel designs with no magazine and no automatic ejection capability. They typically employ a cylinder bore, but infrequently are available in modified choke as well. One example of a backpacker shotgun is the Verney-Carron Snake Charmer or the pistol grip Snake Charmer II. Backpacker shotguns are popular for "home defense" purposes and as "survival" weapons. Other examples include a variety of . 410 / rifle "survival" guns manufactured in over/under designs. In the drilling arrangement, a rimfire or centrefire rifle barrel is located beneath the barrel of a . A combination gun is a shoulder-held sporting Firearm that comprises at least two barrels a Rifle barrel and a Shotgun barrel often but not always in 410 gauge shotgun. Generally, there is one manually-cocked external hammer and an external selection lever to select which caliber of cartridge to fire. A notable example is the Springfield Arms M6 Scout, a . 410 / . 22 backpacker drilling issued to United States Air Force personnel as a "survival" gun in the event of a forced landing or accident in a wilderness area. Variants have been used by Israeli, Canadian, and American armed forces. Shotgun/rifle combination guns with two, three, and occasionally even four barrels are available from a number of makers, primarily European. A combination gun is a shoulder-held sporting Firearm that comprises at least two barrels a Rifle barrel and a Shotgun barrel often but not always in These provided flexibility, enabling the hunter to effectively shoot at flushing birds or more distant small mammals while only carrying one gun.

History

Since early firearms, such as the blunderbuss, arquebus and musket tended to have large diameter, smoothbore barrels, they would function with shot as well as solid balls. The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861 The blunderbuss is a muzzle-loading Firearm with a short large Caliber barrel, which is flared at the muzzle, and used with The Arquebus (sometimes spelled harquebus, harkbus or hackbut; from Dutch haakbus, meaning "hook gun" is A musket is a muzzle -loaded Smoothbore Long gun, which is intended to be fired from the shoulder A firearm intended for use in wing shooting of birds was known as a fowling piece. The 1728 Cyclopaedia defines a fowling piece as:

Fowling Piece, a portable Fire Arm for the shooting of Birds. Year 1728 ( MDCCXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Cyclopaedia or A Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences ( folio, 2 vols See Fire Arm.

Of Fowling Pieces, those are reputed the best, which have the longest Barrel, vis. from 5 1/2 foot to 6; with an indifferent Bore, under Harquebus: Tho' for different Occasions they shou'd be of different Sorts, and Sizes. But in all, 'tis essential the Barrel be well polish'd and smooth within; and the Bore all of a Bigness, from one End to another. . . ^[6]

For example, the contemporary Brown Bess musket, in service with the British military from 1722 to 1838, 19 mm (. Brown Bess is a nickname of unknown origin for the British Army 's Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives A musket is a muzzle -loaded Smoothbore Long gun, which is intended to be fired from the shoulder Year 1722 ( MDCCXXII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Year 1838 ( MDCCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common 75 inch) smoothbore barrel, roughly the same as a 10 gauge shotgun, and was 157 cm (62 inches) long, just short of the above recommended 168 cm (5 1/2 feet). On the other hand, records from the Plymouth colony show a maximum length of 137 cm (4 1/2 feet) for fowling pieces^[7], shorter than the typical musket. Plymouth Colony (sometimes New Plymouth or The Old Colony) was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 until 1691

Shot was also used in warfare; the buck and ball loading, mixing a musket ball with three or six buckshot, was used throughout the history of the smoothbore musket. Buck and ball was a common load for Muzzle-loading Muskets, and was very commonly used into the early days of the American Civil War. The first recorded use of the term shotgun was in 1776 in Kentucky. Year 1776 ( MDCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. It was noted as part of the "frontier language of the West" by James Fenimore Cooper. James Fenimore Cooper (September 15 1789 &ndash September 14 1851 was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century

With the adoption of the smaller bores and rifled barrels, the shotgun began to emerge as a separate entity. Shotguns have long been the preferred method for sport hunting of birds, and the largest shotguns, the punt guns, were used for commercial hunting. A punt gun is a type of extremely large Shotgun used in the 19th and 20th centuries for shooting large numbers of Waterfowl for commercial harvesting operations The double-barreled shotgun, for example, has changed little since the development of the boxlock action in 1875. A double-barreled shotgun is a Shotgun with two parallel barrels allowing two shots to be fired in quick succession Year 1875 ( MDCCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Modern innovations such as interchangeable chokes and subgauge inserts make the double barreled shotgun the shotgun of choice in skeet, trap shooting, and sporting clays, as well as with many hunters. Trap shooting is one of the three major forms of competitive Clay pigeon shooting ( Shotgun shooting at Clay targets. Sporting Clays is a form of Clay pigeon shooting. Often described as Golf with a Shotgun, the sport differs from trap and Skeet A double from a well respected maker, such as Kreighoff or Perazzi, can cost US$5,000 to start, and reach prices of US$100,000 for presentation grade examples^[8]. Far less expensive is the pump action shotgun, such as the Mossberg 500, Remington 870 or Winchester 1300, many models of which retail for under US$350^[9]. A pump-action Rifle or Shotgun is one in which the handgrip can be pumped back and forth in order to eject and chamber a round of Ammunition. The Mossberg 500 is a Shotgun manufactured by OF Mossberg & Sons. The Remington Model 870 is a US -made Pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company Inc

During its long history, it has been favored by bird hunters, guards and law enforcement officials. Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force The shotgun has fallen in and out of favor with military forces several times in its long history. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking Shotguns and similar weapons are simpler than long-range rifles, and were developed earlier. For the band The Rifles see The Rifles (band. For the novel by William T The development of more accurate and deadlier long-range rifles minimized the usefulness of the shotgun on the open battlefields of European wars. For the band The Rifles see The Rifles (band. For the novel by William T But armies have "rediscovered" the shotgun for specialty uses many times.

19th century

During the 1800s, shotguns were mainly employed by cavalry units. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Cavalry units on both sides of the American Civil War employed shotguns. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South American cavalry went on to use the shotgun extensively during the Indian Wars throughout the latter half of the 19th century. Horseback units favored the shotgun for its moving target effectiveness, and devastating close-range firepower. The shotgun was also favored by citizen militias and similar groups. The shotgun was used in the defense of The Alamo during Texas' War of Independence with Mexico. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America.

With the exception of cavalry units, the shotgun saw less and less use throughout the 19th century on the battlefield. As a defense weapon it remained popular with guards and lawmen, however, and the shotgun became one of many symbols of the American Old West. The famous lawman Cody Lyons killed two men with a shotgun; his friend Doc Holliday's only confirmed kill was with a shotgun. John Henry "Doc" Holliday ( August 14, 1852 &ndash November 8, 1887) was an American dentist The weapon both these men used was the short-barreled version favored by private strongbox guards on stages and trains. These guards, called express messengers became known as shotgun messengers, since they rode with the weapon (loaded with buckshot) for defense against bandits. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries a shotgun messenger was a private "express messenger" and guard especially on a Stagecoach but also on a Train Passenger carriages carrying a strongbox usually had at least one private guard armed with a shotgun riding in front of the coach, next to the driver. This practice has survived in American slang; the term "riding shotgun" is used for the passenger who sits in the front passenger seat. Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language. To ride shotgun is to sit in the front passenger seat when riding in a car or other vehicle The shotgun was a popular weapon for personal protection in the American Old West, requiring less skill on the part of the user than a revolver. rEVOLVEr is the fourth studio album by Swedish metal band The Haunted.

Daniel Myron LeFever

Daniel Myron LeFever is credited with the invention of the hammerless shotgun. Daniel Myron LeFever ( August 27, 1835 &ndash October 29, 1906) was an American Gunmaker popularly known as "Uncle Dan LeFever" Working for Barber & LeFever in Syracuse, N. Y. he introduced the first hammerless shotgun in 1878. This gun was cocked with external cocking levers on the side of the breech. He formed his own company, The LeFever Arms Co. , in 1880 and went on to patent the first truly automatic hammerless shotgun in 1883. This gun automatically cocked itself when the breech was closed. He later developed the mechanism to automatically eject the shells when the breech was opened. The LeFever Arms Co. went on to make some of the finest double barrel shotguns in America until they were bought by The Ithaca Gun Co. in 1916. The Ithaca Gun Company is a manufacturer of Shotguns and Rifles originally established in Ithaca New York in 1880.

John Moses Browning

One of the men most responsible for the modern development of the shotgun was prolific gun designer John Browning. John Moses Browning ( January 21 or January 23, 1855 – November 26, 1926) born in Ogden Utah, was an American While working for Winchester Firearms, Browning revolutionized shotgun design. The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century In 1887, Browning introduced the Model 1887 Lever Action Repeating Shotgun, which loaded a fresh cartridge from its internal magazine by the operation of the action lever. Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Winchester Model 1887 and Winchester Model 1901 were Lever-action Shotguns originally designed by famed American gun designer John Browning Before this time most shotguns were the 'break open' type. A break-action Firearm is one whose barrels are hinged and rotate perpendicular to the bore axis to expose the breech and allow loading and unloading of

This development was greatly overshadowed by two further innovations he introduced at the end of the 19th century. In 1893, Browning produced the Model 1893 Pump Action Shotgun, introducing the now familiar pump action to the market. Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common And in 1900, he patented the Browning Auto-5, the world's first semi-automatic shotgun. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar The Browning Auto-5 was a recoil-operated Autoloading Shotgun designed by John Browning. The Browning Auto-5 remained in production until 1998. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar)

World wars

The decline in military use of shotguns reversed in World War I. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All American forces under General Pershing employed 12-gauge pump action shotguns when they were deployed to the Western front in 1917. John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB ( September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948) was an officer in the United States Army Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year These shotguns were fitted with bayonets and a heat shield so the barrel could be gripped while the bayonet was deployed. A bayonet (from French baïonnette) is a Knife - Dagger - or spike-shaped Weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle Shotguns fitted in this fashion became known as trench guns by the United States Army. A combat shotgun is a Shotgun that is intended for use in an offensive role typically by a military force The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Those without such modifications were known as riot guns. After World War I, the United States military began referring to all shotguns as riot guns.

Due to the cramped conditions of trench warfare, the American shotguns were extremely effective. Trench warfare is a form of warfare where both combatants have fortified positions and fighting lines are static Germany even filed an official diplomatic protest against their use, alleging they violated the laws of warfare. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The law of war (also law of armed conflict, LOAC) is Law concerning acceptable practices relating to war The Judge Advocate General reviewed the protest, and it was rejected because the Germans protested use of lead shot (which would have been illegal) but military shot was plated. This is the only occasion the legality of the shotgun's use in warfare has been questioned. ^[10]

During World War II, the shotgun was not heavily used in the war in Europe by official military forces. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including However, the shotgun was a favorite weapon of Allied-supported partisans, such as the French Resistance. A partisan is a member of an Irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation The French Resistance is the collective name used for the French Resistance movements which fought against the Nazi German By contrast, in the Pacific theater, thick jungles and heavily-fortified positions made the shotgun a favorite weapon of the United States Marines. Marines tended to use pump shotguns, since the pump action was less likely to jam in the humid and dirty conditions of the Pacific campaign. Similarly, the United States Navy used pump shotguns as well to guard ships when in port in Chinese harbors (e. g. , Shanghai). The United States Army Air Forces similarly used pump shotguns to guard bombers and other aircraft against saboteurs when parked on airbases across the Pacific and on the West Coast of the United States. The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. Pump and semi-automatic shotguns were used in marksmanship training, particularly for bomber gunners. The most common pump shotguns used for these duties were the 12 gauge Winchester Model 97 and Model 12. The Winchester Model 1897 is a Pump-action Shotgun with an external hammer and tube magazine The Winchester Model 1912 (also commonly known as the Model 12, or M12) is a hammerless slide-action i

Late 20th century to present

Since the end of World War II, the shotgun has remained a specialty weapon for modern armies. It has been deployed for specialized tasks where its strengths were put to particularly good use. It was used to defend machine gun emplacements during the Korean War, American and French jungle patrols used shotguns during the Vietnam War, and shotguns saw extensive use as door breaching and close quarter weapons in the early stages of the Iraq War, and saw limited use in tank crews. For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign ^[11] Many modern navies make extensive use of shotguns by personnel engaged in boarding hostile ships, as any shots fired will almost certainly be over a short range. Shotguns are far from being as common amongst military forces as rifles, carbines, or submachineguns. A rifle is a Firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves ("rifling" cut into the barrel walls A carbine is a Firearm similar to a Rifle or Musket, but generally shorter and of lesser power A submachine gun (SMG is a Firearm that combines the automatic fire of a Machine gun with the cartridge of a Pistol, and is

On the other hand, the shotgun has become a standard in law enforcement use. A variety of specialty less-lethal or non-lethal ammunitions, such as tear gas shells, bean bags, flares, explosive sonic stun rounds, and rubber projectiles, all packaged into 12 gauge shotgun shells, are produced specifically for the law enforcement market. Recently TASER international introduced a self-contained electronic weapon which is fired from a standard 12 gauge shotgun [1]. A Taser is an Electroshock weapon that uses Electro-Muscular Disruption (EMD technology to cause neuromuscular incapacitation or NMI and strong muscle contractions

The shotgun remains a standard firearm for hunting throughout the world for all sorts of game from birds and small game to large game such as deer. The versatility of the shotgun as a hunting weapon has steadily increased as slug rounds and more advanced rifled barrels have given shotguns longer range and higher killing power. The shotgun has become a ubiquitous firearm in the hunting community. The prevalence of the shotgun's use in hunting can be easily shown by the number of hunting incidents reported to wildlife and game officials. Of the thirty-four hunting accidents reported in Wisconsin in 2005, sixteen involved shotguns, making them the most common hunting firearm. The second most common was rifles of various calibers. (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2005 [2])

In 1994, shotguns made up 9. 7% of gun traces relating to criminal investigations in the United States and were the weapon of choice in 5% of homicides according to United States Justice Department statistics. Shotguns are not the preferred weapons for criminal activity, since criminals prefer weapons which are more easily concealed, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey. However, the comparatively easy availability of double-barrelled shotguns compared to pistols in the United Kingdom and Australia, coupled with the ease with which their barrels and stocks can be shortened, has made the sawn-off shotgun a popular weapon of armed robbers in these countries. A double-barreled shotgun is a Shotgun with two parallel barrels allowing two shots to be fired in quick succession The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A sawed-off shotgun ( US) also known as a sawn-off shotgun ( UK, AU, NZ; also used in US) or a short-barreled shotgun Robbery is the Crime of seizing Property through Violence or Intimidation.

Design factors

Action

Action is the term for the operating mechanism of a gun. There are many types of shotguns, typically categorized by the number of barrels or the way the gun is reloaded.

Break-action

For most of the history of the shotgun, the breech loading double barreled shotgun was the most common type, typically divided into two subtypes: the traditional "side by side" shotgun features two barrels mounted one beside the other (as the name suggests), whereas the "over and under" shotgun has the two barrels mounted one on top of the other. A break-action Firearm is one whose barrels are hinged and rotate perpendicular to the bore axis to expose the breech and allow loading and unloading of A double-barreled shotgun is a Shotgun with two parallel barrels allowing two shots to be fired in quick succession Side by side shotguns were traditionally used for hunting and other sporting pursuits (early long barreled side-by side shotguns were known as Fowling Pieces for their use hunting ducks and other birds), whereas over and under shotguns are more commonly associated with sporting use (such as clay pigeon/skeet shooting). Having said that, both types of double-barrel shotgun are used for hunting and sporting use, with the individual configuration largely being a matter of personal preference.

Another, less commonly encountered type of break-action shotgun is the combination gun, which is an over and under design with one shotgun barrel and one rifle barrel (more often rifle on top, but rifle on bottom was not uncommon). A rifle is a Firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves ("rifling" cut into the barrel walls There is also a class of break action guns called drillings, which contain three barrels, usually 2 shotgun barrels of the same gauge and a rifle barrel, though the only common theme is that at least one barrel be a shotgun barrel. The most common arrangement was essentially a side by side shotgun with the rifle barrel below and centered. Usually a drilling containing more than one rifle barrel would have both rifle barrels in the same caliber, but examples do exist with different caliber barrels, usually a .22 Long Rifle and a centerfire cartridge. The term caliber or calibre designates the interior Diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod A centerfire cartridge is a cartridge in which the primer is located in the center of the cartridge case head Although very rare, drillings with three and even four (a vierling) shotgun barrels were made.

Pump-action

In pump-action shotguns (also known as Riot Guns), a sliding forearm handle (the pump) works the action, extracting the spent shell and inserting a new one as the pump is worked. A pump-action Rifle or Shotgun is one in which the handgrip can be pumped back and forth in order to eject and chamber a round of Ammunition. The Winchester Model 1897 is a Pump-action Shotgun with an external hammer and tube magazine A pump gun is typically fed from a tubular magazine underneath the barrel, which also serves as a guide for the pump. The rounds are fed in one by one through a port in the receiver, where they are pushed forward. A latch at the rear of the magazine holds the rounds in place in the magazine until they are needed. If it is desired to load the gun fully, a round may be loaded through the ejection port directly into the chamber, or cycled from the magazine, which is then topped off with another round. Well-known examples include the Winchester Model 1897, Remington 870 and Mossberg 500/590. The Winchester Model 1897 is a Pump-action Shotgun with an external hammer and tube magazine The Remington Model 870 is a US -made Pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company Inc The Mossberg 500 is a Shotgun manufactured by OF Mossberg & Sons.

Pump action shotguns with shorter barrels and no barrel choke (or very little) are highly popular for use in home defense and law enforcement applications. The minimum barrel length for shotguns in most of the U. S. is 18", as opposed to 24-28" commonly used for hunting. This 18" barrel (sometimes 18. 5" or 20" to ensure differences in manufacturing or measuring do not make the gun illegal ^[12]) is the primary choice for pump-action shotguns used for defense as the shorter barrel makes the weapon easier to maneuver around corners and in tight spaces, though longer barrels are sometimes used for a tighter spread pattern or increased accuracy of slug projectiles. Home-defense/law enforcement shotguns are usually chambered for 12-gauge shells, providing maximum shot power and the use of a variety of projectiles such as buckshot, rubber, sandbag and slug shells, but 20-gauge (common in bird-hunting shotguns) or . 410 (common in youth-size shotguns) are also available in defense-type configurations allowing easier use by novice shooters.

A shorter barreled shotgun has many advantages over a handgun or rifle. Compared to "defense-caliber" handguns (chambered for 9mm Parabellum, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, .45ACP and similar), a shotgun has far more power and damage potential, allowing a "one-shot stop" that is more difficult to achieve with typical handgun loads. The 9x19mm Parabellum is a pistol cartridge introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM for their Stopping power is a Colloquial term used to describe the ability of a weapon to stop the actions of an individual through a penetrating ballistic injury Compared to a rifle, most shorter barreled shotguns are easier to maneuver, and still provide better damage potential at indoor distances (generally 3-5 yards) and reduce the risk of "overpenetration"; that is, the bullet or shot passing completely through the target and continuing beyond, which poses a risk to those behind the target through walls. The wide spread of the shot increases the effectiveness of "point shooting" - rapidly aiming simply by pointing the weapon in the direction of the target, allowing easy, fast use by novices.

Lever-action

Early attempts at repeating shotguns invariably centred around either bolt-action or lever-action designs- drawing inspiration from contemporary repeating rifle designs- with the earliest successful repeating shotgun being the lever-action Winchester M1887, designed by John Browning in 1887 at the behest of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Lever-action is a type of Firearm action which uses a lever located around the trigger guard area (often including the trigger guard itself to load fresh cartridges The Winchester Model 1887 and Winchester Model 1901 were Lever-action Shotguns originally designed by famed American gun designer John Browning The Winchester Model 1887 and Winchester Model 1901 were Lever-action Shotguns originally designed by famed American gun designer John Browning Lever-action shotguns, while less common, were popular in the late 1800s with the Winchester Model 1887 and Model 1901 being prime examples. Initially very popular, demand waned after the introduction of pump-action shotguns at the turn of the century, and production was eventually discontinued in 1920. One major issue with lever-actions (and to a lesser extent pump-actions) was that early shotgun shells were often made of paper or similar fragile materials (modern shells are made of plastic or metal). As a result the loading of shells, or working of the action of the shotgun, could often result in cartridges getting crushed and becoming unusable, or even damaging the gun. Lever shotguns have seen a return to the gun market in recent years, however, with Winchester producing the Model 9410 (chambering the . 410 gauge shotgun shell and using the action of the Winchester Model 94 series lever-action rifle, hence the name), and a handful of other firearm manufacturers (primarily Norinco of China and ADI Ltd. of Australia) producing versions of the Winchester Model 1887/1901 designed for modern 12-gauge smokeless shotshells. The China North Industries Corporation ( official English name Norinco, manufactures vehicles (trucks cars and motorcycles machinery optical-electronic products oil field Thales Australia ( formerly ADI Limited) was the primary defence contractor for the Australian Defence Force. Smokeless powder is the name given to a number of Propellants used in Firearms and Artillery which produce negligible smoke when fired unlike the older

Semi-automatic

Gas, inertia, or recoil operated actions are other popular methods of increasing the rate of fire of a shotgun; these are generally referred to as autoloaders or semi-automatics. A Semi-automatic shotgun is a form of Shotgun that is able to fire a cartridge after every trigger squeeze without any manual chambering of another round being required as is The Browning Auto-5 was a recoil-operated Autoloading Shotgun designed by John Browning. Instead of having the action manually operated by a pump or lever, the action automatically cycles each time the shotgun is fired, ejecting the spent shell and reloading a fresh one into the chamber. Well-known examples include the Remington 1100, Browning A-5, Benelli M1, and Saiga-12 series shotguns. The Remington 1100 is a Gas-operated Semi-automatic shotgun, popular among Waterfowlers and Clay target shooters The Browning Auto-5 was a recoil-operated Autoloading Shotgun designed by John Browning. The Benelli M1 (Super 90 is a Semi-automatic shotgun manufactured by Benelli Armi S The Saiga-12 is a Kalashnikov -pattern 12 gauge Combat shotgun available in a wide range of configurations

Some, such as the Franchi SPAS-12, and the Benelli M3, are capable of switching between semi-automatic and pump action. The SPAS-12 is a Combat shotgun manufactured by the Italian company Franchi S The Benelli M3 (Super 90 is a Pump-action or semi-automatic Shotgun designed and manufactured by Italian firearms manufacturer Benelli

Bolt-action

Bolt-action shotguns, while rather uncommon, do exist. The term bolt action refers to a type of Firearm action in which the weapon's bolt is operated manually by the opening and closing of the breech with One of the best known examples is a 12 gauge manufactured by Mossberg featuring a 3-round magazine, marketed in Australia just after changes to the gun laws in 1997 heavily restricted the ownership and use of pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns. They were not a huge success, as they were somewhat slow and awkward to operate, and the rate of fire was noticeably slower (on average) than a double-barrelled gun. The Ishapore Arsenal in India also manufactured a single-shot . The Ishapore Rifle Factory (also known as Ishapore Arsenal) is an Arms manufacturing plant located at Ishapore, in the Indian sub-division of Barrackpore 410 gauge shotgun based on the SMLE Mk III* rifle. The Lee-Enfield Bolt-action, magazine-fed Repeating rifle was the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire / Commonwealth The Russian Berdana shotgun was effectively a one-round bolt-action rifle that became obsolete, and was subsequently modified to chamber 16 gauge shotgun shells for civilian sale.

Other

In addition to the commonly encountered shotgun actions already listed, there are also shotguns based on the Martini-Henry rifle design, originally designed by British arms maker W.W. Greener. The Martini-Henry (also known as the Peabody-Martini-Henry) was a Breech-loading lever-actuated Rifle adopted by the British, combining WW Greener is a sporting Shotgun and Rifle manufacturer from England.

Some of the more interesting advances in shotgun technology include the versatile NeoStead 2000 and fully automatics such as the Pancor Jackhammer or Auto-Assault 12 (See Atchisson Assault Shotgun). The NeoStead 2000 ( NS2000) is a type of Shotgun developed by the South African company NeoStead The Pancor Corporation Jackhammer is a 12-gauge, Gas-operated Automatic weapon. The Atchisson Assault Shotgun, also known as Auto Assault-12 (AA-12 was a firearm first developed in 1972 by Maxwell Atchisson These combat shotguns, while popular in movies and computer games due to their exotic nature, have yet to make a noticeable impression in the real world. A combat shotgun is a Shotgun that is intended for use in an offensive role typically by a military force

In 1925, Rodolfo Cosmi produced the first working prototype of his semi-automatic shotgun, which had an 8 round magazine located in the stock. While it reloaded automatically after each shot like a semi-automatic, it had a break-action to load the first shell. This design has only been repeated once, by Beretta with their UGB25 automatic shotgun. The user loads the first shell by breaking the gun in the manner of a break-action shotgun, then closes it and inserts the second shell into a clip on the gun's right side. The spent shell casings are ejected downwards. The guns combine the advantages of the break action (they can be proven to be safe by breaking open, there are no flying shell casings) with those of the semi-automatic (low recoil, low barrel axis position hence low muzzle flip).

Gauge

Main article: Gauge (bore diameter)

The caliber of shotguns is measured in terms of gauge (U.S.) or bore (U.K.). The Gauge or bore of a Shotgun or Rifle is a unit of measurement used to express the Diameter of the barrel. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. British English or UK English ( BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the The gauge number is determined by the number of solid spheres of a diameter equal to the inside diameter of the barrel that could be made from a pound of lead. So a 10 gauge shotgun nominally should have an inside diameter equal to that of a sphere made from one-tenth of a pound of lead. By far the most common gauges are 12 (0. 729 in, 18. 5 mm diameter) and 20 (15. 6 mm, 0. 614 in), although . 410 (= 36), 32, 28, 24, 16, and 10 (19. 7 mm) gauge and 9 mm (. 355 in. ) and . 22 (5. 5mm) rimfire calibres have also been produced (although 10, 12, 16, 20, 28, . A rimfire is a type of Firearm cartridge. It is called a rimfire because instead of the Firing pin striking the primer cap at the center of the base 410, and . 22 are the only legal hunting gauges/calibers in most U. S. states). To further complicate matters, typical handgun chamberings such as 9 mm Parabellum, .45 ACP, .38 Special/.357 Magnum, .44 Special/.44 Magnum, and .45 Colt and others bearing a "shot" load have been brought to market by CCI/Speer--either crimped in or in a plastic casing replacing the bullet. The 9x19mm Parabellum is a pistol cartridge introduced in 1902 by the German weapons manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM for their These are not generally considered "shot shells" by shotgun users, and the patterning performance is questionable since they are fired through rifled barrels. Thompson/Center makes special pistol barrels in . 38/. 357, . 44 and . 45 Colt that have "straight rifled" chokes in them to reduce the spin of the shot column and produce better patterns, but they are still suitable only for pest control at very short ranges. Larger gauges, too powerful to shoulder, have been built but were generally affixed to small boats and referred to as punt guns. A punt gun is a type of extremely large Shotgun used in the 19th and 20th centuries for shooting large numbers of Waterfowl for commercial harvesting operations These were used for commercial water fowl hunting, to kill large numbers of birds resting on the water. Although relatively rare, single and double derringers have also been produced that are capable of firing either . The term derringer is a genericized misspelling of the last name of Henry Deringer, a famous maker of small Pocket pistols in the 1800s 45 (Long) Colt or . 410 shotgun shells from the same chamber; they are commonly known as 'snake guns', and are popular among some outdoorsmen in the South and Southwest regions of the United States. There are also some revolvers, such as the Taurus Judge, that are capable of shooting the . 45LC/. 410 rounds; but as with derringers, these are handguns that shoot . 410 shotgun shells, and are not necessarily considered shotguns themselves.

The .410 bore (10. 4mm) is unusual, being measured in inches, and would be approximately 67 "real" gauge, though its short hull versions are nominally called 36 gauge in Europe. It uses a relatively small charge of shot. It is used for hunting and for skeet. Because of its very light recoil (approx 10 N) it is often used as a beginners gun. However the small charge and typically tight choke make it more difficult to hit targets. It is also frequently used by expert shooters because of the difficulty, especially in expensive side by side and over/under models for hunting small bird game such as quails and doves. ^[13] Inexpensive bolt-action . 410 shotguns are a very common first hunting shotgun among young pre-teen hunters, as they are used mostly for hunting squirrels, while additionally teaching bolt-action manipulation skills that will transfer easily later to adult-sized hunting rifles. Most of these young hunters move up to a 20-gauge within a few years, and to 12 gauge shotguns and full-size hunting rifles by their late teens. The 20- gauge shotgun is a type of Shotgun that is less common than the 12-gauge Still, many who are particularly recoil-averse choose to stay with 20-gauge shotguns all their adult life, as it is a very suitable gauge for many popular hunting uses.

A recent innovation is the back-boring of barrels, in which the barrels themselves are bored out slightly larger than their actual gauge. This reduces the compression forces on the shot when it transitions from the chamber to the barrel. This leads to a slight reduction in perceived recoil, and an improvement in shot pattern due to reduced deformation of the shot.

Shot

Most shotguns are used to fire "a number of ball shot", in addition to slugs and sabots. The ball shot or pellets is for the most part made of lead but this has been partially replaced by bismuth, steel, tungsten-iron, tungsten-nickel-iron and even tungsten polymer loads. Non-toxic loads are required by Federal law for waterfowl hunting in the US, as the shot may be ingested by the waterfowl, which some authorities believe can lead to health problems due to the lead exposure. Shot is termed either birdshot or buckshot depending on the shot size. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. Informally, birdshot pellets have a diameter smaller than 5 mm (0. 20 inches) and buckshot are larger than that. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. Pellet size is indicated by a number, for bird shot this ranges from the smallest 12 (1. 2 mm, 0. 05 in) to 2 (3. 8 mm, 0. 15 in) and then BB (4. 6 mm, 0. 18 in). For buckshot the numbers usually start at 4 (6. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. 1 mm, 0. 24 in) and go down to 1, 0, 00, 000, and finally 0000 (9. 7 mm, . 38 in). A different informal distinction is that "bird shot" pellets are small enough that they can be measured into the cartridge by weight, and just poured in, whereas "buckshot" pellets are so large they won't all fit unless they're stacked inside the cartridge one by one in a certain particular geometric arrangement. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. The diameter in hundreths of an inch of bird shot sizes from #9 to #1 can be obtained by subtracting the shot size from 17. Thus, #4 bird shot is 17 - 4 = 13 = 0. 13 inches (3. 3 mm) in diameter. Different terminology is used outside the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In England and Australia, for example, 00 buckshot cartridges are commonly referred to as "S.G." (small game) cartridges. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun.

Table of American Standard Birdshot Size

Size	Diameter	Pellets/10 g Lead	Pellets/10 g Steel
TT	5. 84 mm (. 230")	8	12
T	5. 59 mm (. 220")	10	14
FF	5. 33 mm (. 210")	11	16
F	5. 08 mm (. 200")	13	19
BBB	4. 83 mm (. 190")	15	22
BB	4. 57 mm (. 180")	18	25
B	4. 32 mm (. 170")	21	30
1	4. 06 mm (. 160")	25	36
2	3. 81 mm (. 150")	30	44
3	3. 56 mm (. 140")	37	54
4	3. 30 mm (. 130")	47	68
5	3. 05 mm (. 120")	59	86
6	2. 79 mm (. 110")	78	112
7	2. 41 mm (. 100")	120	174
8	2. 29 mm (. 090")	140	202
9	2. 03 mm (. 080")	201	290

Table of Buckshot Size

Size	Diameter	Pellets/10 g Lead
000 or LG ("triple-aught")	9. 1 mm (. 36")	2. 2
00 ("double-aught")	8. 4 mm (. 33")	2. 9
0 or SG("one-aught")	8. 1 mm (. 32")	3. 1
SSG	7. 9 mm (. 31")	3. 4
1	7. 6 mm (. 30")	3. 8
2	6. 9 mm (. 27")	5. 2
3	6. 4 mm (. 25")	6. 6
4	6. 1 mm (. 24")	7. 4

Pattern and choke

Shot, small and round and delivered without spin, is ballistically inefficient. As the shot leaves the barrel it begins to disperse in the air. The resulting cloud of pellets is known as the shot pattern. A pattern, from the French patron, is a theme of recurring events or objects sometimes referred to as elements of a set The ideal pattern would be a circle with an even distribution of shot throughout, with a density sufficient to ensure enough pellets will intersect the target to achieve the desired result, such as a kill when hunting or a break when shooting clay targets. In reality the pattern is closer to a Gaussian, or normal distribution, with a higher density in the center that tapers off at the edges. The normal distribution, also called the Gaussian distribution, is an important family of Continuous probability distributions applicable in many fields Patterns are usually measured by firing at a 30 inch (76cm) diameter circle on a large sheet of paper placed at varying distances. The hits inside the circle are counted, and compared to the total number of pellets, and the density of the pattern inside the circle is examined. An "ideal" pattern would put nearly 100% of the pellets in the circle and would have no voids—any region where a target silhouette will fit and not cover 3 or more holes is considered a potential problem.

A constriction in the end of the barrel known as the choke is used to tailor the pattern for different purposes. Chokes may either be formed as part of the barrel at the time of manufacture, by squeezing the end of the bore down over a mandrel, or by threading the barrel and screwing in an interchangeable choke tube. A mandrel (ˈmændrɨl and also spelled mandril; in American English also called an arbor) is either an object used to shape machined work a Tool The choke typically consists of a conical section that smoothly tapers from the bore diameter down to the choke diameter, followed by a cylindrical section of the choke diameter. Briley Manufacturing, a top maker of interchangeable shotgun chokes, uses a conical portion about 3 times the bore diameter in length, so the shot is gradually squeezed down with minimal deformation. The cylindrical section is shorter, usually 0. 6 to 0. 75 inches (15 to 19 mm). There is no good mathematical model that describes how chokes work, making the design and manufacture for chokes more art than science. The use of interchangeable chokes has made it easy to tune the performance of a given combination of shotgun and shotshell to achieve the desired performance.

The choke should be tailored to the range and size of the targets. A skeet shooter, shooting at close targets might use 0. 005 inches (127 micrometres) of constriction to produce a 76 cm (30 inch) diameter pattern at a distance of 19 m (21 yards). A trap shooter, shooting at distant targets might use 762 micrometres (0. Trap shooting is one of the three major forms of competitive Clay pigeon shooting ( Shotgun shooting at Clay targets. 030 inches) of constriction to produce a 76 cm (30 inch) diameter pattern at 37 m (40 yards). Special chokes for turkey hunting, which requires long range shots at the small head and neck of the bird, can go as high as 1500 micrometres (0. 060 inches). The use of too much choke and a small pattern increases the difficulty of hitting the target, the use of too little choke produces large patterns with insufficient pellet density to reliably break targets or kill game. "Cylinder barrels" have no constriction. See also: Slug barrel

Table of shotgun chokes
for a 12 gauge shotgun using lead shot

Constriction (micrometres)	Constriction (inches)	American Name	percentage of shot in a 76 cm (30 in) circle at 37 m (40 yd)	Total spread at 37 m (cm)	Total spread at 40 yds (in)	Effective range (m)	Effective range (yd)
0	. A slug barrel is a barrel for a Shotgun that is designed primarily to fire slugs. 000	Cylinder	40	150	59	18	20
127	. 005	Skeet	45	132	52	21	23
254	. 010	Improved Cylinder	50	124	49	23	25
381	. 015	Light Modified
508	. 020	Modified	60	117	46	32	35
635	. 025	Improved Modified
762	. 030	Light Full		109	43
889	. 035	Full	70			37	40
1143	. 045	Extra Full
1270	. 050	Super Full

Other specialized choke tubes exist as well. Some turkey hunting tubes have constrictions greater than "Super Full", or additional features like porting to reduce recoil, or "straight rifling" that is designed to stop any spin that the shot column might acquire when traveling down the barrel. These tubes are often extended tubes, meaning they project beyond the end of the bore, giving more room for things like a longer conical section. Shot spreaders or diffusion chokes work opposite of normal chokes--they are designed to spread the shot more than a cylinder bore, generating wider patterns for very short range use. A number of recent spreader chokes, such as the Briley "Diffusion" line, actually use rifling in the choke to spin the shot slightly, creating a wider spread. The Briley Diffusion uses a 1 in 36 cm twist, as does the FABARM Lion Paradox shotgun.

Oval chokes are designed to provide a shot pattern wider than it is tall, are sometimes found on combat shotguns, primarily those of the Vietnam War era. A combat shotgun is a Shotgun that is intended for use in an offensive role typically by a military force The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Military versions of the Ithaca 37 with duckbill choke were used in limited numbers during the Vietnam War by US Navy Seals. It arguably increased effectiveness in close range engagements against multiple targets. Two major disadvantages plagued the system. One was erratic patterning. The second was that the shot would spread too quickly providing a very limited effective zone.

Offset chokes, where the pattern is intentionally slightly off of center, are used to change the point of impact. For instance, an offset choke can be used to make a double barrelled shotgun with poorly aligned barrels hit the same spot with both barrels.

Barrel length

Shotguns generally have longer barrels than modern rifles. Unlike rifles, however, the long shotgun barrel is not for ballistic purposes; shotgun shells use small powder charges in large diameter bores, and this leads to very low muzzle pressures (see internal ballistics) and very little velocity change with increasing barrel length. Internal ballistics, a subfield of Ballistics, is the study of a Projectile 's behavior from the time its Propellant 's igniter is initiated until it exits According to Remington, modern powder in a shotgun burns completely in 25 to 36 cm barrels.

Since shotguns are generally used for shooting at small, fast moving targets, it is important to lead the target by firing slightly ahead of the target, so that when the shot reaches the range of the target, the target will have moved into the pattern. On uphill shooting, this means to shoot above the target. Conversely, on downhill shooting, this means to shoot below the target, which is somewhat counterintuitive for many beginning hunters. Of course, depending on the barrel length, the amount of lead employed will vary for different barrel lengths, and must be learned by experience.

Shotguns made for close ranges, where the angular speed of the targets is great (such as skeet or upland bird hunting) tend to have shorter barrels, around 24 to 28 inches (610 to 710 mm). Shotguns for longer range shooting, where angular speeds are less (trap shooting; quail, pheasant, and waterfowl hunting) tend to have longer barrels, 28 to 34 inches. The longer barrels have more inertia, and will therefore swing more slowly but more steadily. The vis insita or innate force of matter is a power of resisting by which every body as much as in it lies endeavors to preserve in its present state whether it be of rest or of moving The short, low inertia barrels swing faster, but are less steady. These lengths are for pump or semi-auto shotguns; break open guns have shorter overall lengths for the same barrel length, and so will use longer barrels. The break open design saves between 9 and 15 cm (3. 5 and 6 inches) in overall length, but in most cases pays for this by having two barrels, which adds weight at the muzzle, and so usually only adds a couple of centimetres. Barrels for shotguns have been getting longer as modern steels and production methods make the barrels stronger and lighter; a longer, lighter barrel gives the same inertia for less overall weight.

Shotguns for use against larger, slower targets generally have even shorter barrels. Small game shotguns, for hunting game like rabbits and squirrels, or shotguns for use with buckshot for deer, are often 56 to 61 cm (22 to 24 inches).

Shotguns intended for all-round hunting are a compromise, of course, but a 72 to 74 cm (28-29 inch) barrel pump-action 12-gauge shotgun with a modified choke can serve admirably for use as one-gun intended for general all-round hunting of small-game such as quails, rabbits, pheasants, doves, and squirrels in semi-open wooded or farmland areas in many parts of the eastern US (Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee) where dense brush is less of a hindrance and the ability to have more reach is important. For hunting in dense brush, shorter barrel lengths are often preferred when hunting the same types of game.

Ammunition

Main article: Shotgun shell

The extremely large caliber of shotgun shells has led to a wide variety of different ammunition. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. Standard types include:

• Shot (also known as birdshot in the smaller shot sizes) is the most commonly used round, filled with lead or lead substitute pellets. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. Shot shells are described by the size of the pellets within, and numbered in reverse order (ie; the bigger the shot, the smaller the number). Size nine (#9) shot is the smallest size normally used for hunting and is used on small upland game birds such as dove and quail. Upland game bird is an American term which refers to those non- Water fowl game birds hunted with Pointing breeds flushing Spaniels and Retrievers Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized Birds in the Pheasant family Phasianidae, or in the family Odontophoridae. Larger sizes are used for hunting larger upland game birds and waterfowl. See also UK Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust USA Ducks Unlimited In Europe and in other countries that use the metric system of measurement, except Canada, the shot size is simply the diameter of the pellet given in millimeters. The metric system is a decimalised system of measurement. It exists in several variations with different choices of base units, though the choice of base units does Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page
• Buckshot, is larger than birdshot, and was originally designed for hunting larger game, such as deer. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. While the advent of new, more accurate slug technologies is making buckshot less attractive for hunting, it is still the most common choice for police, military, and home defense uses. Self-defense (or self-defence &mdash see spelling differences) is the act of defending oneself one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm Like birdshot, buckshot is described by pellet size, with larger numbers indicating smaller shot. From the smallest to the largest, buckshot sizes are: #4, (called "number four"), #1, 0 ("one-aught"), 00 ("double-aught"), 000 ("triple-aught") and 0000 ("four-aught"). A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun. A common round for defensive use would be a 12 gauge 7 cm (2 3/4") length 00 buck shell, which contains 9 balls of roughly 8. 4 (. 33 inch) caliber. New "tactical" buckshot rounds, designed specifically for defensive use, use slightly fewer shot at lower velocity to reduce recoil and increase controllability of the shotgun.
• Slug rounds are rounds that fire a single solid slug. A shotgun slug is a heavy Lead projectile usually with pre-cut Rifling, often used for hunting large game They are used for hunting large game, and in certain military and law enforcement applications. Modern slugs are moderately accurate, especially when fired from special rifled slug barrels. They are often used in "shotgun-only" hunting zones near inhabited areas, where rifles are prohibited due to their excessive range.

Specialty ammunition

The unique properties of the shotgun, such as large case capacity, large bore, and the lack of rifling, has led to the development of a large variety of specialty shells, ranging from novelties to high tech military rounds.

Hunting, defensive, and military

• Brenneke and Foster type slugs have the same basic configuration as normal slugs, but have increased accuracy. The hollowed rear of the Foster slug improves accuracy by placing more mass in the front of the projectile, therefore inhibiting the "tumble" that normal slugs may generate. The Brenneke slug takes this concept a bit further, with the addition of a wad that stays connected to the projectile after discharge, increasing accuracy. Both slugs are commonly found with fins or rib, which are meant to allow the projectile to safely squeeze down during passage through chokes, but they do not increase stability in flight.
• Flechette rounds contain aerodynamic darts, typically from 8 to 20 in number. The French word fléchette means "little arrow" or Dart projectile of steel that is sharp and pointed with a vaned tail for stable flight The flechette provide greatly extended range due to their aerodynamic shape, and improved penetration of light armor. American troops during the Vietnam War packed their own flechette shotgun rounds, called beehive rounds, after the similar artillery rounds. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine However, terminal performance was poor due to the very light weight of the flechettes, and their use was quickly dropped.
• Frag-12 shotgun round is a series of special purpose shotgun grenades, including high explosive blast, fragmentation, and HEAP grenades intended to be fired from any 12-ga shotgun. It has been proposed as an armament for modern UAVs and is currently being tested for military deployment. ^[14]
• Grenade rounds use exploding projectiles to increase long range lethality. These are currently experimental, but the British FRAG-12, which comes in both armor penetrating and fragmentary forms, is under consideration by military forces^[15]

Less-than-lethal rounds, for riot and animal control

• Flexible baton rounds, commonly called bean bags, fire a fabric bag filled with birdshot or a similar loose, dense substance. A shotgun (also known as a scattergun) is a Firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number The flexible baton round is the trademarked name for a "bean bag round" a type of Shotgun shell used for semi-lethal apprehension of suspects The 'punch' effect of the bag is useful for knocking down targets and are used by police to subdue violent suspects. The bean bag round is by far the most common less lethal round used. Due to the large surface area of these rounds, they lose velocity rapidly, and must be used at fairly short ranges to be effective, though use an extremely short ranges, under 3 m (10 feet) their use can result in broken bones or other serious or lethal injury^[16].
• Gas shells spray a cone of gas for several meters. These are primarily used by riot police. They normally contain pepper gas or tear gas. Pepper spray (also known as OC spray (from " Oleoresin Capsicum " OC gas, capsicum spray, or oleoresin capsicum A lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (from lacrima meaning "a tear " in Latin) (commonly referred to as tear gas) is a Other variations launch a gas grenade-like projectile.
• Rock salt shells are hand loaded with rock salt, replacing the standard shot. Halite is the Mineral form of Sodium chloride, Na[[chlorine Cl]] commonly known as rock salt. Rock salt shells were used by rural civilians to defend their property, and were the forerunners of modern less-than-lethal rounds. The brittle salt was unlikely to cause serious injury at long ranges, but would cause light stinging injuries. The use of this ammunition is mainly anecdotal, though there was a documented case in 2004^[17].
• Rubber slugs or rubber buckshot are similar in principle to the bean bag rounds. Composed of flexible rubber or plastic and fired at low velocities, these rounds are probably the most common choice for riot control. Shapes range from full bore diameter cylinders to round balls of varying sizes, to a patent pending design "star round" that resembles a small koosh ball. The Koosh ball is a Toy ball made of Rubber filaments attached to a soft core
• TASER International announced in 2007 a new 12 gauge eXtended Range Electronic Projectile or XREP, which contains a small electroshock weapon unit in a carrier that can be fired from a standard 12 gauge shotgun. Taser International Inc ( is a developer manufacturer and distributor of the Taser Less-lethal Electroshock guns in the United States. An electroshock weapon is an Incapacitant Weapon used for subduing a person by administering Electric shock aimed at disrupting superficial muscle The XREP projectile is fin stabilized, and travels at an initial velocity of 100 m/s (300 fps). Barbs on the front attach the electroshock unit to the target, with a tassel deploying from the rear to widen the circuit. A twenty second burst of electrical energy is delivered to the target. This product is expected to be released to market in 2008^[18]
• Breaching rounds, often called Disintegrator or Hatton rounds, are designed to blow out deadbolts, door locks and door hinges without risking the lives of those beyond the door. A breaching round or slug-shot is a Shotgun shell specially made for the purposes of Door breaching. These frangible rounds made of a dense sintered material, often metal powder in a binder such as wax, which can destroy a lock then immediately disperse. Sintering is a method for making objects from powder, by heating the material (below its Melting point - solid state sintering until its particles adhere They are used by military and SWAT teams to quickly force entry into a locked room. SWAT ( Special Weapons And Tactics) is an elite special operations tactical unit in American Police departments similar to the Taiwan Thunder Squad Amongst police, these rounds are nicknamed 'master keys', and their use is known as 'Avon calling'. This article is about the game from The Price Is Right. For the security key see master key. Avon Products Inc is a US Cosmetics, Perfume and Toy seller with markets in over 135 countries across the world and sales of $9 ^[19]
• Bird bombs are low-powered rounds that fire a firecracker that is fused to explode a short time after firing^[20]. A firecracker (also known as a cracker, noise maker, banger or bunger) is a small Explosive device primarily designed to produce They are designed to scare animals, such as birds that congregate on airport runways. An airport is a location where Aircraft such as airplanes, Helicopters and blimps take off and land A runway ( RWY) is a strip of land on an Airport, on which Aircraft can take off and land.
• Screechers fire a pyrotechnic whistle that emits a loud whistling sound for the duration of its flight^[20]. The term "pyrotechnics" can also be used for Fireworks events These are also used to scare animals.
• Blank shells contain only a small amount of powder and no actual load. A blank is a type of cartridge for a Firearm that contains Gunpowder but no Bullet or shot. When fired, the blanks provide the sound and flash of a real load, but with no projectile^[20]. These may be used for simulation of gunfire, scaring wildlife, or as power for a launching device.
• Stinger is a type of shotgun shell which contains 16-00 buck balls made of zytel, and is designed as a non-lethal ammunition ideally used in small spaces. Zytel is a trademark owned by DuPont and used for a number of different high strength abrasion and impact resistant Thermoplastic Polyamide formulations

Novelty and other

• Bolo rounds contain two round balls connected with wire or two flat pieces connected with wire. A Bolo shell usually refers to a type of Shotgun shell load The round is made of two or more slugs molded onto steel wire
• Dragon's Breath usually refers to a zirconium-based pyrotechnic shotgun round. A Dragon's Breath usually refers to a Zirconium -based pyrotechnic Shotgun round When fired, a gout of flame erupts from the barrel of the gun (up to 20 ft). While it has no tactical uses, the visual effect it produces is impressive, similar to that of a short ranged flamethrower.
• Flare rounds are sometimes carried by hunters for safety and rescue purposes. They are available in low and high altitude versions. Some brands claim they can reach a height of up to 200 m (600 feet).

Legal issues

Globally, shotguns are generally not as heavily regulated as rifles or handguns, likely because they lack the range of rifles, yet are not easily concealable as handguns are; thus, they are perceived as a lesser threat by legislative authorities. The one exception is a sawn-off shotgun, especially a Lupara, as it is as highly concealable as a handgun and has had a long history associated with crime. A sawed-off shotgun ( US) also known as a sawn-off shotgun ( UK, AU, NZ; also used in US) or a short-barreled shotgun For the Italian city see Lupara (commune. Lupara is an Italian word used to refer to a Sawed-off shotgun of the

UK

In the United Kingdom, a Shotgun Certificate (SGC) is required to possess a shotgun. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located These cost £50 and can only be denied if the chief of police in the area believes and can prove that the applicant poses a real danger to the public, or if the applicant has been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term of three years or more (unless they have been acquitted) or if the applicant cannot securely store a shotgun (gun clamps, wire locks and locking gun cabinets are considered secure). In Criminal law, an acquittal is a verdict of not guilty, or some similar end of the proceeding that terminates it with prejudice without a verdict The round number restrictions apply only to the magazine, not the chamber, so it is legal to have a single-barreled semi-auto or pump-action shotgun that holds three rounds in total, or a shotgun with 5 separate chambers that holds 5 rounds. However, revolver guns do not fall into this category so multi-chamber shotguns would need to also be multi-barrel. For a shotgun to be held on an SGC,it must be a smooth-bore gun (that is not an air-gun) which:

(a) has a barrel not less than 24 inches in length and does not have any barrel with a bore more than 2 inches in diameter;

(b) either has no magazine or has a non-detachable magazine not capable of holding more than two cartridges;

(c) is not a revolver gun.

Prior to a SGC being issued an interview is conducted with the local Firearms Officer, in the past this was a duty undertaken by the local police although more recently this function has been "contracted out" to civilian staff. The officer will check the location and suitability of the gun safe that is to be used for storage and conduct a general interview to establish the reasons behind the applicant requiring a SGC.

An SGC holder can own any number of shotguns meeting these requirements so long as he can store them securely. No certificate is required to own shotgun ammunition, but one is required to buy it. There is no restriction on the amount of shotgun ammunition that can be bought or owned. There are also no rules regarding the storage of ammunition.

However, shotgun ammunition which contains fewer than 6 projectiles requires the appropriate Firearms Certificate (FAC). Shotguns with a magazine capacity greater than 2 rounds also require the appropriate Firearms Certificate to own. An FAC costs £50 but is much more restrictive than an SGC. A new 'variation' is required for each new caliber of gun to be owned, limits are set on how much ammunition a person can own at any one time, and an FAC can be denied if the applicant does not have sufficient 'good reason'. 'Good reason' generally means hunting, collecting or target shooting - though other reasons may be acceptable, defence is not an acceptable reason.

USA

In the United States, federal law prohibits shotguns from being capable of holding more than three shells including the round in the chamber when used for hunting migratory waterfowl such as ducks and geese. For other uses, a capacity of any number of shells is generally permitted. Most magazine-fed shotguns come with a removable magazine plug to limit capacity to 2, plus one in the chamber, for hunting migratory waterfowl. Certain states have restrictions on magazine capacity or design features under hunting or assault weapon laws. The term Assault weapon is derived from the term Assault rifle, itself a translation of the German word Sturmgewehr, literally "storm-rifle"

Shotguns intended for defensive use have barrels as short as 46 cm (18 inches) for private use (the minimum shotgun barrel length allowed by law in the United States without special permits). Barrel lengths of less than 46 cm (18 inches) as measured from the breechface to the muzzle when the weapon is in battery with its action closed and ready to fire, or have an overall length of less than 66 cm (26 inches) are classified as short barreled shotguns (AKA "sawn-off shotguns") under the 1934 National Firearms Act and are heavily regulated. A sawed-off shotgun ( US) also known as a sawn-off shotgun ( UK, AU, NZ; also used in US) or a short-barreled shotgun Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The National Firearms Act (" NFA " 73rd Congress, Sess

Shotguns used by military, police, and other government agencies are exempted from regulation under the National Firearms Act of 1934, and often have barrels as short as 30 to 36 cm (12 to 14 inches), so that they are easier to handle in confined spaces. The National Firearms Act (" NFA " 73rd Congress, Sess Non-prohibited private citizens may own short-barreled shotguns by purchasing a $200 tax stamp from the Federal government and passing an extensive background check (state and local laws may be more restrictive). Defensive shotguns sometimes have no buttstock or will have a folding stock to reduce overall length even more when required. A stock, also known as a buttstock or shoulder stock, is present in many Firearms and some Crossbows (though a crossbow stock is properly a A stock, also known as a buttstock or shoulder stock, is present in many Firearms and some Crossbows (though a crossbow stock is properly a

According to US law, a shotgun can be any weapon which fires a shotgun shell. This is because the first shotgun was little more than a pipe and a smaller tube filled with lead balls with gunpower mixed in.

Australia

Within Australia, all shotguns manufactured after January 1, 1901 are considered firearms and are subject to registration and licensing. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Most shotguns (including break-action, bolt-action and lever-action shotguns) are classed as "Category A" weapons and, as such, are comparatively easy to obtain a licence for, given a legally-recognised 'legitimate reason' (compare to the British requirement for 'good reason' for a FAC), such as target shooting or hunting. A break-action Firearm is one whose barrels are hinged and rotate perpendicular to the bore axis to expose the breech and allow loading and unloading of The term bolt action refers to a type of Firearm action in which the weapon's bolt is operated manually by the opening and closing of the breech with Lever-action is a type of Firearm action which uses a lever located around the trigger guard area (often including the trigger guard itself to load fresh cartridges However, pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns are classed as "Category C" weapons; a licence for this type of firearm is, generally speaking, not available to the average citizen. A pump-action Rifle or Shotgun is one in which the handgrip can be pumped back and forth in order to eject and chamber a round of Ammunition. A Semi-automatic shotgun is a form of Shotgun that is able to fire a cartridge after every trigger squeeze without any manual chambering of another round being required as is For more information, see Gun politics in Australia. Many Australians (765000 or 52% of Australian adults as of August 2007 legally own and use Firearms for Hunting, the control of feral animals, and Target shooting

Canada

In Canada, a shotgun is a non-restricted firearm if its barrel length is greater than or equal to 470 mm (18. 5 inches) and if its overall length when firing cannot be reduced to less than 660 mm (26 inches). ^[21][22] A Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) or Possession-Only License (POL) or is required to possess a shotgun. A Possession and Acquisition Licence is a licence that allows individuals in Canada to possess and acquire Firearms as well as Ammunition.

The Canadian gun registry is a government-run registry of all legally-owned firearms in Canada. The Canadian gun registry is a government-run registry of all legally-owned Guns in Canada. As of May 2008, the government has provided amnesty from prosecution to shotgun and rifle owners if they fail to register non-restricted shotguns and rifles. ^[23]

See also

• List of shotguns
• Antique guns
• Riding shotgun

References

• Jack O'Connor (1949, 1965). The Shotgun Book. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-394-50138-1.  
• Elmer Keith (1950). Shotguns. Pennsylvania: The Stackpole Company. ISBN 0-935632-58-1.  
• Bob Brister (1976). Shotgunning, The Art and the Science. New Jersey: New Win Publishing. ISBN 0-8329-1840-7.  
• Michael McIntosh (1999). Best Guns. Alabama: Countrysport Press. ISBN 0-924357-79-7.  

External links

• Choke and pattern size
• Shotgun FAQ

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