thumb|[[Winchester Model 1897 Trench Gun with M1917 bayonet]]

thumb|[[Winchester Model 1912 Trench Gun]]

thumb|[[Remington 1100 Tactical Shotgun in 12-gauge—holds eight 2" rounds in the tube]]

A combat shotgun is a shotgun issued by militaries for warfare.

Characteristics

thumb|United States Marine carrying a [[Winchester Model 1897|Winchester M97 shotgun]]

The most common type of shotgun used for this purpose is the manually operated, slide-action/pump-action type like the Remington M870 or Mossberg 590A1. The latter is currently the pump-action of choice for US armed forces, and both have seen service with other militaries. The pump-action type is less prone to malfunction (particularly when dirty) than semi-automatic designs. Pump-action shotguns are also less expensive than their semi-automatic counterparts. Even so, semi-automatic shotguns such as the Benelli M1014 are currently seeing service in NATO-aligned armed forces.

Combat shotguns typically have much shorter barrels than shotguns used for hunting. They usually have magazines of modified design to hold more than the 3 to 5 shots normal with sporting or hunting shotguns. Most combat shotguns have tubular magazines mounted underneath the barrel. These are identical to those of hunting shotguns, except for being longer to hold more ammunition. Some recent designs have detachable box magazines.

Combat shotguns are mostly similar to the police riot shotgun. The military versions may have provisions to mount a bayonet, and may be fitted with ventilated steel or plastic hand guards over the barrel to reduce the danger of a soldier burning their hand on the hot barrel during rapid fire. Riot shotguns are more likely to trade off increased magazine capacity for decreased size. For example, a combat model would be more likely to have a barrel and up to a 10-round capacity, while riot shotguns are often found with barrels of and a capacity of 5 to 8 rounds.

Combat use

thumb|A [[Mossberg 500|Mossberg 590 being used by a US Marine for door breaching in Karma, Iraq, in 2005]]

The combat shotgun has evolved from its original role as a short range combat weapon into a wider role in modern times. With proper configuration, ammunition and training, the modern combat shotgun plays three roles:

  1. Offensive weapon
  2. Breaching system
  3. Less-lethal crowd control

Effective range of the shotgun with standard buckshot is limited to about 20–30 meters. Slug rounds, if available, can extend the effective range of the shotgun to 100 meters (although this is also dependent on the shotgun's sighting system; rifle sights and ghost ring sights will allow the average shooter to effectively engage human-sized targets at considerably greater distances than with a bead sight).

Less lethal rounds vary, with ranges from 10 meters for rubber buckshot to 75 meters for rubber slugs. These less lethal munitions are the same type as used by police, and have served well in riot control situations, such as that in Kosovo in 2001.

Further reading

  • The World's Fighting Shotguns. Volume IV. Hardcover – 1 Jan. 1978 by Thomas F. Swearengen. Chesa Limited / T. B. N. Enterprises; First Edition (1 Jan. 1978)
  • Streetsweepers: The Complete Book of Combat Shotguns Paperback – 31 Dec. 1987 by Duncan Long. Paladin Press, U.S. (31 Dec. 1987)
  • "Give Us More Shotguns!" by Bruce N. Canfield, American Rifleman, May 2004
  • Bruce N. Canfield, A Collector's Guide to United States Combat Shotguns, Andrew Mowbray, 1992, .
  • Fawcett, Bill. Hunters & Shooters, An Oral History of the U.S. Navy SEALS in Vietnam. New York: Avon Books, 1995. , pp. 79–80, especially.
  • The Magnificent Mossberg, Guns & Ammo Magazine, April, 2007
  • The evolution of the army combat shotgun Military Police article by Bo Barbour
  • US Army combat shotgun training video
  • History of the Combat Shotgun in U.S. Army