Join the #1 community for gun owners of the Southwest
We believe the 2nd Amendment is best defended through grass-roots organization, education, and advocacy centered around individual gun owners. It is our mission to encourage, organize, and support these efforts throughout Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Discuss firearms and all aspects of firearm ownership
Join others in organizing against anti-gun legislation
Find nearby gun shops, ranges, training, and other resources
Discover free outdoor shooting areas
Stay up to date on firearm-related events
Share photos and video with other members
...and much more!
shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub-projectiles called shot, or sometimes a single solid projectile called a slug. Shotguns are most commonly smoothbore firearms, meaning that their gun barrels have no rifling on the inner wall, but rifled barrels for shooting slugs (slug barrels) are also available.
Shotguns come in a wide variety of calibers and gauges ranging from 5.5 mm (.22 inch) to up to 5 cm (2.0 in), though the 12-gauge (18.53 mm or 0.729 in) and 20-gauge (15.63 mm or 0.615 in) bores are by far the most common. Almost all are breechloading, and can be single-barreled, double-barreled or in the form of combination guns. Like rifles, shotguns also come in a range of different action types, both single-shot and repeating. For non-repeating designs, over-and-under break action shotguns are by far the most common variant. Although revolving shotguns did exist, most modern repeating shotguns are either pump-action or semi-automatic, and also fully automatic, lever-action or bolt-action to a lesser extent.
Preceding smoothbore firearms (such as the musket) were widely used by armies in the 18th century. The muzzleloading blunderbuss, the direct ancestor of the shotgun, was also used in similar roles from self-defense to riot control. Shotguns were often favored by cavalry troops in the early to mid-19th century because of its ease of use and generally good effectiveness on the move, as well as by coachmen for its substantial power. But by the late 19th century, these weapons became largely replaced on the battlefield by breechloading rifled firearms shooting spin-stabilized cylindro-conoidal bullets, which were far more accurate with longer effective ranges. The military value of shotguns was rediscovered in the First World War, when American forces used the pump-action Winchester Model 1897s in trench fighting to great effect. Since then, shotguns have been used in a variety of close-quarter roles in civilian, law enforcement and military applications.
The smoothbore shotgun barrel generates less resistance and thus allows greater propellant loads for heavier projectiles without as much risk of overpressure or a squib load, and are also easier to clean. The shot pellets from a shotshell are propelled indirectly through a wadding inside the shell and scatter upon leaving the barrel, which is usually choked at the muzzle end to control the projectile scatter. This means each shotgun discharge will produce a cluster of impact points instead of a single point of impact like other firearms. Having multiple projectiles also means the muzzle energy is divided among the pellets, leaving each individual projectile with less penetrative kinetic energy. The lack of spin stabilization and the generally suboptimal aerodynamic shape of the shot pellets also make them less accurate and decelerate quite quickly in flight due to drag, giving shotguns short effective ranges. In a hunting context, this makes shotguns useful primarily for hunting fast-flying birds and other agile small/medium-sized game without risking overpenetration and stray shots to distant bystander and objects. However, in a military or law enforcement context, the high short-range blunt knockback force and large number of projectiles makes the shotgun useful as a door breaching tool, a crowd control or close-quarters defensive weapon. Militants or insurgents may use shotguns in asymmetric engagements, as shotguns are commonly owned civilian weapons in many countries. Shotguns are also used for target-shooting sports such as skeet, trap and sporting clays, which involve flying clay disks, known as "clay pigeons", thrown in various ways by a dedicated launching device called a "trap".
Super rare and coveted by those that are in the knowing
I should keep this but I do not require it
She is 50-70 years young and in excellent condition for her age
Comes with some shells and the sling that is era matching and been on her since day one
$1k flat nothing less and no trades needed
Mossberg 940 JM Pro Black 12ga 3in Semi-Automatic Shotgun - 24in - Mossberg 930 JM Pro Series features fast cycling gas system; beveled loading gate for faster reloading, Pro-Series Engraving, special corrosion resistant finishes on internal parts for smooth cycling and ease in cleaning...
Hello all, I have here a Stoeger M3020 26” 20ga shotgun for sale. I bought this while in flight training in Meridian Mississippi and have just not used it much. We moved to Yuma last December and I really haven’t had much time to shoot unfortunately. This shotgun has had maybe 50 shells fired...
Never Fired! Mossberg 590-A1 Shotgun. Has been a safe queen, has a couple of scratches from being in the safe so selling at a great price of $450.00. LMK if you would like to make contact.
Selected by the U.S...
Want to Buy (not for sale)
If you have an old 500 you don't want anymore, I have 4 kids and a couple of their spouses that want to go shooting and we need 2-3 more shotguns.
Possibly Remington 870's
Prefer wood furniture.
May be interested in shells also, depends on price.
Let me know...
Winchester 37 single shot shotgun. 20 ga. 28" barrel. Full choke. No serial number, so it can't be dated. Not a Red Letter. Very nice condition. No rust. $400. TEXT ONLY to 623-203-7892 or email: [email protected]
Tristar TEC-12 pump/semi-auto dual mode shotgun to buy or for trade.
If I knew this were going to be discontinued, I would have bought one or two while they were still available.
---
What I'm offering in trade plus cash from the seller;
S&W M&P15R in 5.45x39mm with an ambidextrous magazine...
If this ad is still up, then the item is still available. I will ignore messages asking me if it is available.
This shotgun needs some work. The bluing is about 60%. The stock is beat up and cracked. There is some rust on/in the end of the barrel, but the rest of the bore looks to be okay...
If this ad is still up, then the item is still available. I will ignore messages asking me if it is available.
This shotgun is in decent condition. The steel/bluing looks good, but the stock could use refinishing. The bore appears to be fine (just needs some cleaning). The body is marked...
If this ad is still up, then the item is still available. I will ignore messages asking me if it is available.
This shotgun is in kind of rough shape. The bluing is pretty much gone, and there is some pitting rust. The stock is beat up and cracked. This shotgun was made sometime between...
I'm finally biting the bullet and looking for a 20ga the Old Woman will use (as well as myself). Primarily for home defense, possibly as a ride-along to keep handy on trips.
What Im looking for is a short(er) barrel- 20 inches or so max- with extended mag, either installed or add-on. (This is...