Shotguns are long guns developed in the first half of the 17th century with smooth barrels. They are primarily used in Europe as hunting and sporting weapons, as they can fire shot ammunition over short distances (≈10-50m). In addition to various sizes of shot, shotguns can also fire so-called shotgun slugs.
In hunting, over-and-under shotguns and side-by-side shotguns are mainly used. For shooting sports, there are specially adapted sport shotguns. Especially in the USA, semi-automatic shotguns are very popular.
Shotguns have smooth barrels and are designed for shooting shot. Rifles, on the other hand, are designed for bullet shooting and have rifled barrels. Optical differences that immediately catch the viewer's eye: shotguns are usually longer than rifles and have much thicker barrels than rifles. A shotgun in the most common shot caliber 12 has an inner barrel diameter of 18.53 mm, while the other calibers that are still significantly widespread, 16 and 20, have inner barrel diameters of 16.84 and 15.63 mm - even the extremely rare and extremely large hunting caliber .416 Rigby has “only” a bullet diameter of 10.54 mm.
The longer barrel length of shotguns is about 64-78 cm - shorter barrels are more maneuverable, but longer ones swing better. For rifles, depending on the caliber, a barrel length of 50-65 cm is common.
Like all firearms, shotguns come in various price ranges. Used shotguns in reasonable condition can be found for under 500 euros, while new models start at around 1000 euros, with no upper limit.
A double-barrel shotgun is a shotgun with two side-by-side barrels; it is also referred to as a side-by-side shotgun in contrast to an over-and-under shotgun. However, side-by-side shotguns are not very common anymore, which is why many hunters and shooters mean over-and-under shotguns when they talk about double-barrel shotguns.
An over-and-under shotgun, or simply an over-and-under, is a double-barreled shotgun where the barrels are arranged one above the other - hence “over-and-under.” The term over-and-under is much more commonly used than double-barrel, which sounds a bit cumbersome.
A semi-automatic shotgun is also referred to as a semi-automatic shotgun. After firing, it automatically ejects the empty shell, loads a new cartridge from the magazine into the chamber, and resets itself - it is immediately ready to fire again. Semi-automatic shotguns can be used for hunting and in shooting sports - however, they are somewhat frowned upon in hunting and are only accepted by most hunters for crow hunting. A semi-automatic shotgun is not a fully automatic weapon - the trigger must be pulled again for each individual shot.
A pump-action shotgun is often referred to as a fore-end repeating shotgun. In these, the spent cartridge case is ejected after firing by moving the fore-end back and forth, and a new cartridge is loaded into the chamber. Fore-end repeating shotguns are used in the civilian sector by hunters and in many countries by police authorities. The main reason for this is their high deterrent effect, which is also demonstrated by the martial and intimidating action of the weapon. For this reason, certain conditions apply to fore-end repeating shotguns to be purchased by private individuals:
In addition to the mentioned types of shotguns, double-barrel shotguns, over-and-under shotguns, semi-automatic shotguns, and fore-end repeating shotguns, there are also single-barrel shotguns and repeating shotguns that are operated differently than at the fore-end. Additionally, it should be noted in this context (and when considering purchasing a shotgun) that drilling shotguns are actually double-barrel shotguns that have been supplemented with a rifled barrel.
With shotguns, you generally shoot at moving targets at relatively short distances. This applies both to hunting shotgun shooting at flying or game animals and to sporting shooting at clay targets - also known as “trap shooting.” For this type of shooting, aiming with a rear sight and front sight or through a scope is not suitable. Instead, aiming with a shotgun is done over the barrel rib and front sight. Therefore, when shooting with a shotgun, even more than with a rifle or handgun, the stance is crucial: it is correct when the front sight is pointing at the target and the barrel rib is not visible - because only in this case does the shooter “aim straight over the shotgun.” Targets in shotgun shooting often appear quickly and unexpectedly, and the time frame in which a safe and accurate shot can be taken is very short - therefore, the stance must be correct, and quickly getting into position must be an instinctive movement.
The starting size for determining shot calibers is one English pound = 453.6 g. If 12 equal-sized balls are formed from 453.6 g of lead, such a ball has the diameter of caliber 12 (18.2 mm). If, on the other hand, 16 or 20 balls are made from it, they are of course smaller than if only 12 balls were made - for this reason, the shot calibers decrease as the number increases. The most common shot caliber is 12, followed by 16, and in third place, 20. The other shot calibers play hardly any role in hunting or sporting shooting - moreover, ammunition for weapons in these calibers is not easy to find, which is why we recommend choosing a shotgun in caliber 12 or 16.
12 stands for the caliber - in this case, the inner diameter of the shotgun barrel. 70 or 76 stands for the length of the chamber. Shotgun cartridges can be fired that are exactly as long as the chamber when fired, as well as those that are shorter. If you shoot a shotgun in caliber 12/76, for example, cartridges in caliber 12/70 can also be fired from it. However, longer cartridges must not be fired under any circumstances - doing so would pose a danger to the life and safety of the shooter and bystanders.
An ejector is an automatic shell ejection device in break-action shotguns (extractor). The ejector ejects the spent cartridge case when the weapon is broken open, allowing for faster reloading than if the cartridge case had to be removed manually. You can tell if a weapon has an ejector by looking at the split extractor.
Coverage refers to the more or less even distribution and number of shot pellets on a target of a certain size at a certain distance, such as on the 16-field target with a diameter of 75 cm at a distance of 35 m. In simple terms, it considers how much shot arrives at the target and how wide the shotgun spreads.
The spread of shotguns is determined by their bore at the muzzle, known as the choke. If the barrel narrows towards the muzzle, this compresses the shot cloud, making it “tighter” and spreading less. Modern shotguns usually have interchangeable chokes, allowing the spread to be influenced by the weapon.
In addition to chokes, there are also different loadings of ammunition that affect the spread. Many shotgun cartridges, for example, have a shot cup, which is a plastic cup in the cartridge that holds the shot pellets. When fired, the shot pellets initially fly out of the weapon still in the cup, keeping them together longer.
Choke, choke bore, or constriction refers to the narrowing of the shotgun barrels at the muzzle. The choke causes the shot cloud to hold together better when leaving the barrel, resulting in better coverage while simultaneously increasing the effective shooting distance.
Shotguns with interchangeable chokes have a screw thread at the muzzle into which attachments, the interchangeable chokes, can be screwed. This allows the coverage of the shot cloud to be influenced.
Shotguns with interchangeable chokes can be adjusted and are universally applicable - thus they can be used for both short and long distances suitable for shotguns.
Most traditional double-barrel shotguns and over-and-under shotguns have two triggers. This brings the disadvantage that the trigger must be switched between two shots. With a single trigger, the same trigger fires the second shot: it allows for faster shooting.
Young hunters have not yet precisely explored their preferences, and they often have to manage their financial resources - especially since many expensive investments are essential at the beginning of a hunting career - these include not only the rifle but also a universally usable optic, a mount, clothing, and in many cases, a thermal imaging camera. Therefore, we recommend investing about 500-1000 euros for the first shotgun. Additionally, the shotgun should be versatile - nowadays, over-and-under shotguns with ejectors are common for both small game hunting and at the shooting range - therefore, we recommend such a model, preferably with interchangeable chokes to adapt to any hunting situation. We also recommend caliber 12/70 or 12/76 - it is the most common, which not only means that every gun shop has ammunition in this caliber, but also that a hunting friend can help with ammunition during social hunts when their own cartridges have already been fired. A situation that occurs faster than one might have thought in advance. Finally, we recommend choosing a shotgun that is proofed for steel shot. Whether a shotgun is proofed for steel shot can be recognized by the lily engraved in the shotgun. A ban on lead ammunition is unfortunately foreseeable in the EU - shotguns without steel shot proofing, which are already not allowed to be used for hunting in many areas, will then be banned throughout the EU.
Shotguns can be best found directly through Gunfinder and can also be purchased directly through the marketplace. Some dealers we recommend directly:
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