Shotguns are one of the most popular firearms in the entire world. Not only are they excellent guns that are widely available, but they can easily be on the most versatile tools in your arsenal. In fact, there are many different types of shotguns that you can choose from. Let’s go over a few of them and the differences you will see!
Break Action
Break action shotguns are one of the oldest designs of shotguns. It is also one of the most simple and reliable designs as well. If you think of old western movies, you have probably seen one of these shotguns in either a single or double barrel style. This type of action break opens at the breech (hence the name) so that you can insert new shells. This hinge is then closed in order to fire the gun, and then reopened to eject and load new shells into the shotgun.
While this design is simple and effective, you are limited to how many shots you can carry and shoot quickly. Coming in either single or double barrel options, you will have to manually reload after each shot you take and that could take more time than other designs that hold more shells and are easier to reload.
Pump Action
One of the most popular designs, pump-action shotguns can hold multiple shells. They are then loaded by “pumping” the action back and forth with the forend grip. After a shot is fired, you can pump the action to release the spent shell and chamber a fresh one. Because of how simple the design is and how effective this style is, pump-action shotguns are widely used for hunting, defense, and sport shooting.
Pump shotguns have many different advantages, from a larger internal round count to quick reloading times. The only downside is that on some pump shotguns, it can be difficult to properly “pump” the action (especially for young or inexperienced shooters). You are also limited to how fast you can rack the action to how fast you can shoot.
Semi-automatic
With a semi-automatic shotgun, a shot is fired, the spent shell is ejected, and a new shell is chambered all with the single pull of a trigger. As the shotgun is fired, the force from the shot is used to automatically eject the empty shell and cycle in the next one. This means that this type of shotgun can be fired the quickest, as each trigger pull will do all of the reloading work for you.
Semi-automatic shotguns also tend to produce less recoil than other types of shotguns, although they can jam more often due to their more complex design. They also require a little more maintenance and cleaning in order to ensure that this is properly avoided.
Final Thoughts
Shotguns come in many different shapes and sizes, but the three types you will see are break-action, pump-action, and semi-automatic guns. All of them have their own advantages and disadvantages, and many shooters will tend to find one that they gravitate more towards depending on their needs and preferences.
