page_title: Hunting weapon
section_title: Shotguns
hierarchical_section_title: Hunting weapon / Firearms by type / Shotguns
caption_attribution_description: English: 12-gauge over/under shotgun
context_page_description: Hunting weapons are weapons designed or used primarily for hunting game animals for food or sport, as distinct from defensive weapons or weapons used primarily in warfare.
context_section_description: Shotguns were originally designed to fire multiple small projectiles in a single shot. This method is still used mainly for hunting small game, and, occasionally, for hunting deer with buckshot, but modern shotguns can also be used for bigger game (deer, bear, etc.) when loaded with slugs. Hunting shotguns are shoulder-fired weapons, and are generally smoothbores, but guns designed to fire slugs may have rifled barrels. Shotguns are used for short range shooting, and are less accurate than rifles, though the ability to fire multiple projectiles makes them ideal for small, fast moving targets. Additionally, the shorter effective range of shotguns, measured typically less than 100 yards (91 m) when using shot or slugs, with a maximum slug travel range of a few hundred yards for missed shots, becomes a safety advantage when hunting in areas with high population densities relative to using rifles that may have a maximum bullet travel range of several miles for missed shots. The following are popular shotgun actions for hunting:
  Break-barrel action
  Pump action
  Semi-automatic shotgun
caption: 12-gauge over/under shotgun
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