Combat shotgun
A combat shotgun is a
History
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While the sporting shotgun traces its ancestry back to the
The development of the repeating pump-action shotguns in the 1890s led to their use by the US Marines in the
The shotgun was used by Allied forces and Allied-supported partisans in all theaters of combat in World War II, and both pump and semi-automatic shotguns are currently issued to all branches of the US military; they have also been used in subsequent conflicts by French, British, Australian, and New Zealand forces, as well as many guerrillas and insurgents throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Latin and South America, and Southeast Asia.[2] Six different model of shotguns were accepted in the US army during World War II, the most popular being the M97 and M1912. One disadvantage of using a shotgun in the Pacific Theatre was the way of carrying the shotshells. The standard rifle pouches that carried shotshells were small, only about 30 rounds if carried vertically. Some Marines carried the shells in SL-3 grenade vests from World War I, but these vests were hard to come by. Also used were modified bandoliers and whatever came to hand or could be improvised.
Another disadvantage was paper-hulled shotshells, which would swell when they became damp in a rainy or humid environment, and would not fit into the chamber even after drying out. Commercial paper hulls were later impregnated with wax to make them water resistant, but in combat the heat from rapid firing would cause the wax to melt, often resulting in a jammed gun. Military-issue shotshells were usually made entirely of brass to avoid these issues, until the introduction of plastic hulls in the early 1960s.
General
In the jungle warfare during the Malayan Emergency, the British Army and local forces of Malaya used shotguns to great effect due to limited space in the jungles and frequent close combat. In the Vietnam War, the shotgun was used as an individual weapon in the American army during jungle patrol and urban warfare like the Tet Offensive.
During the Somalian conflict in 1992, the US task forces tested out a new type of Remington shotgun called Ciener Ultimate Over/Under, which was an under-barrel attachment for the standard M16 variants during Operation Gothic Serpent. The idea was for a soldier in an entry team to be able to breach a locked door with the shotgun and then immediately switch to the assault rifle to clear the room. According to the Army Rangers, their verdict was positive for this new type of breaching gun.
In operations in
Characteristics
The most common type of shotgun used for this purpose is the manually operated,
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 51 cm (20 inch) barrel and up to a 10-round capacity, while riot shotguns are often found with barrels of 35 to 46 cm (14 to 18 inches) and a capacity of 5 to 8 rounds.
Combat use
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:
- Offensive weapon
- Breaching system
- 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).[6]
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.[7]
When used as a door breaching system, the shotgun may be provided with a muzzle extension to allow it to be pressed firmly against the door while providing the correct standoff distance for optimum performance. While there are specialized rounds for breaching doors with minimal hazard to any occupants of the room, any type of round will do the job, though with some degradation of effectiveness and increased risk of collateral damage. In operations in Iraq, the shotgun was the preferred method of door breaching by infantry units, ideally with a frangible breaching slug. For the breaching role, shorter barrels are preferred, as they are more easily handled in tight quarters.[8]
Limited ammunition capacity is one of the primary downsides of the combat shotgun. While box magazines are available in some models (such as shotgun derivatives of the
The bulk and weight of shotgun ammunition also limits its utility as a general-issue weapon. Weight per 100 rounds of an average 12-gauge 00-buck 2+3⁄4-inch (70 mm) shell is 4.65 kg (10.25 lb); for an average .223/5.56 round, weight per 100 rounds is about 1.22 kg (2.69 lb) or a 3.8:1 weight ratio of 12-gauge buckshot and 5.56×45mm. This means just eight 12-gauge buckshot shells weigh approximately the same (1 lb or 0.45 kg) as thirty
Effectiveness
A Joint Service Combat Shotgun Program report on the lethality of shotguns in war states, in support of the use of the shotgun in warfare, "the probability of hitting a man-sized target with a shotgun was superior to that of all other weapons", and goes on to support this with statistics compiled by the British from the conflict in Borneo in the 1960s - Operation Claret.[2]
The buckshot typically used in a combat shotgun spreads out to a greater or lesser degree depending on the barrel
A number of compromises are involved in choosing a shot size:[9][11]
- Smaller pellets lose velocity more rapidly and penetrate the target less
- Larger pellets means fewer pellets, resulting in a reduced probability of hits
- Heavier loads produce more recoil and greater velocity than lighter loads
- Reduced recoil loads (less shot and/or lower velocity) may produce smaller patterns, which may decrease hit probability
Ammunition
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The most common type of
In military use, flechette ammunition has also been used in shotguns (primarily by special forces, such as its use by the SEALs in the Vietnam War),[12] but this is not common. Other experimental shotgun ammunition has been created, such as SCMITR, but none have been successful enough to be adopted.
Due to the great flexibility of the shotgun, it is often used in non-offensive roles as well. The US Infantry, for example, offers a number of
There are a number of experimental rounds currently under development and consideration by the US military, including explosive rounds and stand-off breaching rounds, which could further improve the range and flexibility of the combat shotgun.
Method of operation
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There are two primary modes of operation for combat shotguns, the
The autoloading shotgun (semi or fully automatic) offers a higher rate of fire than a pump shotgun, though controlling a heavy recoiling shotgun in rapid fire is difficult. The autoloading action is more suitable for firing from a prone position, as operation of a pump action moves the elbow normally used to support the shotgun, and it can more effectively be used one-handed, unlike pump actions which require two hands for effective cycling of the action.
The pump shotgun is more versatile than the semiautomatic, as it will fire low powered
Use in asymmetric warfare
Due to the widespread use of the shotgun as a sporting firearm, it is used in guerrilla warfare and other forms of asymmetric warfare. Che Guevara, in his 1961 book Guerrilla Warfare, notes that shotgun ammunition can be obtained by guerrillas even in times of war, and that shotguns loaded with heavy shot are highly effective against unarmored troop transport vehicles. He recommends that suburban guerrilla bands should be armed with easily concealable weapons, such as handguns and a sawed-off shotgun or carbine. Guevara also mentions an improvised weapon developed by guerrillas consisting of a sawed-off 16-gauge shotgun provided with a bipod to hold the barrel at a 45 degree angle. Called the "M-16", this was loaded with a blank cartridge formed by removing the shot from a standard shotshell. A wooden rod was then placed in the barrel, with a Molotov cocktail attached to the front. This formed an improvised mortar capable of firing the incendiary device accurately out to a range of 100 meters.[14]
See also
References
- ^ "Combat Shotgun". British Army. Archived from the original on 2010-11-14. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g W. Hays Parks (October 1997). "Joint Service Combat Shotgun Program" (PDF). The Army Lawyer.
- ^ Bruce N. Canfield "Remington's Model 10: The Other Trench Gun" American Rifleman November 2009 p.76
- ^ "Osprey Men-At-Arms 342 page 24". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
- ^ Morgan, Ryan J. (2004). "The tactical shotgun in urban operations". Infantry Magazine.
- ISBN 1555211615
- ^ John Pike (1918-09-27). "Shotguns". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
- ^ Captain Ryan J. Morgan, US Army Training and Doctrine Command (2004). "The tactical shotgun in urban operations". Infantry Magazine.
- ^ a b John Schaefer. "Some Thoughts on the Combat Shotgun". Retrieved 2007-09-18.
- ^ Robert D. Clements (September 1, 2006). "The combat shotgun in the BCT". Infantry Magazine.
- ^ "The Box O' Truth #20 - Buckshot Patterns". Archived from the original on 2007-11-17. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
- ^ Brian S. Chi. "Historical Center's Firearm Collection Spans 200 Years". News.navy.mil. Archived from the original on 2009-09-01. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
- ^ Benelli - Firearms - Special Purpose Archived September 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1961). Guerrilla Warfare. Praeger.
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) ISBN 0873644247
- "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, ISBN 0-917218-53-1.
- Fawcett, Bill. Hunters & Shooters, An Oral History of the U.S. Navy SEALS in Vietnam. New York: Avon Books, 1995. ISBN 0-380-72166-X, pp. 79–80, especially.
- Leroy Thompson (2013). US Combat Shotguns. Weapon. Vol. 29. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781780960142.
External links
- The Magnificent Mossberg, Guns & Ammo Magazine, April, 2007
- The evolution of the army combat shotgun Archived 2012-07-08 at archive.today Military Police article by Bo Barbour
- US Army combat shotgun training video
- History of the Combat Shotgun in U.S Army