A shotgun is a weapon that is intended to be fired from the shoulder.It is operated with two hands.It has a smooth bore and is designed to fire multiple pellets from the barrel.A shell may consists of various sizes depending on what it is going to be used for.Larger sized pellets could be for hunting big game such as deer.Smaller pellets are used mainly for birds and rabbits.A shotgun can also shoot a single bullet called slug which can weigh an ounce or more.Barrel length is immaterial in classifying firearm as a shotgun.Although U.S. federal law requires a minimal barrel length of 18 inches.A shotgun may be classified as a single shot,over and under,double barrel,bolt-action,lever-action,pump-action,or auto loading.The over and under shotgun has two barrels one above the other and the double barrel version has its barrels side by side.The two barrels in these weapons are often of different choke.
A shotgun is generally a smooth-bore firearm which means that the inside of the barrel is not rifled.Preceding smooth-bore firearms such as the musket were widely used by armies in the 18th century.The direct ancestor of the shotgun,the blunderbuss,was also used in similar variety of roles from self defense to riot control.It was often used by cavalry troops due to its generally shorter length and ease of use, as well as by coachmen for its substantial power.However,in the 19th century,these weapons were largely replaced on the battlefield with breech-loading rifled firearms which were more accurate over longer ranges.In First World war,american forces used a 12 gauge pimp-action shotguns in close quarter trench fighting to great effect.
A shotgun come in variety of sizes ranging from 5.5 mm (.22 inch)bore up to 5 cm (2 inch) bore and in a range of firearm operating mechanisms including breech-loading,single-barreled,double or combination gun,pump-action,bolt,and lever-action,semi-automatic and even fully automatic variants.
The shot pellets from a shotgun spread upon leaving the barrel and the power of the burning charge is divided among the pellets which means that the energy of any one ball of shot is fairly low.In hunting context,this makes the shotgun useful primarily for hunting birds and other small game.In military or low enforcement context,the large number of projectiles makes the shotgun useful as a close quarters combat weapon or defensive weapon.Shotguns are used also for target shooting sports such as skeet,trap and sporting clays.This involve shooting clay disks known as clay pigeons thrown in various ways.