Editing Shotgun (section)

==Uses==
[[File:Shotgun-shot-sequence-1g.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.35|Series of individual 1/1,000,000-second exposures showing shotgun firing shot and [[wadding]] separation]]

The typical use of a shotgun is against small and fast moving targets, often while in the air. The spreading of the shot allows the user to point the shotgun close to the target, rather than having to aim precisely as in the case of a single projectile. The disadvantages of shot are limited range and limited penetration of the shot, which is why shotguns are used at short ranges, and typically against smaller targets. Larger shot sizes, up to the extreme case of the single projectile slug load, result in increased penetration, but at the expense of fewer projectiles and lower probability of hitting the target.

Aside from the most common use against small, fast moving targets, the shotgun has several advantages when used against still targets. First, it has enormous [[stopping power]] at short range, more than nearly all handguns and many rifles. Though many believe the shotgun is a great firearm for inexperienced shooters, the truth is, at close range, the spread of shot is not very large at all, and competency in aiming is still required. A typical self-defense load of [[buckshot]] contains 8–27 large lead pellets, resulting in many wound tracks in the target. Also, unlike a [[full metal jacket bullet|fully jacketed]] rifle bullet, each pellet of shot is less likely to penetrate walls and hit bystanders (though in the case of traditional 00-Buck, overpenetration of soft and hard targets may be an issue).<ref name="theboxotruth.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3_2.htm|title=The Box O' Truth #3 – The Shotgun Meets the Box O' Truth The Box O' Truth|work=The Box O' Truth|access-date=3 October 2014|date=13 June 2014|archive-date=18 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318024508/http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot3_2.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|date=January 2015|certain=y}} It is favored by [[Police|law enforcement]] for its low penetration and high stopping power.

On the other hand, the hit potential of a defensive shotgun is often overstated. The typical [[self-defense|defensive]] shot is taken at very close ranges, at which the shot charge expands no more than a few centimeters.<ref name="theboxotruth.com"/> This means the shotgun must still be aimed at the target with some care. Balancing this is the fact that shot spreads further upon entering the target, and the multiple wound channels are far more likely to produce a disabling wound than a rifle or handgun.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://firearmstactical.com/briefs10.htm |title=Shotgun Home Defense Ammunition, .357 SIG – A Solution in Search of a Problem? |publisher=Firearmstactical.com |access-date=19 February 2015}}</ref>

===Sporting===
[[File:Vincent Hancock at 2008 Summer Olympics men's skeet finals 2008-08-16.JPG|thumb|[[Vincent Hancock]] in the men's [[Olympic skeet|skeet]] finals at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
Some of the most common uses of shotguns are the sports of [[skeet shooting]], [[trap shooting]], and [[Sporting Clays (shooting)|sporting clays]]. These involve shooting clay discs, also known as clay pigeons, thrown in by hand and by machine. Both skeet and trap competitions are featured at the [[Olympic Games]].

===Hunting===
{{see|Garden gun}}
[[File:Usko Rautasuo (JOKAMT2Me06-2).tif|thumb|A Finnish hunter with shotgun in 1956]]
The shotgun is popular for bird [[hunting]] (called "game-shooting" in the United Kingdom, where "hunting" refers to hunting mammals with a pack of hounds), it is also used for more general forms of hunting especially in semi-populated areas where the range of rifle bullets may pose a hazard. Use of a [[smoothbore]] shotgun with a rifled slug or, alternatively, a rifled barrel shotgun with a [[sabot (firearms)|sabot]] slug, improves accuracy to {{convert|100|m|yd|abbr=on}} or more. This is well within the range of the majority of kill shots by experienced hunters using shotguns.

However, given the relatively low muzzle velocity of slug ammunition, typically around 500&nbsp;m/s (about 1600 feet per second), and the blunt, poorly streamlined shape of typical slugs (which cause them to lose velocity very rapidly, compared to rifle bullets), a hunter must pay close attention to the [[ballistics]] of the particular ammunition used to ensure an effective and humane kill shot.

At any reasonable range, shotgun slugs make effective lethal wounds due to their tremendous mass, reducing the length of time that an animal might suffer. For example, a typical 12-gauge shotgun slug is a blunt piece of metal that could be described as an 18&nbsp;mm (.729&nbsp;inch) caliber that weighs 28&nbsp;grams (432 grains). For comparison, a common deer-hunting rifle round is a 7.62&nbsp;mm (.308&nbsp;inch) slug weighing 9.7&nbsp;grams (150 grains), but the dynamics of the rifle cartridge allow for a different type of wound, and a much further reach.

Shotguns are often used with rifled barrels in locations where it is not lawful to hunt with a rifle. Typically, a sabot slug is used in these barrels for maximum accuracy and performance. Shotguns are often used to hunt whitetail deer in the thick brush and briers of the Southeastern and upper Midwestern United States, where, due to the dense cover, ranges tend to be close – 25m or less.

Sabot slugs are essentially very large hollow point bullets, and are streamlined for maximum spin and accuracy when shot through a rifled barrel. They have greater ranges than older Foster and Brenneke-type slugs.

People often use semiautomatic or pump-action shotguns for hunting waterfowl to small game.

===Industrial===
Another use are industrial shotguns, used for buildup of slag in kilns. They are similar in usage but differ than [[powder-actuated tool]]s. These are also used in the mining and cement industry for knocking down overhands and residue buildup etc.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://industrialcartridgesa.com/8-gauge-kiln-system/ | title=8 Gauge Kiln System - Industrial Cartridge SA | date=24 April 2017 }}</ref> A known example of an industrial shotgun is the [[8 bore|8 gauge]] Remington MasterBlaster.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.remington.com/industrial/masterblaster.html | title=MasterBlaster }}</ref>

===Law enforcement===
{{Multiple image
|image2=
|image1=05 Today,AMISOM Police conducted an opening ceremony.jpg (14808620255).jpg
|footer=Ugandan [[African Union Mission to Somalia|AMISOM]] police armed with shotguns}}
In many countries, especially the United States and Canada, shotguns are widely used as a support weapon by police forces. One of the rationales for issuing shotguns is that, even without much training, an officer will probably be able to hit targets at close to intermediate range, due to the "spreading" effect of buckshot.{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} This is largely a myth, as the spread of buckshot at 25 feet averages 8 inches,{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} which is still very capable of missing a target.{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} Some police forces are replacing shotguns in this role with carbine rifles such as [[AR-15]]s. Shotguns are also used in [[roadblock]] situations, where police are blocking a highway to search cars for suspects. In the US, law enforcement agencies often use [[riot shotgun]]s, especially for crowd and riot control where they may be loaded with [[Less-lethal weapons|less-lethal]] rounds such as [[rubber bullets]] or [[flexible baton round|bean bags]]. Shotguns are also often used as [[Door breaching#Ballistic|breaching]] devices to defeat locks.

===Military===
{{See also|Combat shotgun|Riot shotgun}}
[[File:Gurkha IOC 1.jpg|thumb|right|upright|A [[Gurkha Contingent]] trooper in Singapore armed with a folding stock pump shotgun]]
Shotguns are common weapons in military use, particularly for special purposes. Shotguns are found aboard naval vessels for shipboard security, because the weapon is very effective at close range as a way of repelling enemy [[Boarding (attack)|boarding parties]]. In a naval setting, [[stainless steel]] shotguns are often used, because regular steel is more prone to corrosion in the marine environment. Shotguns are also used by [[military police]] units. [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marines]] have used shotguns since their inception at the [[squad]] level, often in the hands of [[Non-commissioned officer|NCOs]], while the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] often issued them to a squad's [[point man]]. Shotguns were modified for and used in the [[trench warfare]] of [[World War I]], in the [[Jungle warfare|jungle combat]] of [[World War II]] and the [[Vietnam War]]. Shotguns were also used in the [[Iraq War]], being popular with soldiers in [[Urban warfare|urban combat]] environments. Some U.S. units in Iraq used shotguns with special [[frangible]] [[breaching round]]s to [[Door breaching|blow the locks or hinges off doors]] when making a surprise entry into a dwelling.

===Home and personal defense===
Shotguns are a popular means of home defense for many of the same reasons they are preferred for close-quarters tasks in law enforcement and the military.