How Shotguns Work

What's the Difference Between a Shotgun and a Rifle?

Handguns and rifles have rifled barrels, meaning that there are grooves cut lengthwise into the inside of the barrel. The grooves cause a bullet to spin, which makes it shoot out straighter and travel faster.

Most shotguns are not rifled inside. With standard ammo like lead or steel shot, a rifled barrel would cause the pieces of shot to bunch up into a tighter pattern, which would defeat the purpose of using a shotgun.

For shooters who to more tightly control the spread and impact point of their shot, there are chokes. These are tubes that use a cone or bumpy shape to taper the angle at which ammo leaves the barrel and the distance it travels. Some of them are rifled, and some are not. Some are even adjustable on the fly, meaning you can change the effect without removing the choke.

Choke manufacturers express their expected effects by listing the amount that a choke constricts the barrel and the percentage of shot that will hit a target area at 40 (or, in some cases, 25) yards. In general, the more the barrel is constricted, the higher the percentage of shot hitting the target at 40 yards. But this is all relative to the size and type of shot. Because of this and all of the variables involved (weather, wind conditions, individual barrel, etc.), it's not easy to say precisely how a particular choke will affect the shot pattern, and most shooters have to learn by trial and error.

Extreme Choking: The Sawed-off or Sawn-off

Depending on which side of the pond you hail from, you might have heard of "sawed-off" or "sawn-off" shotguns. These are guns whose barrels have been physically shortened with a hacksaw or similar tool to less than 18 inches (46 cm). There are generally two reasons why people make sawed-off shotguns: concealment and spread.

Since they are much shorter, they are easy to hide in a long jacket or down the side of a very long boot. Shortening the barrel also reduces the recoil of a shotgun, which makes it a little easier to use as a one-handed weapon.

Since the ammo travels a much shorter distance before dispersing, the shot pattern of a sawed-off is much more spread out. This gives the shooter a much better chance of hitting the target, even if his aim is way off.

Sawed-offs are not illegal to own if licensed properly. They require a special registration.