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Why would anyone use a shotgun in field combat operations in modern warfare?

posted 5 years ago by whynotwriteme (7120)
15 replies | jump to latest

I don't mean those special purpose breacher shotguns for door opening they use in law enforcement and counter-insurgency wars. I mean why would anyone (like Bunny) use a pump shotgun as his primary weapon when going against enemies armed with fully and semi automatic AK47 and SKS rifles? Low range, low ammunition capacity, slow reloading... Seems like using a pump shotgun for a primary weapon in the field would be suicidal.

[–] ebhaynz (3525) 5 years ago

It totally fit Bunny's psychopathic personality. Psychopaths don't care about dying, they want to inflict as much pain and suffering as possible. Besides bashing in innocent victims brains Bunny would just love shooting a g_ _ k in the face with his shotgun blast!

[–] degree7 (821) 4 years ago

The Remington 870 “riot gun” was a popular weapon amongst US infantrymen in Vietnam, highly effective for jungle warfare.

[–] Padeen (6459) 4 years ago

Apparently we learned from previous wars shotguns can get an important part of a fighting unit

https://gunsinthenews.com/combat-shotguns-of-the-vietnam-war/

[–] BOandBarbecue (2264) a year ago

shotgun is good for close quarter battle. charlie liked to run right up to american position to stop american from ordering air strikes. so when they'd run right up you give them a blast and 2 or 3 charlie go down.

[–] PittPanthers47 (237) a year ago

Correct, BO. My one uncle spent some time in the US Marine Corps just after Vietnam and he said that it was pretty common to have one man in your infantry unit to have a shotgun like what Bunny had. Certainly in the dense jungle there could be enemy troops hiding very close by and that would be a good way to deal with them. It would be an effective weapon in the bush.

And like the NVA commander said in We Were Soldiers---he ordered his troops to get close to enough to the American helicopter soldiers to grab their belt buckle to limit the effectiveness of the American artillery. There was a logic to it. Get close enough and it could render the air and artillery advantage impotent.

[–] BOandBarbecue (2264) a year ago

yes that is right pitt jungle warfare very tough. you see soldier in ww2 in pacific theatres with shotgun. it must be very handy for this type of combats in difficult setting!

like what kyle reese say in aliens when they take away his pulse rifle, he pull out his ithica shotgun and say "id like to keep this handy.. for close encounter" hahahah. im sure soldier in jungle up against charlie think the same thing!

i like how different troop have different weapon in nam. some guys have M79 grenade launcher. other have remington shotgun. the bigger guys have M60 "pig" aka MG42 on steroid. the officers seem to have XM177 short barell M16's. even seen some guys with M14 and M3 grease gun hahah

yes i remember that scene in we were soliders. great story. and effective tactics. hal moore respected that vietnamese officer.

[–] [deleted] 9 months ago

My understanding is that the M14 was popular with second shooters/observers in a sniper team.

[–] BOandBarbecue (2264) 9 months ago

cool, i did not know observers use it in sniper team, thank you for sharing, i always like to read military trivias. fyi, pat swayze use M14 w. scope as sniper rifle in great film uncommon valor.

M14 is great weapon, it look like ww2 gun on steroid. i see it was still being used by marines in 1968 (which is long after M16 introduced) as tom cruise's marine company use M14 for operations in sand dunes near dmz in movie born on 4th of july, and this film was base on real mission so is accurate as oliver stone was stickler for accuracy in his nam films.

[–] Mrmojo4700 (20438) a year ago

Back then 00 buck shot out of a 12ga delivered 8 - 30 cal pellets at about 1100 feet per second. That’s absolutely devastating at close range.

[–] blue1981 (6444) a year ago

Remember in Aliens when Hicks pulled out his shotgun he said, " I like to keep this around in case of close encounters".

[–] kenburke (2279) 9 months ago

Why? BECAUSE IT WORKED!!!

[–] whynotwriteme (7120) 9 months ago

Maybe if I could have a cut-down shotgun for close range along with my main rifle, but a primary weapon with 6 - 8 rounds that you have to pump for each shot, that is only effective up to about 100 yards, while everyone else has 20 or 30 round capacity long-range weapons that are semi or fully automatic? I don't like that idea too much.

All I know is that in Battlefield Vietnam when I picked the engineer with the shotgun, I was toast when things got really hot. If I had the M16, I could hold my own against Charlie pretty well , even when outnumbered.

[–] kenburke (2279) 9 months ago

Be advised in the REAL WORLD the M-16 had a nasty habit of jamming, usually in the middle of a firefight.

[–] whynotwriteme (7120) 9 months ago

Well, I've never heard of entire platoons in Vietnam armed with shotguns, so the M16 must have been good for something.

Anyone who thinks a 12 gauge pump shotgun can hold its own in a firefight against AK47s, SKSs and RPDs, well I don't know what to tell you.

[–] VinceD (6496) 9 months ago

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