The Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of Shotguns in Warfare

Shotguns have a long and storied history, tracing their origins back to the smoothbore muskets and fowling pieces of the 17th and 18th centuries. Initially designed for hunting, their ability to deliver multiple projectiles in a spread pattern made them invaluable for close-quarters combat. By the time of the American Civil War, shotguns were already being used in military engagements, favored for their devastating effectiveness in trench and jungle warfare.

The military adoption of shotguns became more formalized during World War I, where the Winchester Model 1897 “Trench Gun” proved its worth in the brutal, close-range fighting of the trenches. The psychological and tactical impact of a pump-action shotgun loaded with buckshot led to complaints from the Germans, who saw it as too effective for the battlefield. Later, in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, shotguns remained in service, prized for their ability to clear bunkers and dense vegetation with unmatched stopping power.

However, as military tactics evolved, shotguns began to fall out of favor. The rise of high-capacity, magazine-fed rifles, submachine guns, and carbines made them seem outdated in conventional warfare. Modern military doctrine increasingly emphasized sustained firepower, accuracy at range, and modular weapon platforms. While shotguns remained in limited use for breaching and non-lethal crowd control, they were largely relegated to specialized roles rather than frontline combat.

The Balanced Utility of the Shotgun

While often considered a niche weapon compared to rifles and carbines, shotguns offer a level of versatility that few other platforms can match. Unlike most magazine-fed firearms, shotguns allow for instantaneous ammunition swaps, meaning a soldier can go from buckshot to slugs or breaching rounds without needing to change magazines or weapons. Slugs, in particular, provide surprisingly effective accuracy at distance, sometimes reaching beyond 100 yards with rifled barrels and proper sights.

Additionally, shotguns are highly adaptable, with old-school adapters allowing them to chamber alternative cartridges in survival situations. This flexibility can prove invaluable in logistics-limited environments where a single firearm must serve multiple roles. While their cyclic rate is slower than magazine-fed rifles, their manual operation makes malfunction clearance straightforward—a critical advantage in high-stress environments.

Shotguns also offer devastating terminal ballistics, particularly in urban combat and close-quarters engagements where spread patterns can compensate for aiming errors under duress. Their intimidation factor alone has historically made them formidable, both for military and law enforcement applications.

The Shotgun’s Modern Revival

Today, the war in Ukraine has demonstrated that old weapons often find new relevance in changing battlefields. The widespread use of drones—from kamikaze UAVs to surveillance quadcopters—has created an urgent need for a close-range countermeasure. Shotguns, particularly semi-automatic tactical models, have found a niche as an effective way to engage drones at close range, where traditional firearms struggle. Ukraine’s forces, as well as others analyzing modern conflicts, have started re-evaluating shotguns for urban warfare, drone defense, and even suppressing enemy personnel in trenches and fortified positions.

This renewed interest is evident in the firearms industry as well. Benelli, a company long associated with premium shotguns for military, law enforcement, and civilian use, has shifted its marketing to reflect these emerging battlefield needs. Their latest advertisements emphasize tactical applications, modular capabilities, and their combat-proven reliability in contemporary conflict zones.

The Shotgun’s Future

So, are shotguns making a true comeback? While they may never fully replace rifles or other high-capacity firearms, they are proving that their relevance in war is far from over. The ability to adapt ammunition on the fly, clear malfunctions efficiently, engage targets at both close and extended ranges, and even counter aerial threats makes them a surprisingly balanced tool in modern combat. As battlefield conditions evolve, the shotgun remains an ever-reliable force multiplier—one that continues to prove its worth, even in the age of drones and high-tech warfare.