The future of "tactical" shotguns

SantaClawz

SantaClawz

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What do you guys think tactical style shotguns are going to be like in the future, a few decades from now lets say?

Some of the well known and current shotties used by law enforcement and military are eventually going to need replacement, Remington 870 Express is over 50 years old, Benelli M4 is more than a decade old, Mossberg 590A1 is more than 30 years old (just to name a few, well known)

What's next in line, 10 - 20 + years from now? :)
 
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I'd say high-cap multi-barrels like the 1216 and KSG for the flexibility of applications.
Also, AA12 for sheer firepower + flexibility in combat apps.
I think we'll see more bullpups like the KSG.
 
IMO we're close to the limit with what we can do given the 19th century legacy, very low pressure, rimmed shell format. The basic fighting shotgun design, and to a lesser extent the ammo, have improved little over the last 100 years as compared to other small arms.

I expect only incremental further improvements unless entirely new shotgun calibers were designed and introduced with at least some thought as to tactical use.

More likely I think the shotgun's antipersonel tactical niche will be increasingly taken over by "thumpers", large caliber carbines along the lines of the ASh-12.7mm and the .458 SOCOM.

Oh, and we're no doubt going to see a lot more in the way of cheesy gimmicks like the Mossberg Chainsaw...
 
870P said:
IMO we're close to the limit with what we can do given the 19th century legacy, very low pressure, rimmed shell format. The basic fighting shotgun design, and to a lesser extent the ammo, have improved little over the last 100 years as compared to other small arms.

I expect only incremental further improvements unless entirely new shotgun calibers were designed and introduced with at least some thought as to tactical use.

More likely I think the shotgun's antipersonel tactical niche will be increasingly taken over by "thumpers", large caliber carbines along the lines of the ASh-12.7mm and the .458 SOCOM.

Oh, and we're no doubt going to see a lot more in the way of cheesy gimmicks like the Mossberg Chainsaw...
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mossbergchainsaw.jpg
 
That Mossberg, LOL!

One thing I hope to see in the near future is to have the Turks or someone to step up and challenge Benelli in tactical semiauto quality while keeping the price reasonable. I think a $800 {in the Canadian market} semi that was in the same league as Benelli would be quite popular, especially if the company behind it listened to the market better than the rather arrogant Benelli company does.

Another thing I hope to see soon is a Remington Hypersonic/Xelerator wad derived buckshot load. This could be either in the form of a nasty high velocity offering or a standard velocity load but with felt recoil more like a reduced recoil load, or both.
 
I'd like to see manufacturers bring out short shotshells, like a 2" magnum shell with decreased wadding but 2.75" ballistics.
A mag tube that would take eight 2.75" shells could take eleven 2" shells.
 
we all know that the ksg is the future of shotguns....

I think we're going to see the shells themselves evolve - faster powders, CAD designed slugs that fly farther, tighter patterns.

i shouldn't joke about the KSG, the process will be refined - into a better format.

Higher capacity, lower profile. Shotguns will remain tube fed though. Mags are just to cumbersome to have as high capacity IMHO. although remember the saiga fans may disagree. wait - the saiga is the future of shotguns.. to bad we can't get em...
 
SantaClawz said:
What do you guys think tactical style shotguns are going to be like in the future, a few decades from now lets say?

Some of the well known and current shotties used by law enforcement and military are eventually going to need replacement, Remington 870 Express is over 50 years old, Benelli M4 is more than a decade old, Mossberg 590A1 is more than 30 years old (just to name a few, well known)

What's next in line, 10 - 20 + years from now? :)
Click to expand...

Mostly, replacement by carbines except for possibly door breaching.
 
Maybe I'm too far ahead but I see energy being the new round of the future. They have lasers that cut holes and burn, also things like the pain ray come to mind. If they can dispurse a crowd with a pain ray imagine what they could do if they amped up the power. Rail Guns. Think about it.
 
tjhaile said:
Mostly, replacement by carbines except for possibly door breaching.
Click to expand...

For the military and police yes, but shotguns will remain popular with civilians because of lesser legal restrictions in most markets, including the shotgun manufacturing powerhouse of Turkey.

Tactical shotguns are very popular with civilians in Turkey because of restrictions on other types of guns so their domestic manufacturers seem to put a lot of emphasis on them, and as their quality and design improves I'm sure we'll see a lot of interesting things from them.

As far as dual mag tube shotguns go, I'm not convinced they'll remain popular because they have serious drawbacks as far as reloading speed, gun bulk and also probably reliability go.

Box magazines would probably be a lot more popular if there was a reliable double column setup available, but I like them even as is not only for the faster and easier reloads but also for the fact that they make carrying your "ready" ammo much more convenient than playing with shell loops and pouches.
 
I think the "tactical shotgun" is pretty close to it's peak now.

Police seem to be moving towards the AR as the long gun. The days of large males who had used a shotgun to hunt making up most the the officers are over. In the US plenty of officers have military experience and are already trained on a AR. Canadian cops with any previous firearms training are rare, so training on one long gun system will end up focusing on the AR. Add in the liability concerns over slug over-penetration and stray buckshot and I give the shotgun riding in a patrol car no more than 20 years.

For the military the shotgun and it's ammo is another burden on a supply chain. Shotguns in the military are pretty rare (even more so outside of the US military) and are at their best when used for breaching. If a suitable 40mm breaching round was developed there wouldn't be much of a reason for an individual to carry a 12 gauge or a force to support it. In the trenches of WW1 a pump action shotgun (a relatively short one at that) versus a much longer bolt action in the short distances inside the trenches would be a no-brainer, it's where the combat shotgun really developed and earned it's reputation. Even in WW2 a short gun would be a good choice for urban combat, but only if you couldn't get a SMG or fire-support. Compared to a modern assault rifle the shotgun and it's ammo weights to much, has a limited range (even with slugs) and doesn't offer the "fire-power" that's now the norm.

If the demand by the police and military for a tactical/combat shotgun declines the money and time that manufacturers put into new products will also decline. The shotgun will always be around as a sporting gun and with a shorter (18") barrel will still be used for home defence. The shotgun started as a sporting arm and that's the role it will return to. There will probably always be a combat aftermarket (like Magpul's new stocks) for the current guns, but I don't see all new platforms happening.

Don't get me wrong, I like shotguns and would be comfortable carrying one in a lot of scenarios (HD, some SHTF), I would not want to be sent into a modern battlefield with one.
 
Probably something involving robots, lazerbeams, and bullpup w/ box mags. Probably with under barrel shotguns. But defiantly robots. Someone needs to get an technology outfit to design one
 
great posts.

Yeah, 12g ammo is pretty incongruent with all other ammo in terms of it's weight and bulk, and capacity limitations inherent to the shotgun. Although the ammo's versatility is a plus.

I guess the shotgun is really becoming a bit of an anachronism when you forget about how common they are.
But I still love my pumps. Despite the "bludgeon vs scalpel" crudeness, the close-range lethality is still tough to beat. They'll stay with me for my lifetime in some capacity.
 
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