The shotgun has all the time been a distinct segment weapon in navy forces, and it has a ton of notable weaknesses in fight. It’s a close-range-only weapon that’s extremely ineffective outdoors of fifty yards. It doesn’t provide troops succesful suppression functionality, and it’s typically extra of a instrument than a weapon. It’s nice for breaching and as a less-lethal instrument for crowd management.
Nonetheless, the shotgun additionally has its strengths. Within the Vietnam Conflict and the Pacific Marketing campaign, shotguns proved helpful for scoring hits in dense jungles. They wouldn’t substitute an infantry rifle by any means, however had been glorious instruments in low-visibility, shut quarters. In present wars, they’ve confirmed to be succesful defensive platforms for coping with drones.
Army Shotguns within the Fashionable Age
The navy at the moment fields 4 very completely different shotguns which are exceptionally fascinating weapons. These are nonetheless area of interest instruments, and most “Joes” gained’t ever be issued one. Nonetheless, in the event you’re a soldier, Marine, Airman, or Sailor, you may end up with one in every of these 4 instruments for the field.
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Mossberg M500
The Mossberg M500 is the Mossberg 590. The navy does odd issues with designations, and the M500 isn’t a Mossberg 500, however a 590 or most probably a 590A1. I’m keen to guess a few of these unique 590s are nonetheless floating round. The M500 is a pump-action, 12-gauge shotgun with a barrel size someplace between 14 and 18 inches.
I used to be issued a 14-inch mannequin, however 18-inch fashions had been simply as widespread. The most typical capability seems to be a five-round tube, however I wouldn’t be stunned to see six and eight-round capacities accessible someplace in navy armories. There are variants of this gun, together with the M500A2, which presents modularity within the type of varied shares and pistol grips, in addition to a breaching-type barrel.
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The Mossberg M500 collection remains to be doubtless the commonest shotgun anybody within the navy will run into. It’s pretty bombproof and dependable because of the pump-action design. Numerous shotguns have tried to exchange the M500, however they appear to maintain sticking round, doubtless because of the area of interest nature of shotguns.
Remington 870 MCS
The Remington 870 entered navy service in Vietnam and caught round in a number of completely different varieties. The present crop of 870s within the armory is probably going an 870 MCS. MCS stands for Modular Fight Shotgun. It’s not only a shotgun; it’s a package deal designed for end-user modularity to suit varied mission profiles.
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The MCS might be transformed into quite a few configurations. This consists of with the ability to swap the 18-inch barrel for a 14- or 10-inch barrel. Customers can swap the shares for the standard mounted inventory with a pistol grip, a collapsing M4-style inventory, and a pistol grip-only model. The journal tube might be prolonged to comprise as much as six rounds. The shortest configuration can maintain three rounds.
The 870 MCS shotgun might be turned from a combating shotgun to a breaching gun, or a close-quarter in-between. It’s an superior system, and I want Remington had produced these kits for the civilian market.
The M1014
In 1999, the united statesmilitary needed to lastly transfer towards a semi-automatic combating shotgun. The Marine Corps famously led this system and selected the Benelli M4. They designated it the M1014 Joint Service Shotgun. This gas-operated semi-auto shotgun used an ARGO fuel piston system with twin piston rods for unimaginable reliability.
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The M1014 options ghost ring iron sights and a Picatinny rail for optics. A giant a part of the Marine Corps requirement was the power to make use of night time imaginative and prescient optics, and that’s an enormous purpose why the gun is gas-operated as a substitute of inertia-operated. The M1014 contains a three-position inventory, however solely two positions are usable for the typical troop.
The M1014 noticed its trial by fireplace within the GWOT, significantly in Iraq. It proved to be a dependable instrument for city combating and efficiently resisted the Iraqi mud. I acquired to fireside about three rounds from an M1014 one time whereas I used to be within the service, and it gave me the Benelli bug that my pockets nonetheless regrets to this present day.
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The M26 MASS
The M26 MASS is most assuredly probably the most weird shotgun in navy service. It’s a magazine-fed, straight-pull bolt-action 12-gauge. MASS stands for Modular Accent Shotgun System, and very like an M203, it mounts beneath the barrel of an assault rifle. This gun and the thought can hint its roots again to the KAC Masterkey of the Eighties.
Optics firm C-Extra produced the M26 MASS for the U.S. Army, and whereas some have made it to the civilian market, it doesn’t appear to be they’re eager to make it broadly accessible. The Military intends to exchange the M500 with the M26. The M26 can mount to an impartial inventory system and be used as a main weapon if desired.
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The thought behind the M26 is to be largely used hooked up to a rifle for breaching capabilities. The platform is odd, however might definitely be efficient at the price of having a reasonably off-balanced rifle. Whereas the thought is fascinating, this makes the M26 extra of a instrument than a devoted weapon.
Shotguns Now, and Endlessly
Increasingly nations are adopting shotguns for anti-drone roles. I believe that’s the place the shotgun will doubtless reside in the intervening time. Sadly, the advantages of a shotgun and its functionality in sure environments will doubtless proceed to be ignored. Nonetheless, if we struggle the Chinese language in an island-hopping marketing campaign, navy shotguns may make their jungle comeback.
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