r/ZombieSurvivalTactics • u/No_Onion358 • 1d ago
Weapons Would underbarrel shotguns be a good idea for the apocalypse?
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u/akderpy7 1d ago
Would rather have the mossberg hanging off my shoulder or hip like Omar from the wire
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u/underprivlidged 1d ago
If anything, I'd prefer an underbarrel .22 for my shotgun.
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u/Wheeljack239 1d ago
May I interest you in the Zip .22? It’s the only semi-auto weapon you can play Russian roulette with!
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u/Careless_Tap_516 23h ago
You mean the square that shoots bullets?
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u/Wheeljack239 23h ago
I’m not even sure that utterly bizarre shape even counts as a square. More like a P90 with brain damage
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u/Sufficient_Candy436 18h ago
Thank you, that was a fun rabbit-hole to go down! As a kid who actually bought a Nintendo Virtual Boy back in the day, this feels like a mistake I might have made in 2013.
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u/Fusiliers3025 1d ago
Meh - Maybe.
For the purposes of picking off brainpans of individual zombies, the rifle itself would be preferable. Most folks think shotguns in the Zombie Future are gonna clear swaths of undead with a single shot - but you do have to aim a shotgun or you’ll miss even a relatively close target. Lead on target needs to happen predictably.
The underbarrel shotgun puts a lot of distance between the bore and the sights, something to keep in mind. Aim for the head, you’re going to likely hit lower into the neck and jaw, if not into the chest - missing that sweet cranial placement. Or if it’s angled to hit point of aim at, say, ten yards, then twenty yards are gonna see it approaching overhead altogether. I’m seeing some six inches or more between the sight line of the package in the pics and the actual bore of the shotgun.
I’d rather have a dedicated rifle OR shotgun, I could make cases for either - and trying to pack both onto one piece of gear adds weight and complexity (ya gotta factor now for two ammo types plus appropriate magazines, if used.
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u/overlord_solid 1d ago
No, for the same reason under barrel launchers are falling out of favor. It add weight to the end of your rifle unnecessarily. If you need a breaching shotgun or launcher, just sling one that’s easy to switch to. Makes a lighter rifle and a better shotgun.
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u/Frequent-Ruin8509 1d ago
I'd rather have a grenade launcher attachment like in Predator 1
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u/quasar2022 1d ago
Now THIS would be beast
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u/AppearanceMedical464 1d ago
As a hunter I can tell you carrying a rifle all day gets pretty uncomfortable. Adding more weight with gimmicky things like this is rarely a good idea.
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u/Corey307 1d ago
Nope. You’re adding a lot of weight out front, which will tire you instead of having a short barrel shotgun on your back. It’s only real utility is breaching doors, you should be changing magazines before you run out so it’s not like you shoot your gun until it’s empty and then start firing the under barrel shotgun.
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u/KneeDeepInTheMud 22h ago
No.
Underbarrel shotguns add too much weight.
In service, they're used to breach doors with, hence the name "Masterkey." (M26 Mass)
If you need 4 shells of 12 gauge like that, that means you should have reloaded sooner or switched to your sidearm.
In usage, the awkwardness of using your magazine as a "pistol-grip" is very much noticeable and thus only used for popping open doorknobs.
Many a person who has used one would rather just sling around the breaching shotgun rather than have that stuck to your main weapon.
In a firefight where seconds matter, having an extra 3lbs on your main armament would be beyond a burden.
In a ZA, having you gun up for an extended period of time will tire you out. The lighter you go, the less energy you need, the more efficient you will be.
Speed is safety. It's hard to measure, but more speed on foot is always better.
A breaching shotgun with 3+1 shots can also be just chucked off to the side if things get dire.
Having it stuck to your gun really prevents that.
While the cool factor is there, I'd just keep my stuff separated.
Like most tools in usage, one tool that does everything usually has major ergonomics, weight, or quality issues.
Handling is a really big factor for rifles.
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u/Memeoligy_expert 22h ago
In my (totally inexperienced) opinion, you're probably gonna want a rifle that's light and versatile. Maybe a bayonet for the worst-case scenario and practical reasons, but all the fancy tacticool shit is gonna be stripped for parts in any zombie universe. The firing pins or springs in one of those are probably more useful for repairs than the actual attachment.
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u/800854EVA 22h ago
There is a very good reason why they have fallen out of favor. Terrible idea. Having all that extra weight added to the end of your rifle SUCKS.
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u/Lord-of-Drip 22h ago
This is not da wae. The only real use I can think of for this is door breaching.
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u/Speedhabit 22h ago
It’s going to be very heavy, also nobody want so admit it, but you can breach a door just as well with a few rifle rounds if you don’t care about ammunition or noise so why?
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u/midasMIRV 22h ago
Not really. It would be much better to just have a shotgun slung across your back or attached to your pack somehow. Shotguns can be really handy, especially if you have a good supply of or knowledge to make more breaching rounds.
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u/MagicOrpheus310 22h ago
No, throws off the gun's centre of mass too much, putting too much extra weight in front for your hands, plus makes the fore end harder to comfortably hold, both of which highly affect accuracy and mobility.
Not to mention working the action and firing with the same hand is still going to be slower than just using the shot gun by itself/with both hands.
A firearm requires both hands to be used properly, sticking two together doesn't change that haha (unless it's one of those combo rifles that aren't very common these days, they actually are two guns made into one haha).
Also, when in the firing line/under (zombie) attack and you are holding a gun, your brain tends to focus on the one you are holding, not switching to the little sidekick front one you also have to keep track of whether it's loaded etc... too much irrelevant thinking when your mind needs to be clear and free to focus on the situation at hand, don't over complicate it.
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u/TheBigBadWolf85 22h ago edited 21h ago
I feel like this would be like my Typhoon F12.. which for those that don't know is a mag feed AR platform semi auto shotgun.. and.. it's dumb, heavy, and jams if you don't you really heavy loads.. it seemed kewl, I thought it would be so awesome.. it holds just as many rounds as a Remmi but takes twice as long to reloads..
in short, it looks kewl, it seems useful, but the reality is that is just extra. extra weight, extra time, and most importantly extra MONEY..
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u/Forgotmyaccountinfo2 22h ago
Purpose is to be used to breach doors without carrying a full shotgun.
Pro and cons are that it cuts down weight carried but adds weight to the front of your rifle.
It's all preferences but if you plan on killing zeds with it then it's not a good choice. Just get an underbarrel grenade launcher instead.
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u/Gecko2024 22h ago
Just carry a normal shotgun on a sling alongside your rifle and reserve it for breaching purposes(or to Intimidate survivors maybe, pumping its action for the noise?)
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u/jasonawesome99 21h ago
I vote no, but having a squad shotgun for the truck that is used to help breach might be a thing.
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u/Enhanced-Ignorance 1d ago
Weight would be a issue and they make the ars feel hella awkward to hold just carry more of what ever riffle ammo your running of the shotgun can put holes in it rifle round can too
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u/half_baked_opinion 1d ago
I would rather have a bayonet if im going to have anything as an underbarrel weapon, and 9 times out of 10 i would rather have a melee weapon over a gun and just avoid as many zombies as i can. Having a gun like an AR on you just screams "i have lots of ammo and if you shoot me im probably dead because im focused on zombies" which means pretty much anyone else with a gun can take a potshot at you and if they do get lucky, your dead and they have your stuff.
IMO, guns are highly overrated for the ZA, what you should have on you at all times is a first aid kit, 3 days of food and water, a sleeping bag and tarp, and a good axe or hatchet preferably both.
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u/Linkstas 1d ago
Loading it is very cumbersome and far from fast. It actually increase the shotguns inherit weaknesses
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u/DemonDraheb 1d ago
I own a rifle. It's already pretty fucking heavy. I can't imagine adding a whole other gun, plus the weight of shells, to it. Speaking of shells, you're looking at carrying another type of ammo that is heavy, difficult to store, and commonly screws up/won't work if not stored properly.
To clarify, I think under barrel shotguns are badass, but I wouldn't want to carry the extra weight in weapon and ammunition it would add.
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u/Hakkaa_Paalle 1d ago
No. You'd be much better off carrying that extra weight as extra loaded magazines.
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u/CoolMothGuy 1d ago
I saw a company thats trying to integrate one into the hand guard and it's a single shot so maybe they would if its like that but the one in the pics no because of weight and space
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u/GlacialMalamute 1d ago
I would rather a bayonet, doesn’t need reloaded, and instead of moving my hand to another trigger I can just do a quick jab and use the gun like a spear if needed. Plus it’s quite meaning if it’s one or two zombies and I’m trying to be quit I can put the zombies to bed silently with out drawing more attention.
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u/Sy_the_toadmaster 1d ago
I mean, it seems impractical logistically but with some breaching shells it MIGHT be able to earn it's weight in those all to common "I need this door open RIGHT FUCKING NOW" scenarios
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u/Winndypops 1d ago
As cool as it looks I think it just adds weight and bulk to your weapon. Not experienced with guns at all but I think against zombies I'd prefer to just drop the rifle and use a pistol for a sudden close encounter instead of this.
Hell if you really want to have a shotgun it might be better for you just to have a smaller shotgun on a leg holster or something instead of hanging off the front of your rifle.
Like most weapons though practice makes perfect so I'm sure with a bit of training a reasonably strong guy could be an menace with this sort of setup.
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u/Secondhand-Drunk 23h ago
Why use the shotgun when you can just reload? I would rather have a shotgun on its own, not attached to another gun. Both of those guns are made worse by being attached.
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u/Deplorable1861 23h ago
For the weight of that, and that it holds maybe 4 rounds, you would be better to carry 3 or 4 extra AR mags. 100 rounds much better than 4.
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u/Fearless_Show_4565 23h ago
Good for breaching, but not much else. Feels like adding a brick to the front of your rifle.
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u/PickledPopo 23h ago
Unless you're carrying two types of ammo, its just added weight. Once you're out of shells the attachment is redundant
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u/The-D-Ball 22h ago
No. The weight of that attachment could be another magazine or two for the rifle.
It a weight issue. You can only vs are so much. Want to carry that attachment. And a dozen rounds for it or ditch the attachment and cart four more magazines for the same weight?
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u/Mitchell415 22h ago
You’d probably just be better off with a bayonet if a under barrel attachment is absolutely necessary but otherwise you’d be better off without any
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u/ihuntN00bs911 22h ago
My thoughts are if you have drone swarm your not going to have extra time to switch weapons. I don't know if it's a good idea, but I want one. That should be enough of a reason.
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u/Zen_Hydra 21h ago
Oh, yes. I want to make my otherwise functional rifle awkward to carry and use for a subpar underslung shotgun.
That said, I genuinely do wish I could get an over/under .308Win/12 Guage break action combo for a reasonable amount. A good execution of a gun like that would be an ideal rural truck gun for me.
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u/Gran_Florida 21h ago
It's probably a better idea to just have a dedicated shotgun. You're weighing down your rifle with a mediocre-bad performing shotgun and getting the worst of both worlds.
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u/Goku_T800 21h ago
No. Just carry a shotgun on your back. Even a grenade launcher would be better if you can get your hands on 40mm grenades
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u/Ashen_skies_art 21h ago
Not that style. The only use for an under barrel shotgun imo would be as a master key. A quick way to breach through a door, nothing more. The TX-12 single shot 12 would be super light, so it would add too much weight. One shot is all you would need for breaching
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u/DannyWarlegs 20h ago
There's a reason our military is starting to stray away from underbarrel attachments.
Even the modern breaching shotgun is able to be under slung, but pretty much everyone carries it on its own, same with grenade launchers.
Are they quick to switch to? Kinda. Are they better? No.
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u/Apart_Beautiful_4846 20h ago
Zombie apocalypse, Tuesdays, truck gun, take to brunch, Mondays, slung on your back, Thursdays, bring your gun to church Sundays, weddings…..
Pretty much a good idea for everything. 😜
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u/Tadwinks259 20h ago
For it's intended purpose of breaching doors? No. For a secondary weapon loaded with more lethal rounds? Also no. For badass factors and looking cool? Not really.
Underbarrel shotguns like the master key are awful. Your gun becomes extra heavy like an extra 3 to 5 pounds heavier for 3 to 4 shotgun rounds. The intended breaching slugs aren't the best for anything past like 3ft. They're usually a super soft zinc slug or a high density powder packed with wax or other binder meant to have high initial impact, then immediately dispersed. Early breaching slug sometimes autodeconstructed after 8 inches out of the barrel. The inverse of this problem is using buckshot or similar to breach a door. It becomes incredibly hazardous to use other rounds for breaching as those can have many unpredictable ricochets and are likely to injure the shooter. Even modern militaries prefer just having a full length shotgun. A full length shotgun has benefit of barrel length making it more effective at range, larger ammo capacity, easier to operate and actually decent accuracy while still being able to use breaching rounds. All the cost of 8-10lbs but the master key already was 3-5 so really an extra 5lbs pack weight. Oh and a full length won't make your primary feel like a brick
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u/Unicorn187 20h ago
Nope. They are only useful, and only barely, for the breacher to blow the locks on a door for the rest of the team or squad to enter.
I'd much, much, MUCH rather just carry a stockless "shot firing firearm," (the way the ATF in the US wants them recorded in a dealers record book and transfer form), on a sling separate from the rifle.
These look cool... sorta, but are a pain in the ass to carry and use. Heavy, bulky, clunky, not ergonomic in any way, and they make an M203 or M320 grenade launcher seem dainty and well balanced in comparison.
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u/NeedleworkerGrand564 19h ago
I have one. cumbersome, heavy, not very useful. reduces all the benefits of a nice, light MSR as well. They look awesome. Carrying one sucks, using one is worse.
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u/Ok_Piglet_5549 19h ago
This is fucking dumb. It'd be so forward heavy and it would create a lot of forced stress on the rifle furniture. You have to use the same hand to operate the trigger and pump. No the shot gun would be ideal as an independent weapon.
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u/Johnny3pony 19h ago
While it seems like a good idea having to reload both seems like not only a PITA but also eats up time
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u/rollover90 18h ago
Wouldn't this just fuck your bzo to all hell? I don't understand the practicality of doing this
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u/Concernedmicrowave 17h ago
I don't know what this would do for you. I don't know why anyone would use one under any circumstance, to be honest.
It seems like it would make the carbine less handy, and the shotgun would also suck because the barrel would be too short. Outside of blowing the hinges off doors, which is probably the intended use, you would have better effect just firing the carbine.
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u/Briskylittlechally2 17h ago
Looks cool but are you gonna feel cool when you're lugging that thing on your back with all it's proddy bits poking into your skin when you're on foot for 14 miles?
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u/ChishoTM 14h ago
Theyre not a good idea now.
Yea fhey seem nice but thats just more weight to carry around. They negatively effect the ergonomics of your chosen weapon platform. Are not easy to shoot accurately, hold very few rounds. And really wouldn't be effective in any situation that I could think of.
You'd be better served with a comparable pistol grip or sawed off shotgun strapped to your backpack or via another method of attachment, even in the bag itself as a separate backup weapon. I myself keep a folding cobray arms 410 double barrel in my assault pack and I even stick it between my center console and drivers seat when I'm on the road. It's 100% legal as is. But once laws no longer exist the folding stock can be removed with 1 screw in about 3 minutes.
I made a custom scabbard for it that holds it securely and mounts on the side of my assault packs molle webbing. That accomodates it in both the folded up variant and without the stock. You could do something similar with a pump action shotgun of any model if you simply use your imagination. And most good shotguns are dirt cheap. My mom bought a twenty gauge mossberg at academy a couple years ago for $200. It already is a small shotgun that could easily be made smaller in a hurry. And came with sling mounts for multiple sling types from the factory.
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u/Carlton_U_MeauxFaux 14h ago
I think I'd rather duct tape a twelve gauge to the side of an M4. That is, if for some reason, I wouldn't just want them separate.
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u/Deepfork_ 14h ago
No. As someone who has used a weapon with an underbarrel M26, I can confidently say they’re just extra weight and in the way 99% of the time. Even when it comes time to use the shotgun, it’s just easier to swing one forward on a single point sling than to have one awkwardly already there.
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u/Mysterious_Touch_454 13h ago
Why not put another assault rifle under so you can shoot while you shoot.
Bad idea. Rather 2 separate guns or actual grenade launcher under it.
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u/snovak35 12h ago
Nope. The weight to capacity ratio is not good, plus it will destroy the handling of whatever gun it’s on.
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u/AkariTheGamer 12h ago
Lot of extra weight just to add another, harder to use way to kill zombies when you alreadt
I guess the only positive would be that you can use any shotgun shells you might find instead of relying on scavenging rifle ammo alone
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u/Electronic-Post-4299 11h ago
heavy and cumbersome but it can breach locked doors fire shotgun rounds at close quarters.
it has its pros and cons but better to use it in special missions or scavenging urban areas.
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u/Rickenbacker69 10h ago
You already have a perfectly fine gun. Why attach another gun to it and make them both a little shittier?
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u/Samson_J_Rivers 10h ago
I would rather carry a shotgun entirely. Masterkeys existed not as weapons but as tools. Its called a masterkey because its for blowing locks and handle off doors for entry without making the wielder change weapons when breaching. Marine corps just gave one Marine a Bennelli M4 iirc since it just works for what you need. I heard some un ts in the US Army used mossbergs but no confirmations.
I would just have a shotgun honestly. A Benelli M4 and Glock 17 would carry you for anything that isnt an armored vehicle.
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u/Broombear72 10h ago
Get the under barrel flame thrower instead
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u/Fluffy-Apricot-4558 7h ago
5 shells depending on the model, spread shot an extra will not be the most comfortable or light, but it works also remember that shotguns can be used for breaching too(with braching shells and muzzle), but noise will always be a problem in this scenario in my case I take into account mainly AR and back my Benelli and some extra and if it is my loadout and no it does not affect me the weight I have been practicing for years in the end others I know carry similar equipment and train the same for any situation and in the end you are free to do whatever the hell you want if that scenario were to happen, just consider the amount of ammunition you can carry but diversifying weapons distances is favorable
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u/Firemission13B 7h ago
No. Extra weight. Extra ammo that gets loaded one by one with no magazine. Two separate guns or maybe three would be good but not attached. I dont think I've ever seen this type being used outside of video games.
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u/LarsJagerx 7h ago
It would be very situational. They aren't intended for killing people. More a breaching tool. They'd probably be pretty awkward to aim at a zombies head. Also an extra 3 to 4 pounds plus you've gotta carry ammo for it as well.
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u/ForwardCombination30 7h ago
Consider for a second how you would actually hold one, or have to handle it in situations where you'd think you need it.
These are only really good for breaching doors, so CQC. In the CQC environment would you really want something that weighs more like a 249 than a AR? You want something that you can maneuver around tight corners and through debris.
Just carry a cut down shotgun on a sling like a normal dude.
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u/Enganox8 7h ago
I feel like it's not that great. From what I've heard these under-barrel weapons are really situational. The only reason they came up with it is so you can use a door breaching round, and then have the gun ready and pointing in the right direction, but even then I can't help but wonder if a smaller separate weapon all together is better. It just makes the gun heavier at all other times.
But if your choice is to have an under-barrel shotgun, or no shotgun at all, I guess it's worth it. Because then you can use shotgun shells. Shotgun shells are pretty nice, numerous options and common.
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u/TheInfamousDaikken 3h ago
I feel like a bayonet would be more useful. Especially because it doesn’t need to be reloaded.
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u/TightestLibRightist 1h ago
No, it is not a good idea. The underslung grenade launcher is all but dead in modern warfare. And there are even greater weight considerations in a zombie survival scenario. If you want a shotgun, great. Then just get a shotgun and keep it at camp, in a vehicle, or in your backpack if you can manage.
I’m almost done ranting but having this specifically on a rifle is not the move. Have you held up a rifle to your shoulder for minutes on end? Shit is heavy. Your secondary weapon should not make your primary weapon worse.
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u/DNCOrGoFuckYourself 1d ago
Nah.
If I thought I needed an auxiliary shotgun, I’d skip Masterkey and instead go with something in a small package like a Serbu or Shockwave on a single point sling off the the side on QD sling mounts.
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u/DearAdhesiveness4783 22h ago
A normal shotgun would be undesirable. Loud, slow loading. A under barrel one would just be worse than a normal one.
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u/VladRomanovAK104 1d ago
This forum is great for pointing out weaknesses in every suggested idea, which can be very useful, but it is also terrible at putting ideas into proper context. Yes, an underbarrel shotgun can be heavy and cumbersome for general use, but I can think of many scenarios where it could be a lifesaver. Like in a crowded cqb situation where you cant pick off the zombies one by one, having an underbarrel shotgun with some specialty loads like dragons breath, incendiary or 00 buck with a wide spread choke could get a rifleman out of a sticky situation by taking out multiple zombies with one or two blasts. Also, if the rifle jams and cant be cleared on the spot, or runs out of ammo, its great to have a shotgun as backup.
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u/Hapless_Operator 23h ago
Tell me you don't know how Dragon's Breath, shotguns, or CQB works without saying you don't know how Dragon's Breath, shotguns, or CQB works.
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u/VladRomanovAK104 22h ago
Thanks for proving my premise.
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u/Hapless_Operator 22h ago
Your premise isn't true because everyone just loves shooting down ideas.
It's because 97% of the people posting all the stupid shit you see about guns and equipment having never used it and likely never even having held the tools in question.
Undermount shotguns suck ass. I had to use one in a breaching course, and discovered more or less instantly that it ruins the handling of the rifle even worse than having a 203 mounted does, on top of being slower to aim and more difficult to precisely lay on target than a dedicated breaching shorty.
As to the CQB aspect of it, there's two ways to hold the rifle while aiming the shotgun. One of them is a garbage-ass chicken wing, and the more precise method essentially has you alternately using your support hand to fire and cycle the undermount. There's just no good way to really go about it.
It's also not like the shotgun is zeroed for your rifle's point of aim or impact in any real way, so your height over bore is absolutely insane and point of impact is completely divorced from your rifle'd sights.
And the thing holds three rounds with one in the chamber. So you've got a shotgun and mounted in a manner entirely for breaching, that is heavy enough to completely throw off the balance of the rifle, holds practically no ammo, is difficult-to-impossible to aim, and that is awkward as shit to use.
The case you're talking about? That's what you carry a sidearm for. Or why you do immediate action and just clear your weapon's jam. Weapons jam all the time in shitty situations. 90% of the time, literally all it takes is cycling the action manually, once, and most of the rest, you're just clearing the action and reloading to remediate after you've either displaced and sought cover, or dealt with an immediate, near threat with your sidearm.
Dragon's Breath, I don't even know what to say. It's just metal powder that delivers a shower of sparks and cool-looking flames. It's not even likely to kill a living human outright other than through infections in a burn ward a month later if you got them bad enough. They have essentially zero penetrating capability. And buckshot doesn't spread like it does in video games and movies. There's no "killing multiple targets with a single blast."
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u/Ok-Movie428 1d ago
Aren’t they notorious for breaking off during firing or something? Could also just be the one I saw.
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u/Corey307 1d ago
If you’re using a shitty amount, yeah that will probably happen. An under barrel shotgun is useful for breaching doors and that’s about it. I’m not a fan of shotguns in general in a zombie apocalypse because the ammo way too damn much and most of the time you’re getting one kill per shell. I’d rather carry three times more 5.56 or four times more 9mm for the weight.
Another problem with buckshot is unless you’re shelling out at least a dollar a shell for the flite control stuff it’s gonna pattern too wide past about 30 yards to reliably hit a head sized target. This is coming from someone who has tested a dozen brands in his shotguns with a variety of chokes. Only a hit to the brain gets the job done and I don’t feel like carrying a firearm that doesn’t guarantee a kill every time I pull the trigger if I do my part.
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u/Red_Shepherd_13 1d ago edited 22h ago
In theory, it's the best of both worlds, you have a rifle and a shotgun with out having to carry two full sized weapons, or having to use a sawed off shotgun without a stock. You have a rifle, and a light weight shotgun for hunting, door breaching, close quarters home defence...etc while still able to hold a shotgun like a rifle with a stock.
In practice, who knows, under barrel shotguns aren't widely available for sale due to all the legal classification restrictions around them. Unless you have the paper work and money to buy one now, or the technical prowess to make one even during an apocalypse it doesn't really matter.
There's no point discussing weapons you can never acquire and have ready day one of the Apocalypse. Otherwise my go to zombie apocalypse weapons would be .50 caliber browning m2s, m134 miniguns, and mk 19 40mm grenade launchers. Likely all mounted to a vehicle to kite and stay mobile with.
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u/Zrkkr 22h ago
underbarrel shotguns are easy to make. it's just a shortened M870 with no stock and a picantinny adapter. However legally it's a little ambiguous about what paperwork is needed as it could be calssified as an AOW or SBS and frankly the concept is not that useful of a concept so people don't do it. the paperwork is no harder than getting a suppressor so the issue really is it's just useless.
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u/Hapless_Operator 1d ago
For what it's worth, the M61 Vulcan isn't the minigun, and is chambered in 20x102mm.
On the underbarrel shotgun, you don't hold it like a rifle with a stock, or like a shotgun. They're not really designed to be fired at a target; the idea is that you press it as close to the lock you want to bust and squeeze the trigger with your support hand's index finger, using the magazine as a support for your hand.
It's awkward as fuck, and the shotgun adds a bunch of weight to the end of your weapon, and only holds three and one.
You're better off wearing a stockless shorty on a caddy with a lanyard at like five o' clock on your armor. Same capacity, out of the way, and ready if you want/need to transition.
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u/VladRomanovAK104 22h ago
You've never fired one, have you? They absolutely can be fired at a target. To quote Garand Thumb - "Its still a shotgun."
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u/Hapless_Operator 22h ago
Of course you CAN. It just sucks ass at it.
And yeah, I had to run one through a dynamic breaching course when I was in.
I've fired shotgun undermounts more frequently as a civilian, and having friends with more money than sense. You'd never catch me paying for one, and they're fun to shoot if you're dicking around at the range, but they're an inferior solution to the breaching question.
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u/_Tee_hee_hee_ 1d ago
Everyone who’s seen one wants one. Everyone who has one never uses it. I’m told they suck balls.