Others find the semi-auto shotgun irreplaceable.Ī semi-auto shotgun has an internal spring-loaded mechanism that does all the work for you, and this offers a much faster firing rate than a pump shotgun. Some hunters swear by pump-action shotguns. Let’s see what that means in practice by looking at what the market currently offers. It won’t take long to find new, more efficient ways to improve cycling, shooting, and overall reliability. I’m sure that Benelli, Remington, Winchester, Mossberg, and many other prominent manufacturers are working on gas-operated systems and perfecting semi-autos as we speak. Today’s modern firearms technology is getting ever-so-close to filling up those cracks, faults, and fractures of reliability, enabling semi-autos to compete with the pump action’s consistency in feeding and cycling. What can we learn from this little bit of history is that even though we stick to reliability and consistency over firepower, we still have a penchant for innovation and exploring different, non-traditional methods to create better firearms. There are still some commemorative models from Browning hiding in plain sight, but they are now available only as used guns and are pretty expensive because nobody wants to part ways with legacy pieces like that. It’s replaced by the redesigned models with new names like the Browning A5 Hunter or the Browning A5 Stalker. The semi-auto progenitor saw World War I military service and was used all the way to the Vietnam War, as it was a perfect choice for close-quarters combat in the jungles. It wasn’t as reliable as the mighty pump-action shotgun, and no self-respecting lawman of the west wanted to be caught dead with it, but the quick-firing method made sure outlaws yee’d their last haw. He then tried to give the blueprint to Remington, but the then-owner died of a heart attack.įinally, Browning went to FN Herstal, the Belgians, and this prompted the start of the official manufacturing.Īfterward, he licensed the design to Remington again, bringing production back to American soil until 1998. Browning first presented the blueprint to Winchester Repeating Arms Company, but it was unsuccessful. It was designed by John Browning in 1898 and patented in 1990. The Browning Automatic 5, also known as Browning A-5, is regarded as the first successful semi-automatic shotgun. History of the Semi-Auto Shotgunīefore we take a closer look at the modern shotguns, let’s honor our grandfathers and give a quick shout out to the great grandpappy of semi-auto shotguns, the Browning Automatic 5. Imageīenelli M2 Semi-Automatic Tactical Shotgunīut first, a little bit of history. In today’s guide, we’re going to dive into the world of semi-auto combat shotguns and talk about their features, what makes them great for home defense, and share a buyer’s guide to help you narrow down your choices. We say let’s calm down, and take it from the top. Some say it’s overkill, others say you can never have enough gun safes scattered around the house. With its heavy firepower, compact design, and quick response features, this typs of shotgun is especially suited for close-quarters combat, in contrast to pump-action tacticals. The semi-automatic tactical shotgun is one of the most powerful firearms for self-defense and home defense. Why not mention a few semi-auto tactical shotguns as well? At Gun Made, we’ve discussed a couple of types of shotguns before, like the magazine-fed shotguns and pump-action shotguns.