Despite being one of the most situational gun categories in PUBG, in the hand of an experienced player, shotguns can still be made useful. These one-trick ponies are often used in the early game when players haven’t found better guns to use… or in the very late game, in which they could be a nasty surprise for inexperienced people.
Knowing how to use a shotgun effectively might increase your survival rate after you drop out of the plane and not having to queue immediately for another game. This guide will help you to understand PUBG’s shotguns and how to bring out the best they have to offer.
Shotguns are one of the most damaging weapons in the game, having the potential to release enough firepower to destroy absolutely any kind of armor. However, the drawback of shotguns is that you have to be literally next to the enemy for all the pellets to hit. Furthermore, you have to make sure that you are able to hit your first two shots because the enemy will most certainly not let you reload for a third one.
Below is a table about the damage a shotgun can deal to enemies equipped with different levels of vests and helmets.
Tips and tricks about each type of shotgun:
This gun type should only be used in the early game because PUBG is much different than other shooters – as most if not all the encounters are at farther than the effective range of a shotgun. Even SMGs would be a big improvement over the shotguns in close range since you still have some margin or errors. Here are guides for how each individual shotgun should be used
Sawed-Off – This is a special shotgun that fills up the handgun slot, which enables players to carry actual guns and the sawed-off at the same time. The downside to this is that the sawed-off has lower capability than every other shotgun – having only eight pellets per shot, which individually are even weaker than normal pellets. You thought that’s all? Nope, there’s still more – as the pellet spread of the sawed-off is even worse than the normal shotguns. The gun is so badly made that to deal full damage with it – you probably have to stay right next to the enemy. The best way to use the gun is to fire both rounds asap then switch into a real gun for further escalation.
S12K – Due to its nature of being a semi-automatic instead of pump-action, you could just spam it down enemies’ throat at close range. When equipped with an extended magazine, it gets even better as the shell capability goes to 8. The best use of this weapon is just going in blasting down enemies at close range. You probably would be able to kill your enemy before the S12K ran out of ammo.
S1897 – This shotgun can dish out a ton of damage – with great one-shot potential, however, it has a lower rate of fire than other shotguns. This means that you have to be extra careful with your shots – because you might not have the chance for another one. You should use the S1897 in tandem with ducking behind covers – shoot once, duck, then repeat.
S686 – This shotgun is like the jack of all trades – it can hold two shells just like the sawed-off, has a faster rate of fire than the S12K, and has as much firepower as the S1897. The best way to use this gun is to rush in as fast as possible and shot the enemy in the face. If you miss your two shots, run and reload because you probably will not survive the retaliation.