Sawed-off shotgun

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"Boom stick" redirects here

A sawed-off shotgun also called a sawn-off shotgun (UK, IRL, AU, NZ, CAN) and a short-barreled shotgun (SBS) (U.S. legislative terminology), is a type of shotgun with a shorter gun barrel—typically under 18 inches—and often a shorter or absent stock. The barrels do not have to be sawed off. Barrels can be manufactured at shorter lengths and are a very safe alternative to traditional longer barrels. The shorter barrel and stock do not necessarily make it easier to conceal as shotgun designs are bulky. They do however make them easier to transport due to their smaller profile and lighter weight. This makes them excellent guns for backpackers or campers in regards to animal defense. The design also makes the weapon easy to maneuver in cramped spaces, a feature sought by military close quarters combat units, law enforcement SWAT team users, and home defense purposes. With modern pump action/magazine tube shotguns, the shorter barrel limits the magazine capacity of the weapon due to the magazine tube protruding beyond the barrel. Therefore the magazine tubes are matched in length to the barrel and causes a reduction in the amount of shells that can be held in the magazine tube.

The United States of America, Britain and Canada criminalized their possession, without a proper permit, in the 1930s.[1] They are subject to legal restrictions depending upon jurisdiction. They also are in use by military forces and police agencies worldwide.






Legal restrictions[edit]





12-gauge shotguns with barrel lengths shorter than 24 inches (609 millimeters), are classified as weapons restricted to military and law enforcement only. Shotguns with smaller gauges do not have barrel length restrictions, even for single-shot or double-barrel pistols. Barrels for 28 gauge, 32 gauge, or .410 bore shotguns may be of any length if they are original from the factory.



United Kingdom[edit]

Shotguns held on a shotgun certificate are subject to a legal minimum barrel length of 24 inches (61cm), but there is no limit on overall length meaning that 'pistol grip only' shotguns are legal, though the barrels would be longer than most 'sawn-off shotguns'. Shotguns held on a shotgun certificate must either have no magazine, or a non-removable magazine capable of holding no more than two rounds.

Semi-automatic or pump action shotguns held on a firearms certificate (which are not subject to any magazine restrictions) are subject both to a minimum barrel length of 24 inches (61cm) and a minimum overall length of 40 inches (102cm). This precludes legal ownership of 'short' shotguns of this type on a firearms certificate..

Shotguns held on a firearms certificate that are neither semi-automatic nor pump action are subject only to a minimum barrel length of 12 inches (30cm), well within the definition of a 'sawn-off shotgun'. Muzzleloading guns are exempt from this restriction and may have barrels of any length.[8]






Police and military use[edit]





Barrel length and shot spread[edit]

It is a common mis-perception that shortening the length of a shotgun barrel itself significantly affects the pattern or spread of the pellets. This is not true until barrel length is decreased to under 50% of a typical barrel length.[11] A standard length barrel (e.g. 28") is this long to move the center of gravity of the weapon away from the body and give it an ergonomic heft, and in order for the barrel to extend out into the shooters field of vision right up to the target, as well as to make the weapon more safe as it is very difficult to inadvertently point a long gun at your own body. The pattern is primarily affected by the type of cartridge fired and the choke, or constriction normally found at the muzzle of a shotgun barrel.


Civilian usage[edit]

In the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, where handguns are not easily obtainable, the sawn-off shotgun was a common weapon in armed robberies during and shortly after the 1960s, and it is this use that most people associate with the weapon. However, in more recent years, handguns and handgun replicas have been more easily available in the United Kingdom, despite an increase in legal restrictions on civilian ownership of handguns in the area: sawn-off shotguns were used in only 157 out of a total of 3727 robberies involving firearms in England and Wales from 2004 to 2005, while handguns made up 2501 of the weapons used in these robberies.[12]




Derived uses[edit]


See also[edit]


  5. ^ Dominion Arms Grizzly 8.5" 12 gauge shotgun; retrieved from
  6. ^ Remington 870 Shorty 8.5" 12 gauge shotgun; retrieved from
  8. ^
  12. ^ Violent Crime Overview, Homicide and Gun Crime (Supplementary Volume to Crime in England and Wales 2004/2005)