cluttonfred
Member
When submachineguns were complex, expensive, milled-steel items, few armies issued them to many soldiers. Even a simplified WWII M1A1 Thompson was more expensive to make than an M1 Garand rifle or a Colt 1911. SMGs really took off when armies started making them cheaply - MP40, Sten, M3 Grease Gun, PPsh-41, etc.
Why is it that, while armies continue to use shotguns in secondary roles, no Sten-simple shotgun has ever been a success? A magazine-fed shotgun with buckshot, slug (maybe saboted armor-piercing?) and explosive (anti-personnel rounds for engaging targets beyond normal shotgun range, mini-HEAT type rounds for vehicles or buildings) would be a very versatile tool.
The danger of using explosive rounds up close (bad idea) could be mitigated by using a distinctive magazine (color, shape) and maybe some sort of pop-up indicator blocking the short range sights if explosive ammo is used. Firing from an open bolt (with some sort of delayed locking) would allow quick and easy changes from one ammo to another. A custom gauge with short, rimless shells and pistol-type powders would help make for a compact action and good performance with short barrels.
By the way, I have read about the AAI full-auto shotgun and FRAG-12 explosive 12 gauge rounds, so I know these are not new ideas. The cheap and rugged Saiga-12 Kalashnikov-based shotguns are a good example of what could have been developed years ago. I am just wondering what I am missing, why has such a weapon never really caught on?
Why is it that, while armies continue to use shotguns in secondary roles, no Sten-simple shotgun has ever been a success? A magazine-fed shotgun with buckshot, slug (maybe saboted armor-piercing?) and explosive (anti-personnel rounds for engaging targets beyond normal shotgun range, mini-HEAT type rounds for vehicles or buildings) would be a very versatile tool.
The danger of using explosive rounds up close (bad idea) could be mitigated by using a distinctive magazine (color, shape) and maybe some sort of pop-up indicator blocking the short range sights if explosive ammo is used. Firing from an open bolt (with some sort of delayed locking) would allow quick and easy changes from one ammo to another. A custom gauge with short, rimless shells and pistol-type powders would help make for a compact action and good performance with short barrels.
By the way, I have read about the AAI full-auto shotgun and FRAG-12 explosive 12 gauge rounds, so I know these are not new ideas. The cheap and rugged Saiga-12 Kalashnikov-based shotguns are a good example of what could have been developed years ago. I am just wondering what I am missing, why has such a weapon never really caught on?