Sawn-off shotgun

A sawn-off shotgun (also sawed-off shotgun) is a type of shotgun with a shorter barrel, compared to regular shotguns. Also sometimes just called a 'sawn-off' ('sawed-off'), the weapon has larger spread and limited range. The shorter barrel would also make it easier to conceal — which combined with the aforementioned tactical characteristics have led to use for nefarious purposes. As a result of this, many jurisdictions have a minimum legal length for shotgun barrels. The spread of pellets will depend on the type of cartridge fired, the gauge of the shotgun, aside from the barrel length. Another related term, 'scatter-shot' (as in a 'scatter-shot' type weapon), is also used to describe such types of devices.

The term most genuinely applies to illegal weapons that result from literally sawing off a regular shotgun's barrel. This process is most dramatically applied to double-barrelled shotguns or single shot shotguns, as most other types have a tube magazine attached to the underside of the barrel which limit the minimum barrel length to the length of the magazine tube (although this as well can be shortened, with a corresponding loss in magazine capacity). This restriction does not apply to shotguns using a box magazine, but those are rare. Shotguns manufactured with barrels under the legal minimum length, while not technically a sawed off shotgun, are usually treated the same as a shotgun with its barrel shortened to below the legal length.

In the United States, it is illegal to possess a sawed-off shotgun (a barrel length less than 18 in. or 46 cm) without a tax-stamped permit from the United States Treasury, which requires an extensive background check and a $200 fee for every transfer. A new tax stamp must be purchased with every transfer of the short barrelled shotgun, and transfers must be made through a licensed class III dealer. State and local laws may entirely prohibit civilian possession of short barrelled shotguns.

Broadly similar restrictions may apply in many other jurisdictions. For example, in most Australian states, a shotgun less than a certain length is legally classed as a pistol, and requires a pistol license (which is much more difficult to obtain than a basic shotgun license), plus a registration (which is unlikely to be granted). The act of sawing off the gun would constitute unlawful manufacture of a pistol.

These restrictions only apply to civilians; military and police departments may issue short barrelled shotguns, and major manufacturers offer special models with barrels in the range of 10 to 14 inches as riot shotguns or combat shotguns for use in areas with restricted space. These are generally referred to as "entry shotguns", as they are generally used for entering buildings. Another use for very short shotguns is for use with breaching rounds, which are usually made of sintered powdered metal, although a normal buckshot or birdshot round will also work. A shotgun is used for breaching by placing the gun next to a door lock (0 to 2 inches away, 0 to 5 cm), and firing at a 45 degree downward angle through the door between the lock or latch and the doorframe. The impact of the projectile(s) blow a hole through the door, removing the latch or locking bolt. Once through the door, the shot or sintered metal disperses quickly, and since it was aimed downwards, the risk of harming occupants on the other side of the breached door is minimized. Breaching guns used by police and the military may have barrels as short as 10 inches, and they often have only a pistol grip rather the a full buttstock. Since only a couple of rounds are fired, any sporting shotgun with a 3 round capacity could be shortened and used as a capable breaching shotgun.

External link

• Example of firearm laws (http://www.pa-newspaper.org/legal/Legal%20Handbook/firearms.htm)
• Information on Remington 870 MCS, which comes with 10, 14, and 18 inch barrels for use in different combat roles (http://armedforcesjournal.com/blackwater/analysis4.html)