Pump, Semi-Auto, Double-Barrel, and Over-Under. These are all different variations of the 12 Gauge Shotgun, of course you could have any of these variations in a 20 or 10 Gauge as well, but for this article we will focus on the most common type of shotgun, the 12 Gauge. The different kinds of Shotguns provide different advantages and disadvantages. Let’s start with the most common, the Pump action shotgun. The Pump action shotgun is a great gun, it is typically the most affordable option and because of it’s simple design there is not very much that can malfunction or go wrong.

The Semi-Auto shotgun is usually more expensive than a pump shotgun, but it allows you to get more shots off in a short amount of time because you don’t have to manually eject the used shell and rack a new shell like you do with a pump shotgun. With a semi-auto shotgun you simply load the magazine tube with shells, put a shell in the chamber and when you shoot the gun will use the force from the recoil to automatically eject the spent shell and load a new shell into the chamber. Being able to shoot more quickly provides and obvious advantage when hunting, but one of the biggest disadvantages is that these guns can jam and shells can get stuck while ejecting. These are problems you won’t typically face with the other kinds of shotguns on this list.

The Double-Barrel shotgun is commonly seen in movies and TV shows when a farmer is seen with a gun. As the name describes the shotgun as two barrels that are even with each other side by side. These guns allow you to get off two quick shots as there is no ejecting or cycling required between the first and second shot. The downside to this shotgun and the Over-Under shotgun is that you are limited to only two shots before you have to reload.

The Over-Under shotgun is probably the most expensive out of all the options on this list, but it is favored by many and those who use them swear by them. The Over-Under shotgun has two barrels with one on top of the other allowing the shooter to have only one set of sights on the gun for both barrels, unlike the double-barrel shotgun. One of the main advantages to the Over-Under shotgun is the ability to use different kinds of chokes for the two different barrels (chokes help to control how tight the pellets stay together when shot, find out more about chokes here). The use of different chokes is especially useful when hunting upland birds such as doves you can have one barrel set up with a choke that allows pellets to spread quickly (good for close rage shots) and you can have the other barrel set up with a choke that keeps the pellets tighter (better for longer range shots).

The type of shotgun you should use depends on your budget, what you are hunting, and personal preference. If you are looking for your first shotgun you really can’t go wrong with a Pump-Action shotgun, they are the most affordable of the group, reliable and even the most experienced hunters will still use Pump-Action shotguns.