Is a Shotgun A Rifle

Is a shotgun a rifle? It's a seemingly innocuous question that can be answered simply, but is also a question and answer worth exploring. The simple answer is, no, a shotgun is not a rifle. That's where the simplicity ends, though.

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What's a Shotgun?

A shotgun is a long gun designed to fire shot. Shot is a projectile type that comes in many different forms. A load of shot is a load of multiple projectiles that work together to accomplish a task. A rifle, meanwhile, is a weapon designed to fire a single projectile, but shotguns can do the same with slugs. The main difference is that rifles take their name from the fact they have rifled barrels. Rifling is a series of lands and grooves inside the barrel that allows the projectile to spin and stabilize. Shotguns most commonly have smoothbores, meaning they lack rifling. That being said, there are exceptions to anything these days, and some shotguns have what's known as slug barrels. These barrels are rifled and designed to fire slugs, as the name implies. At what point does a slug gun simply become a rifle? Well, that's a distinction that is regulated by both law and common sense. Common sense says that a shogun with a rifled barrel that is firing single projectiles ceases to be a shotgun and becomes a rifle. However, legally a shotgun is a shotgun. That's important because some counties, and even states, do not allow rifles for hunting. Since slug guns are not rifles, they are permitted and let hunters have better range than a shotgun.

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Where the Confusion Comes From

Now, as you can read above, the confusion can be easily seen and understood, since a shotgun can essentially be a rifle, but not really. Further confusion can be from the fact that both rifles and shotguns are considered long guns under the law and often regulated differently from handguns. Long guns have their own definition, and rifles and shotguns are lumped together as long guns. Both shotguns and rifles are also restricted by specific barrel lengths. For shotguns, the shortest barrel length you can have without a tax stamp is 18 inches, and for rifles, it's 16 inches. Both shotguns and rifles come in various configurations, which include pump actions, semi-autos, bolt actions, single shots, and even lever guns. The confusion, especially for new shooters, exists for a reason.

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Shotgun or Rifle?

Shotguns and rifles are very similar but also worlds apart, and each has a role they fill. The proper selection of either is critical, as is identifying the role you want the weapon to serve. Here at Classic Firearms, we have a large selection of both rifles and shotguns to suit whatever needs you may have. Shop All Shotguns
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