Semi-automatic shotgun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Semi-automatic shotgun is a form of shotgun that is able to fire a cartridge after every trigger squeeze, without any manual reloading typical in most shotgun designs. The weapon uses the force of the gas (created by the accelerated burning of the propellant) to not just propel the wadding which pushes the shot down the barrel, but also to cycle the action, ejecting the empty shell and loading another round. This process is similar to all semi-automatic weapons, including pistols and rifles. The reason non semi-automatic shotguns do not tend to use this system is that shotgun shells are extremely over-powered compared to the smaller ammunition used in other small arms. This means that designing parts reliable enough to harness the heavy force for complicated mechanical operations becomes very difficult.
Many semi-automatic shotguns also provide an optional manual means of operation such as by pump-action or via a charging handle.
