I do quite a bit of shotgun shooting in both my free time and for Primer Peak. Every time I start to get burnt out, something brings me back in, like the Michael Corleone of house howitzers. As such, I’ve gotten time with a fair number of makes and models, along with accessories and aftermarket parts. Anyone with some time on the shotgun knows that while they’re capable and fun, they’re far from ideal in terms of ergonomics and design choices. Here are some of top things manufacturers need to stop doing with their shotguns.
This is the #1 thing I see people complain about on shotguns today. Sporting length stocks on any shotgun, especially those with “tactical” or defensive purposes stated or implied. Starting your length of pull at anything longer than 12.5 inches will leave money on the table and drive away customers. More so if your gun is not compatible with aftermarket stocks for common designs like the Remington 870 or Mossberg 590.
Benelli and Savage both have tactical guns that start with LOP over 14-inches, and get longer with included spacers! These guns must be intended for SlenderMan or the Yeti. People shoot these guns in square stances, and a long stock inhibits that. Short LOP also helps those in armor, thick layers of clothing, and shooters of small stature. I don’t mind a traditional length stock, but I’m in a shrinking minority in the firearms market. Don’t hurt sales before they’ve even begun.
Dovetailing into overly long LOP, is non-adjustable length of pull. With LOP being such a focus item in today’s shotgun market, you need to make your stock adjustable. That doesn’t mean a telescoping pistol grip, as those are also often seen as a shortcoming. Instead, users now expect spacers for their traditional style stocks on shotguns. Start your LOP at 12-12.5 inches, then give the user the option to make things longer if they choose. Look at the Magpul SGA as an example, it has become THE standard in shotgun stocks today, as evidenced by their popularity and how many now emulate the design.
This also largely does away with the need for “youth” length stocks. Make one stock, then include spacers to suit the individual. If you’re really looking toward the future, you may also include adapters to change the shape and angle of the semi-pistol grip as well. That’s a trend we’re starting to see, and I think will grow over the next few years.
Serious shotgunners are a lot like Sonic the Hedgehog; gotta go fast! As autoloading scatterguns take over the dominant choice for newcomers, how they’re used continues to evolve. Folks like my friends Zach Cox and Adam Roth are lightning quick, not to mention super humans like Jerry Miculek. The time of tiny bolt releases is long gone. It’s time for shotguns to catch up to pistols and carbines regarding this matter.
Beretta does a great job at enlarged bolt releases with the 1301 and AX800, as does Mossberg with their 990. When I owned a Benelli M2 Tactical I quickly had the gunsmith modify my bolt release with a TTI extension. Not only does it help speed demons, but it also aids those wearing gloves, with low hand strength, and the disabled. It doesn’t need to be a dinner plate on the side of the gun, but something more than a Tic Tac should be standard.
Stop making forked lifters. Nobody likes them, they’re not measurably more reliable, and they stink. Did I mention I don’t like them? Seriously though, forked lifters are notorious for pinching fingers between themselves and the receiver when loading the magazine. Proper technique can help mitigate this, but we can’t always be perfect. For those wearing gloves, the problem can be even worse due to the extra material that needs freed from the gun.
Long, squared off lifters such as on Mossberg or Beretta shotguns are the king of the hill here. These occupy most of the loading port, and leave virtually no room for fingers, gloves, or anything else to get snagged during loading or unloading. Long, rounded lifters like on Remington guns are next best, though they still leave a little to be desired. As an alternative, lifters that stay in the “up” position during loading are another great solution, such as those found on the Benelli Nova 3 Tactical, or Mossberg shotguns. Even Beretta now offers a permanently “up” lifter for the A300UP and 1301.
Forks belong on the dinner table or in vampire novels. Leave them out of my shotguns.
My gripes about shotgun lifters are not over yet. It’s also time to move away from lifters with windows and other cuts down the middle of them. Some say these help with double-feeds, others have no idea why they’re there. I don’t particularly care, I just want them gone. Take a look at the lifter on the Beretta A300UP or TTI’s Accuguide Extended Carrier replacement for the Benelli M2 as examples. These have rectangular cutouts in the carrier. The hard right-angles on these cutouts do a number on the knuckle when loading, especially on long range days and in classes. I’ve had to bandage my hand up on more than one occasion because of these.
Now I’m sure some of you are about to start defending the Remington Flex Tab design here. I’m not talking about that, and you’re getting upset over nothing. That’s a totally different design, and it’s just fine.
A smooth, windowless carrier helps prevent this, such as on some Remington designs, or the Benelli Nova 3. Permanently “up” lifters, like the Beretta Pro or those on Mossberg shotguns also mitigate this concern. It’ll also stop people from using keys or knives to try and push a shell back into the magazine tube, avoiding accidental cap busting. Even significantly dehorning and smoothing the window would help, but that’s extra cost and machine time that is better used elsewhere. Just get rid of the window.
It’s 2026, optics are here to stay. Hell, we’ve been putting optics on top of optics since the early GWOT with RMR’s piggybacked on ACOGs. While pistols and shotguns lag behind carbines in terms of optic acceptance, they’re not going anywhere. It’s time to make sure virtually all shotguns are optics ready. Manufacturers, drill and tap your receivers! This doesn’t mean that you need to include mounts or rails, but at least give us the ability to mount optics without gunsmithing. Someone in the aftermarket will make a mount at some point, let them do the work for you.
Yes, many people still are sticking with irons with their shotgun. However, you’re limiting your market by not making your gun optics ready. Nobody will turn away from you because the gun is drilled and tapped, but some will if it isn’t. Join the 21st century, and set yourself up for the future.
Barrel clamps must be one of the biggest wastes of money for shotgun manufacturers. They don’t stay put under recoil, and can impact your zero as they shift. Most serious shotgunners toss them in the parts bin before ever hitting the range. In many cases, barrel clamps don’t even feature useful hardware such as sling swivels or accessory rails. Not that those do you much good when they’re sliding past the muzzle while shooting!
Ditch the barrel clamp. Put sling hardware on your magazine tube, or integrate it into the forend of your gun. Accessory rails and MLOK slots go on the handguard as well. The clamp won’t help your magazine extension stay put, so use that money and brain power to improve your extension. Stop putting barrel clamps on guns.
I know that plenty of people will tell you that shotguns don’t need aiming. Even with bargain bin buckshot, we know that’s not true. Just like a pistol, you need to use the sights on your shotgun. Unfortunately, many manufacturers half-ass their sights, assuming that their users will never use them anyway. Examples include beads mounted directly to barrels on defensive guns, leading to shots going high, front posts being secured with nothing but friction, and AR style flip up sights being put on straight stocked guns. These result in poor ergonomics, lackluster durability, inability to properly zero guns, and more.
Don’t be that guy. Give your customers something they can rely upon should the worst day of their lives come along.
A growing trend seems to be aesthetically pleasing receivers on shotguns. These typically involve some sort of shaping or step to the receiver, rather than a traditional slab-slide gun. While this does look striking, it impacts function. Often times this prevents us from effectively mounting a standard 6-shot side saddle to the receiver. Sometimes, due to how the shaping is done, even a 4-shot card won’t fit.
Keep your receiver all on the same plane, especially on the non-ejecting side of the gun. People like having 6 or more rounds in reserve, and preventing that will make them look at other options. Remember, form comes after function.
Am I being overly picky? Hell no! We pay a lot of money to manufacturers, and we should demand our shotguns be supreme in quality and design. Until the day comes that we’re lucky enough to have a perfect gun released to market, we’re stuck with aftermarket parts, homebrew mods, and toughing it out. Maybe we’ll get lucky and someone will take a few ideas here and incorporate them down the line.
What are your pet peeves when it comes to shotgun designs?
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