8 shots--why not?

[peekay331]

Pardon my ignorance, but is there any reason why all, particularly home defense tactical shotguns, are not equipped to load 7 or 8 shots? Is there an advantage to loading onky 5 shots? Again, pardon my ignorance but it's not obvious to me.

[LastDrift]

Maybe it is to keep the shotgun more compact and more maneuverable?

[aippi]

Maybe it is to keep the shotgun more compact and more maneuverable?

Ditto. Shorter is better inside any building.

[350skylark]

Some that have a 20inch barrel and tube extension have 8 shots but like the others said.

[WartHog]

I'll keep my 11 shot JM Pro 24", Thanks - the 6" additional barrel length is a non-issue to me.

[TRICKSTER]

If you know what you are doing, you are not limited to 5 shots. Most shotguns are extremely easy to reload as you shoot. Besides, in close quarters such as a home, if you can't deal with the problem with 5 rounds from a shotgun, you need more training.

[Steve_In_29]

It is a trade-off between ammo capacity and overall length for easy handling in confined quarters.

Plus as Trickster said, if more then 5 rounds of 00 buck are needed you have bigger worries then 3 more rounds will solve.

[JagerDog]

The standard field shotgun magazine is 5 (4 +1)rounds (knocked down to 3 via a plug for many bird hunting venues). Many shotguns designed for HD have greater capacity via a longer magazine or add-on magazine extension.

[elSquid]

Pardon my ignorance, but is there any reason why all, particularly home defense tactical shotguns, are not equipped to load 7 or 8 shots? Is there an advantage to loading onky 5 shots? Again, pardon my ignorance but it's not obvious to me.

One thing to consider is that foreign made shotguns are limited to 5 rounds or less in order to be importable.

-- Michael

[SoldierLife7]

I like my 12GA Winchester 1300 Defender with the factory 8 shot magazine tube...

[shellslinger]

Like everyone else is saying, it all has to do with maneuverability but then again there are bullpup shotguns out there

[peekay331]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my 18" Mossberg 500 has 8 shots and the magazine tube doesn't extend beyond the barrel. I don't really understand the compactness argument. It'd make more sense for me if that allowed you to have a 12 or 14" barrel, but it doesn't.

As for 5 versus 8 shots, I suppose it may not matter as a practical real world matter. But let me ask you: if you hear people breaking in, and you scramble to find a weapon. Two shotguns are there. Identical, except for the amount of rounds each holds. 5 shot and 8 shot. Which one are you going to grab? 5 shot and hope you can manage to do tactical reloads, or 8 shots?

[peekay331]

One thing to consider is that foreign made shotguns are limited to 5 rounds or less in order to be importable.

-- Michael

I think this may be the most compelling reason for me. I'd really like a cheapo shotgun, but all of them seem to be 5 shotters.

[sanjoseskater]

I have both a 18.5 Mossberg 500 5+1 and a mossberg 500 20in 7+1. The 20inch barrel 7+1 just doesn't have the same balance and feel the 18.5 does. I never shoot my 20inch barrel but I love my 18.5, 28 combo that I shoot indoors and outdoors at clays with 28in barrel on.

[NapalmCheese]

Pardon my ignorance, but is there any reason why all, particularly home defense tactical shotguns, are not equipped to load 7 or 8 shots? Is there an advantage to loading onky 5 shots? Again, pardon my ignorance but it's not obvious to me.

Shotguns are primarly sporting arms.
Pump shotguns have a magazine that is as long as it is because that's how long it needs to be to have an adequate sized fore end with adequate travel to eject the longest shotgun shell that can be chambered. That the magazine holds 5 rounds is incidental to the need to have a long action mechanism. Why don't sporting shotguns have long magazine tubes? Because it screws with the weight and balance. Why don't sporting shotguns have shorter magazine tubes since, for the most part, bird hunters are limited to 3 rounds anyway? Because it's easier to install a plug than to change your tooling and decades old design.

'Tactical' shotguns are just sporting shotguns that have been changed, often times an extended magazine tube is added. This tube, usually no longer than the short barrel addes 1-2 rounds usually of capacity. Anything beyond that and the magazine tube extends past the barrel making the gun longer.

So, if you want more capacity in a pump shotgun you need a longer magazine tube. If you have a longer magazine tube, the overall length of the shotgun increases. If you want the overall length to be shorter AND you want more ammo in the magazine, you have to have a bullpup if you are still using a pump shotgun.