BF5 Best Shotgun: All Shotguns Ranked Worst To Best

Updated:

24 Jun 2020

Shotguns have often caught a lot of flak in Battlefield 5, but they arn't totally useless.

Boomsticks are the king of close-quarter-combat… but not much else. Despite being highly situational, shotguns can excel within their respective niche. Here, we'll try to walk you through each one so you'll know how to use each to its fullest potential.

4. M1897 (Okay)

"The US-made M1897 is most famously known as the "Trench Gun". More than one million were built. It was used by soldiers, policemen, and hunters around the world." — In-game description

Battlefield V's very first pump-action shotgun, the M1897 was first introduced in December 2018 along with the Ribeyrolles 1918 assault rifle. Intended as a holiday gift, the M1897 is a returning weapon from Battlefield 1 – only back then it was simply known as the 'Trench Gun.'

M1897 Review

While not terrible, the M1897 isn't anything to write home about since it occupies a very mediocre role for weapons in general and is the worst of the shotguns.
The slowest firing shotgun in-game, the M1897 severely lacks in follow-up capability should your first shot not kill your target.
However, if you're close enough, most enemies should be quickly put down with a well-aimed shot center-mass.
It's an almost-jack-of-all-trades in that it's just below-average at everything except damage; you're much better off using one of the more specialized shotguns.

M1897 Details:

Firemode: pump-action
Rate of Fire:
- 100 RPM
- 120 RPM (Trigger Job)
Ammunition:
- 12g Buckshot
- 12g Slugs (Slugs)
Magazine: 5 shells
Starting/Maximum Ammunition: 30+5 shells

3. Model 37 (Good)

"Pump-action shotguns remained popular since their debut in the late 19th century. While the design of this shotgun was kept simple, its reliability and effectiveness in combat was renowned." — In-game description

Another post-release addition, the Model 37 was originally supposed to be unlocked as a reward for the fourth Tides of War chapter, "Defying the Odds," the weapon was accidentally released early for all players without needing to complete any prerequisites.

Model 37 Review

The Model 37 is essentially a much netter M1987 in that it can actually follow up should your enemy remain standing.
It boasts the second-highest rate-of-fire despite technically being a pump-action – this is due to the weapon's unique ability to 'slamfire,' sacrificing range for faster damage output.
You can just hold down the trigger without having to let go like on other semi-automatic weapons, technically making it a fully-automatic weapon.
The potential for an Extended Magazine mitigates the constant reload, but also makes full-reloads much longer as a trade-off.
Just use this instead of the M1987.

Model 37 Details

Firemode: Automatic
Rate of Fire:
- 150 RPM
- 180 RPM (Trigger Job)
Ammunition: 12g Buckshot
Magazine:
- 5 shells
- 7 shells (Extended Magazine)
Starting/Maximum Ammunition:
- 30+5 shells
- 35+7 shells (Extended Magazine)

2. M30 Drilling (Great)

"In case Luftwaffe pilots got shot down, they had this weapon to both hunt game and protect themselves with. The M30 had two shotgun barrels, and one normal rifle barrel." — In-game description

One of the most unique weapons across all Battlefield titles, the M30 Drilling is the only weapon capable of firing from two different ammo pools/types. Technically a triple-barrel, the weapon houses two shells and one rifle round.

M30 Drilling Review

A hybrid breed, the M30 Drilling is formidable both close-quarters and medium range.
Despite only having three rounds at most, the M30 also has the fastest rate-of-fire in its class – allowing you to dump both 12-gauge shells almost instantly.
Reloading, however, is this weapons downfall – you'll be doing it constantly since, at most, you can fire three times and cannot be mitigated with any Specializations.
Make every shot count. While the weapon has excellent damage potential across a good range, poor precision will be punished – severely.

M30 Drilling Details

Firemode:
- Double Barrel (Shotgun)
- Single-shot (Rifle)
Rate of Fire:
- 200 RPM
- 225 RPM (Trigger Job)
Ammunition:
- 12g Buckshot
- 9.3x74mm
Magazine:
- 2 shells
- 1 rifle round
Starting/Maximum Ammunition:
- 28+2 shells
- 9+1 rounds

1. 12g Automatic (Best)

"The 12g Automatic served in both world wars. It was the first successful semi-automatic shotgun used by the Allies, eventually inspiring the German army to create their own version." — In-game description

12g Automatic Review

This is for aggressive play, the constant stream of shells can easily deal with multiple enemies.
Despite having the lowest per-shot damage, the 12g makes up for it with a respectable rate of fire.
The lowest in-class recoil also complements the weapon's sustained fire, keeping successive shots on target.
The 12g Automatic is one of the more forgiving shotguns, meaning you can spray without too much penalty and still have some spare shots to boot (assuming you're running with Extended Magazines).

12g Automatic Details

Firemode: Semi-Automatic
Rate of Fire:
- 138 RPM
- 163 RPM (Trigger Job)
Ammunition: 12 Gauge Shells
Magazine:
- 4+1 shells
- 6+1 shells (Extended Magazine)
Starting/Maximum Ammunition:
- 30+5 shells
- 30+7 shells (Extended Magazine)

So, despite their somewhat limited utility, shotguns should be a little more useful to you now that you know just what they're capable of. If you liked this guide, here are a few more for you: