It’s time to breach and clear a room in style. There are only 4 shotguns in Insurgency: Sandstorm and all of them are pump action; none are semi or fully automatic. But if those shotguns did exist in the game, I have a good feeling that they’d be broken as hell and impossible to balance.
The shotguns in this game work as they do in real life; they have a range of 30-50 meters, depending on your ammo type. Also, only one shot is enough to kill someone, so that’s why they are good for breaching into a room or an objective where enemies might be. But they aren’t that good in PvE game modes since you have to pump them after each shot.
4. TOZ-194
Let me introduce you to the TOZ-194, which was designed during the Soviet Era and still sees use even today. It uses the standard 12-gauge shell, and it’s quite deadly. The shotgun has a hell of a lot of recoil, decent penetration, and can hold a total of 8 shotgun shells.
The downside to this shotgun is that it has a slow fire rate, which can impact your performance if two or three more enemies run at you. It’s great against single targets or 1v1 situations. It doesn’t weigh much and is great for running around and shooting people.
TOZ-194 Stats:
- Cartridge - 12 Gauge
- Vertical Recoil - 42
- Horizontal Recoil - 31
- Muzzle Velocity - 400 m/s
- Rate of Fire - 55 rpm
- Penetration - 160 pp
- Magazine Capacity - 7+1 shells
- Reserve Ammunition - 7+14 shells
- Supply Points - 2
- Weight - 10%
What TOZ-194 Excels In:
- Great in 1v1 situations.
- Due to its low weight, it’s great for flanking enemies.
- You don’t have to ADS with this shotgun, you can easily fire from the hip.
How To Get TOZ-194:
- You can obtain this shotgun when you pick the breacher class in the Insurgent Forces.
3. M870
This is the classical M870, better known as the Remington. This shotgun has been featured in most games, movies, and TV shows. It’s also seen in its popularity in hunting, sport shooting, and other safe activities. This shotgun has a sweet spot where it can one-shot anything.
You don’t have to have a perfect aim to kill someone; as long as they get hit by some pellets, they are as good as dead. The shotgun has similar stats to the TOZ-194, but where it gets better is that you can add either a loading grip or a recoil grip to the shotgun to make it easier for your use.
M870 Stats:
- Cartridge - 12 Gauge
- Vertical Recoil - 43
- Horizontal Recoil - 30
- Muzzle Velocity - 400 m/s
- Rate of Fire - 55 rpm
- Penetration - 160 pp
- Magazine Capacity - 7+1 shells
- Reserve Ammunition - 7+14 shells
- Supply Ponts - 2
- Weight - 10%
What M870 Excels In:
- You can attach a loading or recoil grip to the shotgun, which makes it easier to use.
- It has a sweet spot where it can one-shot anyone.
- You don’t have to have a perfect aim to kill someone.
- It has a decent range.
How To Get M870:
- You can get this shotgun when you pick the breacher class in the Security Forces.
2. KG-23
This shotgun was created to stop prison riots and serve as a weapon of justice in prison, but it has seen much wider usage, especially in the hands of the insurgents in this game. When it comes to the KG-23, it uses a 4-gauge slug, but you can also use the flechette rounds if you want to. The flechette's rounds blow through any cover that the enemy is standing behind.
Sadly, it only holds 3 shells in total, so you have to make your shots count or you’re going to be dying a lot. But those 3 shells can easily kill someone in one hit at medium and, in rare cases, at long distances. Hip-firing with this shotgun is easy for the first shot, but after that, it will send your arms flying off, so you have to compensate for the recoil.
KG-23 Stats:
- Cartridge - 4 Gauge or Flechettes
- Vertical Recoil - 57
- Horizontal Recoil - 30
- Muzzle Velocity - 415 m/s
- Rate of Fire - 55 rpm
- Penetration - 166 pp
- Magazine Capacity - 3 shells
- Reserve Ammunition - 12 shells
- Supply Points - 2
What KG-23 Excels In:
- It’s a one-shot kill at medium and close distances.
- When using flechette rounds, you can easily blow through someone’s cover.
- You don’t have to be accurate to kill someone, as this shotgun shoots more pellets than any other shotgun in the game.
How To Get KG-23:
- You can obtain this shotgun when you pick the breacher class in the Insurgent Forces.
1. KSG
Let me show you the best shotgun in the game, and it’s the KSG. This shotgun can hold up to 14 shells in total. It makes it perfect for either PvP or PvE game modes. You can even pick the slug shells to add insane penetration to the shotgun so that nobody feels safe when you’re using it.
The downside to this shotgun is the recoil, which is too much, but you can counter that by using a compensator. You will still have recoil, but it won’t be as insane as without it. The shotgun is best used when firing from the hip.
KSG Stats:
- Cartridge - 12 Gauge/Slugs
- Vertical Recoil - 42
- Horizontal Recoil - 31
- Muzzle Velocity - 425 m/s
- Rate of Fire - 55 rpm
- Penetration - 425 pp (with slugs)
- Magazine Capacity - 14 shells
- Reserve Ammunition - 20 shells
- Supply Points - 4
What KSG Excels In:
- Due to it holding 14 shells in total, it’s great for pushing objectives, clearing rooms, or dealing with bots in the PvE game mode.
- When you use the slug rounds, you can penetrate almost anything.
- The recoil can be lowered by using attachments, which makes it even better to use.
- Great for flanking the enemy.
- Great for taking out enemies at medium distances.
How To Get KSG:
- You can obtain this shotgun when you pick the breacher class in the Security Forces.
