Airsoft shotguns are a great addition to your arsenal as a secondary or primary gun when you play in the field, they work great but especially shine in CQB scenarios when the enemy is trapped with you on short distances.
The great news are that there are many amazing shotgun replicas on the market, just as there are many efficient and effective airsoft affordable shotguns for those who are on the budget. We will first mention the top picks and then move to the budget picks, so everyone can find what they are looking for.
This is the list of best airsoft shotguns I could find:
- Jag Arms Scattergun Gas shotgun
- Tokyo Marui Super 90 Pump action spring shotgun
- Golden Eagle M870 Pump action gas shotgun
- Break Action Double barrel gas shotgun
Jag Arms Scattergun gas shotgun
Realistic, awesome, a true high-end pick
You can check the price on Airsoft Station here.
This is one of those shotguns that make you forget that you are not handling a real gun, but a replica. Green gas makes this shotgun very realistic and each time you pump it, you simply remember why.
Most of this gun is made out of metal and you can surely feel the weight in hands, but do not worry it won’t tire you that much after a full day of playing.
It has a unique feature that allows you to toggle between 3-shot and 6-shot firing modes with a single click.
It has a rail on top that can fit all cool devices such as lights, red dots or scopes.
FPS may vary from a shooting mode, but solid 330 in a burst firing mode and 370 in a single shot measured with 0.20 gram BBs is certainly a strong velocity.
To simply put it in words, this is one of the shotguns are worth the investment and won’t disappoint you, especially if you like the realism factor!
| Product Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| FPS | 330-370 FPS (measured 0.20 gram BB) |
| Recommended Ammo | 0.20 or 0.25 gram BBs |
| Magazine Size | 28 BB shell |
| Type | Gas(Pump action) |
| Material | ABS polymer / metal |
| Adjustable Hop-up | No |
| Effective range | 100+ feet |
Tokyo Marui Super 90 spring shotgun
A proven and lasting one
You can check the price on Airsoft Station here.
Ladies and gentlemen, his majesty Tokyo Marui pump action shotgun.
I don’t have to talk much about this magnificent brand that Tokyo Marui is because everyone knows how consistent it has been over the years, if we talk about quality in airsoft, we just mention Tokyo.
This gun knows its worth and therefore it does not come cheap, but once you invest in it, you can use it for the rest of your life.
It does not follow the path of realism like the previous shotgun and it is made out of high quality polymer instead of metal, this helps players to focus more on effective play rather than carrying weight.
It propels 3 rounds each time you shoot it and everything about this gun is efficient and effective, therefore it does not have range and accuracy issues of some other guns and because it is powered by spring, pump action mechanism it does not rely on gas to be used.
It actually saves money because it does not use gas, so you can pay it off within a year or so.
When we give it a final review it ends up that this shotgun has everything that powerful gas shotguns have ( do not worry about lower FPS on paper, all Marui guns are know for utilizing lower FPS, but other important gun parts inside compensate for it), but also save money on gas. Of course, the gas shotguns are still going to be more realistic, but if you do not care about that added portion of realism this might the best shotgun on the market.
| Product Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| FPS | 285 FPS (measured 0.20 gram BB) |
| Recommended Ammo | 0.20 gram BBs |
| Magazine Size | 30 round |
| Type | Spring (Pump action) |
| Material | ABS polymer / metal |
| Adjustable Hop-up | No |
| Effective range | 100+ feet |
Golden Eagle M870 gas shotgun
Great for CQB, but fine everywhere
You can check the price on Airsoft Station here.
This shotgun is straight out of some Hollywood movies and the thing you expect that grocery store employees hold under the cash machines when they are selling you your favorite soda drink.
It is mostly made out of metal, so it has a realistic weight and it has a realistic handguard and grip made of the real wood.
It is powered by green gas or propane, so you can expect it to have a decent power and range and you can switch from 3 rounds to 6 rounds burst fire mods.
One of the things that many player who like realism imitations want in their guns is a realistic magazine. Well, in this case this shotgun uses replicated shotgun shells that holds 30 rounds and looks awesome.
I would recommend this shotgun for a secondary gun in CQB situations, but you can use it however you prefer!
| Product Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| FPS | 300 FPS (measured 0.20 gram BB) |
| Recommended Ammo | 0.20 gram BBs |
| Magazine Size | 30 round |
| Type | Greengas,propane (Pump action) |
| Material | ABS polymer / metal |
| Adjustable Hop-up | No |
| Effective range | 80 feet |
Break Action Double barrel gas shotgun
This one brings the fun and fear on the field
You can check the price on Airsoft Station here.
I just had to put this on the list for everyone who loves double barrel shotguns. There are not many good double barrel shotguns on the market that are not toys, but can actually be used competitive.
This shotgun looks amazing and it has two barrels with two triggers that shoot BBs separately. The each barrel shoots 7 BBs and because it is powered by the green gas it looks scary. It also has two realistic shotguns shells it comes with.
Trust me, this shotgun is something completely different because it is primary made to look cool and to look scary when used and although it has crazy power (420 FPS), great accuracy and range, it is not the most efficient shotgun out there.
You will need to insert the shells in and out pretty often and it is not as fast as some other competitive shotguns on the market.
The conclusion is that if you want awesomeness and fun go for it, if you want only effectiveness and efficiency some previously mentioned shotguns are better.
This gun requires skill and patience too and you can not just randomly start playing Rambo gameplay with it, but it will certainly defeat and scare the opponents better than most other shotguns out there if you know how to use it.
| Product Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| FPS | 420 FPS (measured 0.20 gram BB) |
| Recommended Ammo | 0.25-0.30 gram BBs |
| Magazine Size | 30 round |
| Type | green gas |
| Material | ABS polymer / metal |
| Adjustable Hop-up | No |
| Effective range | 100 feet |
Best budget airsoft shotguns
If you are on the budget, I recommend only pump action shotguns because they use the spring system meaning that you will not only save money on a shotgun itself but also save the money in the long term by using the pump action instead of expensive gas.
Co2 easily drains the money out of pocket with the time and having a pump action shotgun in your arsenal is a smart idea. You will sacrifice some effectiveness, range and power if you skip previous gas powered shotguns and some of high quality pump action branded shotguns, but if you are on the budget it is understandable.
This is the list of the best budget airsoft shotguns:
- CYMA M3 Multi-shot pump action shotgun
- Double Eagle M3 Multi-shot pump action shotgun
- Double Eagle M58A Tactical Pump action shotgun
- BBTac Pump action shotgun 400 FPS
- BBTac BT-M47 Sawed-off Style Shotgun
CYMA and Double Eagle M3 Multi-shot pump action shotguns
This shotgun is recommended for competitive play
You can check the price for one on Amazon here.
This might be the best airsoft shotgun that fits the budget, I decided to put it on the first place because it just has everything that you would expect from pump action shotgun and comes with affordable price.
You can count on this shotgun and easily discard others that fit in this budget if you want a serious and competitive gun that can compete with high-end guns. It is proven to be built well and to last quite long time.
I have mentioned both the CYMA and Double Eagle models because some people prefer to buy from the familiar and beloved brand they trust. You can go with any of those two brands because they are both good and both versions are very similar in quality and price.
The best thing about this shotgun is that It has 3 inner barrels and when triggered it expels 3 BBs simultaneously. Shotguns that shoot a single BB are a fine option, however I would personally always choose the three shot shotguns, they still have a good FPS and accuracy but most importantly offer more pressure when used in any CQB situation, besides their usefulness it is also cool and realistic because real shotguns are known to operate similarly too.
This Multi-shot spring shotgun is going to save you lots of money, because it does not use Co2 and is also a smart option for secondary weapon and can even be used as a primary weapon in case that your primary gun jams or breaks.
The only real disadvantages that this shotgun has it the same disadvantage that all shotguns have and that is a limited effective range when competing with people who use AEGs on the open field, and does not include a rail, so you will not be able to install a laser or lights on it. In CQB or any other close range scenario this will be a blast to play with.
This gun is a very realistic replica and weights about 6 pounds and uses the shell style Magazine which is another bonus that adds up to the realism, all this is supported by a strong polymer and metal inner parts.
Shell style Magazine is reusable and works just as a normal magazine but is shaped like a shell.
The gun includes speed loaders and slings + additional parts dependent on what store offers.
| Product Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| FPS | 300-320 FPS (measured 0.20 gram BB) |
| Recommended Ammo | 0.20 or 0.25 gram BBs |
| Magazine Size | 30 round |
| Type | Spring (Pump action) |
| Material | ABS polymer / metal |
| Adjustable Hop-up | No |
| Effective range | -100 feet |
Double Eagle M58A tactical pump action shotgun
This shotgun is considered as another good option for competitive play, although in my opinion It performs slightly worse than the previous one due to the fact that it expels single BBs.
You can check the price on Amazon here.
Here we have a classic pick for a really affordable price, this shotgun is often found far bellow $50 as I have checked in most stores, If you can find it for similar price I think it would be a good pick for a starter shotgun. The real version of this shotgun is used by police specialists.
This shotgun expels a single BB per shot, but you can hold the trigger and pump it multiple times, therefore you will have multiple BBs following one another and it will seem that it is shooting multiple BBs when triggered, I do not like this technique though, it will decrease the accuracy so it is better to shot one by one.
This shotgun comes with a speed loader and a sling, the body is made from metal and polymer.
There are some cool features I liked about this gun, like a heat shield ( it is a replica so it does not matter, but it adds up to the appearance), front and rear sling swivels are quite useful to have on a gun too.
This shotgun does not eject shells and uses a magazine which is something that breaks the realism for me but there got to be disadvantages on every budget gun.
The gun has passed all important tests like accuracy shooting ( it is quite accurate with 0.20 gram BBs, can effectively reach up to 80 feet) and the gun does not break easily.
The maintenance is quite simple because there are not many parts that you have to take care of due to its design and pump action mechanism.
| Product Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| FPS | 300-330 FPS (measured with 0.20 gram BB) |
| Recommended Ammo | 0.20 or 0.25 gram BBs |
| Magazine Size | 25 round |
| Type | Spring (Pump action) |
| Material | Metal/polymer |
| Adjustable Hop-up | Yes |
| Effective range | 80 feet |
BBtac Pump Action Spring Shotgun 400 FPS
A possible option for competitive play, but there are better shotguns, good for beginners.
You can check the price on Amazon here.
It is one of those shotgun replicas that resemble the real guns worn by police operators back in the history, which often can be seen on movies.
It is built from some inner metal parts and the rest of the body is made from ABS polymer, feels pretty sturdy in hands but the durability is questionable, I believe that it can last quite long if you do not keep dropping it on the concrete but without proper maintenance anything can break.
The reason behind this doubt is that I did not like the plastic body, but it may be just my misinterpretation and the gun may be pretty durable.
It expels a single BB per shot and you can make it shoot multiple BBs only by pumping it multiple times while holding the trigger.
Accuracy, power and overall quality of the gun is good for the price and that is why it is on the list, however I still believe that this gun should not be the first choice for competitive game, a second choice? Sure.
This gun however, looks quite good and can be a great pick for any beginner who wants to slowly get into the game and use something that works for beginning. You can not upgrade this gun, but you can use it as it is and have good fun with it.
For cosplays, bottle shooting or playing with friends this shotgun replica is a way to go with.
| Product Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| FPS | 330-350(measured with 0.20 gram BB) |
| Recommended Ammo | 0.20 or 0.25 gram BB |
| Magazine Size | 14 round |
| Type | Spring/Pump action |
| Material | Metal/polymer |
| Adjustable Hop-up | Yes |
| Effective range | 70 feet |
BBTac BT-M47 Sawed-Off Style Spring Shotgun
Perfect for beginners, cosplays and target practice, not for competitive play.
You can check the price on Amazon here.
This gun looks like the gun that Terminator used to have, so if you have your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle this will go nicely with it, consider it for your next cosplay.
This gun overall is not far from a toy when you compare it with serious competitive guns, however it it a great pick for anyone who just want to own a cool looking replica and perhaps shoot bottles. I am not saying that you can not use this in competitive matches but it will be a disadvantage.
If you are really good you can still play with such low-budget guns but then you will depend purely on your own skills and sometimes you will have to rearrange the strategy, it may be fun though.
This shotgun shoots at about 280 FPS and although it is a single shot shotgun you can pump it fast just like the previously mentioned shotgun and expel multiple BBs, however you can not use heavy BBs with this and will have to depend on 0.12 g BBs if you do not want to jam the gun.
It does not feel like a serious gun in hands due to its polymer body and light weight.
The effective range on this thing is probably 30-40 feet which is expected. In case that you drop it I doubt that it will get seriously damaged but if you drop it on concrete multiple times for a few months it will be just a matter of time when it will break, nevertheless if you like the design and price you can check it out.
You can also attach lasers and lights on the rail which is a cool feature.
| Product Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| FPS | 260-280 FPS (measured with 0.20 gram BB) |
| Recommended Ammo | 0.12 gram BB |
| Magazine Size | 20 round |
| Type | Spring/Pump action |
| Material | Metal/polymer |
| Adjustable Hop-up | No |
| Effective range | 40 feet |
What to look for in airsoft shotguns?
There are more than a few great shotguns in the market, but there are not many competitive airsoft shotguns under 50$ although there are a few ones that work good, I have given you the best picks for both competitive play and for just overall fun and they all fit certain budget. I will be updating the list if I find more good picks.
The most important criteria for airsoft shotguns is the quality of the build, so the shotgun does not break and does not jam. FPS and the range are not very important because you will be using them at close distances anyways and you do not want to hurt anyone. This is also a rule on most of the fields, especially when playing CQB, a way to powerful shotgun would be to dangerous.
However, if you want to use shotguns outside of CQB, range and accuracy are pretty important.
The mentioned budget guns offers you some solid competitive picks because they are spring guns and do not use any gas or electricity, this allows manufacturers to produce good stuff for low cost.
So for those you want budget shotguns hear the following: There are some high-end shotguns on the list that use gas and they are more effective because you can shoot them faster and they come with increased realism due to the gas and other realistic components, but it is not a significant importance for a shotgun. The full metal parts and better hold in hands may be a sign of quality that will persist through years, but you can not have both the price and luxury.
You can swap the spring gun for any gas gun if you can match the price but for a secondary supportive gun you do not need more than a good old fashioned pump action shotgun.
Kids,cosplay and bottle shooting
If you are buying a shotgun for your kid or you want it to match the costume for cosplay, then the mentioned budget guns are a right pick as well. They look quite realistic from a far and people will have hard time distinguishing them from real guns unless they touch them.
The mentioned shotguns have good power and decent effective range, so you can take down any can or bottle in your garden as long as you have enough BBs to load in.
The efficiency of spring system is especially good for target practicing because the gas guns would cost too much, you are going to shoot way too much on the bottles and cans than in any competitive match, this is one of the reasons why gas guns are a great pick for competitive airsoft but not for simple fun.