Shotguns remain one of the most lethal weapon categories in the game because of their huge one-shot potential in the close to mid range. In this Hunt: Showdown Shotgun tier list, we’ll break down the strengths and weaknesses of each shotgun, taking into account key factors like one-shot kill potential, fire rate, and how well they handle under pressure since in general single-shot shotguns are much more cumbersome to use. From devastating slugs to classic buckshot, this tier list will help you decide which shotgun best suits your playstyle and give you the edge in your next match.
Shotgun Tier List Criteria
When ranking the shotguns, we consider several key factors that impact their overall effectiveness in-game:
- One-Shot Kill Range – How far can the shotgun reliably one-tap an enemy, especially with buckshot and slugs?
- Fire Rate – The speed at which the shotgun can fire consecutive shots, crucial in close-quarter encounters.
- Reload Speed – How quickly can the shotgun be reloaded, especially when under pressure in a firefight?
- Ammo Types – The versatility of different ammo options, including buckshot, slugs, and special rounds.
- Handling & Accuracy – How well the shotgun performs in terms of aiming, bullet spread, and effectiveness at different ranges.
- Utility & Traits – Synergy with traits that enhance the shotgun's combat effectiveness.
These criteria help determine where each shotgun ranks in terms of reliability, versatility, and overall performance.
Hunt Shotgun Tier List
S
Auto-5
A widely popular shotgun that frequently appears in 6-star lobbies, serving as a testament to its power. The Auto-5 (also known as Crown & King) is a semi-auto long-barrel shotgun with a 5-round magazine. It can wipe teams quickly, with a one-shot range of 30 meters using Buckshot. Slugs turn it into a makeshift rifle, especially with a 30-meter drop range. The high fire rate also means you'll be burning through ammo, making it essential to carry an Ammo Box with this shotgun.
A
Rival 78
The Rival’s ability to fire two shots in quick succession before reloading makes it a strong choice. With a one-shot range of up to 13 meters, it’s deadly in close-quarters, especially if you miss your first shot. The "Shorty" version is a quite popular medium slot shotgun paired with long range guns that require a way of dealing with close combat enemies.
Terminus
The Terminus being a lever-action repeating shotgun means it benefits greatly from the Levering trait, and is often not picked without having it. The shotgun has a decent one-shot range and is an absolute beast. With a fast fire rate and high magazine capacity, it excels at Buckshot gameplay, making it one of the best shotguns in the game and can easily compete in the S tier. However, if you play it without Levering, it becomes tough to use and somewhat of a C-tier weapon.
B
Specter 1882
The base, unmodified Specter 1882 has tight bullet spread and one-tap range of 15 meters but has wasteful reloads and has limited fire rate due to the inability to use Levering with it, limiting the gun's potential.
Slate
The Slate is a pump-action shotgun with high damage and fire rate, but at the cost of high bullet spread. It does however pair very well with Slugs ammo currently, which give it decent one-tap range.
Romero 77 Alamo
The Alamo is a modified Romero 77 that has an added magazine and loader which improve the usability of the gun greatly. While the rate of fire and cycle time go down, the Alamo modification provides a lot of quality of life, making the gun more usable for most players.
C
Romero 77
The Romero 77 is a break-action shotgun with a single barrel. It has a long one-shot range but slow fire rate and reload speed which make it way too risky to use if you're looking to consistently win shootouts.
D
Romero 77 Talon
The Talon version of the Romero 77 brings a modification that offers a mounted stock blade, this also adds more recoil and lowers the muzzle velocity with really no upside other than the fact that you can run into enemies and melee them if you fail your shot.
Specter 1882 Bayonet
The Specter 1882 Bayonet is a melee-modified base Specter 1882. The modification comes at a cost, with the gun having less damage and 20% more bullet spread among other things. The modification is really never worth it and you're better off getting the base gun instead.
