12 Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun

SS1
SSHD
SS3
SSBD
SS4

12 Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun

Production information

Type

Pump action shotgun

Affiliation

Earth Defense Force

Model

Technical specifications

Magazine / reload type

10-round clip magazine (SS3)
15-round clip magazine (SS3 Serious Sam Fusion version)
8-round internal tube magazine (Serious Sam's Bogus Detour)

Magazine size

10 rounds (SS3)
15 rounds (SS3 Serious Sam Fusion version)
8 rounds (SSBD)

Ammunition type

12 gauge buckshot shells

Maximum ammunition

100 shells

Damage

Main series:

10 per pellet, 7 pellets fired per shot (70 total damage)

SSBD:

5-50 per pellet, depending on range

Rate of fire

Main series:

52 RPM (1 shot / 1.15 sec)

Virtual reality ports:

Variable

Projectile speed	Operation
Hitscan	Pump action

Recoil	Spread
Low-medium	Medium

Accuracy	Range
Fair	Low to medium, effectiveness decreases with distance

Usage

Used by

Sam Stone
Mikhail Obruchev
Kenneth Orkanti
Paolo
Earth Defense Force soldiers
French Resistance members
Cloned Soldiers
Any playable character (Co-op/versus mode)

Counterparts

Other shotguns

Game information

Entity name

SingleShotgun (other games)
Remington_870 (SS3)

First appearance

Serious Sam: The First Encounter

Last appearance

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem

"Ah, my old love!"

―Sam Stone^[src]

The 12 Gauge Pump-Action Shotgun, Single Shotgun or just Shotgun, is a single-barreled shotgun that uses buckshot shells and fires seven pellets in a rectangular-shaped pattern.

The weapon is used by Serious Sam in most games, but is also used by Cloned Shotgunners in Serious Sam 3: BFE and Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope, as well as by a few characters and NPCs in Serious Sam 4 and Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem. Along with the M29 Infantry Assault Rifle and the SOP38 Pistol, the shotgun is one of many standard-issue weapons used by the Earth Defense Force.^[1]

Overview[]

The pump action shotgun has been standardized military equipment since the year 2094. Originally designed for use in the offworld colonies, it is optimized for durability and ease of use with an emphasis on maintenance and repair under harsh and dirty conditions.^[2] The weapon uses 12-gauge buckshot shells, which are effective for elimating groups of hostiles at low to medium range. While the shotgun excels in firerate and range, it is far weaker in terms of firepower compared to the more powerful coach gun, so it best reserved for elimination of groups of weak enemies or against medium opponents, or during times when ammunition for other weapons is scarce.^[3] The shotgun's pump action mechanism allows for fast, efficient reloading and a decent overall rate of fire.^[3]

The shotgun fires one shell every time the fire key is pressed. Being pump action, the shotgun has a short delay between shots as the weapon has to be pumped every time it is fired. Unlike the coach gun, the pump action shotgun has a higher rate of fire, better range and is more accurate than the latter, with each pellet dealing ten points, making a maximum total of 70 damage if all the pellets connect.

The shotgun's appearance and function is not the same in all of its appearances:

In Serious Sam: The First Encounter and Serious Sam: The Second Encounter, the shotgun does not feature a magazine, so the player can continue to fire the weapon until they run out of shells.
In Serious Sam 3: BFE, the shotgun functions almost identically to its previous incarnation, with the exception that it must now be reloaded after it has expended its magazine. Its pellet spread allows it to only hit things from point-blank to medium range. In the Serious Sam Fusion version of the game, the shotgun has been improved to carry a maximum of 15 shells per magazine, with a faster reload speed, much tighter spread (done by decreasing the x,y pattern spread from [1,1] to [0.4,0.1]), and increased range overall, which makes the shotgun a much more versatile weapon than before.
In Serious Sam's Bogus Detour, the shotgun has been given a surprisingly tight spread, enabling the pellets to travel some distance. Like the Serious Sam 3 version, the shotgun has to be manually reloaded, though the shells are inserted into the shotgun rather than using a clip magazine. The shotgun also has a much higher rate of fire.
In Serious Sam 4, the shotgun behaves much more like it does in both the First Encounter and Second Encounter, with roughly the same range and spread. The weapon also no longer features a magazine or has to be manually reloaded. Like several other weapons in the game, the shotgun comes with a weapon upgrade, which is fired with the secondary fire key. This upgrade, a grenade launcher, combined with the weapon's great range and reload speed, makes it an efficient weapon for the first levels.

Alternate fire mode[]

In Serious Sam 4 and Siberian Mayhem, the shotgun can be fitted with an underbarrel grenade launcher, which serves as a weapon upgrade.^[2] The grenades are fired with the secondary fire key and can deal a high amount of damage to any target that the grenade comes into contact with. However, these grenades have a weaker splash damage than other explosive projectiles and have a smaller blast radius. In Serious Sam 4, this upgrade can only be acquired after completing the "Thin Red Line" side objective in the level Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

In Siberian Mayhem, unlike the previous game, this upgrade is acquired normally in the campaign, on the first level, A Smell Of Petroleum Prevails.

Appearances[]

Aside from the small-arms the player usually starts off with, the pump-action shotgun is often the second firearm acquired in the series, with it usually appearing on the first or second levels of the game it appears in. It can also be found in secrets. The shotgun is a very common weapon, and ammo for it can be found on pretty much every level.

Serious Sam: The First Encounter[]

The shotgun is first acquired in the first level of the game, "Temple of Hatshepsut". Ammo for the weapon appears on pretty much every level afterwards.

Serious Sam: The Second Encounter[]

The shotgun appears in the first level of the game, "Sierra de Chiapas", in the middle of some ruins. In the Babylonian era, it appears in "Ziggurat" alongside the P-LAH Chainsaw and a second Colt. In the Medieval era, the weapon appears for the final time in "The Citadel" at the player's starting point.

The shotgun appears three times throughout the campaign. It is first acquired in "Death from Above", a second time in "A Breakfast in France", and then for the final time in "The Package". The shotgun's weapon upgrade is acquired in the level "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" after completing the "Thin Red Line" side objective.

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

The shotgun only appears on the first level, "A Smell Of Petroleum Prevails", along with an equipment case containing its grenade launcher upgrade.

Upgrades[]

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour[]

	Accurate Boomsticks
	Your shotguns will fire with less spread and at a longer range.

Serious Sam 4[]

	Grenade Launcher Attachment
	This grenade launcher attachment can be mounted onto the Single Shotgun, allowing the user to launch grenades as a secondary fire option.

Tactics[]

General[]

While the pump shotgun has a good rate of fire compared to the coach gun, it has significantly less firepower, so it should be generally be used against weak enemies, such as Beheaded Kamikazes, Beheaded Rocketeers and male Gnaars. It usually takes one shot to down the beheaded enemies at up to medium range and one shot to kill a male Gnaar at close range.
The pump shotgun is also effective against single Kleer Skeletons. Approximately two shots at close range will be sufficient. However, this makes it ineffective against large hordes, due to the impossibility to kill each in a single shot.
The pump shotgun is notably ineffective on enemies stronger than a Kleer Skeleton. Even wounded stronger enemies will absorb more than a few shots if the player intends to finish them off.
The weapon can be used to finish off the latter enemy or a female Gnaar that has been significantly damaged by the coach gun. This helps to preserve shells, especially early in the game, when shells can be somewhat limited depending on the difficulty.
It is quite a useful weapon against lone Sirian Werebulls; four shots at close range from this weapon are sufficent to kill one.

Serious Sam: The First Encounter/Serious Sam: The Second Encounter[]

The pump shotgun can be used against small amounts of Scythian Witch-Harpies at close or medium range. The shell spread is tight enough to hit her at medium range and its rate of fire is quick enough to engage them at close range.
The shotgun is useful against single juvenile Arachnoids, as their relatively low health and their tendency to flinch when damaged allows the player to take them out before they can even fire on the player.
With Serious Damage active, the shotgun becomes a lethal weapon and can be used to dispatch medium targets like Arachnoids, Common Aludran Reptiloids, Minor Bio-mechanoids, and Zumb'uls with relative ease. It also works very well against Kleers, being able to take them out in a single shot at close range.
- Against larger targets like Major Bio-mechanoids and big Lava Golems, the weapon, assuming Serious Damage is active, is less effective but can still take out bigger enemies without expending too much ammo. The only non-boss exceptions are the Highlander Aludran Reptiloid and Highlander's Bride, which have too much health and deal too much melee damage to justify even using a Serious Damage-boosted pump shotgun on them. On the other hand, their massive size allows the pump shotgun to almost never miss against them even when considering its rather wide spread.

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

The shotgun's relatively fast rate of fire and somewhat-low spread makes it handy against weak enemies, such as Beheaded Kamikazes, Beheaded Rocketeers, Cloned Soldiers, Gnaars, and Hatchling Antaresian Spiders. Even groups of them can be cleared out quickly thanks to its good rate of fire.
Make sure to reload often. 10 rounds can be burned through quickly when not paying attention, so it is a good idea to tactically reload.
- If playing in the Fusion version, the player doesn't need to reload as often thanks to the shotgun's slightly larger magazine.
It is usually too weak to use against anything more powerful than a Kleer Skeleton unless the player is forced to use it, such as in the boss fights against the Adult Arachnoid and Major Bio-mechanoid or the Sirian Werebull miniboss. However even after that, with proper cover, it can (and without secrets, must) be used to fight against single Adult Arachnoids in the early levels.
This is an excellent weapon to use against Aurigan Cave Demons, and preferably a better option than the M29 Infantry Assault Rifle or SOP38 Pistol. A Cave Demon's health is low enough that a single close range shot will dispatch it, and the weapon's rate of fire is fast enough that it's possible to squeeze out a second shot quickly if one shot doesn't guarantee a kill on the first attempt.
- There is a slim chance that some pellets will land on a Cave Demon even if it is concealed behind a pillar. However, this largely depends on the Cave Demon's position and angle when the player is firing at it.
It is useful against small groups of Hatchling Arachnoids, as only two close-range shots are needed to kill one. It is not effective against many Hatchlings, however, as they can easily overwhelm the player, which makes the shotgun obsolete against large groups.
Much like its classic counterpart, it takes two close to medium range shots to kill a Gnaar, though the player can wound it with a shot from the pistol and then finish it off with the shotgun for an easy kill. This also helps to conserve ammo.

Serious Sam's Bogus Detour[]

The shotgun is one of the most effective weapons in the game, as the weapon's spread is tight enough to hit enemies at up to medium range, and it does a lot of damage per pellet fired. Its ammunition can also be found in abundance.
It is a very effective crowd-control weapon against masses of weak enemies like Gnaars, Kamikazes, Kleers, or Orc Troopers. This can be useful when the player needs to clear out rooms of lots of weak enemies clustered together.
The shotgun can become an even more effective weapon once the player has acquired several weapon upgrades.
The weapon is also effective against Minor Bio-mechanoids, provided that the player is close to it and fast enough to dodge its lasers. As Minors tend to appear in groups, though, it is best reserved for individuals.

Serious Sam 4/Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

The shotgun is an ideal weapon against light targets such as Aludran Microhoppers, Beheaded Bombers, Beheaded Firecrackers, Beheaded Kamikazes, Beheaded Rocketeers, male and female Gnaars, Processed Anthropolyps and Octanian Gamma Troopers, being able to take them out in a single shot at close to medium range.
When dual-wielded, the shotgun behaves just like the coach gun if they are both fired at the same time, with the exception of having much better accuracy and range. This can make dual-wielded pump shotguns a more reliable and versatile choice when dealing with enemies that are too far to land a good hit with the coach gun, especially against fast enemies like Kleer Skeletons and Sirian Werebulls.
- This also makes it easier to finish off Sirian Werebulls and other enemies a bit further away than usual; two pump shotgun blasts to a Werebull's head at the same time will finish it off without needing to be right next to the Werebull, unlike when using the coach gun.
The shotgun is a good weapon to use against Zubenhakrabian Spider Nymphs, especially if there are only a few of them. However, they are often released in large hordes whenever they are encountered, so the gun's rate of fire may leave the player vulnerable to being swarmed by them. It is sometimes better to use the shotgun's grenade launcher against them for larger groups.
It is effective at clearing out small groups of weak enemies clustered together.
It is a great weapon against Emetic Anthropolyps, but the player needs to keep their distance when shooting them at close range, as they will explode shortly after they are killed.
The shotgun can deal a great amount of damage to enemies if they are shot in the head with the shotgun. This is especially true for medium enemies like Adult Arachnoids and Hatchling Arachnoids and tougher enemies like Aludran Reptiloids and Scrapjacks.

Behind the scenes[]

In Test 1, the shotgun had a different firing sound compared to the one heard in the final version of Serious Sam 1.
Also in Test 1, the shotgun's pump was placed correctly. However, in the final version, the pump was replaced incorrectly. This is fixed in Serious Sam: Xbox and Serious Sam HD.
During the pre-Alpha stage of Serious Sam 4, the shotgun used a different model that was very similar to its Serious Sam 3 incarnation. This version of the shotgun featured a different pumping animation, and was also magazine-fed.^[4] This was eventually scrapped in favor of a shotgun that didn't have to be reloaded when the final version of the game was released.
- Additionally, when NPCs use this weapon in Serious Sam 4, a reloading sound can be heard, despite the weapon not being magazine-fed. This is likely leftover code from the pre-Alpha phase.

Related achievements[]

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

Up Close and Personal	b

Gib 20 enemies from close range with a shotgun.

Serious Sam VR: The First Encounter[]

I love my Shotguns

Kill 250 Enemies with a shotgun.

Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE[]

Up Close and Personal

Gib 20 enemies from close range with a shotgun.

Serious Sam Fusion[]

I love my Shotguns

Kill 250 Enemies with a shotgun.

Up Close and Personal

Gib 20 enemies from close range with a shotgun.

Trivia[]

Serious Sam 1[]

Sam does not physically pump the gun between shots. Sam's hand does not move, though the handle does. This is fixed in Serious Sam 3 and subsequent releases.
The shotgun in Serious Sam: Xbox has a different, slightly improved model than the classic version.
The Serious Sam HD and Serious Sam VR versions of the shotgun do not eject a shell between shots.
The shotgun's model appears to be a combination of the Remington 870 Police Magnum and a Mossberg 500 Cruiser.

Serious Sam 3: BFE[]

The shotgun is modeled after the Remington 870 MCS Tactical, but has had its stock removed.
- It is also called "Remington870" in the game files.
The shotgun has a number of key differences that separate it from its other game counterparts:
- The shotgun holds 10 shells (15 in Fusion) in its magazine, but realistically, the magazine's size is only just big enough to hold 3-4 shells.
- Despite using 12-gauge shells, the weapon's magazine receiver sports a label for 5.56x45 NATO rounds.
- The shotgun's iron sights resemble the M1014's iron sights.
- Despite its realistic appearance, the shotgun's pellet spread retains the fixed rectangular shape like in previous games. This is still the case in Serious Sam Fusion, albeit not as obvious given the shotgun's much tighter pellet spread.
The shotgun has a side saddle for carrying shells, but it serves no purpose in-game.

Serious Sam 4/Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

When the player picks up the shotgun for the first time, the weapon has a unique first-person animation which shows Sam admiring the weapon. Shortly after, he pumps the shotgun, despite not having fired a round initially; this is most likely to prepare the weapon for firing beforehand.