Shotguns in Project Zomboid

Build 42 has five shotguns, all firing 12 gauge shells and all needing both hands. Three are full-length guns and two are sawed-off versions of them. The JS-3T Tactical Shotgun is the newest, added in build 42.15 as a police model of the JS-2000 with a bigger tube and more weight.

Damage, range, capacity and hit chance come from two fan sites reading 42.19 to 42.22 game files. One lists damage as a min-to-max range and the other as a single average (1.85 for full-length guns), which works out the same. Jam chances come from one source only. All five have a sound radius of 200. For pistols and the general rules of gun handling, see the firearms guide.

You do not usually find sawed-off shotguns ready-made. You make them from a full-length JS-2000 or Double Barrel by cutting the barrel with a saw through the crafting menu. Older guides say a plain saw is enough. We could not confirm the exact Build 42 recipe, tool or any skill needed, so look it up in the crafting menu before you cut a good gun.

Cutting the barrel trades range and damage for an easier shot:

• Sawed-off JS-2000: range drops from 12 to 10 tiles, damage drops a little, and hit chance rises from 65 to 70. It is also lighter, at 3.0 weight (one source).
• Sawed-off Double Barrel: range drops from 15 to 8 tiles and damage falls further. It keeps the zero jam chance and spreads its pellets more widely.

A sawed-off is not a one-handed pistol in Build 42. It still uses both hands and leaves no hand free for a flashlight. It also cannot take choke tubes, though the sawed-off JS-2000 can still take ammo straps.

Opinion Saw one off only if you have a spare and want something lighter for clearing houses. Most players are better off keeping the full-length gun.

Every shotgun shell fires 9 pellets, and one blast can hit up to 9 zombies. Treat that as a ceiling, not something you can expect. How many zombies you actually hit depends on how wide the spread is, how far away they are, and how tightly they are bunched. A line of zombies coming through a doorway at 3 to 5 tiles gives the best results. Zombies scattered at the edge of your range will each take only a pellet or two, if anything.

The Double Barrel spreads its pellets more tightly than the JS-2000, which is part of why it has the longest range. Two choke tubes narrow the spread on the JS-2000 and Double Barrel only:

The choke figures come from one source (one source). For every part that fits, see gun attachments. Many players found shotguns weaker in Build 42 than in Build 41. That is because aim, moodles, weather and headgear now affect each shot more, so a low Aiming level shows up clearly. You can raise Aiming with the methods on skill leveling.

All five shotguns have a sound radius of 200 tiles at the default Firearm Noise setting. That makes them the loudest long guns in the game. Rifles sit between 70 and 170. One blast in a town can pull every zombie from several blocks away, so plan where you will retreat before you fire. The sandbox Firearm Noise Multiplier scales this radius up or down. See sandbox settings.

Sawing a shotgun off does not make it quieter, because the sawed-off versions keep the same 200 radius. If noise is a problem, read hordes to understand what a shot will bring before you fire it.

Every shotgun uses the same 12 gauge shell, so one stack of ammo feeds all of them. You find shells most often in gun stores, police stations and garages. The gun locations page lists the best spots. The 42.14 ammunition rework merged and renamed several ammo types, so very old ammo names in guides may be out of date. To make your own shells, see ammo crafting.

• The JS-2000, JS-3T and sawed-off JS-2000 load loose shells one at a time. Reloading skill speeds this up.
• Ammo straps (sling slot, no screwdriver) reduce reload time on most shotguns.
• Build 42.15 fixed a bug where the Double Barrel used up two shells for each shot.

Keep damaged shotguns in good shape by using spares as donors. The JS-2000, its sawed-off version and the JS-3T can repair each other at Aiming 2 (one source). See maintenance.

Opinion Use a shotgun when you are in trouble, not as your everyday weapon. It is the best tool when a group has you cornered, when a fence line is about to give way, or when you are clearing a chokepoint you picked ahead of time. The pick for each job:

• First gun: JS-2000. It is common and holds five shells.
• Crowds: JS-3T, if you can find one. Seven shells means fewer reloads.
• Reliability: Double Barrel. It never jams and has the longest reach, but you must reload after two shots.

Melee stays the safer choice for one or two zombies, because every shot brings more. For other options, compare best weapons and the general tactics in combat.