M90 Assault Shotgun

The M90 Mk.I Shotgun is a United Nations Space Command firearm. The M90 Shotgun is the resident UNSC close combat weapon, and packs extreme stopping power at close ranges. It is often wielded in urban conditions, where the close ranges are conducive to the shotgun's mode of operation. The shotgun also makes a perfect defense weapon to fend off Covenant boarding parties inside starships.

The weapon's power lies in the great stopping power of a cloud of buckshot, which, on the other hand, is useless at long ranges. However, it should be noted that experienced shotgun users can engage enemies at medium ranges with a shotgun, although this proficiency is uncommon.

Advantages

Since the shotgun fires 15 spreading pellets per shot (in Halo 2, it fires fewer pellets and in random amounts), the combined force of each relatively weak pellet does a significant amount of damage. Its high damage potential (as much as a rocket in Halo 1 at close range) makes it effective against almost any Covenant unit (even the Hunter, if shot in its exposed back), but only if the player can get close enough to render the gun effective. The shotgun can also be used, though not necessarily effectively, against all manner of vehicles, and many players consider it the ideal weapon with which to destroy Banshees which happen to be within the shotgun's effective range. In addition, this weapon is extremely effective against all forms of Flood at short and medium ranges. The shotgun also reloads in a different manner than the rest of the weapons in Halo. Each round is put into the shotgun, one-by-one, so reloading all twelve shells at one time may take a while. However, the player may interrupt the reloading process at any time and fire with however many rounds are currently loaded into the weapon. Another popular way of firing the shotgun involves inserting a shell, firing, and then inserting another shell, etc. While this takes slightly longer, it has the advantage of always having eleven shells chambered. Apart from that it is devastating in close combat, stronger than an Energy Sword swipe, but slightly weaker than the Energy Sword lunge.

Disadvantages

Halo 1

Although many skilled players are able to hit a target at almost any distance using this weapon, the shotgun's greatest limiting factor is its range, making it useless in any wide-open terrain. Ammunition for this weapon is also sometimes difficult to come by in single-player.

Halo 2

Due to its significantly reduced ammo capacity and shortened range, the shotgun in Halo 2 has a low effective range of about 7-12 feet, making it practically useless on larger maps such as coagulation or containment.

File:Halo3shotgun.jpg

The Shotgun in Halo 3 Beta.

Influence

The mechanical design of the M90 shotgun is loosely based on the South African Neostead shotgun which features dual six-round top-loaded magazines. Its pump mechanism operates in a forward-back motion, due to its rear-load configuration (rather than normal back-forward motion). The weapon features two integral tube magazines with a total capacity of twelve rounds (6+6+1) and ambidextrous bottom ejecting shells. It is chambered for standard 12-Gauge 2.75-inch cartridges. The aesthetic design is a composite of multiple pump-action designs.

Multiplayer Role

The shotgun's effectiveness in multiplayer games varies depending on the terrain; indoors and in tight spaces, it is considered by many players to be the weapon par excellence. Many players carry the shotgun and a long range weapon, such as the Pistol or Battle Rifle, thus making for a more flexible arsenal. Continuous firing by using the magazine and loading one shell then firing does not affect the rate of fire significantly, prompting a few players to employ a tactic dubbed "shotgun sniping" as suppressive fire across medium-sized maps. On the Internet, many games are shotguns only, with most of these battles being set in the map Battle Creek (Level).

File:Spartan with Shotgun.jpg

Spartan with Shotgun in Halo 3.

Appearances

The Shotgun appeared in Halo. The shotgun had blue sights on the tip and top of the weapon. In Halo 2 the color changed to green. It also appeared much blacker. In Halo 2 also, Brutes are seen wielding it. This weapon is to return in Halo 3. It also seems to have returned to the original blue lights on the sights, although from the ViDoc Et Tu, Brute?, it returns the feature of blue iron sights from Halo with an added flashlight to the side of the foregrip. (In Halo and Halo 2 the shotgun has the flash light attached/embedded under the the foregrip) It features Halo 2's flat black color.

File:H3 m90.jpg

The shotgun in Et tu Brute

Ammo

The M90 Shotgun uses 8-gauge 3.5" Magnum Buckshot shells. This type of shotgun shell is not even produced in modern times, as 8-gauge shotguns were simply too cumbersome, among other reasons. The shells would also produce tremendous recoil, and would be painful for most shooters.

Character Compatibility

• Spartans
• Marines
• Elites
• Brutes
• Jackals(have animation but not used)
• Drones (have animation but not used)
• Flood Combat Form (Human)
• Flood Combat Form (Elite)

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