In Red Dead Online, there’s nothing more badass than a renegade shotgun maniac. In PvP, they’re the lunatics sprinting across the map with dual-wielding sawed-off shotguns, peppering players in their faces. In PvE, they’re blasting holes in huge swarms of enemy NPCs, one slug at a time.

Shotguns are long-barreled and typically smoothbore firearms that fire a straight-walled projectile (buckshot & slugs) and are absolute staples in the Red Dead Online arsenal. In fact, calling “shotgun!” to claim the front seat of a car originates from the ‘shotgun guard’ position for wagon transportation back in Red Dead times. So, the next time you and a friend hop on a wagon in RDO, make sure one of you calls “shotgun!” And don’t forget to bring one too.

RDO has its share of excellent scatterguns, partner. Each one with its own benefits and choosing the best one ultimately depends on your playstyle. Without further ado, let’s look at the Top 5 Shotguns in RDO.

5. Double-Barreled Shotgun

It's too classic not to have

Watch the Double splatter some folks

The double-barreled shotgun is… well, just that… a double-barreled shotgun. An absolute beast of a weapon, this scattergun flexes the highest damage. This classic break-action shotgun has a mere 2-round ammo capacity, but if you’re close to your enemy one shot is all you need.

The double-barreled shotgun is a must have for any player, it’s a classic and beautiful ‘peppergun.’ Fully customizable and upgradable at the gunsmith and can be downright lethal in PvP. Use the Paint it Black ability card to make up for the shotguns’ range and accuracy limitations.

• Highest Damage
• Customizable and upgradable
• Great for PvP, especially when paired with Paint it Black

Double-Barrel Shotgun Stats (based on the chart in the Wheeler, Rawson, & Co. Catalogue chart)

• Damage- 2.5/44
• Range- 1.3/4
• Fire Rate- 2.3/4
• Accuracy- 1.1/4
• Reload- 1.8/4

Available at Rank 30

Can be Purchased for $185 or 8 Gold Bars at the Gunsmith/Catalogue

4. Sawed-Off Shotgun

Dual-wield these puppies like a true maniac

Watch the Saw-Off go off

The Sawed-Off is a double-barreled shotgun, but with a shorter barrel. The stats are the same as the Double-Barrel except with worse range and accuracy, which is expected with shorter barrels.

You can dual-wield Sawed-Offs which is a truly  terrifying spectacle to behold. And this gives the Sawed-Off a slight edge on the Double-Barreled, having an extra 2 rounds can be the difference between life and death in RDO. And with its high damage and fire rate, dual-wielding Sawed-Offs makes it an incredibly deadly option for PvP.

• Dual-wield capable
• High fire rate and high damage
• 4 rounds (potentially)
• You look terribly intimidating wielding two Sawed-Off Shotguns

Sawed-Off Shotgun Stats (based on the Wheeler, Rawson, and Co. Catalogue chart)

• Damage- 2.5/4
• Range- 1.2/4
• Fire Rate- 2.3/4
• Accuracy- 1/4
• Reload- 2/4

Available at Rank 19

Can be purchased for $111 or 5 Gold Bars at the Gunsmith/Catalogue

 3. Semi-Automatic Shotgun

So expensive, is it really worth it? Yeah, it is

Check out the Semi-Auto shotgun

The priciest shotgun in the game, coming in at $540. Which is understandable because it has some good stats attached. Being semi-automatic, naturally this shotgun has a high fire rate and a 5-round ammo capacity, so you can pepper numerous enemies in quick succession.

The Semi-Automatic shotgun’s high accuracy, fire rate, ammo capacity, and reload makes it an excellent weapon for PvE gameplay. It has a low damage rate (for a shotgun at least) but its other stats make it a perfect weapon for long shoot outs against large hordes of NPC enemies—very good for Call to Arms matches.

• Fast fire rate… I mean it’s a semi-automatic shotgun
• 5 Round Ammo Capacity
• Highest Accuracy for Shotguns

Semi-Auto Shotgun stats (based on the Wheeler, Rawson, and Co. Catalogue chart)

• Damage- 2.2/4
• Range- 1.4/4
• Fire Rate- 2.1/4
• Accuracy- 1.6/4
• Reload- 2.1/4

Available at Rank 42

Can be purchased for $540 or 22 Gold Bars at the Gunsmith/Catalogue

 2. Repeating Shotgun

It's basically the Semi-Auto shotgun, but more affordable

Watch the Repeating Shotgun pepper some peeps

Part repeater and part shotgun makes this weapon pretty sweet. The Repeating shotgun has very similar stats to the Semi-Auto shotgun, its advantage is it does slightly more damage and reloads much quicker. The main drawback being is its accuracy, so use Paint it Black for that 100% accuracy.

I think the Repeating and Semi-Auto could be used interchangeably, but I put preference on the Repeating. You can upgrade the barrel to help the accuracy issue, plus the Repeating unlocks much earlier and costs $100 less than the Semi-Auto.

• Ammo capacity of 6—highest amongst shotguns
• Fastest reload rate
• Lever-action shotgun is pretty damn cool

Repeating Shotgun Stats (based on the Wheeler, Rawson, and Co. Catalogue chart)

• Damage- 2.4/4
• Range- 1.4/4
• Fire Rate- 2/4
• Accuracy- 1.3/4
• Reload- 2.5/4

Available at Rank 11

Can be purchased for $434 or 18 Gold Bars at the Gunsmith/Catalogue

 1. Pump-Action Shotgun

Shotguns are meant to be pump-action

Watch the Pump-Action Shotgun and all its glory

Yup, it’s gotta be the Pump! A super biased pick on my part but I absolutely love this shotgun. I also fancy the Double-Barreled over the futuristic and innovative Repeating and Semi-Auto because I like the classics and ‘old-school cool.’ But if you are going solely based on stats, the Semi or Repeating would be the way to go… probably.

I mean… who doesn’t love a classic Pump-Action shotgun though? Visually, it’s lovely and is highly customizable at the gunsmith, plus it’s fully upgradable so you can boost the stats a tad. Statistically, it is a well-balanced scattergun and unlocking it at Rank 6 for just $266 isn’t a bad deal either. The Repeating unlocks at Rank 11, but the $434 price tag makes it a tough buy for early players.

It’s a classic pump-action scattergun… nuff said

Highly customizable with a couple variants

High damage

5-round ammo capacity

Pump-Action Shotgun stats (based on the Wheeler, Rawson, and Co. chart)

• Damage- 2.4/4
• Range- 1.3/4
• Fire Rate- 1.9/4
• Accuracy- 1.4/4
• Reload- 2.3/3

Available at Rank 5

Can be purchased for $266 or 11 Gold Bars at the Gunsmith/Catalogue

Also Be Sure To Read:

• [Top 5] Red Dead Online Best Revolvers And How To Get Them
• [Top 5] Red Dead Online Shotguns And How To Get Them
• [Top 10] Red Dead Online Ability Cards for PvP
• Red Dead Online Beginner Guide [Top 25 Tips for Beginners]