In short
- Most airsoft shotguns are spring-powered. You pump, it fires. No battery, no gas, very little to go wrong.
- Tri-shot means three BBs per pump. Three thin barrels sit inside the one you see. A shell holds 30 BBs, the 6 mm plastic balls airsoft guns fire: ten shots.
- Gas adds speed and realism. A lighter pump and three or six BBs per shot, paid for in gas, upkeep and trouble on cold days.
- It is a close-range gun. Excellent in buildings, where a rifle's reach counts for little. In woodland you have to get close.
- In the UK: a RIF or a two-tone. A realistic-looking shotgun is only sold where the seller can show you skirmish; anyone of 18 or over can buy a brightly coloured two-tone.
Why play with a shotgun
An airsoft shotgun does one thing well: it puts BBs on a target a few steps away, every time, in any weather. With most airsoft shotguns you pull the fore-end back and push it forward, the pump, and the gun is cocked and loaded. There is no battery to charge and no gas to run out.
That is why shotguns are popular at British sites for CQB, close-quarters play in buildings: they sit under every power limit and ask for almost no maintenance. A pump-action is also one of the few cheap airsoft guns that hold their own in a real game, which makes it a fair answer for anyone searching for a first BB gun rifle on a small budget.
Five kinds of airsoft shotgun
Spring, one barrel
The cheapest kind: one BB per pump, fed from a small magazine or a tube, not from shells. Fine for trying a game day, soon outgrown.
Spring tri-shot
The standard. Three BBs per pump from a shell you push in underneath. Simple, tough and good indoors: the kind to buy first.
Gas, three or six BBs
Gas does the pushing, so the pump is light and quick, and some models let you choose three or six BBs per shot. Needs gas, which we cannot ship to the UK.
Shell-ejecting
Every shell holds a few BBs and flies out when you pump. As close to the real thing as airsoft gets, and you spend the day picking shells up.
Electric
A battery and motor fire three BBs at a time, automatically if you hold the trigger, from a box or drum magazine. Heavy, costly and a lot of BBs.
Spring pump-action and tri-shot
In a spring shotgun the pump does two jobs at once: it compresses a spring and it moves the next BBs from the shell into the barrels. Pull the trigger and the spring drives a piston forward, which pushes air behind the BBs.
A tri-shot has three thin inner barrels inside the one outer barrel, so every pump sends three BBs out together. Tokyo Marui builds its spring shotguns this way, and the CYMA models in the pictures fire three per pump as well.
- BBs per pump from the spring M3 Super 90, through three inner barrels
- 3
- BBs in one shell: ten shots of three
- 30
- BBs per shot from the gas M870 Tactical, chosen with a lever
- 3 or 6
- BBs in the magazine of the electric AA-12
- 93
Source: Tokyo Marui product pages: M3 Super 90, M870 Tactical, AA-12
Gas shotguns
A gas shotgun keeps the pump but lets gas do the pushing. The pump only loads the BBs, so it moves with a light touch. On the Tokyo Marui M870 the gas sits in a tank inside the stock that you can swap, and a lever sets three or six BBs per shot.
Gas brings its usual bill: you pay for the fuel, the rubber seals want silicone oil, and the power falls on a cold day. British buyers also have to find the gas locally.
Spring pump against gas shotgun
- Spring pump
- Gas shotgun
-
Low running cost
- Spring pump
- 5 out of 5
- Gas shotgun
- 2 out of 5
spring needs BBs and nothing else
-
Rate of fire
- Spring pump
- 2 out of 5
- Gas shotgun
- 4 out of 5
a gas pump is lighter and faster
-
Little upkeep
- Spring pump
- 5 out of 5
- Gas shotgun
- 2 out of 5
-
Behaviour in the cold
- Spring pump
- 5 out of 5
- Gas shotgun
- 2 out of 5
-
Realism
- Spring pump
- 3 out of 5
- Gas shotgun
- 4 out of 5
shell-ejecting gas models would score 5
-
Low weight
- Spring pump
- 4 out of 5
- Gas shotgun
- 3 out of 5
Shells, capacity and reloading
Loading a shell-fed shotgun
-
Fill the shell
Push BBs into the open end until it is full. A speedloader, a tube that pushes BBs in by the handful, saves your thumbs.
-
Open the loading flap
Turn the shotgun over. The flap sits underneath, where a real shotgun takes its cartridges.
-
Push the shell in until it locks
It only goes in one way round. Close the flap.
-
Pump and fire
Ten pumps later the shell is empty: press the release, take it out and put in the next one.
A complete shotgun kit
0 of 6 ticked
Shotguns in the webshop
Spring pumps in plastic and metal, and a few gas and electric models.
In stock, ships right away
Airsoft Rifle Saiga-12KShotguns in CQB and woodland
A spring shotgun indoors and outdoors
Indoors (CQB)
- Three BBs per pump forgive a hurried aim round a doorway.
- Always ready: no battery to die, no gas to cool down.
- Where a site allows only single shots indoors you lose nothing: a pump never fired bursts anyway.
- A short model turns in the tightest corridor.
In woodland
- A rifle out-reaches it, so you have to get close.
- Ten shots per shell, and reloading takes both hands.
- Light BBs are easily pushed aside by wind and leaves.
A shotgun does not win the long shot. It wins the doorway.
Outdoors a shotgun works best as a second gun on your back for buildings and bunkers, or for a player who enjoys sneaking up close. The low power that makes it welcome indoors also limits its reach.
Site rules and power
Sellers usually ask for a UKARA registration as the evidence that you skirmish: UKARA is the database of regular players that British shops check. A spring shotgun sits far below those power lines. As a rule of thumb each BB leaves with well under one joule, which is why it passes the chronograph, the device that measures BB speed, at practically every site.
Gas and electric models shoot harder and deserve a check against your site's limit. Site rules are separate from the law, so ask before you bring a gas shotgun on its six-BB setting or a model that throws its shells on the floor.
Picks per budget, new and used
Three budget classes, described by what you get
A plastic spring pump
A tri-shot with a plastic body. Light, cheap and good enough for a first indoor season.
CYMA in the webshopA metal spring tri-shot
The same mechanism in a metal body: heavier in the hands and more forgiving of rough use.
Shotguns in the webshopGas or electric
Tokyo Marui's gas M870 and its electric shotguns, for players who already know they like shotguns.
Tokyo Marui in the webshopShotguns in our webshop today
Live figures: how many there are, from which brands and where prices start.
- product in stock in Shotguns in the webshop
- 1
- lowest price of what is in stock in Shotguns
- €592
Airsoft Bazaar data Measured on 13 November 2026
Which shotgun for which job
How will you use it?
As my main gun indoors
A spring tri-shot with a full stock
The stock steadies your aim. Add five shells and a sling and you are set.
Shotguns in the webshopAs a back-up outdoors
A short pump with a pistol grip
Small enough to hang on your back next to a rifle, and there when you reach a building.
Slings in the webshopFor the pumping and the shells
A gas or shell-ejecting model
Bought for the handling, not for results. On a used one, ask whether it holds gas overnight.
Used gas gunsAs a cheap first gun
A spring pump, new or used
Little can be wrong with a used one, so second-hand is a safe way to save.
Used spring gunsUpkeep and the usual faults
When a spring shotgun misbehaves
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Pump locks or nothing fires | The pump was not moved through its full travel | Pump fully back and fully forward |
| Fewer than three BBs come out | A dirty barrel or a worn shell | Clean all three barrels; try another shell |
| BBs spill when you load the shell | The lip or spring of the shell is worn | Replace the shell |
| Shots drop short | Dry or dirty rubbers in the barrels | Clean, and use fresh BBs of 0.20 g |
Buying one of the used spring guns? Ask for a short video of it firing at a sheet of paper: three holes per shot tell you all three barrels work. Look for cracks where the stock meets the body on plastic models, and count the shells that come with it.
Used spring guns on the marketplace
Shotguns and sniper rifles from other players.
Frequently asked questions
How does an airsoft shotgun work?
Most are spring-powered. Pumping the fore-end compresses a spring and loads BBs from a shell into the barrels; the trigger releases the spring, and a piston pushes air behind the BBs. Gas shotguns use gas for the shot, electric ones a battery and motor.
What is a tri-shot shotgun?
A shotgun that fires three BBs with every shot. It has three thin inner barrels inside the outer barrel, each with its own BB. A standard shell holds 30 BBs, so one shell gives ten shots.
Are airsoft shotguns good for CQB?
Yes, CQB airsoft is where they are at their best. Distances are short, three BBs per shot make up for a hurried aim, and a spring shotgun is under every indoor power limit. The price is ten shots per shell and a reload that takes both hands.
Spring or gas shotgun: which should I buy?
Spring first. It is cheap, works in any weather and needs almost no care. Buy gas when you want the lighter, faster pump or six BBs per shot and accept the cost of gas and the upkeep; in the UK you also buy that gas locally.
What shells and BBs do I need?
Shells made for your model, four to six of them for an indoor game, and good 0.20 g BBs. Heavier BBs lose too much speed in a low-powered spring shotgun. Use biodegradable BBs where the site asks for them.
Are shotguns allowed on every site?
A spring pump-action rarely raises a question: its power is low and it fires one shot per pump. Gas models, six-BB settings and shell-ejecting shotguns are where a site may have its own rule. Ask the site before the game day.
Sources
- M3 Super 90 (air shotgun) Tokyo Marui, 12 November 2026
- M870 Tactical (gas shotgun) Tokyo Marui, 12 November 2026
- AA-12 (electric shotgun) Tokyo Marui, 12 November 2026
- Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, sections 36 and 38 legislation.gov.uk, 12 November 2026
- Firearms Act 1968, sections 24A and 57A legislation.gov.uk, 12 November 2026
2 more sources
- Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004, Schedule 1 legislation.gov.uk, 12 November 2026
- Player registration UKARA, 12 November 2026
