Guide for 16 Key Parts of a Shotgun: Names Functions & Diagram

A shotgun is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub-projectiles called shot or sometimes a single solid projectile called a slug. The various parts of a shotgun make it a complete assembly to use in battle. We can find diverse manufacturers in the market that create different shotgun parts and do assembly. In this article, we will study all those parts and their functions.

Shotgun Parts Diagram

Parts of a Shotgun Names

Barrels
Extractors
Bolt
Top Lever
Safety Thumb Piece
Trigger Guard
Trigger
Hammer
Trigger Plate

Mainspring
Cocking Limb
Fore-end
The Loop
Extractor Star
Ejector Rod
Stock
Muzzle

Parts of a Shotgun

Barrels

A barrel is a straight, high-strength metallic cylinder. Its length and diameter (internal and external) depend on the shotgun type and manufacturer.

Barrel material should withstand the high pressure and temperature generated due to the gunpowder explosion.

Extractors

The function of the extractor is to release the cover of the cartridge after the firing. It helps the shooter to load the new bullet into the firing chamber.

Before firing the bullet, the extractor pulls the cartridge rim out of the barrel to remove it easily.

Bolt

It holds the barrel & shuts it while the cartridge is shot.

Top Lever

It disengages the bolt from the barrel and allows the gun to open.

Safety Thumb Piece

It locks the trigger and prevents the gun from firing. Once we press the safety thump piece, it disengages the firing mechanism. It allows the trigger to move without triggering a fire.

Trigger Guard

It is a protective edge that surrounds the trigger of a gun to prevent unwanted contact and avoid accidental discharge. Trigger guards are present in every firearm.

Trigger

The trigger is the actuating mechanism that allows the hammer to strike the projectile. It is a small curved metallic part where we put a finger to operate.

Hammer

The hammer is a part of a shotgun. The percussion cap/primer or a separate firing pin strikes the projectile to ignite the explosive and fire the bullet.

Shooters have to manually incline the hammer before firing. It is a metal piece that forcefully rotates about a pivot point.

Trigger Plate

From this plate, the trigger comes out. It has an oblong slot to move the trigger while firing a bullet and retrieve it afterward.

Mainspring

It is attached to the hammer. During shotgun loading with a bullet, the main spring stores the energy due to tension and discharges with force through the hammer to strike a bullet.

Cocking Limb

When we open the gun, the fore-end forces the cocking limb to where the trigger, hammer, main spring, and sear are back in their original position.

Fore-End

The function of the fore-end is to remove the gun shell after firing a bullet and load the new ammunition. It moves back and forth side.

The backward action removes the shell of the cartridge, whereas the forward move loads the fresh round of the cartridge.

The Loop

It is attached to the barrel. On the loop, the delay catch holds the fore-end.

Extractor Star

It is a star-shaped mechanism that pushes cartridges out of the revolver cylinder.

Ejector Rod

The ejector rod helps the shooter to eject the cartridge casing after the fire. In a single-acting revolver, one cartridge expels at one time, whereas in a double-acting revolver, all cartridge ejects from a cylinder.

Stock

It is a backside part of the shotgun we hold against the shoulder while firing. It balances the gun and provides structural support during the action.

On the extreme side of the stock, we can find the recoil coil to dampen the reaction caused by the bullet fire.

Muzzle

It is the end portion of the barrel from which the bullet comes out. It has an inside thread to attach the choke or silencer.