The evolution of the army combat shotgun—from the blunderbuss to the lightweight shotgun system: the origins of today's combat shotgun can be traced to the time that the earliest settlers reached America. This article examines this weapon's development process

Military Police,  April, 2003  by Bo Barbour

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Development of the Lightweight Shotgun System

In response to these mission needs, in June 1997, the U.S. Army Infantry Center developed an operational requirement for the M-4 Modular Weapon System (MWS) calling for an accessory attachment shotgun. The Dismounted Battlespace Battle Lab (DBBL) pursued an Advanced Concepts Technology II Program contract with Colt[R] firearms that asked them to produce an accessory attachment shotgun that met the specifications in the operational requirement. Colt produced four Lightweight Shotgun System (LSS) prototypes that were tested in a limited-objective experiment (LOE) conducted by the DBBL. The first prototypes were multishot, magazine-fed (three-round magazine), manually operated 12-gauge shotguns. Chambered to accommodate 3-inch magnum shells, the prototype fired a wide variety of lethal, NL, and door-breaching munitions. The LSS was operated by a reversible charging handle (could be used right- or left-handed) and most importantly, only added 2 pounds 11 ounces to the weight of the M-4 carbine. The length of the under-barrel shotgun was 16.5 inches. The test results validated the principle that the LSS was an effective delivery means for lethal, NL, and breaching rounds at the standard ranges for these munitions.

Coinciding with the LOE for the LSS, the Infantry Center decided to support the requirement for the joint service combat shotgun and dropped the requirement for an accessory attachment shotgun from the operational requirements document for the M-4 MWS. A second version of the LSS was developed based on the first LOE, and four prototypes were delivered to the DBBL. Subsequently, a third version was developed.

Version III was safety-released recently for a February 2003 evaluation funded by the Joint Nonlethal Weapons Program. It focused on the LSS in an NL role and its application as an associated item to the U.S. Army/ Marine Corps NLCS. A squad of Army infantrymen and a squad of Navy Seabees participated in the evaluation. Version III incorporates several features and improvements that are based on technical testing and feedback from the DBBL. Versions II and III come with a kit that allows soldiers to convert the attachment version to a stand-alone version with a pistol grip or to a standalone version with a pistol grip and buttstock.

Meanwhile, the Infantry Center has rescinded the Army requirement for the joint service combat shotgun. The DBBL, with the Program Manager, Soldier Weapons; the Program Manager, Crew-Served Weapons; the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command's Armament Research, Development, and Engineering Center, Close Combat Armaments Center; the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center; and the Infantry Center's Directorate of Combat Developments, are evaluating the LSS for limited-issue operational experimentation. Soldiers could soon see the LSS operationally tested in any of the three current configurations as a 3-pound replacement for the 8.5-pound shotgun they carry today. Equally as important as reducing the soldier's load is the capability to fire NL (12-gauge LSS) and lethal (5.56 millimeter M-4) munitions from the same weapon system with equal speed. As the LSS is fed from a vertical magazine, the soldier can replace a five-shot magazine of NL buckshot with lethal buckshot as rapidly as the situation requires. The skill necessary to fire the LSS is similar to the M-203, a skill that is taught to every soldier. The LSS enables the soldier to quickly accomplish door-breaching, entry, and room-clearing operations in an urban warfare environment where he may encounter a NL crowd-control situation on the next city block.