Even if you haven’t playedRainbow Six Siegeyet, you may have heard thatshotgunsare crazy powerful in this game, and that’s indeed true, but not for all shotguns. Rainbow Six Siege is home to a wide variety of shotguns both in the Attacker and Defender sides, but usually, it’s Defenders that benefit from shotguns the most.
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You have probably seen a lot that Smoke and Mute players use shotguns, but that doesn’t mean these operators have the best shotguns in the game. It’s mostly due to the fact that they both have reliable secondary weapons that can help them deal with long-range targets. But what’s the best shotgun then? Let’s find out!
10Super 90
Super 90 is a mediocre shotgun in Rainbow Six Siege overall, and the reason why you see it on this list is the fact that it is at least better than Supernova or ITA12L. Although the aforementioned shotguns have a higher damage rate compared to Super 90, their extremely high recoil makes them quite useless in battles.
While Super 90 itself has a moderately high recoil as well, its Semi-Auto fire mode makes it much more favorable among the shotguns that we have not listed here.
SPAS-12 is not a shotgun to prefer over a primary SMG, but if you have some creative plans in your mind, this is still reliable enough to execute them. Despite being a Semi-Auto shotgun, SPAS-12 is not strong enough to kill opponents in medium range with a single shot.
The recoil is high, but compared to Super 90, it’s pretty controllable as you’re able to land two consecutive shots on a single target at medium range without causing much trouble for yourself.
Looking at the statistics, SPAS-12 does look better than SPAS-15 both in damage rate and magazine size, but that’s not enough for judging the winner. SPAS-15 is indeed a better shotgun due to its higher fire rate and much faster reload time. That’s why you see 3-Speed operators like Caveira and Thunderbird carry this shotgun.
When it comes to recoil, there is almost no significant difference between SPAS-15 and SPAS-12, which makes SPAS-15’s advantages more critical.
While some Rainbow Six Siege players may consider SASG-12 the best shotgun in the game, it’s not always that good. Of course, SASG-12 has a pretty high damage rate and a big magazine, but the downside is this weapon has a significantly high bullet spray, which makes it weak even in the medium range.
If you need a shotgun to run and gun, SASG-12 is the best option out there with a quite fast fire rate and brief reload time, but you need to keep in mind that you’re able to barely one-shot your targets with this weapon unless they are so close to you.
This is the shotgun you see in use more than any other in Rainbow Six Siege, especially when a Smoke or a Mute player is on the scene. A single shot of M590A1 deals a significant amount of damage, but the Pump Action nature of this shotgun makes it a bit lackluster for staying too long in a gunfight.
The best use of M590A1 is for camping, as it can easily one-shot opponents even in the medium range, but you need to be careful with your aiming as the bullet spread isn’t too much especially when firing in ADS mode.
5Six12/Six12 SD
You are probably surprised to see Six12 at this spot, but the weapon is actually more powerful than expected. Although a single shot of Six12 doesn’t deal much damage to opponents, its significantly minimal recoil and Semi-Auto fire mode make it a killing machine.
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While a 6-bullet magazine sounds a bit disappointing, the reload speed for Six12 is quite fast, making it a great option for both close and mid-range targets. The SD version also features a built-in suppressor that helps you make far less noise while firing.
If you could resist just a little bit more recoil, M1014 is indeed a better option compared to Six12. While the damage rate is almost equal between both shotguns, M1014 is a much better option for medium-range targets rather than Six12.
The only thing that holds M1014 back a little bit is the time-consuming reload, as it requires the operator to put in the bullets one by one. That being said, it is still much better than M590A1 when it comes to the reliability of the weapon as it allows you to easily run and gun.
This German shotgun is the deadliest Pump Action in Rainbow Six Siege as it deals up to 60 damage per single shot. Well, if this list was supposed to be sorted based on damage rate, M870 should be standing in second place, but there are a few things that hold it back.
First of all, M870 has a high recoil and when you combine it with the weapon’s Pump Action nature, it becomes a bit underwhelming for staying too long in a gunfight, but if you want to quickly get rid of any mid-range target, there is no better option than M870.
2BOSG.12.2
Probably the best way to describe BOSG.12.2 is to call it a sniper shotgun. As long as you haven’t used BOSG.12.2 you will not believe how insanely long its range is. Despite being a Semi-Auto shotgun, the weapon’s recoil is high enough after shooting your first bullet that you can’t land another shot on the target quickly enough.
The 2-bullet magazine of BOSG.12.2 is indeed a liability, but for the sharpshooters, it shouldn’t be a big deal as you are going to hunt heads after all. However, even a shot in the chest with this shotgun is still deadly.
Looking for a killing machine? SG-CQB is all you want from a shotgun. Dealing only 7 hitpoints of damage less than M870, SG-CQB is still a pretty strong shotgun that can take down mid-range targets easily. Thanks to its low-recoil and brief Pump Action time after each shot, you won’t need to have a fear of staying more than enough in the gunfight.
Indeed, SG-CQB is as great for running and gunning as it is for camping. Although it doesn’t have the range of BOSG.12.2, the weapon’s pretty low bullet spread in ADS mode makes it a solid choice for punishing any intruder to your territory.
