Shotgun Timeline

The shotgun has been feeding families, defending homes and breaking clays for centuries. Here are the moments that shaped it.

Shotgun history timeline from 1807 percussion ignition to the 2026 NFA tax change
Shotgun milestones at a glance

Muzzleloaders to breechloaders

  • 1500s to 1700s: Smoothbore fowling pieces loaded from the muzzle bring down birds across Europe and the American colonies.
  • 1807: Scottish minister Alexander Forsyth patents percussion ignition, replacing the flintlock.
  • 1820s: The copper percussion cap makes ignition faster and far more reliable.
  • 1830s: Casimir Lefaucheux introduces a breech-loading shotgun and pinfire cartridge in France.
  • 1860s: Centerfire shotshells arrive, the ancestor of every shell sold today.
  • 1870s: Choke boring catches on, tightening patterns and stretching range.
  • 1875: Anson and Deeley patent the boxlock action, still used in break-action guns.
Break-action shotgun with a wood stock
The break action, a design with deep roots
Russian over-under shotgun made in Tula
A classic over-under

The repeater age

  • 1882: Christopher Spencer and Sylvester Roper bring out the first successful pump-action shotgun.
  • 1887: Winchester releases the John Browning-designed Model 1887 lever action.
  • 1897: The Winchester Model 1897 pump becomes a legend in the field and in the trenches of World War I.
  • 1902: The Browning Auto-5, the first successful semi-automatic shotgun, goes into production at FN in Belgium.
  • 1912: Winchester introduces the Model 12, one of the most loved pumps ever built.
  • 1926: Skeet gets its name after a contest to name the new clay game.
  • 1931: The Browning Superposed, John Browning’s last design, popularizes the modern over-under.
  • 1934: The National Firearms Act puts a $200 tax on short-barreled shotguns.
  • 1937: Ithaca launches the Model 37, still in production today.

Modern classics

  • 1950: The Remington 870 arrives and goes on to become one of the best-selling shotguns of all time.
  • 1961: The first Mossberg 500 rolls off the line.
  • 1963: The Remington 1100 gas-operated semi-auto softens recoil for a generation of shooters.
  • 1991: Non-toxic shot becomes mandatory for waterfowl hunting nationwide in the United States.
  • 2011: Kel-Tec unveils the KSG bullpup pump.
  • 2017: The Mossberg 590 Shockwave and Remington Tac-14 bring 14-inch barrels to the gun counter.
  • 2026: The NFA tax on short-barreled shotguns drops to $0 on January 1. By October, ATF stops enforcing NFA registration for them. Details on the Sawed Off Shotgun page.
Firing a pump shotgun with a spent shell ejecting
Pump action, still going strong
Three short-barrel shotguns with shells laid out on camo
Today’s compact shotguns

History on video

Winchester Model 1897, a 103-year-old shotgun

Slam fire with a Winchester Model 12

Meet the companies behind these guns on the Shotgun Manufacturers page.

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