Sawed-off shotgun

The sawed-off shotgun is a rifle skill weapon appearing in Deus Ex.

Background
The sawed-off shotguns might have been made with a short barrel from the weapons factory (and kept the name "sawed-off") as "entry shotguns" generally used for entering buildings, where the short, easy handling is more important than the increased ammunition capacity of a longer shotgun, as well as the ability to load breaching rounds.

Or the barrel of the sawed-off shotguns could have been sawn off by the owner as an illegal modification for easier concealment and increased shot spread of buckshot rounds. Most likely the former, since by 2052 the United States of America seems to have repealed the 2nd Amendment (revealed in an optional statement by the player to Gilbert Renton at the 'Ton Hotel).

Game item
The shotgun can be found in a sunken boat near the docks where you meet Harley Filben during the first mission. If not picked up there, various NSF troops use it in the next mission. If not picked up from them, it can be found lying on the ground in various areas.

The sawed-off shotgun's advantage over the Assault shotgun lies in its instant DPS. It boasts 25% increase in damage and a noticeable increase in accuracy, making it easier to take out enemies with a single shot to the head. Hovewer if it fails, the slow firing speed and small magazine size will likely put you in trouble. When engaging in a firefight with the sawed-off shotgun it is recommended to find some cover and hide behind it during the pumping animation.

Even with Sabot shells the sawed-off shotgun is difficult to use against robots, as they will constantly fire on you while you're pumping unless you use the pop-out-of cover tactic. You might have some degree of success using it against the Spiderbots. The sawed-off shotgun is also better than the assault shotgun for destroying cameras.

An unmodded sawed-off shotgun can be difficult to use. Its recoil is enormous, making it hard to fire follow-up shots with any degree of accuracy. Its magazine is small, meaning that you'll have to make every shot count in combat, and its long reloading time will make you even more vulnerable than pumping the shotgun does.

A modded sawed-off shotgun is a useful weapon to have, especially if your Rifle skill is high. Recoil reducers make it possible to hit targets with quick follow-up shots. Clip mods can make the magazine hold up to nine rounds, meaning that you don't have to worry about having to reload during combat. A modded sawed-off shotgun combined with a high Rifle skill will turn you into a monster in close quarters combat, so invest in it if you're focusing on the Rifle skill for whatever reason.

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