Tactical Shotgun

"Those bastards think they're sick now, wait'll they get a taste of this."

- Francis

The Auto Shotgun (Tactical Shotgun in Left 4 Dead 2) is a second-tier weapon and is a more powerful version of the pump and Chrome Shotgun that does not require a pump after each shot. It holds a maximum of 10 shells at a time with 128 in reserve, same reserve as the pump shotgun. It is the best short-range weapon in the game, capable of firing extremely fast and taking out massive numbers of Infected per shot.

Both shotguns allow topping off the magazine on the fly, and the reloading process can be stopped to handle sudden threats. However, if you are reloading when empty, you will manually pump the shotgun at the end of the reload, regardless or whether it finished or was interrupted. A good trick is to interrupt an empty reload after the first shot by clicking the fire button and then reloading again, as you have gotten the racking animation out of the way and can immediately fire if a threat appears. Another tip is just to reload constantly and always keep at least one shell loaded.

The relatively low capacity, low accuracy, and short range compared to other tier 2 weapons make it slightly less effective against Special Infected. Its high damage output does allow it to seriously wound a Special Infected, but only at a dangerously close range. The exception to this is against Tanks, where the scatter of the shotgun is virtually all offset by the massive target a Tank presents. However, due to the damage penalty the auto shotgun has against Tanks, the assault rifle is preferable for them. Its rate of fire can be increased by quickly pressing the button instead of holding it down. It is generally a good idea to have at least one member of the team using a shotgun. Like the pump shotgun, it can kill the Witch with one hit if fired into her eyes while she is not attacking, making it useful for getting the Cr0wnd achievement.



Pros

 * The auto shotgun is excellent against hordes of enemies, especially in tight areas like houses or hallways, because they can take out several enemies in a few good shots.
 * The auto shotgun has good penetration against the Infected. This combined with their spread makes it a powerhouse against a horde.
 * It will normally kill Infected in one hit.
 * If a Witch is getting close, an auto shotgun is the best weapon for killing them before they can deal damage.
 * The auto shotgun is the strongest hand-held weapon in the game.
 * The auto shotgun is reloaded with individual shells, so reloading early results in a very quick reload.

Cons

 * If you're surrounded, or in a wide-open area and facing a horde, this is not a good weapon, as you have to reload often and can't take out many enemies at once if they're scattered.
 * The auto shotgun can only hold 10 shells at a time, giving it the lowest capacity of the tier 2 weapons.
 * This weapon is a waste to use while advancing through a Chapter and facing single or small groups of enemies at a time, as most enemies die in a single shot from any weapon.
 * This and the pump shotgun are the worst long range weapons, as the lead shot scatters. Do not attempt to pick off Infected with this gun, especially Special Infected.
 * If the magazine is empty or nearly empty, it has the longest reload time of any weapon.
 * With automatic weapons, if surrounded, you can simply spin around in a circle while firing to eliminate all of your nearby foes, but with the auto shotgun, you'll take a long time to free yourself from an Infected circle.
 * Friendly fire becomes an issue. On Expert mode, you will almost always incapacitate a teammate if you accidentally fire in front of one.

Tactics

 * Generally refrain from shooting targets at long-range. This is an up-close-and-personal weapon and needs to be used as such to be effective. Wielders of shotguns should be given point to maximize its power.
 * Spamming a choke point at close range with the auto shotgun is very effective against a horde.
 * Do not hold down the fire key in this situation as doing so will only waste ammo. Since one shot can kill multiple Infected, you only need to tap it.
 * It is also important to note that while the auto shotgun has a high rate of fire, firing indiscriminately with this weapon is not always a good idea as doing so will eat away at your ammo supply rather quickly and can raise the possibility of undesirable results, such as friendly fire or startling a Witch.
 * The shotgun has a large cone of fire, making it easy for a careless player to accidentally hit teammates. If you're trying to hit Infected close to your teammate, keep the crosshairs off your teammate to hit the Infected with the spread.
 * On Expert mode in Campaign, if you're using the auto shotgun, be extremely careful! One close-range blast is fatal enough to incapacitate one of your teammates instantly. If a blast hits them when they're incapacitated, they're dead. Make sure you're not firing at a Horde attacking an ally on expert when using the auto shotgun. Instead, consider using your melee attack against the zombies to get them off, or crouching and blasting them off with a pistol.
 * There are 12 pellets per shot, equating to 24 damage per pellet, same as the pump shotgun but with 2 more pellets.
 * Any number of Infected can be penetrated with a single shell provided they are lined up conveniently.
 * The auto shotgun does contain wall piercing fire, and a teammate being mobbed behind a wall or door is easily protected by shooting at them through it. Its stopping power is minimized when doing such, but it is the easiest way to protect a teammate without risk of injuring them.
 * If you reload with an empty magazine, you will do a cocking animation during the reload, extending it by a second. A smart way to avoid this is to reload every chance you get, and melee if your ammo supply reaches 1 shot left. Since the shotgun loads a shell every half second, using this tactic can keep you shooting without having to wait through the reload sequence.
 * You can still use your melee attack while reloading, which will help if you find yourself in this situation.
 * If you are caught reloading by a random horde, the safest thing to do on harder levels of difficulty would be to use your melee attack until you are finished reloading.

Left 4 Dead 2
The auto shotgun returns in Left 4 Dead 2. It is held in a new position does 35 less damage per shot and now has 90 shots in reserve. It also has new animations and is retitled the Tactical Shotgun, but appears to otherwise be the same.

Behind the Scenes
The auto shotgun is based on Counter-Strike ' s XM1014 automatic shotgun. Its "price" in the gun's weapon file is the same as the XM1014's, and it references the XM1014 in its "animation" listing.

Early footage shows that the auto shotgun used unmodified XM1014 sounds. A video of the auto shotgun using the XM1014 sounds can be seen here.

According to the auto shotgun's weapon file, it used to have a larger spread, less accuracy, fires two less pellets and had a 9-round magazine.

Trivia

 * The auto shotgun is modeled after the M1014.
 * The auto shotgun's receiver shows it is manufactured by the fictional German company Rapidarms, Inc.