A Pump action shotgun implies that after every shot fired from the shotgun, the handguard of the gun has to be cycled back and forward. This cyclic movement removes the old used shell, cocks the action and allows the new shell to be chambered.

The pump action design is a little slower than a semi-automatic shotgun, but it offers greater flexibility in selection of shotshells, allowing the shooter to mix different types of loads and to permit usage of low-power or unreliable loads.

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