M90 Assault Shotgun

M90 Mk.I Shotgun
Rate of Fire : Low (1 round per second) Operation    : Manual Pump-Action Fire Mode    : Game  :  Manual Repeater Story : Manual Repeater Ammunition   : 8-Gauge 3.5-inch Magnum Buckshot Damage per Hit: High Range        : Point-blank to Short Accuracy     : Low Magazine Size : 12 rounds Maximum Ammo : 72 rounds (including fully loaded magazine)

Advantages
Since the shotgun fires 15 spreading pellets per shot, the combined force of each relatively weak pellet does a significant amount of damage. This weapon can be devastating at short range. Its high damage potential makes it effective against any Covenant unit (even the Hunter, if shot in its exposed back), but only if the player can get close enough to render the gun effective. The shotgun can also be used, though not necessarily effectively, against all manner of vehicles, and many players consider it the ideal weapon with which to destroy Banshees which happen to be within the shotgun's effective range. In addition, this weapon is extremely effective against all forms of Flood at short and medium ranges. The shotgun also reloads in a different manner than the rest of the weapons in Halo. Each round is put into the shotgun, one-by-one, so reloading all twelve shells at one time may take a while. However, the player may interrupt the reloading process at any time and fire with however many rounds are currently loaded into the weapon. Another popular way of firing the shotgun involves inserting a shell, firing, and then inserting another shell, etc. While this takes slightly longer, it has the advantage of always having eleven shells chambered.

Disadvantages
Although many skilled players are able to hit a target at almost any distance using this weapon, the shotgun's greatest limiting factor is its range, making it useless in any wide-open terrain. Ammunition for this weapon is also sometimes difficult to come by in single-player.

Influence
The mechanical design of the M90 shotgun is loosely based on the South African Neostead shotgun which features dual six-round top-loaded magazines. Its pump mechanism operates in a forward-back motion, due to its rear-load configuration (rather than normal back-forward motion). The weapon features two integral tube magazines with a total capacity of twelve rounds (6+6+1) and ambidextrous bottom ejecting shells. It is chambered for standard 8-Gauge 2.75-inch cartridges. The aesthetic design is a composite of multiple pump-action designs.

Multiplayer Role
The shotgun's effectiveness in multiplayer games varies depending on the terrain; indoors and in tight spaces, it is considered by many players to be the weapon par excellence. Many players carry the shotgun and a long range weapon, such as the pistol, thus making for a more flexible arsenal. Continuous firing by using the magazine and loading one shell then firing does not affect the rate of fire significantly, prompting a few players to employ a tactic dubbed "shotgun sniping" as suppressive fire across medium-sized maps. On the Internet, many games are shotguns only, with most of these battles being set in the map Battle Creek (Level).

Effective Against
All Enemies and Vehicles