Short-Barreled Shotguns Tested: Cool Factor vs. Real Performance

Brandon Herrera's latest video is part legal update, part range day, built around the recent federal change that reportedly drops the NFA tax-stamp requirement for short-barreled shotguns. He's quick to caveat that state and local laws may still apply, then gets into the fun part: shooting a stack of sawed-off and short-barreled shotguns to see what you actually give up for that compact, movie-ready look.

Key points

• Legal heads-up: Herrera frames the NFA tax-stamp change as the headline news, but stresses viewers need to check their own state and local rules before acting on it.
• The lineup: The video runs through a double-barrel coach gun, a Winchester Model 1887 lever-action (the Terminator 2 and Modern Warfare 2 gun), a Serbu Super Shorty, and a short 20-gauge double.
• Performance tradeoffs: Herrera argues short-barreled shotguns generally lose velocity, range, accuracy, and controllability compared to full-length guns.
• Grip matters: He demonstrates that firing these guns with a poor or one-handed grip can be genuinely painful, especially under full-power buckshot loads.
• Why bother then: Herrera's take is that the appeal is mostly aesthetic and cultural — movie pedigree, novelty, and collectability rather than practical advantage.

Quick take

This is less a buyer's guide and more an honest look at why people want these guns despite the ballistic downsides. If the legal landscape is really shifting, that's worth knowing, but Herrera's own conclusion is that a short-barreled shotgun is a fun toy before it's a serious tool.

Watch the full video: Brandon Herrera