Combat Shotgun (Fallout 3)

The Combat Shotgun is a common Fallout 3 weapon.

Characteristics
The weapon appears to be functionally identical to its predecessors while its design has changed significantly. It now resembles the famous WWII era Soviet PPSh-41 submachine gun with a wooden stock and an Armsel Striker-style drum magazine mounted very close to the muzzle of the gun as opposed to being made entirely out of metal with a bullpup configuration. The unique form of this gun is The Terrible Shotgun.

Strategy
If you want to see the Combat Shotgun at its best, wait for a dog/mole rat to leap up at you, quickly enter V.A.T.S. and fire at the head.

The Combat Shotgun is a very effective choice for fighting in close-quarters, such as inside of buildings. It really shines in the metro tunnels, where the majority of enemies encountered rely upon melee attacks (such as Mirelurks and Feral Ghouls). Two close shotgun blasts to the face will kill most Mirelurks. Feral Ghouls are very easily snuck up on for shots to the back of the head; alternatively, when they notice you, they will growl before charging at you, giving you several seconds to allow them to come closer before shooting them in the head.

Close sneak attack criticals with this weapon (outside of V.A.T.S.) with the Better Criticals perk (or maybe even without it) can effortlessly dispose of high-level enemies such as Deathclaws and Sentry Bots in a single shot. This is because outside of V.A.T.S., the critical damage bonus is applied to each pellet individually; the Combat Shotgun fires 9 pellets, each of which get the +27 critical bonus (40.5 with Better Criticals). So 9 x 27 = 243 (364.5) Add in the weapon's standard 55 damage, and then double the total by two because of the sneak attack bonus, and you have a pretty huge amount of damage dealt to your unfortunate, unsuspecting foe.

Companions
Charon wields an apparently unique shotgun that does not deteriorate, used to have infinite ammo, and very little spread. It cannot be interacted with.

Trivia
Judging by its look, this shotgun's appearance was inspired by existing firearm(s):
 * The PPSh-41 (Pistolet-Pulemyot Shpagina) - the overall appearance, fire selector switch located inside the trigger guard, the barrel's protruding muzzle-brake and the drum magazine. The way the reloading procedure is operated also points to the real PPSh-41. However the real life counterpart is loaded with 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridges and has a 71-round magazine.
 * The Pancor Jackhammer, which is another shotgun that feeds from a drum and has a similar muzzle shape.
 * The Armsel Striker, which has an almost identical magazine.
 * Its appearance suggests it is a scavenged WW2-era weapon, retooled with a new barrel and magazine to fire shotgun shells. It would explain its slow rate of fire and quick deterioration, as it is not designed to fire such rounds.
 * But may not be due to it being in the Operation: Anchorage simulation, proving it is a pre-war shotgun.

Weapons List
fusil de combat Strzelba bojowa Боевой дробовик