The Sawed Off is a Sawed-Off variant of the Stevens DB available in Phantom Forces. It is unlocked at rank 90 or could be purchased using credits.
History[]
A sawed-off shotgun is a shotgun with an extremely short barrel length, sometimes featuring no stock. Despite the word "sawed" being used in the name, a shotgun does not necessarily have to have been sawed down to reach its length. A sawed-off shotgun can be purchased in some cases with an extremely short barrel. These shortened shotguns are a favorite of those looking for extreme maneuverability combined with the power of a shotgun. Shortened shotguns are highly appealing to law enforcement, who use them in raids as a breaching shotgun - the shorter barrel provides benefits similar to modern carbines. However, this very same small size makes them a favorite of criminals looking for powerful crowd control options in a small, easily concealable package. Criminals generally cannot purchase a short shotgun with the manufacturing quality that law enforcement has access to, meaning that a criminal must manually shorten their firearm. Sawed-off shotguns became popular with bank robberies, and have become synonymous with low-budget robbers. The usage of such sawed-off shotguns for criminal acts means that many countries have made laws related to sawed-off shotguns, either restricting them heavily or banning them outright.
Sawed-off shotguns sacrifice much of their ability to keep a tight pellet spread in favor of maximum concealment. Depending on how short one is cut, a dramatic loss in pellet velocity is clear.
The model in-game is a sawed-off generic double-barrel shotgun in a side-by-side configuration (SxS). This is a common type of sawed-off shotgun.
In-Game[]
General Information[]
The Sawed Off is an aggressive, hard-hitting close quarters secondary. The range on it is what would be expected from a small shotgun, being quite short, reaching its minimum damage at 70 studs. This, however, is still a large enough range for it to be effective beyond point-blank range, allowing it to be used as a versatile weapon. Its rate of fire (RoF) is better than most primary shotguns, at 200 RPM, and is the same as its parent weapon, the Stevens DB.
Just like the Stevens DB, the Sawed Off features a burst-fire mode. Switching to Burst mode on this weapon offers more power, and obviously, twice the pellets, though the entire on-board capacity of two is unloaded in a single shot. This thus doubles damage output. It also increases the effective range of the weapon, increasing the likelihood of hitting a target. However, this is at the cost of constantly reloading after every burst, due to having only the capacity available for firing one burst before having to reload.
Ammunition can be picked up from all other shotguns in-game, which may help combat the issue of lower reserve ammunition if one is to use this as the main weapon in their selected class, however, as the ROF is lower than shotgun secondaries such as the Saiga-12U, ammunition can be considered less of a problem.
Usage & Tactics []
The Sawed Off is a pocket version of the Stevens DB, and should be considered a more "aggressive" approach to its secondary counterpart (Serbu Shotgun). When using the Instant Burst mode, the high pellet count makes it very formidable against clustered enemies within its range of 40 studs. Further engagements require more shots, which can tricky considering the small capacity of two shots (one if using Instant Burst). However, it is still slightly better at range compared to the Serbu, thanks to a slightly tighter spread cone and higher RoF. Its reload time is also faster, which means that the player can engage quicker instead of reloading every individual shot with the Serbu.
Optical sights are not as beneficial due to the weapon being designed for close-quarters-combat (CQC); aiming down sights (ADS) is not often useful when close to the target. The alternative aiming mode may also be useful for situations in close quarters where hipfiring may be more inaccurate. There are situations where hipfiring is usually the better option; however, some might prefer an optic over the iron sights. Optics are quite useful in tangent with range-focused attachments, such as Slugs, however as the weapon is inherently close-quarters oriented, one may consider using a secondary more effective at range, such as the Obrez.
Barrel attachments such as the Muzzle Brake or Compensator can help with the high recoil, more specifically for when the first shot misses the target. However, attachments like the Flash Hider are essentially useless. In addition, it cannot attach suppressors and barrel attachments. It should be noted that attachments on the Sawed Off require double the normal amount of kills needed to be unlocked, as the gun has 2 barrels, so getting them is more of a difficulty than with other guns.
Conclusion[]
The Sawed Off is a high risk, high reward secondary shotgun. It provides extremely high damage up close at the cost of capacity. Having to reload after every kill can be a hindrance, especially in CQC, but for those who used the Stevens DB to great effect in close quarters, the Sawed Off can provide the same firepower with the advantages of a secondary.
Damage Table for Ammunition Attachments[]
| Hitbox for Flechette | Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Max (48 studs) | Min (70 studs) | |
| (x1.10) (x8 pellets) Head | 49.5 (396) | 9.9 (79.2) |
| (x1.00) (x8 pellets) Torso | 45 (360) | 9 (72) |
| (x1.00) (x8 pellets) Arms and Legs | 45 (360) | 9 (72) |
| Hitbox for Birdshot | Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Max (48 studs) | Min (70 studs) | |
| (x1.10) (x16 pellets) Head | 49.5 (792) | 8.91 (142.56) |
| (x1.00) (x16 pellets) Torso | 45 (720) | 8.1 (129.6) |
| (x1.00) (x16 pellets) Arms and Legs | 45 (720) | 8.1 (129.6) |
| Hitbox for Rubber Pellets | Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Max (36 studs) | Min (49 studs) | |
| (x1.10) (x6 pellets) Head | 71.5 (429) | 8.91 (53.46) |
| (x1.00) (x6 pellets) Torso | 65 (390) | 8.1 (48.6) |
| (x1.00) (x6 pellets) Arms and Legs | 65 (390) | 8.1 (48.6) |
| Hitbox for Slugs | Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Max (40 studs) | Min (70 studs) | |
| (x2.40) (x1 pellet) Head | 360 | 54 |
| (x1.20) (x1 pellet) Torso | 180 | 27 |
| (x1.00) (x1 pellet) Arms and Legs | 150 | 22.5 |
| Hitbox for Flechette | Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Max (48 studs) | Min (70 studs) | |
| (x1.10) (x16 pellets) Head | 57.42 (459.36) | 35.2 (281.6) |
| (x1.00) (x16 pellets) Torso | 52.2 (417.6) | 32 (256) |
| (x1.00) (x16 pellets) Arms and Legs | 52.2 (417.6) | 32 (256) |
| Hitbox for Birdshot | Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Max (48 studs) | Min (70 studs) | |
| (x1.10) (x32 pellets) Head | 57.42 (918.72) | 31.68 (506.88) |
| (x1.00) (x32 pellets) Torso | 52.2 (835.2) | 28.8 (460.8) |
| (x1.00) (x32 pellets) Arms and Legs | 52.2 (835.2) | 28.8 (460.8) |
| Hitbox for Rubber Pellets | Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Max (36 studs) | Min (49 studs) | |
| (x1.10) (x12 pellets) Head | 82.94 (497.64) | 31.68 (190.08) |
| (x1.00) (x12 pellets) Torso | 75.4 (452.4) | 28.8 (172.8) |
| (x1.00) (x12 pellets) Arms and Legs | 75.4 (452.4) | 28.8 (172.8) |
| Hitbox for Slugs | Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Max (40 studs) | Min (70 studs) | |
| (x2.29) (x2 pellets) Head | 398.46 | 183.2 |
| (x1.20) (x2 pellets) Torso | 208.8 | 96 |
| (x1.00) (x2 pellets) Arms and Legs | 174 | 80 |
Pros & Cons[]
Pros:
- Very quick reload time.
- Only secondary shotgun capable of an instant burst.
- High RoF for a shotgun.
- Has two default alternate aim points.
- With Birdshot and Instant Burst mode, it ties for highest pellet count per shot with the parent Stevens DB, at 32 pellets.
- Highest per-pellet CQC damage of all shotguns by default.
- Wide spread coupled with high pellet damage means grazing hits in CQC without a kill are less likely.
- Can one-hit kill anywhere on the body with slugs.
- Has access to the full variety of chokes, including Full Choke, Paradox Choke, and Diverter.
Cons:
- Very low magazine capacity leads to frequent reloads.
- Wide spread and low ranged damage forces the user to stick to close quarters.
- Barrel attachments require double the regular kill requirement.
- Cannot attach suppressors.
- Has no front aiming post.
Trivia[]
- Along with the Stevens DB, the Sawed Off in burst-fire is the fastest firing shotgun in-game.
- The Sawed Off is the only 'other' secondary to have select fire capability.
- The Sawed Off has the same damage and range as the Serbu Shotgun.
- The Sawed Off is the third weapon in the game to not possess iron sights at all. The other two are the Obrez and M231.
- Like the Stevens DB, the Sawed Off used to fire 9 pellets. This has been reverted to 8 for unknown reasons.
- The Sawed Off once more was able to fire 9 pellets when it was rebalanced to be better in close quarters, but it was once again reverted to 8 pellets with a matching max damage profile with the Stevens.
- The Sawed Off's model is the same as the Stevens DB, but the barrel has been shortened.
- The Sawed Off is the fourth sawed-off weapon in-game, the others being the Obrez, Serbu Shotgun and SFG 50.
- The Sawed Off is the second secondary shotgun that was introduced in the game, the first being the Serbu Shotgun.
- A Sawed Off is occasionally referred to as a Lupara.
- "Lupara" means wolf in Italian, which may reference to its hunting and criminal uses.