Shotguns are just better for some jobs, like blowing the lock out of a door in Baghdad to gain entry to a suspected terrorist hideout and weapons cache. This soldier stows his assault weapon and uses an XM26 12-Gauge Modular Accessory Shotgun System (MASS) to gain entry to a building; when the door is “unlocked,” this “locksmith” falls to the rear of the column of soldiers behind him, retrieves the assault gun, stows the MASS and falls in with the search and confront tactical formation.
Photo credit: army.mil.
Oh – and God bless these guys.