⚡ The Short Answer
A Fortnite shotgun's one-shot kill only lives inside roughly 1–5 tiles (about 0–7 metres) depending on the model, and the damage collapses fast after that. The Pump hits for up to ~115 base body damage point-blank and can delete a full-HP player up close, but past ~7m the per-pellet spread means you're suddenly doing 40–60 and losing the fight. Effective range — where it's still reliably lethal — is about 5m for the Pump, a touch less for the Auto, and slightly more for the Tactical. Past 10m, switch to the AR; the shotgun is dead weight.
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🎯 Context Before the Numbers
Shotguns are the most misunderstood weapon class in Fortnite because their number isn't a number — it's a spread. A shotgun fires multiple pellets in a cone, and only the pellets that physically hit the target count. So "damage" depends as much on how tight your reticle is and how close you are as on the gun's base value.
That's also why range feels so swingy. At point-blank almost every pellet lands and you delete someone. At 8m half the cone misses the hitbox, your damage halves, and suddenly the guy with the AR is winning. The "effective range" is really the distance at which enough pellets still connect to kill before they reset.
There are three shotguns people actually argue about: the Pump (highest single hit, slow), the Tactical (tight spread, medium speed) and the Auto (fast, lowest per-shot). They trade the same currency — range for speed — and picking wrong for your playstyle hurts more than any stat line.
📋 The Numbers
Values below are community-reported reference estimates — always confirm in-game, as numbers shift with every patch.
Shotgun damage & range (current patch)
Base body damage, approximate one-shot range and fire rate for the three shotguns that matter. Pellet spread means real damage varies with distance and reticle tightness.
| Parameter | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pump — body damage | 115 | — |
| Pump — one-shot range | ~5m | — |
| Pump — fire rate | slow (1 shot) | — |
| Tactical — body damage | 80 | — |
| Tactical — one-shot range | ~4m | — |
| Auto — body damage | 55/pellet burst | — |
| Auto — fire rate | fast (full-auto) | — |
Where the damage actually dies
Damage drop-off is brutal and non-linear. This is the curve that decides whether your peek wins or loses.
| Parameter | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5m | near-full pellets, lethal | — |
| 5–7m | Pump still kills, others start to fail | — |
| 7–10m | most shots do 40–60, you lose | — |
| 10m+ | switch to AR — shotgun is dead | — |
🔄 Version Comparison: Old vs New Patch
Changes between 2025 and 2026 seasons
🆕 Current (2026)
📦 Previous (2025)
⚠️ Common Misconceptions, Cleared Up
A few ideas about this game that don't hold up — and why.
MYTH: "The Auto shotgun is just a worse Pump."
✅ REALITY: For hold-a-corner defence the Pump's 115 beats everything. But the Auto wins sustained box fights because you can keep firing while they reset — a single Pump miss is a death, an Auto miss is a non-event. They're different tools, not a strict upgrade order.
📊 DATA PROOF: Pump 115 base vs Auto ~55/burst; Pump rewards precision, Auto rewards pressure.
MYTH: "Range doesn't matter, just get close."
✅ REALITY: You don't always control the gap. At 8m the Pump already starts losing to an AR, so pretending range is irrelevant gets you killed the moment a fight isn't point-blank. Know your ~5m kill window and respect it.
📊 DATA PROOF: Past ~7m the Pump drops to 40–60 and loses to ARs.
MYTH: "More pellets = more damage."
✅ REALITY: Only pellets that hit the hitbox count. A wider spread throws pellets into the wall behind your target. Tighter shotguns (Tactical) often out-kill looser ones at mid range despite fewer pellets, because more of them actually connect.
📊 DATA PROOF: Tactical's tighter cone out-performs wider spreads past 4m.
🚀 Putting This Into Practice
Things you can actually try next time you play.
Make the shotgun do what the chart promises
Range discipline beats raw damage. These are the habits that keep your shots lethal.
- Peek only when you can close to inside ~5m. If you can't, the AR is the better fight — don't force the shotgun.
- For the Pump, one clean hit deletes them; don't panic-fire a second shot you don't need.
- For the Auto, hold the angle and apply pressure through their reset — it wins long box trades the Pump loses.
- Pre-aim at head height through the build; pellet spread means the headshot pellets are what actually secure the one-shot.
📌 Version Notes
Verified on the current season build. Shotgun ranges and pellet counts are among the most hotfixed values in Fortnite, so if your one-shot suddenly dies at 4m instead of 5m, that's a patch, not you. We re-check after every update.
🔗 Related Data Articles
⚠️ Compliance Notice
Community-estimated reference values, not official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the respective game developers. Verify all stats in-game, as numbers change with every patch. All game names and trademarks are property of their respective owners.
🔗 Keep Exploring
📝 Wrap-Up
Verified on the current season build. Shotgun ranges and pellet counts are among the most hotfixed values in Fortnite, so if your one-shot suddenly dies at 4m instead of 5m, that's a patch, not you. We re-check after every update.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q1Which Fortnite shotgun has the longest one-shot range?
The Pump holds the longest reliable one-shot window at roughly 5m, with the Tactical close behind. The Auto trades that range for fire rate, so it "wins" sustained fights but rarely true one-shots past a couple of metres.
Q2Why did my point-blank shotgun not one-shot?
Two usual culprits: the target had over-shield/protected health from a previous fight, or your reticle was slightly off so too few pellets hit the hitbox. At true point-blank with a full-HP target, the Pump deletes them.
Q3Is the shotgun or AR better for box fights?
Inside a box it's the shotgun — the gap is always point-blank. The moment you peek into open mid-range, the AR takes over. Good players carry both and swap on the gap, never forcing one past its effective range.
📚 Sources & References
The figures on this page are community-reported reference estimates, cross-checked against the community and official sources below. Where a developer hasn't published exact figures, values are clearly marked as estimates and should be verified in-game, as they change with every patch.