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Tube-Fed vs. Mag-Fed Shotguns: Which Is Better?

Mossberg Retro Shotguns, 500 and 590
We tackle tube-fed shotguns and magazine-fed shotguns in this showdown to find out which shotgun type is the best. Who wins? Come find out.
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    As a shotgun nerd, I’ve tried just about every type and style I could get my hands on — semi-autos, bolt actions, bullpups, and box magazine-fed shotguns. 

    Like any southern country kid, I grew up with some form of pump-action shotgun in my hands from the age I could hold it up.

    Shotgun Kit
    Hellz yeah.

    But these days, box mag shotguns are gaining in popularity.

    Armscor, Remington, Mossberg, Saiga, Fostech, Blackwater, and tons of small Turkish outfitters produce tons of box-fed shotguns, flying in the face of tradition! 

    To some, it’s absolute heresy even.

    General Zod Heresy
    You heard it here first!

    Repeating shotguns are supposed to have tubular magazines positioned below the barrel. This was how John Browning intended. 

    I know the last thing the world needs is another .45 vs. 9mm debate, but hear me out here.

    Rock Island Armory VR Shotguns on tree
    Rock Island Armory VR Shotguns

    What’s the better choice between shotguns? A box fed option or a tube magazine gun? 

    Well, we’re going to lay it all out on the line and answer that very question.

    But first, before we dive deep, let’s define some terms, so we are all on the same page. 

    Table of Contents

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    Tube Magazine Basics

    Tubular magazines, sometimes called tube magazines, most commonly feature a fixed magazine sitting beneath the barrel of a shotgun

    Benelli M4 (bottom) and Mossberg 500 (top)
    Benelli M4 (bottom) and Mossberg 500 (top), both tube-fed

    Inside the tube, ammunition rests horizontally in the magazine. Ammunition moves rearward from the tube and into the chamber.

    Like any other magazine, the components consist of the magazine body, spring, and follower

    Generally, a gun is outfitted with a single tube containing ammunition. Shotguns equipped with multiple tubes are becoming more common, though!

    The KSG, the TS 12, and the SRM1216 all wear more than one tube to increase capacity

    KSG with Shells
    KSG with Shells

    Check out the Best Magazine Fed Shotguns here!

    Box Magazine Breakdown 

    Box magazines use detachable magazines with a rough box shape to them — similar to a magazine you’d find in just about any semi-auto gun.

    Like any other detachable box magazine, it comes as either double-stack or single stack and uses various degrees of geometry for reliable feeding. 

    Blackwater Sentry 12
    Blackwater Sentry 12 and magazine

    Box magazines can contain anywhere from 2 to 20 rounds, depending on the manufacturer. 

    Shotgun box magazines are also available as drum magazines — circular in nature and containing a higher capacity than most box magazines.

    drum magazine AK
    A drum magazine on an AK…you get the idea though.

    Faceoff: Tube vs. Box Mags

    Moving past definitions, let’s look at the guns.

    If you’ve been around Pew Pew Tactical long enough, you know I’m a shotgun nerd. I’ve had plenty of experience with both tube and box magazine guns.

    Mossberg Retro Shotguns ads
    Mossberg Retro has a nice vintage feel to it!

    So, I’m prepared to take you through this grudge match.

    We’ll let these two styles face off in a series of categories to ultimately find out which one comes out on top. Along the way, we’ll break down the pros/cons.

    First up…ammo.

    Ammo Capacity 

    On average, shotguns with box magazines have higher capacities.

    It varies between different guns, but if we look at the highest capacity shotgun in each category, we can easily see box magazine-fed guns hold more. 

    Tavor Shotgun sleeping on shells
    More ammo = more booms!

    The TS12 with its three magazine tubes equals 15 rounds total.

    A Mossberg 590M, a Saiga, or the VR series hold roughly 20 rounds of ammunition in various magazines. 

    Admittedly, some box-fed shotguns do not offer high-capacity options. 

    The VR80, for instance, only offers a 5+1 capacity.

    Rock Island Armory VR60, VR80, and VRBP-100 Shotguns (2)
    Rock Island Armory VR60, VR80, and VRBP-100 Shotguns

    On the other hand, traditional tube-fed guns often cap out at 8 to 9 rounds.

    That said, some crazy 3-Gun variants will extended tubes that take 13 rounds of ammunition

    Savage Arms Renegauge Competition
    Savage Arms Renegauge Competition model comes with an extended tube to handle 9+1. (Photo: Savage Arms)

    Box magazine-fed shotguns also have an advantage when it comes to SBS or firearm variants.

    The length of a magazine tube is often limited by the length of the barrel, so short barrels mean less ammo. 

    Fostech Origin 12
    Fostech Origin 12 showing off that short little barrel

    A tube-fed shotgun with a 14-inch barrel is capped out at five rounds, but a magazine-fed shotgun has no such limits!

    A Mossberg 590M Shockwave with a 14-inch barrel can use 5-, 10-, 15-, or 20-round magazines without issue. 

    Shockwave 590M (10)
    A Mossberg 590M Shockwave with a thicc boi magazine

    Reloading 

    Right off the bat, I bet you’re thinking reloading with a box magazine-fed shotgun is faster and more efficient.

    In some ways, it is. 

    With a box fed magazines, you slap another mag in the gun and go.

    With tube magazine-fed shotguns, you have to thumb in one or two rounds at a time.

    If you run your gun empty, then slapping another magazine in is much faster. However, shotgun aficionados know that you never run your gun empty. 

    never be too careful
    The motto of any shotgunner worth their salt.

    Unlike a box mag, a tubular magazine allows you to reload on the fly, constantly topping off your magazine tube as necessary. 

    A skilled shotgunner will never need to reload their gun from empty. Being able to keep your gun constantly loaded is faster than having to reload. 

    shotgun speed reload keanu
    Keanu showing us how it’s done!

    Box-fed magazine shotguns are a better option for those who want to apply their rifle skills to their shotguns.

    Guns like the Sentry 12 make it easy to translate rifle skills to a shotgun. 

    Blackwater Sentry 12
    Blackwater Sentry 12

    That said, shotgun ammo is fat and long and makes a magazine rather large and thick

    This increases the challenge in reloading a mag-fed shotgun under pressure. It can be tough to get your hands around the mag and toss it in the gun. 

    Some guns require you to aggressively slam the magazine in place to ensure the mag catch is triggered. Because the ammo is so much heavier than rifle rounds, it can be a challenge to seat the mag properly. 

    AK type magazines that require some rock to roll admittedly do not have this issue. 

    Fostech Origin 12
    Fostech Origin 12

    Ergonomics 

    Ergonomically, a tube-fed shotgun feels a good bit different than a box magazine-fed shotgun. 

    competition shooting shotgun
    There’s a reason many competition shotgunners like a tube-fed gun.

    Tube-fed shotguns are often better balanced for traditional shotgun purposes.

    Shotguns should swing quickly and easily, and the loaded magazine tubes add some weight that allows those smooth swings. That loaded tube weight also reduces muzzle rise until the tube is emptied. 

    A box-fed shotgun is more like a rifle with the weight in the center of the gun. It swings less intuitively and feels entirely different from a normal shotgun. 

    Blackwater Sentry 12
    That’s a lot of weight in the middle of the gun.

    And again, shotgun ammunition is bulky, so magazines are bulky.

    Shotgun magazines that hold something like 10 rounds are often rather long and wide. This extra bulk makes shotguns with longer magazines somewhat unwieldy. 

    Nineteen round magazines are great, except when it becomes a monopod in a kneeling position.

    Mossberg’s double-stack shotgun magazine is a bit better about this, but boy, oh boy, is it dummy thicc. 

    Mossberg 590M 20Rd Magazine
    Mossberg 590M 20Rd Magazine

    The length, girth, and bulkiness of shotgun shells also extends to the magwell and the receiver of a mag-fed shotgun.

    This often makes them longer and less ergonomic, with some quasi-odd control options on some of these mag-fed shotguns. 

    The AK platform semi-auto shotguns are often a bit more ergonomic because the controls stay roughly the same as a standard AK rifle. 

    Citadel RSS1 Left Side Black
    Citadel RSS1, an AK-platform shotgun

    However, I think you’ll find that most mag-fed shotguns are not ergonomic.

    The sleek, slim, and less bulky designs of tube-fed shotguns often make them lighter and more comfortable to use. 

    Logistics 

    Tactics win battles, but logistics win wars.

    Examining tube and box fed shotguns through a logistic lens brings up a few interesting issues. 

    Remington 870 (17)
    My collection of Remington 870 shotguns

    Tube-fed shotguns are so much more popular and prevalent that most shotgun tactics are built around tube-fed shotguns. 

    The skills I use with the Mossberg 590A1 translate to the Remington 870, and even the Benelli M4.

    Box-fed shotguns are often so different that moving from one to the other can be a very different experience. 

    Accessories are also mostly designed for tube-fed shotguns.

    Accessorize

    From accessory mounting platforms to gear designed to carry extra ammo, it’s all built around tube-fed guns.

    Finding pouches that accommodate shotguns magazines, especially extended mags, is difficult. 

    I can feed a tube-fed gun with bandoliers, an AmmoPal, a VTAC shotgun pouch, and side saddles.

    Shotgun Battle Belt 5
    Accessories are where it’s at.

    Typically, shotgun accessories do not function well with magazine-fed shotguns. 

    Additionally, box-fed shotguns are not standardized by any means.

    Rifle companies have seemingly standardized AR, AK, and Glock magazines, but shotguns have no such commonality.

    Add on that they often offer broadly different designs and shapes, and it becomes very hard to find pouches that work. 

    When none of my pouches fit my magazines.

    Reliability 

    Oh my, this is a tough subject to discuss when comparing every tube fed and mag fed shotgun all at once. It’s actually somewhat impossible to discuss.

    Both have reliable and unreliable options. 

    But since we are focusing on the means in which they feed ammunition, that is where our reliability discussion will focus. 

    Reliable ejection pattern is always a plus
    Reliable ejection pattern is always a plus!

    From a reliability standpoint, the tube magazine shotgun has been around since 1893 and has been refined to a point where it’s hard to mess it up.

    Tube-fed designs are superbly simple, and they work. 

    Shotgun Lights Steiner Mk7
    Reliable and classic!

    On the other hand, magazines can be finicky and quality varies between manufacturers greatly.

    Unfortunately, magazines simply place another fail point in the gun’s design. 

    Poor magazine fit, tilting followers, and dirt and debris can make a magazine more difficult than most, especially with the plastic shell body shotguns use. 

    The Little Things 

    There are a few factors all shooters need to consider when discussing the various shotgun types.

    These do not necessarily fit in any particular category but warrant discussion. 

    Slug Select Drills 

    A slug select drill is a core shotgun skill that challenges a shooter to instantly swap from buckshot to slugs.

    Sometimes buckshot doesn’t offer the range you need to hit your target, so you swap a slug into the gun and go. 

    12ga Slugs
    12ga Slugs

    With a tube-fed shotgun, you can insert a slug into the tube, work the action and have a slug ready.

    Or you can open the chamber, clear it and slide a slug into the port. 

    5.11 Shotgun holder
    Insert your slug, rack the pump, and off you go!

    With a box mag shotgun, you have to remove the magazine, then load a round into the magazine or into the chamber.

    Then reinsert the magazine and keep firing. Alternatively, you can keep a spare mag dedicated to slugs to switch to on-demand.

    Doing a slug select drill with a tube-fed shotgun is often more intuitive and faster than with a magazine-fed shotgun. 

    Port Loads

    A port load, or emergency shotgun load, occurs when the gun runs completely dry and the shooter inserts a round through the ejection port directly into the chamber.

    Shotguns have low capacity, and this emergency reload allows you to have a round ready just in case.

    Port loads are only compatible with tube-fed shotguns.

    Safariland Shotgun 2 Shell Holder
    Port loading

    Box magazine-fed shotguns simply do not need to. When the gun is empty, you slap another magazine, and you are ready to rock and roll! 

    These emergency loads are necessary due to the limitations of tube-fed shotguns. That limitation is gone with box mag shotguns. 

    Magazines Left Loaded 

    Shotgun shells use plastic hulls, and as we know, plastic is somewhat malleable.

    When left under pressure, these hulls can morph and become malformed. Shells left in a magazine for a long period of time are constantly under pressure. 

    Pressure

    That pressure can begin to flatten the tops and bottoms of the shells.

    This can very easily create issues with the gun feeding reliably. 

    12ga Shotgun Shells, Opened (L to R: Bird, Buck, Slug)
    12ga Shotgun Shells, Opened (L to R: Bird, Buck, Slug)

    How long can you leave a shotgun magazine loaded? 

    Well, it depends on the shells and magazine.

    Some shells are more rigid than others, and some magazines apply more pressure than others. It’s impossible to predict accurately. 

    Hangover Math Gif
    “Uh…I don’t know.”

    If a box magazine shotgun is in your arsenal, it’s wise to occasionally unload the magazines and ensure the rounds are not deforming.

    Once every quarter would be wise, and obviously, as you see a lack of deformation, the gap can be larger. 

    Conclusion

    So, what’s better — a tube fed or magazine fed shotgun? In my opinion, all things considered, I’d tell you to go tube-fed.

    Tube-fed shotguns are more available, training for them is more abundant, and they tend to be less finicky.

    Benelli M4 4
    Benelli M4

    My personal favorite shotgun is a Benelli M4, and I feel it’s more than capable of home and self-defense. 

    That’s not to say that box mags are bad or even unreliable.

    Great strides have been made in box-fed shotguns, and they undoubtedly will get better. I’d love a Fostech or one of those civilian legal AA-12s.

    Dual AA12s
    Dual AA12s

    Until then, though, my Benelli M4 will sit ready for home-defense tasks. 

    What do you fine folks think? Are you a tube- or a box-mag kinda shooter? Let us know below! Interested in more shotgun content? Check out the Best Home Defense Shotguns.

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    14 Leave a Reply

    • Ted

      I have used a Mossberg 195k since the 1960's and I have never had a problem with one. If you fire your three rounds eject the last and you should have another round in your left hand at all times, this you simply drop onto the top of the magazine, no fuss, and and close the bolt and fire, yes it is now a single shot bolt action, but it is the quickest single shot 12gauge you can get. And if you worry about your choke settings just twist the fitted AcuChoke to what you want, if you want to get inventive any tube or gravity feed box can be attached and quickly removed from the top of the gun, fitted properly it won't interfere with your vision and you can have as many rounds as you like. Many years ago I made a simple cloth strip round holder, not for storage, I had a belt fed bolt action 12gauge shotgun. And it worked like a bloody ripper, so I am 70 years old and so is my shotgun, it ain't fragile and it never fails. Tried a pump for a while but way too slow to load, used a Semi-automatic and they are too finicky.

      February 29, 2024 11:04 pm
    • D

      Tube fed has the capability of specialty shells. The lil short ones doubles the capacity.

      May 11, 2021 1:36 pm
    • lizzardman

      I have had no problem with my VEPR 12 ga shotgun after running the recommended 300 rounds through the action. I've not experienced any deformation of shotshells in any of the 5, 8 and 12 round SG mags. I also train with a Browning 12 ga Auto 5 and a vintage Stevens side by side double barrel 12 ga. All perform well when used often and each has its role to perform in my defence plan. The important thing to remember is to buy quality firearms and ammo and become very familiar with them through training.

      May 10, 2021 10:16 am
    • Kevin Standfield

      Hi, you stated that the VR80 only has 5 round magazines. That is incorrect. They also have 9 and 19 round mags available.

      May 9, 2021 8:52 pm
      • Hal

        And aftermarket, there are 10 and 20 round magazines. Then there are the 24 round drums.

        May 9, 2021 10:05 pm
    • Mark S Caouette

      I love the compact, yet balanced feel of a box fed bullpup (ATI bulldog), when you put a 10rd mag in, it kind of just settles back on your shoulder. And ar type controls, popping a mag out for another is pretty quick. Also love the fact you can use the 5rd mag for a foregrip and then use it when you're out of the others.

      May 9, 2021 6:15 pm
    • JWG

      What is wrong with a double barrel with a sleeve on the stock holding another 6 shells? How many bad guys are you really going to shoot?

      May 9, 2021 5:45 pm
      • John

        How many bad guys are you really going to shoot?

        All of them hopefully?

        May 10, 2021 4:39 am
      • Jj

        One time my father was against 4 guys looking to start something and one of them said " what are you going to do, there's four of us". He replied, no, there's ONLY four of you!

        Mossy500 remembers

        October 19, 2023 5:30 pm
    • James

      I bought a 500 right before they came out with the mag fed. I was somewhat bummed as a loaded mag is nota loaded gun for transporting it. I do love it but would be easier to throw in a trunk and go with a separate mag.

      May 9, 2021 5:45 pm
    • Eric Wilson

      I really like my Genesis Arms Gen-12! You all should give that a look too

      May 9, 2021 5:44 pm
    • Bryan

      Live my Remington 870 Express Tactical.

      May 9, 2021 4:53 pm
      • Eze

        I am with you. I love my Remington 870 Tactical. I won’t change it for any other.

        May 9, 2021 5:15 pm
    • John

      I like the idea of magazine fed shotguns, but for home defense or duty I'd stay with tube fed and my favorite is the Benelli M4.

      May 9, 2021 11:50 am
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