Learn how to craft and use the Pipe Shotgun
When it comes to early-game weapons in 7 Days to Die, players are going to have to be smart about how they use them if they want to survive. That being said, the Pipe Shotgun is everything you don’t want to see in a ranged weapon. This scrappy gun is weak, short-range, slow to reload, horribly inaccurate, and can only carry one shell at a time. But, if you absolutely MUST have a shotgun right this instant, this will fit the bill.
This guide will walk you through crafting a Pipe Shotgun in 7 Days to Die and offer advice on how to utilize it best.
How to craft a Pipe Shotgun in 7 Days to Die
Pipe Shotguns are makeshift weapons created out of scrap and desperation, so you’ll only need a few basic materials to craft one. The amount of crafting materials required will depend on the quality of the shotgun being constructed:
| Material | Quality 1 | Quality 2 | Quality 3 | Quality 4 | Quality 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short Iron Pipe | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Glue | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Wood | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Shotguns Crafting Skill | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
- Short Iron Pipes can be crafted from Forged Iron or salvaged from numerous pipes, sinks, fridges, toilets, and other plumbing fixtures.
- Glue can be scavenged from chemicals or parts containers or may be crafted from Bones and clean water at a Campfire or Chemistry Station.
- Wood can be gathered by looting trash, smashing wooden structures, or chopping trees and shrubs.
- The Shotguns crafting skill can only be improved by finding and reading issues of the Shotgun Weekly skill magazine.
Pipe Shotgun Overview
Base Stats
| Property | Quality 1 | Quality 2 | Quality 3 | Quality 4 | Quality 5 | Quality 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magazine Size | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Max Durability | 100 | 120 | 140 | 160 | 180 | 200 |
| Mod Slots | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Ammo
The Pipe Shotgun is, naturally, chambered in shotgun rounds, of which there are 3 kinds: Shotgun Shells, Shotgun Armor Piercing (AP) Slugs, and Shotgun Breaching Slugs. Shotgun ammunition functions very differently than bullets, and a shotgun’s performance may vary dramatically based on its quality and the type of ammunition chambered.
Shotgun Shell Ammo
| Property | Quality 1 | Quality 2 | Quality 3 | Quality 4 | Quality 5 | Quality 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage Per Pellet | 8.1 | 8.5 | 8.9 | 9.3 | 9.7 | 10.1 |
| Number of Pellets | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Effective Range | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Crafting Shotgun Shells will require a workbench and the following materials:
Shotgun AP Slug Ammo
| Property | Quality 1 | Quality 2 | Quality 3 | Quality 4 | Quality 5 | Quality 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage Per Pellet | 100 | 105 | 110 | 115 | 120 | 125 |
| Number of Pellets | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Effective Range | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Target Armor | -50% | -50% | -50% | -50% | -50% | -50% |
| Target Penetration | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Crafting Shotgun AP Slugs will require a workbench and the player to have read the Shotgun Messiah Vol. 4 perk book, as well as the following materials:
- 2 Bullet Tips
- 5 Gunpowder
- 1 Scrap Polymer
Shotgun Breaching Slug Ammo
| Property | Quality 1 | Quality 2 | Quality 3 | Quality 4 | Quality 5 | Quality 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage / Pellet | 94 | 98.7 | 103.4 | 108.1 | 112.8 | 117.5 |
| Number of Pellets | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Effective Range | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Door/Wood Damage | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
Crafting Shotgun Breaching Slugs will require a workbench and the player to have read the Shotgun Messiah Vol. 2 perk book, as well as the following materials:
- 3 Forged Steel
- 2 Clay Soil
- 4 Gunpowder
- 1 Scrap Polymer
Mods
The Pipe Shotgun accepts the following mods. Note that only one mod of any category may be attached at a time except accessory mods.
- Barrel: Barrel Extender, Silencer, Shotgun Choke, Shotgun Duckbill
- Sights: Reflex
- Accessory: Fore Grip, Cripple ‘Em
- Tech: The Hunter, Rad Remover
- Rail: Laser Sight, Weapon Flashlight
- Stock: Retracting Stock
Tips and tricks for using the Pipe Shotgun
As a member of the Shotgun weapon class, the Pipe Shotgun scales in power with the player’s Strength attribute and the Boomstick perk.
Shotgun Shells are best used for close-quarters combat and crowd control. The damaging pellet spread can injure multiple enemies at once or deal serious stacking damage to a single target. Armor-piercing slugs are best used for mid-range combat and for breaking through armor. These slugs can also pierce an enemy and kill additional targets behind them. Breaching slugs are best used for breaking down doors or barricades and are a poor choice for combat.
Realistically, the Pipe Shotgun is only useful for dealing with one target at a time. Though technically rather powerful, the low damage each individual pellet deals for standard shotgun ammo means this weapon is a poor choice for crowd control, and its lack of ammo capacity means players should only really use this weapon for one of three things: Killing one enemy at a time, crippling limbs, or destroying doors. The only real advantage this gun has over other weapons is it’s low repair cost.
Players who want to use this shotgun as a combat weapon should probably consider specializing in single-target damage, as it isn’t likely to deal enough to kill more than one at a time. A shotgun choke or extended barrel is helpful for this depending on if you are using shot shells or AP slugs respectively. Attaching a reflex sight, if available, is also recommended.
Players who want to use the Pipe Shotgun to cripple limbs should fit their weapon with the Cripple Em’ mod and/or a duckbill mod. The reason for this is to maximize limb damage while focusing the weapon’s spread horizontally, making it perfect for spraying at the legs of a crowd in hopes of turning a few enemies into slower crawlers.
For those hoping to use this weapon to deal with locked doors, you’ll need Breaching Slugs, and whatever mods increase your weapon’s damage the most or whatever you feel makes the weapon more versatile. Adding a silencer can help keep distant sleepers unaware as you breach the building.
The Pipe Shotgun is a breakover weapon, much like the Pipe Rifle and Double Barrel Shotgun. This means the weapon needs to be opened and manually reloaded by hand. However, the reload time for the weapon is quite long (around 6 seconds per shot.)
Due to the frequency with which users will be reloading and the excruciatingly slow animation, we strongly suggest strapping a Bandolier Mod onto your armor and investing in the Boomstick perk to decrease the time between shots. The Run and Gun perk in the Agility tree can also help keep you alive since you’ll need to stay mobile while you reload.
The Pipe Shotgun is EXTREMELY ineffective at range. As with all shotguns, the effective range of this weapon is quite short, even when loaded with longer-range AP slugs. Long story short, don’t expect this weapon to kill anything that isn’t right in front of you.
The Pipe Shotgun is poorly suited for combating large hordes and is best reserved for mobile combat against weaker enemies or as a last-ditch effort against tough targets. Because of the low damage and the long reload time, we recommend focusing only on headshots, as players will need to make each shot count as much as possible.
Final thoughts on the Pipe Shotgun
Regardless of your preferred playstyle, this shotgun is quite possibly one of the weakest weapons in the game. Don’t get us wrong, we love the stylistic elements and scrappy design The Fun Pimps made for this weapon, but we can’t say we’d be comfortable trusting our lives to it. If you have to rely on this gun, make sure you have a backup plan.
Looking for some more pointers to help you survive Navezgane? Check out our 10 Tips for Getting Started or our in-depth Beginner’s Guide.
