Is shotgun damage random?

[Extreme Content]

Not complaining about the shotgun, just asking a question. I put in a lot of matches today, and I'm about at my wits end with this game.

-- I snuck up on a guy with my shotgun out. He had his back to me shooting someone else. I aimed my shot directly in his back at point blank range. I shot him, he jumped sideways, I shot him again two more times at nearly point blank range, and then he chainsaws me. Three team mates were watching my screen and commented that he shoud've been dead. I thought he should've been dead, but apparently the game disagrees.

-- I downed several people with smoke grenades today and killed a bunch of them with just a single shot while they were on the ground, however, on three seperate occasions, I ragdolled a guy and aimed/shot him twice while he was on the ground, only to have him get up and either kill me or run away. One time, I smoked a guy and he went down, then began sliding down the steps on Blood Drive. It took me three aimed shots to kill him.

-- I flanked a guy who was in a firefight with another teammate and shot him directly in the face with an aimed shot. He didn't even react. He kept firing on my teammate. I then two-pieced him (elbowed him and then shot him). He still didn't die, he just jumped backwards. I then shot him THREE MORE TIMES and he STILL didn't die. He just ran away. Eventually I got the kill anyway because he ran into one of my wall tags, but seriously... come on. Again, teammates watching my screen were as disgusted as I was.

And these are just examples of the kinds of things that happened not only to me, but to other players I was watching, all day long. I'd accept it if this was how things worked all the time, but at other times, I can down people with one aimed, non-active shot from 10 feet away, or I can one-shot somebody if they surprise me coming around a corner. Sometimes I can kill people with two blind fires at long range when it takes 4 aimed shots at close range to kill them. Sometimes it's the opposite situation. I mean, I'm at the point where I'm dropping my shotty to pick up power weapons because I feel like I'm rolling the dice when I use it now. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to how it deals out damage.

So, is it random, am I doing something wrong? What's the deal?

[Extreme Content]

Update: 6 shots from a shotty, including at least 2 actives from my gun, and 4-5 pistol shots before another guy actually went down. Same match, blind fire headshot with the shotty... I barely even saw the guy coming, just pulled the trigger.

I give up on this ridiculous, stupid, random shotgun.

[Insane melon]

Its lag. If you host a game yourself and left trigger your shots the pattern of the bullet spread is identical everytime. This is much better than in the original gears, which had a massive random element to shotgun battles. However, because this game is awfully laggy most of the time you are better off leading your shotgun shots rather than actually aiming for the target. Whereas before battles were won with skill 80% of the time and luck 20%, now battles are about 30% skill and 70% connection. In a match between a Euro team and an American team, or a west coast v east cost match up, the team that gets host will win 90% of the time.

[< Profess >]

Whereas before battles were won with skill 80% of the time and luck 20%

Hahahahahaha.

[Extreme Content]

I don't understand how it can be lag if I run up to a person who isn't moving and plow them in the back with an aimed shot. It'd be one thing if they were on the run, but if I'm not moving and they're not moving, it'd have to be some pretty stupid lag that resulted in a miss on my part even when it shows a hit on my screen (and the screens of others who are watching me after their deaths). Plus, in the same match where something like that would happen, I'll pull off shots that I shouldn't be able to get. The shotgun is just not consistent. I'm not saying it has nothing to do with lag, but I have a feeling there's a lot more to it than that.

[mcluvin]

sneak up on someone smack them with you shotgun and before you can pull the trigger you get chiansawed,no stun affect most of the time ,epic just do not like the shotgun.

[GaMe824]

I've always had success with the shotgun. People should just learn to adjust.

[cjgone]

Lag... Where you shoot may be off -- I've noticed this when people walk slightly left or right when lancering etc. You can zoom in with the shotty, shoot them straight on and it won't kill them.

The bullets seem to pass through them slightly because of how long is takes for the shotty bullets t come outta the gun. With 6 bullets in the shotty and the decreased spread (you must have the total reticule on them), if only 3 hit, that's like no damage.