The Sawn-off shotgun, also commonly referred to as sawed-off shotgun,[1] is a type of firearm which was used extensively throughout the Mad Max Saga by many characters, but made iconic by Max Rockatansky.
Characteristics[]
Ammo for the Sawn-off Shotgun was hard to come by in the Wasteland. Even so, finding ammo that worked also proved difficult. For example, a shotgun shell Max found was discovered to be a dud when fired during the final road war of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.
Max's Sawn-Off[]
The sawn-off was used frequently by Max and made iconic.
When Max's family were murdered by a manic motorcycle gang, he took up the iconic sawn-off to carry out his maddening view of retribution in the seminal events of Mad Max.
As the world crumbled around him, Max continued using the weapon during his struggle for survival in the Wasteland as seen in Mad Max 2.
The sawn-off also made appearances in Beyond Thundedome as well as Fury Road.
In Mad Max (2015 Video Game)[]
The only firearm that can be used by Max on foot is the shotgun; even so, the ammo is extremely scarce, with maximum of twelve shells in Max's ammo bag. There are five different shotguns in the game: a rudimentary, single shot and single barrel shotgun, an optimized double barrel over-and-under shotgun, a triple barrel shotgun, a four barrel shotgun and Max's classic double barrel shotgun from movies. Pink Eye is also seen using one, although she does not fire it.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga[]
After some time, Furiosa becomes a Praetorian like Jack. Jack vows to help Furiosa gather the things she needs to leave The Citadel and look for the Green Place. While at the Bullet Farm, he gives Furiosa a sawn-off shotgun which he refers to as a "boom stick," which she then puts to good use.
Trivia[]
- Despite how synonymous the sawn-off is with Max, he has barely used it for killing, and uses it more as a tool for threatening.
- The shells used by Max appears to be slugs rather than buckshot or birdshot, since they don't spread in the movies. That doesn't apply to the game though.
- The model Max used varies throughout the movies. in the first 2 movies Max uses a sawn-off VG Bentley Side by Side shotgun. In Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, he uses a sawn-off Rossi Overland 12 gauge shotgun. In Mad Max: Fury Road, Max uses a sawn-off Antique 20-gauge side by side shotgun manufactured by the long-defunct Victor Sarasqueta Arms manufacturing company. The Shotgun in Fury Road in particular appears to be a Model 1.
- The shotgun used in Mad Max 2 differs from the sawn-off VG Bentley shotgun in Mad Max in that the foregrip is more triangular and the trigger guard is a different shape.
Gallery[]
