Take a good look at this… Guns Magazine from 1956 with an interesting article speculating that the Shotgun would be the Army’s weapon of the future.

They make some good points about the utlitity, but the Shotgun has only remained in a more niche roll.  It saw some use in Vietnam and is still used occasionally by the Marines in door to door type operations.  Weapon of the future?  Not so much.

Back then they said we’d have flying cars too.   Huh… Now wouldn’t that be a fun combination?