I tried most of the popular shotguns and I suck with them(I prefer using fusion rifles). The only shotgun I can use and be good with is the Lord of wolves. I think the reason for that is that it handles differently than most shotguns. Think of the Lord of wolves as a pulse rifle with reduced range and horrible spread. Don't be fooled by the range stats. It actually has better range compared to other shotguns (from my personal experience). You may be on the same boat as me so give it try.

Know the range, and zoom if you have range finder

Pray and hope you aren't lagging.

Run n gun

Point click that's bout it. U gotta change ur style a little bit, be the guy who sits behind a corner for a few seconds to see if someone will run around it... shotguns r great for most maps but not all and u need a shot gun with at least 1 range perk and high impact or ur wasting ur time. High impact high range and ull b just as good as the rest

Dont rely on your shotgun only, there are people who run and shotgun the whole game (you need to master it before you can do that though) but the best way to use your shotty is the intended way. Use it in sticky situations, like when you are traped or surrounded, stay at a distance and try to take out enemies from range with your primary and when the enemy rushes you pull out your shotty. This is how i use my shotty and i am a y1 shotgunner. Or you can run and gun with your shotty but that is high risk, high reward. TDLR: use your shotty defensive

Jump around a lot if your a hunter with bones [spoiler]god help everyone[/spoiler] but you can still do quite well with any other class but jumping and putting buckshot into someone's skull is always nice.

Dont rush snooper lanes, thats an easy instakill for the snooper. Go around em and put that shell to their god damn faces

Aim and shoot to make things more deader and reload.....repeat as necessary.

Vertical space, jump around corners and kill ppl

Point the long metal part at the thing you want unalived and then squeeze the handle...

I feel your pain, as I was in a similar position as you several months ago, though it wasn't quite as bad as what you say. I will preface this that I am by no means the best player when it comes to PvP, but I'm...average at best. I prefer sniping, but as the games meta has changed, I grew tired of getting constantly shotgunned by more aggressive players. Thus began my journey to learn how to effectively play as one, therefore, learn how to counter such players. There are several key things that I've found that makes a good shotgun warrior (At least from my experience) - Map Knowledge - Radar Awareness (where applicable) - Positioning - Gun/game skill ***WALL OF TEXT INBOUND CLICK AT YOUR OWN PERIL*** [spoiler][b]Map knowledge:[/b] This is extremely important, and IMO is key to being an effective overall player, let alone a sniper or shotgun warrior. As a Shotgun user, you must be aware of where the most common sniper lanes are. Such as the elevated position by B flags special spawn (in control) on Widows Court that overlooks the courtyard heavy spawn between A & C flag. Or the top of the staircase leading to A from C flag on that map. Knowing where these sniping lanes are will help you avoid them. [b]Radar Awareness:[/b] This is a requirement for all players, but is especially important for you as a shotgun runner. You need to know where the enemy is, how many opponents you likely will be facing, and where your friends are. If your team is pushing heavily on the left, then you may want to try and use the distraction to come in from the side and pick off the enemy players as they are pre-occupied fighting your friends. The Radar will help tell you the proximity and what elevation the enemy players may or may not be on. Learn to how to read this, as it's essential to becoming a more solid PvP'er overall (Inferno game modes withstanding) [b]Positioning: [/b]You falls in line with map knowledge. Knowing how to use cover to eliminate as many sight lines where enemies can shoot at you as you make your approach or flank. There are times when rushing in and sliding up to an enemy player will be effective, and where it will get you killed (more often than not, if you're not good at closing the gap or against a more skilled player, you'll likely die) [b] Gun/Game Skill:[/b] Knowing your weapon, it's effective range and being able to line up your shots so you don't miss is gun skill. Using a shotgun does require some gun skill, but more importantly, game skill plays a huge role IMO. What I mean by this is being able to make rapid decisions and knowing how to utilize your classes skills to maximum effectiveness. This is an older game where I was still learning how to play with a shotgun. I get shutdown here and there, but pay attention to how I read my radar and use my team as a distraction to push or bait enemy players into chasing me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFhhWrzo9JM[/spoiler]

I don't use one

Don't just use a shotty for every situation a good mid-range primary can be used both aggressively and defensively. Learn where the range is on your shotty. Flank a lot, move from cover to cover and jump or slide towards your enemy. Use crammed spaces to your advantage and always know where to retreat if you screw up. Don't forget you have a primary that you can soften people up with before shooting them with your shotgun (less health they have, more range you have since you don't need to deal as much damage to kill them).

Slide and feck them up

I use my shot gun for counters more..when im getting rushed by players

I use mine to toss salads............. yes

Point, shoot.

I clicked to see what the punch line to the joke was. Turns out it was you.

Prime with your primary, then you can get way higher ranged shots off

trainspotting 2 will come next year so then you have your meth :D

Improve map awareness. Be confident

Make sure the target is close, enough to rush without getting killed before you fire. Madly rush your target and preferebly slide. As uou are sliding, aim your shotgun right before you fire for best effect. The time you aim and fire depends on the range of your shotgun, but preferably as close as possible. Repeat as necessary. The conspiracy theory d is strongly recommended, preferably the one from the quest that comes with rangefinder. Recommended to use that until you obtain a party crasher. Tbh though, sniping can make better profit if you take the time to get good with it.

Shoot first then melee at all times in case the first pull didn't kill him. Practice on shotgun and melee to get good at it, it's the key.