Much has been said about the many custom guns of gun guy favorite John Wick. Throughout the film series, he uses an impressive variety of handguns. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th films all feature a ton of Taran Tactical Innovations firearms, and each film delivers us a new custom handgun. Lots has been said about the handguns, but what about John Wick’s shotguns? Yeah, no one talks much about those, but as the resident shotgun nerd, I want to do a deep dive.
John Wick 1 – KelTec KSG
The first John Wick hardly feels like a John Wick film. They’ve grown exceptionally in budget and vision. While he carried a custom HK P30, every other gun was fairly standard. Near the end, he gets his hands on a KelTec KSG. Like many of John’s guns, he liberates it from an enemy. His model is featured with a hand-saving vertical grip and an EOTech optic.
The KSG is a dual-tube pump action shotgun. It’s capable of holding 14 rounds of 12 gauge, and it certainly seems to be an advantage to Mr. Wick as he fights around vehicles. Striking firearms are a big feature of these films, and the KSG has enough space gun vibes to stand out in the relatively modest first film.
John Wick 2 – Benelli M4
Described as ‘something bold, John Wick carries a Benelli M4 in the second film. During his escape from the catacombs, we see a 3-gun-inspired scene where John switches his guns around to incorporate a handgun, rifle, and shotgun. The Benelli M4 is arguably the king of combat shotguns and has a proper place in the film. This was when Taran Tactical began outfitting Wick’s weapons, and M4 has the TTI package.
This gas-operated semi-auto shotgun gets a brilliant display of effectiveness throughout the film. One of the highlights is when Wick faces armored baddies and blasts their unarmored legs out from under them before delivering the coup de grace. Wick is constantly reloading the gun, famously using a match save to finish a pinned bad guy down. He certainly makes use of the gun’s more than-capable action.
John Wick 3 – Benelli M2
In the third film, John and Charon resist a siege by the High Table’s armed goons. As the situation evolves, he gets to meet heavily armored bad guys that can’t be stopped. He returns to the armory with Charon, and they grab Benelli shotguns. Charon takes the M4, and Wick takes the M2 alongside some armor-busting slugs. We suspend disbelief for armor-piercing shotguns here. Like the M4, the M2 gets the TTI treatment.
The M2 is an inertia-operated semi-auto shotgun, and John uses it to turn heads into mush. Along the way, we see constant and competent quad loads and plenty of 3-gun gear. The M2 was and remains a great shotgun, but it felt like a bit of a step back and excuse to use a different TTI gun than the M4.
John Wick 4- Genesis Arms Gen 12
The latest John Wick film had our titular hero cutting his way through an Army of assassins. One group preferred the Genesis Gen 12 shotguns. These are AR-based, semi-auto 12 gauge shotguns that use a short recoil principle to function. They are mag fed and of extremely high quality. They’ve received the TTI treatment and are the TTI Model Dracarys guns in the film. These are certainly different, and what makes them stand out is the use of Dragon’s Breath rounds.
John Wick has great gun handling, but we have to suspend disbelief. Mainly because the Dragon’s Breath rounds are shown to be effective man stoppers. To be completely fair, John’s suit is bulletproof, but it seems like an incendiary round would be more effective than just buckshot against it. I’ve only fired DB rounds once, and they don’t cycle in semi-autos either….but movie magic is, well…magic.
Scatter Guns
I love shotguns and also perk up a bit when Wick gets his hands on one. The films do a great job of letting John and his guns be the stars of the show. Typically when a new gun is introduced, it gets some serious screen time, even to earn an Academy nod for best supporting actor. Every scene with these shotguns present is memorable, and for scattergun nerds like me, they truly stand out.
