Comments by "Pete Sheppard" (@petesheppard1709) on "Why Don't We Have Top-Loading Shotguns?" video.

  1. My initial thought is tradition. By their simple construction, the sights of earlier long arms were attached directly to the barrel, so it was only natural for magazines to be attached under the barrel, similar to how most first generation semi-auto rifles had operating rod/charging handles in the same location as the bolt handle on bolt-action rifles. Also, not having the top of the receiver open to whatever trash and gunk that might fall in was an additional benefit.
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