The Iron Pump Shotgun is the new baseline pump in Fortnite: Battle Royale for Chapter 7: Season 1. It replaces older pumps in the core loot pool and sits next to Twin Hammer Shotguns as the main shotgun choices this season. It aims for a familiar pump profile — slow, heavy hits and tight precision — without the extreme one-shot ranges of some older weapons.
Iron Pump Shotgun basics and rarities
The Iron Pump Shotgun is a pump-action shotgun that uses Shells ammunition and appears from Common up to Legendary rarity. It also has a Mythic variant named Pinpoint Iron Pump Shotgun.
Key characteristics:
- Weapon class: Shotgun (hitscan pellets)
- Ammunition: Shells
- Pellets per shot: 10, both hipfire and ADS
- Headshot multiplier: 2x
- Magazine size: 5 shells
- Fire rate: 0.8 shots per second across all rarities
- Reload style: one shell at a time, with Checkpoint Reload
The weapon is available in Battle Royale, Zero Build, Creative, and UEFN. It was introduced with Update v39.00 as part of the Chapter 7 Season 1 loot pool refresh.
How the Iron Pump Shotgun fires and reloads
The Iron Pump is built around deliberate, high-impact shots rather than spamming.
- Slow fire rate: At 0.8 shots per second, you get one shot roughly every 1.25 seconds. Missing a shot is punishing.
- Hitscan pellets: Each trigger pull sends out 10 pellets instantly; there is no travel time to lead, only spread to manage.
- Spread behavior: The vertical spread is slightly taller than most other shotguns, but aiming down sights tightens the pellet pattern noticeably.
- ADS in midair: You can aim down sights while jumping or falling, which matters in close-range peek and movement fights.
- Checkpoint Reload: Reloading one shell at a time means you regain firepower shell by shell instead of waiting out a full animation. If you get pushed mid‑reload, whatever shells are already loaded are usable.
In practical terms, the weapon rewards pre-aiming and good crosshair placement. Hipfire can still work at very close range, but ADS gives more consistent pellet counts at medium shotgun distances.
Damage numbers and DPS by rarity
The Iron Pump scales in the usual way from Common to Legendary: higher damage and structure damage, slightly faster reloads, and higher effective DPS while keeping the same fire rate and magazine size.
| Rarity | Body Damage | Critical (2x) | DPS | Structure Damage | Magazine Size | Fire Rate | Reload Time | Max Damage Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common | 91 | ~182 | 72.8 | 47 | 5 | 0.8 | 5.61 s | 165 |
| Uncommon | 96 | ~192 | 76.8 | 49 | 5 | 0.8 | 5.36 s | 175 |
| Rare | 101 | ~202 | 80.8 | 52 | 5 | 0.8 | 5.10 s | 185 |
| Epic | 106 | ~212 | 84.8 | 55 | 5 | 0.8 | 4.84 s | 195 |
| Legendary | 111 | ~222 | 88.8 | 57 | 5 | 0.8 | 4.59 s | 202 |
The “Max Damage Cap” values are especially important. Even if all pellets crit, the shotgun will not go beyond that cap for its rarity. That prevents the extreme, long‑range 200+ damage hits that defined some older pumps, but Legendary still hits hard enough to instantly delete a fully healthy opponent in many modes if enough pellets connect at close range.
Range and pellet spread quirks
Despite its in‑game description calling out “short range”, the Iron Pump’s effective reach is slightly longer than most pump‑style shotguns. It continues to register damage out to roughly 40 meters and slightly beyond, though damage falls off and spread makes high‑damage hits unlikely at that distance.
Important nuances:
- At very close range, the slightly taller reticle matters less, and aiming down sights mostly reduces horizontal spread and tightens the cluster.
- At mid‑range (10–20 meters), ADS becomes much more valuable; hipfiring at this distance often drops pellets low or high.
- Long range (30 meters and up) is more about chip damage, breaking shields, or finishing weak players — not reliable one‑shot potential.
Functionally, it behaves like a pump that can still chip and annoy players who think they are fully safe outside typical shotgun distance, but its damage cap keeps that chip from randomly turning into a full one-shot from far away.
Iron Pump Shotgun vs. Twin Hammers and other Chapter 7 weapons
Chapter 7 Season 1 builds its close‑range meta around two primary shotguns: the Iron Pump and Twin Hammer Shotguns. Twin Hammers act more like a hybrid between pumps and autos — two pumps with a shared rhythm that you can treat similarly to an auto shotgun in practice. The Iron Pump, by contrast, leans into single, precise bursts of damage with more downtime between shots.
High‑level differences:
- Iron Pump Shotgun: higher single-shot damage, slower fire rate, more punishing misses, slightly better reach.
- Twin Hammers: lower individual shot damage but a relatively high combined rate of fire; better for “hold W and spray” fights or for players who are less confident in single-shot accuracy.
Among other new weapons in Chapter 7:
- Holo Rush SMG adds a scoped, mid‑range SMG option, blurring the line with rifles.
- Deadeye Assault Rifle covers mid‑ to long‑range with a scope and heavy‑rifle feel.
- Vengeful Sniper is the only non‑hitscan weapon in the season’s gun pool and demands leading and drop compensation.
- Arc Lightning Gun gives close‑range spray potential but with chain‑lightning behavior rather than pellets.
In that context, the Iron Pump is positioned as the precision close‑range tool for players who want traditional pump timing and are willing to play around its slower cadence.
Practical use: When to pick the Iron Pump Shotgun
The Iron Pump works best when fights are decided on the first or second shot. It favors players who pre‑aim corners, use cover, and can quickly follow up with an SMG or AR.
- Box fights and tight cover: Its heavy burst damage is ideal when you can control peeks and force close‑range angles.
- Third‑party opportunities: Because of its range and damage caps, it can reliably secure low‑HP eliminations before other squads react.
- Zero Build duels: The extra reach matters more in open terrain; pairing the Iron Pump with solid mobility (like Wingsuits) lets you close distance, hit hard, then reposition.
Weaknesses to account for:
- Extended, chaotic interior fights favor Twin Hammers or faster shotguns; the Iron Pump’s low fire rate can be outpaced if you miss or get rushed by multiple enemies.
- Breaking structures with it alone is possible but inefficient; its structure damage is decent, not exceptional, and its fire rate slows wall‑breaking.
Tip: In most loadouts, the Iron Pump should be followed by a high‑DPS close‑range weapon — a fast SMG or strong AR — to clean up if your pump shot cracks shields but doesn’t finish the opponent.
How to complete “Eliminate opponents with the Iron Pump Shotgun or Grenades” quests
Chapter 7 Season 1 includes quests that specifically reference the Iron Pump, such as eliminating opponents using the Iron Pump Shotgun or Grenades. The core challenge is simply finding the weapon quickly and forcing close‑range engagements.
Step 1: Land at a named POI with dense floor loot and chests. This maximizes your odds of seeing the Iron Pump early in the match, since it is part of the general loot pool.
Step 2: Prioritize shield and mobility first, then pick up the first Iron Pump you find regardless of rarity. The stats scale with rarity, but even a Common version is adequate for quest progress.
Step 3: Seek early fights in interiors, tight alleys, or natural cover where opponents must close distance. Lead engagements with the Iron Pump at point‑blank range; if needed, weaken enemies with AR or Grenade damage but make sure the finishing blow comes from the Iron Pump or a Grenade to count toward the quest.
Because the weapon has decent effective range, you can also secure eliminations on fleeing enemies that your team has already tagged, as long as the final damage instance is from your Iron Pump or Grenade.
Mythic variant: Pinpoint Iron Pump Shotgun
The Iron Pump Shotgun’s Mythic version is named Pinpoint Iron Pump Shotgun. While detailed stat differences are not listed alongside the base variants, Mythic versions in Fortnite typically offer one or more of:
- Higher damage and/or damage cap
- Better handling, such as faster reloads or tighter spread
- Unique utility (for example, more consistent pellet patterns)
Given the “Pinpoint” label, the focus is likely on accuracy — a tighter spread or more consistent pellet placement — making it even more reliable at mid‑range shotgun distances compared with the standard Legendary.
How the Iron Pump fits into Chapter 7’s flow
Chapter 7 Season 1 breaks away from the Battle Bus opening by placing players on the edge of the storm and having them ride wave launchers inward. That structure can delay early mid‑range gunfights and push more squads into converging paths. In those early scrambles, the Iron Pump is at its strongest: players are clustered, mobility options are limited, and most fights happen around POIs and interior cover.
As the match progresses and Wingsuits, boss kits, and other mobility and power spikes come into play, fights stretch out. The Iron Pump then becomes part of a more layered loadout: a closer for boss‑kit users who dive into your box, or a way to punish over‑aggressive Wingsuit pushes that land within shotgun range.
For players who missed older pumps and want a precise, consistent shotgun without the absurd one‑shot potential, the Iron Pump Slotgun becomes the go‑to pick for Chapter 7 Season 1’s close‑range meta.
