My jr. high best friend's grandfather made good use of an old beater 410 shingle shot. This was around 1960, before most of the gun laws. He removed the stock and sawed the barrel to about 6". He rigged it to a board that could be staked down to the ground and rigged a wire to the trigger that stuck out a few inches in front of the barrel with a cork on it. He'd dig out a gopher hold and stake the thing with the cork down the hole. When a gopher came up with a load of dirt, KABLOOEY. It was highly effective on gophers but it was a good idea to keep your dogs and kids away from where he was trapping. I assume that recoil was pretty fierce, too.
