The Secret Meaning of Jack's Shotgun in the 'Reacher' Season 3 Finale

In the Season 3 finale of Reacher, our hero Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) doles out his brand of hardcore justice, not just on his old enemy Quinn (Brian Tee) but also blasts anyone else who stands in his way. And, while there are a lot of different types of firearms available to Reacher, thanks to the illegal gun shipment central to the story, he doesn't choose an automatic weapon or anything fancy. Instead, in choosing his gun for the big showdown, Reacher opts for a slick shotgun. 

But this choice isn't random. In fact, Reacher picking that exact shotgun has a very specific meaning. Here's why Reacher's weapon of choice has a secret meaning. Spoilers ahead for Reacher Season 3, Episode 8, "Unfinished Business."

Related: How to Read the Jack Reacher Books in the Correct Order (Hint: It's Not What You Think)

Reacher's shotgun is an Easter egg for the original book upon which Season 3 is based, Lee Child's 2003 novel Persuader. And that's because the shotgun that Reacher decides to use is called a "Persuader."

The exact kind of gun is called a Mossberg 500 Persuader, which is a .410 shotgun. That means, as shotguns go, it's on the smaller side. On page 400 of the paperback version of the book, Reacher describes the gun like this:

"It was an M500 Persuader. It was the Cruiser model. No shoulder stock. Just a pistol grip...It was a nasty, brutal, close-up street weapon."

The name of the book obviously has multiple meanings, but just like in the show, Reacher gets his hands on a Persuader shotgun toward the end of the book. In the book, prior to that, he's using all sorts of different guns: Duffy's Glock, a pair of Colt Anacondas, and at one point, a Beretta. (Funnily enough, a Beretta was James Bond's original gun in the novels, before he switched to a Walther PPK in the novel version of Dr No.)

In the show, Reacher uses just one shotgun in the final fight, though in the book he has two. This interestingly parallels the opening episode of the series, in which Reacher had just one Colt firing blanks, rather than two in the book.

In some ways, the gun action in Child’s books is more hardcore than in the series. But, in this Season 3 finale, Reacher had plenty of reasons to blow away some bad guys, including his final revenge on Quinn.

Why does Reacher choose this lightweight shotgun instead of an automatic? Other than being an old-fashioned guy, Reacher also wants something that will kill Quinn on the first shot, without anyone else getting hurt. Like he says in the book, it's a close-up gun. And, in the end, Reacher gets his vengeance on Quinn with the same weapon whose name inspired the entire story that’s just ended.

Reacher Season 3 streams on Amazon. Season 4 is expected in 2026. 

Related: Sonya Cassidy Talks 'Reacher' Girls, Says Jack Is 'A Very Lucky Man'