The narrow, pin-nosed specialist board for big waves, usually 2.30 to 3 metres long. Built to paddle in early at high wave speed, not to manoeuvre.
On your everyday shortboard you simply won't make the drop on a genuine big-wave day — not for lack of nerve, but because the volume isn't there to paddle in early enough at that wave speed. That's what a gun exists for: long, narrow, pin-nosed, with the volume spread evenly along the length instead of bunched under your chest, so the board tracks straight while you paddle rather than wobbling. The usual mistake is jumping straight from nothing to a gun. The in-between step is a step-up, about 7 to 20 centimetres longer than your normal shortboard — it covers plenty of big days long before a real gun makes sense. What often gets missed: more volume also means the duck dive stops working. From this board size on you need the turtle roll, or you won't even reach the line-up.