I know that LRRPs and SOG recon teams in Vietnam often used cut-down M79 grenade launchers firing buckshot rounds to break contact during engagements. Some point men carried these as their primary weapon (although most preferred something more versatile). LRRP and SEAL point men also sometimes carried 12-gauge shotguns. The reason/principle behind this decision is more or less the same. Maximum dispersal of rounds (at close range) in the shortest period of time, and the psychological impact of the sound of a shotgun blast.
In a burst of automatic fire, unless the shooter is waving the barrel of his weapon around, the rounds tend to follow roughly the same path downrange. A 40mm buckshot, or flechette, or .22 pepperpot round would have more dispersal/wider spread, thereby increasing the odds of a hit. It might not be a fatal or disabling hit (unless the target absorbs multiple projectiles) but it's probably enough to stop them shooting long enough for the good guys to get away. I suppose that a single blast of buckshot, flechettes, or .22 rounds also has quite a negative psychological effect on the recipients.
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