I read the article about the suppressed shotgun and your question about the effectiveness of the sound reduction. Then I remembered a brochure I picked up at the IWA guntrade-fair in Neurenberg-Germany some years ago about the Laporte Swing Trap shotgun with the integrated suppressor, which reduces 15 % noise with standard ammo and up to 75 % with subsonics. I can not validate this claim because I have only held the gun at the IWA and never fired it, but maybe it is of interest to the readers of the blog.

The company does not appear to manufacture them anymore.

UPDATE: Mark sent me the patent for the Laporte shotgun suppressor. It is an interesting design. Also of note is that the shotgun has a very short barrel (relative to the normal length of these trap guns). The PDF can be viewed after the jump.

He is holding a Mossberg Rolling Thunder and a Mossberg Roadblocker.

I have seen a couple of suppressed shotguns up close. They were pretty bulky and I wondered how effective the suppression would be with such a big caliber. For comparison: the area of the cross section of a 12 gauge bore is almost twice as large as .50 caliber bore!

Model 887 Nitro Mag Tactical (Top) makes the Model 870 (bottom) look tiny.

It features an 18.5" barrel with a Rem Tactical Choke (and integrated muzzle brake). A magazine extension increases capacity to 6+1 rounds.¹ The gun has two side picatinny rails hear the muzzle to attach lights, lasers or bayonets ² .

The business end.

I asked my friendly booth guide if the gun could rust under the plastic Armorlokt coating. He assured me it would not.

My friendly Freedom Group guide.

The MSRP on this shotgun is $498. I think it is a bargain!

Remington Model 870 Tactical Express A-TACS (bottom)

It chambers 2 3/4" or 3" 12-gauge rounds. MSRP is $665.

It is also available in a combo package that includes a 18.25" Pump Security barrel.

Specifications
Caliber	12 gauge
Capacity	5+1
Sights	vent rib, bead
Finish	Blued
Barrel	28"
Overall Length	48.25"
Weight	8.2 lbs
MSRP (Price)	$267, Field/Security Combo: $307

Stevens 350 Pump Security (top, bottom)

Specifications
Caliber	12 gauge
Capacity	5+1
Finish	Blued
Barrel	18.25"
Overall Length	38.25"
Weight	7.6 lbs
MSRP (Price)	$241 (front bead sight), $282 (rear ghost ring, front post sight)

Stevens 350 Pump Security with sights

Picatinny rail on top ... nice touch!

"Made in USA" ... yea right!

[ Many thanks to Justin for emailing me the link (I missed it on EveryDayNoDayOff, which I regularly read) ]

The shotgun was made exclusively by master craftsman at the Beretta firearms factory in Gardone Val Trompia, Italy. It is inlaid with 24 carat gold and features traditional quail hunting scenes on both side plates. The top lever is adorned with the number "43" and the bottom of the receiver shows the Presidential Seal. President Bush's initials and an image of his dog are also engraved on the gun. More than five hundred hours have gone into the engraving of the shotgun. The stock and fore-end are carved from the finest walnut.

The SO10 EELL Shotgun was presented to President George W. Bush by Dott. Beretta. A custom Italian leather gun case with handmade gun accessories, as well as a Damascus steel knife with engraving and wood matching the gun, were presented to President Bush by Mr. Peter Horn, Vice President of Beretta's U.S. retail sales corporation.

UPDATE: Julio pointed out that it looks to Turkish ADAL Arms MKA 1919 shotgun.

Specifications
Model	MKA 1919
Operation	Gas operated Semi-auto Shotgun
Caliber	12 gauge
Weight (Empty)	6.8 lbs
Barrel Length	18.5"
Magazine Capacity	5+1
Safety	Manuel safety lever
Overall Length	37"

In other news, ATI have ceased importing their AR-15 .410 shotgun. They were having problems with the manufacturer (I am not sure exactly what kind of problems). They hope to be importing them again at a later date.

I was able to handle, and photograph, a deactivated Taser XREP round. I have never before seen any photos published, other than the official Taser marketing photos, so this is a first.

The cartridge on the right is the unfired round. It can only be fired in a Mossberg X12 shotgun (and regular 12 gauge rounds can't be fired in the X12) It can be fired from any 12 gauge shotgun although Taser recommend the Mossberg X12 which cannot fire regular legal rounds (preventing tragic accidents). The X12 is a modified version of the pump action Mossberg 500.

The bullet as it looks when it leaves the muzzle is second from the right in the above photo. At the base you can see the fins which help stabilize the bullet. The spikes in front are electrodes.

Once the spikes make contact with the target, the body breaks away and very (very!) sharp needles are deployed. The Taser system requires two points of contact to adequacy shock a human being. The frontal spikes provide one point of contact and the needles provide another.

Taser XREP training round (right)

The XREP is a very complex device and expected it would be expensive, although I had not idea how expensive it would be!

The training round, a plastic projectile weighted the same as the live XREP costs $100 per five rounds! The live version of the XREP costs $800 per 5 rounds! That is $160 per round! I would hate to miss the target at a price that that!

Mossberg / Taser X12 shotgun.

The design is very similar to the Russian KBP MTs 225 revolver shotgun. The Circuit has a very attractive Monte Carlo stock (I guess a synthetic stock will be introduced at a later date). A cylinder guard on the left side of the gun prevents gas and flames from scorching your arm.

Specifications
Caliber	.45 Long Colt, .410 2.5" and 3" shells
Capacity	5 rounds
Action	SA/DA
Finish	Wood / Blue
Barrel	18.5"
Overall Length	38"
Weight	4.75 lbs
Front Sight	Fiber optics
Rear Sight	Fiber optic
MSRP (Price)	Not yet announced.

The Circut Judge will be avalible with either a rifled barrel or a smoothbore barrel. The smoothbore version will only be able to fire .410 rounds.

I really look forward to shooting the new Judge. It looks nice, feels nice and I am sure is a lot of fun to shoot.

He listened to the advice and made the following modifications to his shotgun. You can read the previous article in The Saga of the Nigerian Shotgun series here. This is a guest post was written by Y-Man. ]

Guys, thanks for all your advice and encouragement, I went shooting again 20 DEC 2009, and I seem to have got my accuracy "mojo" back! It was obviously the sights or lack of causing this accuracy problem. I cannot discount also that different guns might respond to the same ammunition in different ways: especially smooth-bore 12-ga shotguns firing "smaller than bore-size home-made slugs. If you guys remember from previous posts: after my Turkish semi-auto shotgun "died" an unnatural death, I got me a sweet, solid Mossberg 500A, 18.5"Bbl, No choke, No vent rib, tactical heat-shield, 6+1, bead sight, PGO. It was almost new, had never been fired, but had been cleaned and oiled. As usual with me: I wasn’t satisfied with just the bead sight or the PGO, so I have been doing quite a lot of fabrication to get me some GOOD stuff done!

Sights

First, I did some shooting with the factory bead: POOR results even at 30 meters with my slugs. Then I removed the factory bead, and tested using an old Tri-Viz Turkey sight I had: accuracy was still POOR. Then I did something crazy (Temporary, but crazy!) I fastened a simple aluminum tube (From an old, discarded Flashlight) to the barrel: using two clips (The type used for rubber hoses.). I aligned it to the barrel by eye, and off to the range I went! I began getting hit after hit on 1' x 1' steel plate at 40 meters! A few NEAR misses, but if it had been a man-sized target: that would have been DRT!

Of course: the aluminum tube was just a field-expedient "poor man's scope": no reticules (Just center your target within the circle of the tube!) No magnification... But it gave me my confidence back! I also fired a few rounds from 100metres: of course: no hits! I just did it for the fun of it. The slugs going downrange had a lovely "wheeee!" sound to them...

I later improved further on my sights fabrication just today: I got a washer welded onto a hose-clip and welded a bit of steel bolt into the circle to create/ fabricate a "Y-Man Peep sight!" It’s getting better! I will test soon and let you guys know...

See photos of Y-Man peep sights: http://www.flickr.com/photos/44877118@N04/sets/72157623050200929/ A friend and colleague who just went back to Louisiana on Christmas vacation popped into the Bass Pro shop in Baton Rouge, and he has picked up a Bushnell Shotgun scope and a B-Square saddle mount for me...

I fixed the B-Square Shotgun rail mount/ saddle, and the Bushnell Banner Shotgun scope to my shotgun. Everything went on my Mossberg 500A Pump Action Shotgun fine.

But anyone with a sharp eye can see that the scope points UP, and is NOT aligned with the angle of the barrel. I thought nothing of it until I went testing.

I fired 20 slugs, some from as close as 20 feet: NOT A SINGLE HIT! All this on a 1 foot square target!

All the rounds were going below point of aim.

You can see the reason why here:

In addition to this: after a few shots: the B-Square mounting rings got loose. One of the clamps had thrown the thread before: and I had used a simple nut and bolt to hold it tight to the rail. That one held through all the firing. But the one that was factory: broke after 5 shots!

I went home disappointed!

I even gave up completely about the scope, and started doing my usual"out of the box" thinking to set up a "proper" ghost ring sight system for my shotgun.

Then I got some "crazy" ideas. (As usual!): I got rid of the mounting rings, drilled holes in the B-square mount, and used hose clips to hold the scope securely to the mount! I used a little bit of aluminum to raise the back part of the scope to align it properly by putting it between the scope and the rail before tightening.

The fitting is tight and strong. It looks and feels like it could take quite a pounding and not shift nor shake.

To be sure, before going to do any testing (Using up ammo) I did a "poor man’s bore-sighting" first... No laser available: so I used a strong flashlight that has a diameter of 18mm. I switched that on, slotted it into the muzzle: and sighted in with the scope. At different distances: the reticules of the scope centered perfectly on the projected circle of light!

I went testing and accuracy is GOOD! I got a wonderful cheek-weld, and was getting hit after hit on a target (about 11"x 8") placed about 70 yards distant: 70 YARDS! Video Number 3...

Stock

I have finally fabricated a good stock that works. Made originally out of Chrome-Vanadium quality steel rod, it is more of a skeleton stock: fastened at both the top of the pistol grip, and at the bottom of the grip. It works very well. I first padded the steel rod all along the length of it with thick felt, then covered it professionally with strong but soft goat-skin leather (A professional leather-worker did some tight, quality stitching of the leather all round. I also fixed a felt "recoil pad" and worked out a sling... It all works quite well...

Photos of Stock before and after padding

(See stock AFTER padding in the video above)

I have made some videos showing shooting tests that I did with these modifications for which I would appreciate your comments and opinions: both here and on Youtube. Also: there’s a video of my process of converting Birdshot into slugs, using basic tools. (The new key thing is that I have now created a mold out of a piece of barrel from an old shotgun. Since it is from a piece of shotgun barrel without chokes: it turns out a perfect 0.729" slug.)

Check photos here.

Cheers, and happy New Year; y’all!

Remington 870 Modular Combat Shotgun in the Tactical Entry/CQB Weapon configuration (14" barrel)

When cutting down the barrel length of a shotgun, or tube magazine fed rifle, you lose magazine capacity as you shorten it. The 14" length is a good compromise length and in an 870 can accommodate 5+1 capacity.

The IRS Shotty specifications also calls for a Wilson Combat Ghost Ring rear sight, XS4 Contour Bead front sight, Knoxx Reduced Recoil Adjustable Stock and and Speedfeed ribbed black forend.

The Knoxx stock features a spring system which slows down recoil

[ Many thanks to all the readers who for emailed me the link. ]

Specifications
Caliber	28 gauge 2 3/4" shells
Capacity	2+1
Barrel	24" or 26" with WeatherCoat
Chokes	C,IC,M,IM,F
Stock	Satin Walnut
Sights	Red bar front sight and metal bead mid sight
Overall Length	45.5" / 47.5"
Weight	4.9 lbs
Other Features	Acid-etched game scenes
MSRP (Price)	$1989

Engraving

Chuck Hawks has the skinny on the 28 gauge ...

The 28 gauge is the little shell that could. It can dominate small bore skeet, it's effective on upland birds, and it makes a light yet low recoiling gun for beginner or expert alike. All it lacks is the public acceptance that would bring with it a larger assortment of guns and ammunition at reasonable prices, and that may be coming.

It is sold as part of a four gun match set. The set sells for $420,000! It is made by Italian firm Perazzi. I am pretty sure this was the most expensive production consumer gun at SHOT Show.

Designed to work with all Model 870 shotguns, the Trigger Fix allows the user to have a clean, smooth, fully adjustable trigger pull. Every Timney 870 Trigger Fix is packaged with a sear, 3 pull weight springs and a hex head wrench. Simply choose a spring (light, medium, or heavy) and then fine tune the pull weight with the hex head wrench for a precise setting.

Price is $89.95.

*[ Many thanks to the reader who email me the info. ]

UPDATE:

Shooting Illustrated has reviewed the trigger upgrade ...

Similarly, the 870 platform is just as versatile for law enforcement, those interested in home defense and three-gun competitors. Whether you employ your 870 for one or all these tasks, and no matter how your 870 is configured, Timney’s new drop-in unit will fit and eliminate the weak link of an otherwise exceptional firearm.

[ Many thanks to Jeremiah for emailing me the link. ]

Weighing 150 pounds and resembling a cannon more than a firearm, a huge, brass-barreled, portable field piece has been recovered from the sea, where a pirate lost it, and added to a collection of ancient guns in Pasadena, Calif. The gun was one of those used by the pirate, Hippolyte de Bouchard, when he and 400 followers sacked Monterey in 1818. In returning to their ship, the men lost this gun when a small boat overturned. In later years it was recovered by fishermen who saw it on the ocean floor at low tide. Another firearm almost as remarkable is a gun with a very long barrel used by Spanish settlers in hunting. They believed that the longer the barrel, the further the ball would carry, and so used long-barreled guns to kill game at long range. The long gun has an over-all length of about ten feet.

That pirate gun is almost certainty a Punt Gun. While nifty, they are not uncommon.

What is more interesting, at least to me, is the very long Spanish "sniper" rifle. That barrel would probably have decreased velocity, not helped it, but the long length and weight would have it easier to hit a moving target, much like how shotgunners use longer barrels today.

[ Many thanks to Sven (Defense and Freedom) for emailing me the the info. ]

The above shotgun is currently being auctioned at Guns America.

This year, the Remington Arms Company stands honored to roll out the 10,000,000th Model 870 shotgun, and would like to thank the millions of shooters and hunters, and great men and women who serve our country in military and law enforcement for making this proud moment possible. For the past 51+ years, you and the industry we serve have helped make the Model 870 the most trusted shotgun ever produced.

You can register to win one of ten commemorative edition shotguns over at Remington's "10,000,000" website.

Enter the TriStar Cobra Force shotgun with a spring-loaded fore-end that, quite literally, assists a shooter in bringing the shotgun back into battery. According to Garrett Bader, of TriStar sporting Arms, “You can fire this gun almost as fast as a semi-auto.”

The gun, which is manufactured in Turkey by Armsan, comes with a formidable looking flash hider that can be replaced with Beretta/Benelli-style choke tubes. The receiver has a Picatinny rail already mounted, the fore-end has another rail, and up front a fiber-optic sight provides quick target acquisition in low light and operates well as a post in virtually no light.

It gets exhaustive testing in the January issue of Shooting Illustrated magazine that's available on newsstands today, and there were some surprises uncovered, including its unusually crisp trigger with a consistent 5-pound let-off weight.

The idea makes sense to me. I look forward to reading the review in the magazine.

From the WHQ Forum ...

"Both the SOW (Special Operations Weapon) and its magazine-fed Remington 870 predecessor (bottom) were products of mechanical wizard Carroll Childers, an engineer at the Naval Special Weapons Center. The 870 mod kit provided SEAL shotgunners with a quick-change magazine holding 20 rounds. The SOW was full-auto."

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/6861/sowg.jpg

Very interesting. It must have been a fun gun to shoot!

Thanks much to Sven for emailing me the info.

UPDATE: Daniel found the patent for the SOW. Worth reading if you are interesting how it worked.

Flare rounds look nasty. They do not look like they would kill, but they have enough energy to embed themselves in soft tissue and burn inside the body.

Hat Tip: Migs at MP.net

Benelli now claim they have designed the lightest autoloader in the world and will unveil it at SHOT Show.

This competition would make sense if they were separate companies but since 2000 Benelli has been owned by Beretta.

.410 Gauge Bonded PDX1

The PDX1 2.5" .410 gauge round is optimized for use with the Taurus Judge revolver. The reduced recoil round is loaded with three 000 Buckshot sized discs backed by 12 BB sized pellets.

A buckshot / slug combo is utilized in the 2.75" PDX1 12 gauge round. A 1 oz. Targeting Ranger Slug is pushed at 1200 fps and is backed by three 00 buckshot pellets. It too uses a reduced recoil load.

The .410 and 12 gauge rounds will be available in February and March respectively.

It is good to see more self defense specific shotgun ammunition being developed. I wonder if the ammunition being developed in response to more Americans choosing shotguns for defense, or is being developed in the hope that people will see the ammunition and buy a shotgun to use it ... a chicken and egg problem.

If you have been reading the blog over the past year you will have seen the incredible ingenuity he has demonstrated in Nigeria, where there exist severe restrictions on guns and ammunition. His previous exploits include Turning Birdshot into Slugs for Self-Defense and Fabricating a Shotgun Stock. ]

I ended up just going back to the basics: and worked on the Pistol-grip. I did not know it was made of a thick plastic that could be drilled, sawed, filed and even melted in some parts to fit.

1. I simplified everything: I just drilled a through hole in the pistol-grip, and filed the edges.

1. Through-hole was about 5mm in diameter.

2. I then got a strong “Y” Bracket made: out of strong but springy steel. I had nuts welded to hold the stock.

1. See the fitting of the bracket to the pistol grip: aligned with the through hole.

1. I put a bolt through to hold bracket, and used spring- washers to hold it. Then fastened grip to Shotgun.

1. Screw Stock to nut onto Y bracket. Note the lower bolt is on nut welded to the regular bolt that comes with the shotgun: the one that fixes the pistol grip (Or stock) to the receiver. I put a bolt there so that the Y-Bracket rests on top, and using a Zip tie: stops the Y-bracket (And Stock) from swinging or flexing upwards.

2. “Perfect” fit. Stock fits. Will later need a reduction in LOP: it’s about 15” right now.

1. Y-man’s “Top folder” below (Just kidding: I definitely would NEVER fire it like this: I would get a mouthful of felt!)

Thanks, ALL of you who guided me there: I will update you when I do some firing this weekend.

Remember I did some modifications to my shotgun, and later to the ammunition I could get? Well, I have gone a few more steps further. I have made three more major (In some ways: crude but safe) modifications to my shotgun: based on what is available here in my country and what I can get.

Firstly, I was in an accident in the 1990s, and lost some muscle tissue from my right arm. This has healed over the years, but my arm is not as strong as it should be. This affects my charging of the semi-auto shotgun: so much so sometimes I am forced to charge with both hands awkwardly. I then thought of getting and fixing a charging handle extension: obviously not easily available in my country, and not easy/ sensible to take the shotgun out to a welder to fabricate something (You most likely would get the welder and his apprentices run shrieking out of the workshop when you pull out the shotgun from the carry-bag...!)

So, I got a grip from an adjustment tab of an office chair, made out of plastic, and "JB-Welded" it to the charging handle. See pictures after the jump. I got some concerns from a few friends: wondering if the plastic adjustment tab would stand much firing/ shooting.

Well, I did me some shooting: a total of 25 rounds of my slugs, and tab is FIRM and helping me so well. I can charge my shotgun much more easily now. Very ugly, but functional!

Secondly, I have been shooting my own "brand of slugs" for some time now, and recently got quite uncomfortable with the lack of good sights on my shotgun. I had been using the bead sight, and on a good day, could get 3" groups at 35yards using the open bead sight. On some bad days, I can barely hit a barrel at 25 yards! I KNOW it doesn’t have to do with the consistency or otherwise of the slugs themselves: they are regular, Foster-type slugs that I cast myself, but the problem is my own aim. I am just not getting it right. The alignment of the bead is just too much for me sometimes. Sometimes, my shots go over, and sometimes into the ground in front of target.

So, I decided to make (Fabricate) or get some proper "rifle-like" sights. A "firearm-enthusiast" friend traveled home to Louisiana on vacation last month, and I asked him to get me some sights. After checking and researching online, I settled for the Truglo Xtreme Turkey Combo from Pro Bass, which is right around the corner from my friend's place in Baton Rouge. I asked him to get 2 sets, which he did.

I then asked him, when he was on his way back, to make sure he removed the parts from their packaging, so that some beady-eyed Customs Officer would not start asking questions. Well, luckily, no one even looked twice at the packages at the airports.

I excitedly worked on fitting them to my shotgun, and discovered that while the rear sight fit perfectly, the front sight had some seatings; none of which actually fit my shotgun accurately. I still persevered, and fit them: rear-sight was okay, and finally front-sight seemed to seat well, bolted to the bead hole, and with a little glue and pliers-manipulation. It seemed firm and I had HIGH hopes.

I went out shooting at the range the other day, and while I was hitting my 12" x 12" target (Half-inch thick steel plates.) quite well (Most shots out of twenty went into a 10" x 10" circle at 38 yards.), the front sight began to jiggle loose. At the end of the day: it was sliding from side to side, while the rear ghost ring remained strong and firm. I got home, and in my usual way, started thinking of ways to get this thing sorted...

Finally: I took a look at the unused second set of sights, which I had initially kept as a spare... Then a brainwave hit me: why don't I fit the SECOND Ghost Ring Sight on the FRONT of the barrel: where the bead used to be?! Then that way you have two rings. Align the two circles (Rear and front) against your target when aiming and you have a good aiming picture! Look through the two rings to your target, and you are ON TARGET!

See pictures...

Finally, I got tired of looking for a place to store my shotgun safely: it came originally as a PGO (Pistol Grip Only.) then I initially did some modification by creating a "wire-type" stock. See link...

This increased the length of the shotgun to about 42": quite unwieldy and difficult to conceal sometimes. (Like when driving to the range: even though I have all my legal permits, it is better to avoid too many questions at the Police checkpoints.) I have long thought about getting or fabricating a collapsible stock, or a folding one. Well, like you know: it is completely impossible to get such a thing in Nigeria, so my "creative-mind" went to work.

I ended up with a stock that can be tightened onto the shotgun for shoulder-firing usage, or off for storage: leaving a much shorter shotgun in Pistol Grip only configuration. I know it takes "forever" to screw on the stock to use it or to screw off the stock to store it: crude and ugly but it works!

UPDATE:

Actually NOT on target! I went to the range to do a test with my “double Ghost-ring sights” and did absolutely the WORST shooting of my LIFE! The two ghost rings aligned okay, but obviously not correctly. At one point: I fired TWICE at a crow, using one of my “slugs” at less than 10 yards, and MISSED both times! ALL shots at my steel 12” x 12” target at 30 yards, and 50 yards MISSED EVERY TIME.

Then to close the day with the WORST news: the firing pin on my shotgun broke! Now my nice Turkish EFE shotgun was wrecked! I don’t think it has to do with my modifications: either to the gun or to the ammo: I really believe it has more to do with the quality of the parts of the gun. Would you believe that the firing pin assembly was of a brittle cast-iron metal and NOT steel!? The Plastic bits for the trigger assembly are weak, brittle PLASTIC!

Well, my EFE Magnum shotgun is useless now: it is not possible to repair it: by myself or a gunsmith (Archeologists discovered the fossils of the extinct Nigerian Gunsmith a few months back! ) The Shotgun makes a good club though: and when used right: a great hammer! (No ammo loaded, of course…) Just kidding!

At least: I have a “happy” ending to my story: I met the supplier of my Turkish Shotgun (A licensed firearms dealer…) and complained to him about how strange it was that my shotgun would spoil in less than one year, not with any really heavy shooting… He was more worried that I could tell the large number of clients I already have showing interest in buying from him: so we came up with a deal:

• I returned the EFE Magnum Shotgun to the dealer (He says he can get it repaired ... Good luck to him!)

• He brought me (At my choosing) a Mossberg 500A PGO 18.5” 7+1 Pump-action Shotgun. I like VERY MUCH! As soon as I travel/ have someone travelling: I will get me some tactical sights (Mossy’s already drilled and tapped!), a sling and a stock. I hope to try some shooting this weekend...

• I paid him a little something extra to cover his costs: About $200. (Y’all would be SHOCKED to know I paid about $1,000 for the Turkish Shotgun originally! You don’t know what you guys are enjoying in the US: buying firearms legitimately for as low as $100!

Phew! All’s well that ends well, I guess… I’m now the proud owner of a more reliable Mossberg 500A pump-action shotgun! I fabricated a “Y-Man” Steel target too! This is just perfect for plinking: you hear the slug ring loud and clear! Half-inch thick steel, a steel rod, a discarded car spring, and voila! It is fixed on a spring to reduce the impact of slugs hitting it, and to reduce/ eliminate the risk of ricochets. The steel plate is painted white: so the impact of slug-hits can be seen using Binoculars.

See below:

I need your advice; and maybe you could ask a few friends. Remember that Mossberg 500A 12-gauge I got? Well, it came PGO (Again! Do they have something against regular stocks in Nigeria?!) Well, you know me: I have a restless mind, and restless hands (And some money to burn occasionally!) so I did some fabrication/ modification.

I kept it simple this time: I welded an “L-shaped” wire-type stock (Made out of a strong, springy steel rod derived from a screwdriver.) to the steel bolt that fastens the grip to the receiver. Once I tightened the bolt as normal to the shotgun grip: it was good to go. (See picture attached.)

My worry is this: I’m no engineer, but wouldn’t this put some stress on the bolt-hole of the receiver? Might repeated firing cause the Shotgun receiver to possibly fracture and even crack? Normally: the stress of recoil/ impact of firing taken by the stock (Or PG) is spread on the flat end of the receiver (Where the stock or PG contacts the receiver.) but my modification puts all the impact at the point where the bolt screws in.

• I haven’t tested my modification yet, but am I setting myself up for a cracked receiver? (Or worse?)

• Is my angle of the stock okay? It is straight along the “line of recoil”, it should be okay... What do you think?

• LOP is about 11 inches: and this is comfortable. But is it okay?

• No cheek-weld at all. I guess I’ll have to live with that.

Anyone know if the stress on the receiver during recoil could cause problems?

I am sure the length of pull will be fine as long as it is comfortable.

© Vitaly Kuzmin. Click to expand photo.

More info about this gun can be found here.

Many thanks to Vitaly Kuzmin for his help and the use of his photo.

The recoil system resembles the rear shock absorbing system on mountain bikes

The Talon is available for the Remington 870, Mossberg 500 and Winchester 1300. The Axiom is available for the Remington 700, Howa 1500 and Weatherby Vanguard.

Murdoc has more info about the Talon and Axiom over at GunPundit.

Earlier this year I decided I wanted get involved with shooting the shotgun sports. My sportsman's club had a monthly informal trap shoot which got me hooked. On my last guest post I blogged about the only shotgun I owned at the time. My sportsman's club shot doubles so a single shot was going to cut it. I really needed something that could at least fire two shots. The problem was I didn't have the money to spend on a sporting shotgun or really know what kind of shotgun I wanted anyway. As a stop gap I dug out from my Dad's basement my late grandfather's double barrel.

That shotgun of my grandfather's was a Stevens 311A in 16 gauge built in 1951. A true classic American side by side and quite popular, since back then a side by side was the shotgun for the common man. The 311A was just one example of a family of double barrels that Stevens made from 1877 to 1988. It's what is consider a “utility grade” shotgun. So it is very simple with no checker or engraving and a trigger for each barrel.

This particular shotgun sat for decades right next to my grandparents back door to protect the garden, the chicken coop, or the home from two or four legged thieves. It saw little (if any to be honest) maintenance. So when I rescued it from my dad's basement I was a little concerned if it would actually work. The finish on the stock was completely shot but the there was only some minor rust on the barrels with only some very minor pitting in one small spot. Some Hoppe's No. 9 and it was back in business and in good working order. It was quite a surprise really, a testament to Stevens quality from the 1950's.

To be honest I wasn't really all that excited about the double barrel at first. It wasn't because it wasn't a true trap gun. The trap shots at my sportsman's club are pretty informal and about 90% of the participants use Remington 11-87's. But come on, a double is Elmer Fudd's gun or what farmers shot rock salt at trespassers with right? Plus I was concerned about fumbling with two triggers or dealing with lopsided recoil. But my fears were unfounded. That old shotgun shots real nice. Although selective triggers would be better the double triggers are quite natural when it comes to follow up shots. I am still just a beginner so I doubt it matters if would use a dedicated sporting shotgun or this until I get the hang of shooting clays. I am also now a fan of the 16 gauge. At one point it looked like this guage was on the endanger species list but I think it is here to stay for the time being. I found the recoil not bad yet it still gives a decent punch in a light weight gun.

After a few trap secessions I grew attached to my grandfather's old double so I figured I would try to bring it back to life. I am certainly no expert gunsmith but I figured it would be hard to make it worse that it was so. So I picked up a blueing and stock finishing from Birchwood Casey at the local sporting good store. The kits come with detailed instructions. Anyone who passed wood and metal shop in school has the prerequisite skills (i.e. its pretty easy.) Since this the first time I did anything like this there are a few details that aren't perfect but at arms length it looks like a new shotgun. My intent wasn't to restore it back to its original condition so it could be hung up on the wall as a decoration but it bring it back to life for use in the field. What better way to honor my grandfather's memory than to enjoy his old shotgun hunting with my dad and my sons like generations have been before us.

• The receiver is green in color. The photo I posted previously is the real deal.

• Despite being chambered for 3.5" shells, the receiver is small and light - comparable to a shotgun designed for 3" shells. As far as I know it is the lightest shotgun of its class.

• The smaller action, combined with the new gas system, helps with the fast cycling of the action. Firing four rounds before the first ejected shell hits the ground can easily be done.

• The gas system works well in keeping the action clean.

This photo is legit although bolt will be black in color (and, of course, will have a charging handle attached)

The first thing that struck me when I saw the above photo was how "Benelli" it looked. It looks like a Benelli Nova with a Benelli M4 style fixed stock. I really like the Benelli-style and hope we will not be seeing another lawsuit in the near future.

Style aside, functionally it is much the same as the Mossburg 500 SPX that was launched at the beginning of the year at a similar price-point. Weatherby will be marketing it as a self-defense shotgun, although it would make a decent slug hunting gun with the ghost sight removed and a red-dot or low-powered scope added.

Specifications
Caliber	3" 12 gauge
Capacity	four 3" rounds or five 2.75" rounds
Finish	blued
Stock	Injection-molded. Includes recoil pad.
Barrel	19" chrome lined barrel
Choke	.810-inch-1mm extended and ported cylinder choke tube
Weight	6.5
Total Length	40"
Front Sight	fiber optic
Rear Sight	LPA ghost ring (mounted on picatinny rail and adjustable for windage and elevation)
Picatinny rails	Top of receiver and on forend.
MSRP (Price)	$469
Availability	2010

I think this is a very nice looking gun that I am willing to bet will be a very good seller.

When you think of a single shot inexpensive shotgun geared towards the beginner chances are that Beretta is not a manufacture that comes to mind. But at one time that was indeed the case when Beretta made such a gun. I like to brag that when I was a teenager in the late 80's I bought a Beretta Shotgun with money I made during a summer job. But the truth is that my Dad sold me his first shotgun he bought as a teenager during the early 60's. My Dad sold it to me for the token price of $35 US which is the price he paid for it.

This nifty little single shot from Beretta has been called the Model FS-1, Model 412, Companion, and in Italian it is known as “Monocanna Ripieghevole” or “single barrel folding shotgun.” The unique part of these single shots is that they break up to the point where it folds in half. In finding parts for this gun I had trouble because is not appear to be all that common, at least in the US, even though Beretta manufactured these single shots from the 1920's until 1992. They made it in 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, and .410. Even though it was marketed towards the beginner hunter it was manufactured in plain basic models up to fancier ones with hand engraving, walnut stocks, and even gold plating.

The model I own is a nice little 12 gauge. It is a fixed full choke that gives very tight patterns. It is the base model yet still has checkering on the stock and fore grip and some fancy engraving of the Roman goddess of victory. How many many beginner single shots have anything like this?

The shotgun is very light and according to specs it weighs 5 ½ pounds. That's very light for a 12 gauge. That is great for a hunting gun when you have to carry the thing around all day but not so good for reducing recoil. The prime factor in how much recoil you feel is weight. The lighter the gun the more recoil you get. That's the one big draw back of this otherwise fine gun, especially if you consider beginners. To give you some perspective this gun feels lighter than my New England Arms Pardner 410!

I must admit I have a fondness to the break single shot shot guns (and rifles for that matter). Too often they are seen as just a beginners gun but I really appreciate the simpleness and the sporting nature of making your one shot count on the hunt. I think Leonardo da Vinci said, it best “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

The MTs-255 tactical shotgun is a 5-shot weapon and is designed around the revolver principle. The cartridge cylinder swings out to the left for loading/unloading. It can be fired either double-action (a long pull of the trigger both cocks and fires the weapon) or the hammer can be manually cocked for single-action firing. A heavy duty, single-strut metal side-folding stock is fitted, which pivots around a conventional style revolver pistol-grip and lies alongside the right side of the gun when in the folded position. Sights are described as 'open', but a length of Picatinny-type sight rail is fitted to the top of the receiver for the mounting of other sighting devices. The butt-plate, pistol-grip and fore-end are all constructed of high-impact polymer for durability and corrosion resistance.

The original MTs 225 was introduced as a hunting gun back in 2000. It has an interesting design. The benefit over semi-autos would be its double action revolver reliability.

12 guage

.410

Photos from Tozman @ Shotgun World Forum.

The A-10 American is a very low profile, shallow frame full sidelock over and under (not a box lock gun with side plates) for those who demand the very best. This is the highest form of the gunmaker’s art. Some benefits of a hand detatchable sidelock gun are perfect trigger pulls, intercepting safety sears, an easily removable action for cleaning and service, and a large surface area for the outstanding engraving.

The detachable sideplate.

Pricing for the Deluxe model starts at $9000, although there currently are discounts available.

Hat Tip: Mikes Blog (Zel Custom)

Beretta Xplor - It is Green!

Over the weekend I was searching for photos of the new shotgun, and even emailed my contact at Beretta USA, but all I could find was some pretty boring images taken by Beretta showing it being shot from a distance. For some reason Beretta made all the journalists who attended the launch to agree not to publish any photos before November. I believe the photo above is legit. An Italian online store published it, only to take it down soon after (presumably after realizing they were not allowed to publish it). I have blurred out their name so that they do not get into any trouble.

Onto the shotgun itself ...

The shotgun will come chambered in a 3" version and 3.5" super-magnum version. It optionally features the new kick-off^3 (that is kick-off-cubed, for those of you who do not use spreadsheets) recoil reduction system stock. Two hydraulic dampers in the stock (the return spring is forward of the receiver, not in the stock) and another damper, maybe mercury or a spring mechanism, in the forend.

Jim Shepherd reports:

With our barrels plugged for only three shots, I didn't get to try the four-shot speed, but I did empty my three shots at a rate I didn't think possible-and aimed, not simply fired. That's apparently due the test gun's using Beretta's new "Kick-Off" recoil reduction system. Along with a new Micro Core recoil pad, dual hydraulic dampers in the butt and a third to reduce recoil peak from the bit of the bolt against the receiver, it absolutely reduced the impact of a long day's shooting.

Maybe the first recoil damper is inserted into the magazine, which would explain why they were not allowed more than three rounds loaded into the magazine? I don't really know, I am guessing.

It uses a new gas system called the Beretta BLink. The name is a reference to its speed. Weighing in at 6.6 lbs, it is very light and slightly lighter than the Benelli Vinic.

James Marchington, of Sporting Shooter magazine (UK), published a scan of the specifications ...

Specifications
Gauge	12 gauge
Chamber	3" or 3.5" (both will chamber shorter cartridges)
Capacity	Unknows
Receiver	Aluminum
Finish	Adonized color. Engraved with logo and "scrathes"
Barrel Lenghts	26", 28", 30"
Safety	Reversible safety button
Wood	X-Tra Grain (???)
Recoil Pad	Micro-Core pad
Weight	6.6 lbs
Price	$1600 - $1700

I will update the blog when more information becomes available.

The PR image I mentioned before.

UPDATE: The actual retail price appears to be $1500 without kick-off and $1600 with.

Michael, who work as a designer / jeweler / metal smith, bought his first Saiga-12 when ammunition was becoming scare and he wanted a shotgun so that he could use the relatively cheap and available 12 gauge ammunition. One thing led to another and customizing these guns became a passion of his.

Modifications include ...

• Enhanced action with honed, mirror finished bolt, bolt carrier, carrier rails, and feed ramp.

• Four or five vent, polished and ported enhanced gas system with mirror finished, builder modified gas plug.

Those Jeweling skills come in handy. Beautiful!

• Custom modified, sculpted and vented fore end with integrated Command Arms 2" picatinny rail.

• Modified Tapco G2 trigger control group with honed and sculpted mirror finished contact surfaces on hammer.

• Tapco Galil style folding stock tapped and mounted with extra heavy duty torque bolts.

• Tapco M249 style Saw grip with builder designed custom heavy duty receiver mount.

• Flawless cycling with all types of 2 3/4" and 3" 12 gauge ammo.

• Durable, high heat ceramic enamel finish.

Concept for a SBS (Short Barreled Shotgun)

He does not have a website but he can be emailed at mm_rogers [] yahoo [] com (replace [] with correct character) or contacted on the phone (505-263-8822).

The odd shape makes the photo look screwed. It is not.

Centered Bead. "Persuasion" chokes (sharp edged).

Duel Extended Magazines - 16 shot capacity.

The underside.

I am very impressed by the workmenship that went into this gun and I am sure there would be many out there who would pay good money for it.

Moe Szyslak sporting his iconic double barreled pump gun

Thanks to Jake for helping me find out about this gun.

I once saw a suppressed semi-auto 12 gauge shotgun on display at a gun store. I remember being very impressed by the size of the can.

Fully extended (top). Collapsed (Bottom)

The market has been saturated with M4 style adjustable stocks, which is fine if you want a tactical looks, but a pistol grip is not as ergonomic for shotgun shooting as a traditional stock. Even for tactical / self defense use I have heard many experts argue against putting a pistol grip on a shotgun.

The stock is made from DuPont Reinforced Polymer. It is 4-position and extends from 12-3/8" to 14-3/8". It fits 12 and 20 gauge Remington 870, Maverick 88, Winchester 1200/1300 and Mossberg 500/590 shotguns.

I was offered one of these stocks for review, but I am not able to review products at present, although I think I will be buying one of these stocks in the future.

The brown blobs : deer droppings Tasty.

Num num.

Happy Birthday Jen's dad!

Many thanks to Rolf for sending me the photo.

In this short and stock-less configuration it is more like a pistol than it is a shotgun.

The information and photo were kindly provided by Lusaka who took the time to hunt for, and photograph, new and interesting arms on display at the expo. Thanks Lusaka, your efforts are appreciated. More cool guns from the show will be posted tomorrow.

Arsenal SGL41


Standard Saiga .410

Many of the components have been removed and replaced with AK-74 parts. These include:

* hand guards
* gas block and gas tube
* front and rear sights
* buttstock
* pistol grip
* muzzle brake
* Bayonet lug

Some of these modification require changes to the receiver itself. IZHMASH, who manufacture the Saiga and the official AK rifles, went out of their way to ensure that a pistol grip could not be easily fitted (so it could be exported as a sporting arm). Arsenal have also added their own two stage trigger group.

The retail price is $889. This is a premium over the standard Saiga, but you are getting a lot more.

Pictured with folding stock and picatinny rail.

This video shows 10 slugs being fired from a Saiga fitted with the kit.

The kit does not require any permanent modification to the shotgun and can be easily installed, no gunsmith required. The current model only accepts stick magazines, but a new kit is in development and it will accept drum magazines. The kit costs $275.

Hat Tip: Хроники безумного Макса