I love this photo. M26 Pistol (top), Standalone version (middle), M4 underslung version (bottom)

The pistol and underslung version would have NFA requirements (destructive devices AOW or Short Barreled Shotgun) but the standalone "carbine" would be civilian legal without any paperwork if the barrel was extended to 18".

The M26 is a breaching tool and not designed as an anti-personnel weapon. It was chosen by the US military over the KAC Masterkey and Remington MCS Accessory Weapon, both of which use the Remington Model 870 shotgun as a base. The M26 distributes its weight further back compared with the 870 and so it feels lighter.

Remington Model 870 MCS Accessory Weapon

Military.com were not fond of the action when they recently tried it:

That’s all well and good, but I found the cocking mechanism to be clunky and inefficient. Instead of an under-barrel pump-gun style action, a metal bar attached to the bolt extends out to the side, forcing the shooter to transition his hand position to load another round into the breach … I wasn’t the only one with that complaint.

38,000 MASS’s are going to be fielded in late 2008 to replace the Mossberg 12 gauge pump action shotguns.

Specs of the XM26, the M26 may have changed slightly:

* Caliber: 12 gauge
* Operation: Straight pull bolt-action.
* Capacity: 5 round detachable magazine.
* Ammunition: 2.75 and 3 in lethal, less-lethal and breaching rounds.
* Barrel length: 7.75 in (197 mm) with integral breaching stand-off adapter.
* Under-barrel version:
* Overall length: 16.5 in (419 mm)
* Weight: 2 lb 11 oz (1.22 kg)
* Stand-alone version:
* Overall length: 24 in (610 mm) (stock collapsed)
* Weight: 4 lb 3 oz (3.80 kg)
The standalone configuration:

Some more photos. Click to increase the size of each photo.