The Firearm Blog

The Taser XREP is a 12 gauge less-lethal round that delivers an electric shock to the target it hits. It's certainty the most complex shotgun bullet ever made and also the most expensive.

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.

For less-lethal hunting? I am confused as you are.

The most likely explanation is that it is simply another color designed to appeal to hunters. I would still make a stylish sidearm for hunters on less-lethal lion hunts in Africa ( in Southern Africa some private game parks offer lion hunting with tranquilizer guns ).

Taser have just launched their new much-hyped X3 model. The X3 corrects a major flaw in the Taser system, something gun slingers realized at least 250 years ago, to wit, when dealing with people at close range a single shot is never enough. The X3 addresses this problem but giving the operator three shots.

Taser X3

This gives the X3 fifty percent greater ammunition capacity than a Derringer pistol, and just 82% less capacity than your plastic fantastic! Joking aside, the new multi shot capability is a technological breakthrough that significantly increases the utility of the device. It allow law enforcement officers to quickly follow up a missed shot or engage up to three targets simultaneously. This video demonstrates the multi target functionality:

Not only can it load three “Smart Cartridges”, but long range and short range cartridges can be mixed. The duel laser sight will automatically adjust the point of impact for the currently “chambered” cartridge, which I think is pretty nifty.

“Scary Arc Mode”

Another new feature is what I call the “Scary Arc Mode”. A button can be pushed which will cycle electrical arcs across the front of the device. While a superficial feature, it may persuade many a drunk to cooperate.

Other new features include safety, reliability and user interface improvements.

X3 Holstered

I think the X3 is one of those devices, like the iPhone, which can justify money being spent on an upgrade.

Pretty quickly it turns out. James Yeager TASERed three of his students to find out. They had to complete a simple course of fire as fast as possible after being zapped. The first two guys did very well. The last guy was definitely a little shaken.

Video here.

Taser recently announced a deal to sell 3000 M26 Tasers, an older model, to an undisclosed country. After a 30 second google search I guess it is Australia.

From CourierMail (dated January 29 2008):

POLICE will not say how many Tasers will be issued across the state after Police Minister Judy Spence brokered a deal with the controversial police union to provide one to every front-line officer.

I say three thousand. I don’t know they bother hiding these details in the information age.

According to the Motley Fool Taser increased is value on the stockmarket by $43 million on this deal which is worth only 1.2 million. The market sure likes Taser.

The older M26 model

Mossberg and Taser have teamed up to produce the X12 23 guage shotgun that can only accept non lethal rounds such as the TASER XREP (Extended Range Electronic Projectile), a wireless taser like projectile that fires from a 12-gauge shotgun.

I think a regular shotgun loaded with a couple of XREP projectiles followed by shot makes more sense for cops. That way if the fancy electronic projectiles fail they have a backup.

The video:

Introducing the TASER XREP – the eXtended Range Electronic Projectile. XREP is a self-contained, wireless projectile that fires from a standard 12-gauge shotgun. It delivers the same Neuro-Muscular Incapacitation (NMI) bio-effect as our handheld TASER X26, but can be delivered to a distance of up to 100 feet, combining blunt impact with field proven TASER NMI.

The press release:

TASER International, Inc. (Nasdaq:TASR), a market leader in advanced electronic control devices, today announced it will debut the new TASER X12 LLS Mossberg(r) shotgun during the 2008 SHOT Show in Las Vegas to be held February 2-5, 2008. The TASER X12 Less Lethal Shotgun (LLS) is a fully integrated less-lethal platform manufactured by Mossberg that has been optimized for the TASER eXtended Range Electronic Projectile (XREP), while providing for integration of the TASER(r) X26 electronic control device (ECD) for close-in engagements. The TASER X12 LLS includes TASER Radial Ammunition Key technology (patent pending) to prevent the system from accepting lethal 12-gauge rounds in order to remove the possibility of end users loading a lethal round in a less-lethal system during high stress situations.

TASER International will be in booth number 22117 in the Gold Hall outside of the Las Vegas Convention Center this weekend. Mossberg will be in booth number 4751 in the central exhibit halls (C1-C5.1).

“In speaking with our customers and law enforcement experts, we found that many law enforcement agencies would prefer dedicated 12-gauge systems for less-lethal use only,” commented Rick Smith, Chief Executive Officer of TASER International, Inc. “However, none of the systems on the market today actually prevent the operator from inadvertently loading a deadly round of buckshot or slugs. The TASER X12 LLS is designed with the important safeguard of precluding the possibility of lethal accidents through round mis-identification.”

The TASER X12 LLS provides a dedicated less-lethal platform based on the proven Mossberg 500 shotgun which is the only 12-gauge system to attain Mil-Spec certification.

In addition to the TASER Radial Ammunition Key system, the TASER X12 LLS also provides the following features:

* A high twist, rifled barrel system that is optimized for the lower velocities of less-lethal projectiles. Whereas standard Mossberg rifled barrels have a twist of 1 in 36 inches, the twist ratio for the TASER X12 LLS is 1 in 18 inches This higher twist rate provides enhanced projectile stability at the lower velocities used for less-lethal projectiles such as the TASER XREP projectile.

* A Picatinny Rail system with the X-Rail mount pre-installed. The X-Rail mount allows the user to mount a standard TASER X26 ECD to the system. Together, the TASER X12 LLS with TASER X26 ECD integration gives the operator the ability to engage subjects across the full range of engagement distances, with the TASER X26 ECD optimized for engagements within 20 feet, and the TASER XREP projectile for subjects beyond 20 feet.

* TASER-Yellow coloration of the stock and fore-end of the shotgun for immediate identification as a less-lethal system

* A ghost ring sighting system

* Collapsible tactical stock

“We are very excited to be partnering with TASER International on the manufacturing and development for the TASER X12 LLS system,” said A. Iver Mossberg, Jr., CEO for Mossberg. “Teaming Mossberg’s vast array of product knowledge and experience with TASER International’s pioneering less-lethal technology will only enhance our continuation as the market leaders in firearms innovation.”

TASER International will begin training the agencies involved in the pilot programs in February and will release the TASER XREP into pilot programs by the end of the first quarter. The TASER XREP is a wireless Neuro Muscular Incapacitation projectile designed for a 12-gauge platform. The XREP which contains miniaturized TASER technology as well as groundbreaking flight stabilization and microprocessor-controlled intelligent electrode selection technologies, weighs only 14 grams, or half an ounce, and has a maximum range of 65 feet or 20 meters.

TASER expects to complete pilot programs and release the TASER XREP product and the TASER X12 by the end of 2008, pending results of the pilot programs.

Photos and video of the TASER XREP and TASER X12 are posted at www.TASER.com/XREP.

I can’t believe this exists! It is a holster for a Taser with a built in MP3 player! It has just been announced at CES.

They call it the “TASER MPH Holster”.

Is it appropriate is it to be fiddling with a taser holster when riding public transport? Of course not! No more appropriate than playing with sword sticks or knives while on public transport.

I don’t know what TASER were thinking.

More here.

Hat Tip: Danger Room

Sounds like a good idea!

“I got tired of being pushed out of people’s offices,” she says. “Nobody wants to purchase a product that they think is lethal or going to kill somebody.”

A lot of people, especially women, need time to get comfortable with a unique product like Taser before they’ll consider buying one, Shafman says.

Read more here.

Hat Tip: Double Tapper (a new blog worth checking out)

The following is a screenshot of taser.com

Hat Tip: Danger Room