Masterkey-style shotguns are very well known within the United States but they are also a rare find within the wilds of the firearms community. This is due mostly because of ATF regulations that turn such a shortened underslung shotgun into a short-barreled shotgun (SBS). The Turkish firearms company Akdas makes a wide variety of shotguns one of which is the AK12 UBS. The UBS comes complete as a somewhat odd-looking shotgun, but what makes it unique is that it can be detached from its stock and reattached to a Picatinny rail in a matter of minutes.

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[IWA 2022] A Turkish Masterkey? The Akdas AK12 UBS

Most under-barrel shotguns are made from already existing shotgun platforms that have been modified to work with a rifle’s rail system. What sets the Akdas option apart from these other underslung shotguns is the fact that the AK12 UBS uses a shared receiver made to work with rifles making it a more streamlined fit on any rifle equipped with a Picatinny rail. The shotgun features a 3+1 capacity, is pump-action, and has an 8.7″ smoothbore barrel.

The stock for the AK12 UBS is actually an AK-40GL stock which is the same stock used on Turkey’s 40x46SRmm grenade launchers. Now, both the AK-40GL and the AK12 UBS can be used with this same stock making it more convenient for armed forces to integrate these weapon capabilities with existing equipment. The AK-40GL stock can be fitted with just about any mil-spec stock on the market.

While the prototype we saw at IWA 2022 featured a 3D-printed handguard, according to the Akdas representative Omar, the company is currently in the process of producing the molds for the forend which indicates they will be made from some sort of more durably polymer. While the shotgun itself uses a specialized receiver that works better with rifles, the internals are derived from the Akdas AP212 shotgun.

Omar stated in his interview with James Reeves of TFBTV that the AK12 UBS can in fact be imported to the United States, but judging from the reaction of both James and Omar, the export price seems to be pretty exorbitant and no official pricing on the under-barrel shotgun is currently available. However, one has to wonder if the pricing of this Turkish Masterkey could be competitive or even beat the pricing of its American counterparts which are often sold for close to $2,000.

As always, we’d like to hear your thoughts and comments. Don’t forget to stay tuned to TFBTV And TFBTV Showtime to get more reviews, and show coverage from IWA 2022 and more.