I recently added more photos and updated information on the Taurus ST12 shotgun to this page (click here.)
If you are not familiar already with the shotgun, it is a 12 gauge pump action gun that looks like an 870 with a bunch of tactical stuff added including a tri-rail, folding buttstock and breacher-style stand off for the muzzle. It has an extended magazine and 3″ chamber. All of the photos, and a video of the gun in action, is at the above page.
Had enough of the zombies? Not yet, I guess, considering The Walking Dead seems to be one of the most popular shows on TV. Fortunately, Remington introduced the Versa Max Zombie shotgun to help quench the thirst for zombie-related gun gear.
The Versa Max is Remington’s newest autoloading shotgun, and in the past couple of years it has become very popular due to its ability to reliably digest all kinds of ammo. I’ve not had the chance to spend much time with one myself, but a lot of people are giving the Versa Max very positive reviews. So, what better gun to have in the apocalypse than a 12 gauge, semiautomatic shotgun that is not picky on with what ammo it will run?
Of course, the Zombie slaying shotgun is more about form than function. Remington just built the form on top of a reliable platform.
Mossberg announced a new 930 SPX shotgun with a pistol grip and a coyote tan finish. Unfortunately, I was not able to secure a photo of the new color for this article. The photo above is obviously not coyote tan, but it is the same style of 930 SPX autoloading shotgun.
The 930 SPX is considered part of Mossberg’s “special purpose” or tactical line. The gun is chambered for the 12 gauge (of course) and has a 7+1 capacity. It has ghost ring sights and a Picatinny rail on the top of the receiver for the addition of a red dot or other optic if you so desire. If I am able to secure a photo of the tan model, I will post it here.
In 2012, Magpul announced a line of shotgun accessories, and one year later Remington announced an 870 Express Tactical shotgun with those fixtures as standard features. The new Remington 870 uses a Magnum SGA buttstock and a MOR fore-end.
The Remington 870 shotgun is extremely popular for self-defense and police work. I’d venture to say that at least half of the law enforcement agencies in the United States has the 870 as standard equipment in the patrol car. Likewise the guns are extremely popular with citizens wanting serious firepower to defend their homes.
The newly updated Mossberg SA-20 Field/Tactical autoloader is a 20 gauge shotgun with a 20″ barrel, synthetic stock and a variety of features that might make it a good home defense gun for you. With the updated version shown at the 2013 SHOT Show, I immediately saw the gun’s home defense potential for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is reduced recoil.
The semi-auto action tends to absorb some of the recoil in the mechanical process of moving the bolt, extracting a spent shell and chambering a new one. Combine that with the lower recoil of a 20 gauge compared to a 12 gauge, and one can see how this gun will likely be more tolerable to someone who is more recoil sensitive. I’ve never had a problem training people of all sizes to shoot a 12 gauge, but a semi-auto 20 is simply easier for some people to control.
Back at the 2012 SHOT Show, Randy was able to get us information and photos of the new Diamondback shotgun called the RTS. Unfortunately, I have learned from Diamondback at the 2012 NASGW Expo that the shotgun will not go to production.
According to the folks at Diamondback, the shotgun was too expensive to produce, and there are too few buyers for the project to be profitable. It is understandable that the company would walk away from the project, but I would have liked to have seen it make it to production.
We have more details on the new Saiga-12 being developed by Izhmash.
As I reported back in May, a new Saiga-12 shotgun has been designed for the competition market. Currently, Izmash is showing the shotgun at various shooting events and expos and is planning on shipping it to the consumer market in late 2012 or in the early part of 2013.
The new Saiga-12 shotguns have a variety of features that make them more conducive to competition, including a push button magazine release, flared magazine well, Magpul CTR adjustable stock and a serious looking muzzle brake. Right now, the shotguns are only planned in 12 gauge.
