Rusty
Purveyor of Fine Weaponry
Image Source: First one is from Wikipedia (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Saiga_12_shotgun.jpg).
Second two are from my facebook page. Images are a bit old, seeing as how I sold the thing maybe five or six years ago and camera phones weren't as pretty back then, but it should give you an idea of the inner workings.
Intent: A personal shotgun for Ven'Rain Sekairo
Development Thread: If Needed
Manufacturer: Rusty's Custom Firearms and Cutlery
Model: S-12 Slugthrower Shotgun.
Affiliation: [member="Ven'Rain Sekairo"]
Modularity: Limited. A rail system will allow for interchangeable optics, a foregrip, and maybe a targeting laser if the customer finds one they like.
Production: Production: Unique
Classification: Slugthrowing Shotgun
Size: Handheld
Length: 114.5 cm
Weight: 3.6 kg
Ammunition Type: 12 gauge shotgun shells (2 3/4 or 3 inch only), will not cycle on loads smaller than #6 birdshot.
Ammunition Capacity: Can utilize 5 or 12 round box magazines, or a 40 round drum.
Effective Range: Personal
Rate of Fire: Semi-automatic
Special Features: Semi-automatic, air cooled, gas piston operated shotgun that fires from the closed bolt position. Folding stock allows the weapon to be shortened for storage (you do not want to try to fire the thing without the stock opened, as it's murder on the wrists). Rail system allows for interchangeable optics and a foregrip.
Description: Based off the Saiga-12, which is basically just an AK-series weapon scaled up to handle shotgun rounds, the S-12 is a beast. Though the extremely unwise have found a way to make them fully automatic, doing so is pretty stupid in my opinion, so this model is semi. Though the gas piston operating system reduces felt recoil for individual rounds, the cumulative effect of rapid fire is staggering. Literally. Without either a firm stance or years of practice, it will put you on your rear in a heartbeat if you're not careful.
The weapon is fed from either box magazines or a drum, all commercially available, though I think the drum might require ATF permits IRL. Not sure. I had 2 five rounders and a 12 round box mag. Though the magazines afford high ammo capacity (for a shotgun) and allow for rapid reloading, they're big and bulky and take up a lot of room on a tac vest. Drums are as big around as dinner plates, and for most folks, it's not worth the extra bulk and weight to carry more than one.
For someone who wants to disable one of these things, the magazine will be the prime target.
Unlike a normal pump-action shotgun, the S-12 is picky about ammunition. It can only accommodate either 2 3/4 or 3 inch shells, and it doesn't handle light loads well. If the load doesn't have enough mass or gas pressure, the weapon won't cycle properly. That rules out lighter birdshot as well as most less lethal rounds.
Though the short barrel allows for greater maneuverability in tight places and a wider spread, it's not well suited for distance shooting, and does not have an interchangeable choke.
