Sidearms & Scatterguns Turkish AR12 shotguns

[SanPatHogger]

Looking to shoot a few 3 gun matches next year. I'll need a semi auto12 gauge. These Turkish made shotguns are pretty cheap, some have good reviews and others not so much. What appeals to me about them is the AR controls and ergonomics, it would be the same/similar as running my AR9, 15 and 10. Looks like a lot of them share magazines and you can get pretty big mags. Not looking to spend big money, most of the ones I'm looking at are under $500. I see some are $200 for a Fathers Day special price.
Anybody have one and like it? Any brands to avoid? Things to look for, or look out for?

 

[hlee]

I don’t have 1st hand experience with these, but I was talking to a guy that runs a 3gun comp somewhere in this area and he said that he shot one of these Turkish ARs. He was praising them pretty highly. I know Turkish guns get a bad to “meh” rap, but if they’re as good as the Caniks I’ve shot, I’d say they are a “buy.” Unfortunately, I don’t remember the specific flavor of Turk AR shotgun, but it was on the upper end of price- close to $1000 if my memory is correct.

 

[Terry Cross]

Looking to shoot a few 3 gun matches next year. I'll need a semi auto12 gauge. These Turkish made shotguns are pretty cheap, some have good reviews and others not so much. What appeals to me about them is the AR controls and ergonomics, it would be the same/similar as running my AR9, 15 and 10. Looks like a lot of them share magazines and you can get pretty big mags. Not looking to spend big money, most of the ones I'm looking at are under $500. I see some are $200 for a Fathers Day special price.
Anybody have one and like it? Any brands to avoid? Things to look for, or look out for?

I have been shooting pretty heavy including competition for the last 45 years but have only owned a shotgun for short periods. Until 2 years ago, there was a 30 year stretch where I didn't own one at all. There is a ton of good shotguns out there but I didn't want to "learn" a different system. I felt like I would just be diluting my already anemic practice time. So.. a couple of years ago like you, I went with the reasoning that a shotty with true AR style controls would be a good fit for me.

The reviews were inconsistent but everything seemed to be getting better and better. My search appeared to be saying the Rock Island Armory imports from Turkey were about as good as any in that style. BONUS was that they were not expensive and the magazines were actually very, very reasonably priced. I bought one and liked it so much, I bought another for my son and a piss load of mags.

Both are very reliable once past a couple hundred round break-in. They were 95% reliable out of the box but now run at least as good as conventional SGs. Both of ours had stock modifications but other than that are stock/as issued.

They are light and very fast handling. In spite of the lighter weight, recoil is just as manageable as any other shotgun we have experience with.

I don't shoot 3-gun because it has evolved the shotgun into a reloading contest, but I do think having a 12 gauge in the tool box is a good move.
If anybody asks, I tell them it is my dedicated anti-drone setup.

I am very, very inexperienced with the overall shotgun world but I can share that we are both happy with ours and would do it again if forced into a do-over. You can also look at this as a "low risk" venture since the price is very reasonable. It's not like setting up a full blown competition gun and then trying to get your money back out of it when you get tired of it.

 

[Bobby Ball]

Just going to throw out that if it's gas operated there can be quite a large variation in cycling ammo when you're focused on quick shots and accuracy. So something to keep in mind. The one I have I haven't had an opportunity to try out in a 3-gun scenario, but I disassembled and lapped and polished the internals, and it has made a night and day difference. I guess point being my stance (and only mine) is that because the expectation isn't 1/4" precision in that scenario, smooth function and cycling, and loading are the important things that I focus on. And a lot of times in my experience you can definitely find something in a price range that might seem below your expectations of capability and make it run really good yourself. Plus if you do it on something cheap you're not nearly as nervous about messing up. Not implying to grab a grinder and go to town. But messing up a $250 shotgun isn't really the end of the world.