Full article here: http://www.military.com/...Soldiertech_AA1...=soldiertech.nl




Excerpts:

...the new AA-12 uses an 8-round box magazine and a 20-round drum, but are made of the same tough synthetic as the stock. While the new magazines resemble the original prototypes, many subtle improvements have been made to assure 100 percent reliability. In fact, Jerry Baber showed me cases of 400 AA-12 8-shot magazine bodies that were to be scrapped because of a single minor improvement that had been made. The 8-round box and 20-round drum are the only feed devices that will be offered for the gun, although a 32-round drum has been designed. A means of attaching two 8-round magazines side by side is not out of the question.
...
No, it doesn’t kick -- honestly. To all but eliminate felt recoil and movement of the AA-12 when fired, the gun uses what is called the “constant recoil” principal used by Mr. L. James Sullivan who also designed the AR-15 rifle for Eugene Stoner. Sullivan used the “constant recoil” system in the Ultimax LMG he designed for Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS).
...
While the basic design of the AA-12 incorporated an 18” barrel, a 16” barrel was also perfected, but a special unit of the Military asked if a 14” barrel were possible. Jerry Baber decided to go even shorter and perfected a 13” barrel for the AA-12 using a redesigned gas port. Called the CQB, this version has overall length that is the same as the M4 Carbine, and the barrel can easily be left at 14” if desired with plenty of dwell time left over.
...
Having traveled to Tennessee to test the AA-12, I personally fired more than 500 rounds in two AA-12’s, and witnessed another 500 or so fired by seven others including two women who work in the B&H Precision foundry. Neither of these ladies had previously fired the AA-12 and they were more than a little nervous. The guns were fired from the hip, shoulder, with one hand, and upside down.
...
One of the AA-12’s we fired was the CQB model, and this little gun had more than 5,000 rounds fired through it and had never been cleaned, much less lubricated. One look at it and it was obvious. The entire mechanism was black with carbon and it was also totally dry. However, neither gun malfunctioned in any way during the shooting, most of which was done using low-brass target rounds, which are always a problem for self-loading shotguns, especially when dirty.

Except for the noise, shooting the target 12 ga. shells in the AA-12 was like shooting a .22 rimfire machinegun. Really! High brass buckshot and slugs produced more noise and a bigger muzzle flash from the CQB model, and also increased the cyclic rate, but the additional recoil generated was barely worth mentioning. It took the two ladies only a couple of short bursts before they were emptying 20-round drums without stopping, and they barely moved.

What was also impressive is that single and double shots could easily obtained because of the relatively slow cyclic rate of 300 rounds per minute. If two rounds were fired, they both hit in the same place out to 25 yards. Even CTS door-breaching rounds operated the AA-12, but when using less-lethal rounds the bolt must be cocked each time by hand. Hornady Manufacturing Company is looking into the possibility of other specialized 12-gauge ammunition.

It is a well-known fact that the Islamic terrorists killing our troops in Iraq are not afraid of the M4 and its 5.56mm bullet, but they are terrified of shotguns. You can imagine how they would react to the AA-12 with 20 rounds of buckshot, but that’s only half the story, as there is something far more effective.
...
If you thought 12 gauge buckshot was an effective round, consider this: In October 2004 the U.S. Marine Corps began testing a new family of 12 ga. High-explosive rounds. These new rounds were developed by a private company to defeat reinforced, materiel and protected targets, and other targets requiring a high-explosive or armorpiercing warhead.

Called the FRAG-12, the program consists of a family of 12 ga. Highexplosive projectiles including a High Explosive (HE) Blast round, a HE Fragmentation round and a High Explosive Armor Piercing (HEAP) projectile with a shaped-charge penetrator.

Initial testing has confirmed that the HE Blast round will produce about a 1- inch hole in cold rolled steel plate with secondary spalling effects on the downrange side of the plate. The HE Fragmentation warhead is designed to have blast and fragmentation out to a 2-meter casualty radius and the HEAP round is claimed to be able to penetrate 4 inches of aluminum armor and more than ?-inch of steel. All three rounds have a 200m effective range.
...
In plain English I can tell you that the Marine Corps wants this capability very badly, and at the general-officer level the AA-12 is also in great demand with the possibility that three guns will go to Iraq for field testing with the next rotation. Others in high places are pushing for the AA-12 to be tested throughout the military as soon as possible.

Although he’s no kid, Jerry Baber loves and respects those who are fighting what far too few understand is truly Global War On Terrorism. He also believes that every day our troops don’t have the Auto Assault-12 in their hands, more of them are dying than would otherwise be the case. Plenty of others believe it too. Beyond our military are elements of Homeland Security that have expressed great interest in the AA-12, such as or the guarding of our nuclear facilities. Foreign governments who are allies of the U.S., such as the Philippines, are also very interested, but in addition to them the AA-12 will be available only to the military and agencies of our Federal Government.

I remember Daewoo's USAS 12 was indeed introduced here in one of the gunshows and defense exhibits together with the Street Sweeper. It was even being advertised at the newspapers. Seen some armoured security services equipped with such but looks quite heavy for the typical Filipino. Well this version looks a little compact..

BTW, we seldom see law enforcers uses the shotgun here in the Philippines. They say, we're too populated and with it's blast mode can be cause for accidents. They prefer the single shot mode of the M-16. But still having problems when chasing crooks in squatter areas. The bullets goes thru and thru.

Here's a site of the Daewoo USAS 12:



http://world.guns.ru/shotgun/sh16-e.htm

The AA12 auto shotgun above is for military application, not police. (Not sure if the older USAS-12 is similarly mil-spec as the AA12 is claimed to be.)

Shotguns (in pump-action and semi forms pa) have always been cited as ideal for jungle warfare, with the track record to show for it in wars great and small. Don't know the writer's source when he cited the Philippines particularly as among those said to be "very interested" but it seems to make sense to equip our soldiers with these.

It's been narrated here a number of times that encounters occur at as close as 50-100m. Cost issues again but this isn't a strike figher or MBT, this could be a weapon that, in our setting, could be as important to a squad as having a SAW or DMR. Get some for the SR, LRC and some PMC units, and see if it's worth incorporating on a wider scale.

I saw this other site, the Jackhammer:



http://world.guns.ru/shotgun/sh10-e.htm

I believe our Danao gunsmith might arrive with something like this in the future. Call it a full auto sumpak (FAS) :specool:

:funnypost:

5-foot 99lb girl firing at full auto.....
http://www.defensereview.com/1_31_2004/AA_...3_Overlay01.wmv

Yun USAS 12 mabigat for me back then. Well, I was skinny having been assigned to endless night shifts. Still, the AA12 being looked into by the AFP is a nice news. Sure hope that this wouldn't be used by malcontents especially the FRAG 12s.

i like that bec it is claimed as no cleaning needed

nag eexpriment pa para maaccept ng AA-12 ang FRAG12 mini grenades

At full auto, rebels will be fleeing...

Post ko lang, the first full-auto shotgun made and used in battle was made by a Filipino. A Filipino Muslim to be exact. Mukhang malaking Thompson SMG if my memory is correct. This was during the Japanese occupation. Di nga lang tinuloy as mabigat and ammo supply problems. Brass pa ang basyo noon so no issues about melting basyos.

A Machine shotgun to be exact

[IMG] http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:mPTE2A...otgun/aa-12.jpg [IMG]

looks like a tommy gun

I think this is the same guns the Local secu uses beside the aging shot guns well they use the same rounds but i think its nice to see one of our soldier using one but like the Floro MK 9 better but its Defensive weapon

Military Police System, out of Piney Flats, Tennessee, has come out with a unique select-fire 12-gauge combat/tactical shotgun called the "Auto Assault 12 Automatic Shotgun", or "AA12 Automatic Shotgun". The full-auto-only Auto Assault 12 Automatic Shotgun fires at a relatively slow rate of 300 rpm (rounds-per-minute) and employs the "Constant-Recoil" principle, which is a recoil attenuation/mitigation system that was first invented and patented for utilization in a gas-operated weapon by legendary small arms designer/developer L. James Sullivan for the Ultimax 100 LMG (Light Machine Gun), back in the late 1970's. "Constant-Recoil" allows a lightweight gun to outhit a heavier gun on full-auto.

Since it utilizes "Constant-Recoil", the bolt group of the AA12 Automatic Shotgun never impacts the rear of the receiver, but rather runs out on the long 2-stage recoil/operating spring. This action eliminates the majority of felt-recoil, and thus greatly enhances controllability on full-auto. The result is more hits on target.


The Auto Assault 12 (AA-12) Automatic Shotgun is manufactured from "corrosion resistant, high impact, heat-treated stainless steels and high-impact plastics". Supposedly, the Auto Assault 12 shotgun...



requires no lubrication (unconfirmed/unverified). Rounds are fed from an 8-round box magazine, 20-round drum mag, or 32-round drum mag. That's a lot of 12-gauge firepower in a fully controllable package. Since the AA-12 shotgun fires at the relatively slow rate of 300 rpm, there's no need for a semi-auto setting on the AA-12's selector switch. Any skilled operator can easily control the round output via trigger control, including singe shots and double taps. In other words, the operator's trigger finger IS the selector switch. The Auto Assault 12 (AA12) Automatic Shotgun also features a quick-change barrel system. Barrel lengths are from 13" to 18".


You can contact Military Police Systems, Inc. by phone at 423-534-2480 or 423-391-0250, for more information on the Auto Assault 12 (AA-12) Automatic Shotgun. Or, you can call Mid-America Recreation Inc. by phone at 309-764-5089, or via email at MidAmericaRecInc@aol.com. This latter company appears to be the current distributor for the AA12.