Specialized Tools: A Tale Of Two Shotguns [BUILD]

Photos by Iain Harrison

Getting in over your head is a common occurrence in your teenage years. Taking on projects without having the right tools seems crazy now, but in my younger years it was standard. The first time I came across a snap ring stands out as one of these moments. 

Looking at the insides of a Ford Mustang transmission, I remember the dreaded feeling of being in uncharted territory and only having a slight idea what I was doing. Mind you these were the days before the internet, where the only place to get better info was to ask someone who knew better. I was standing alone scratching my head with nowhere to go.

A snap ring is just like it sounds, a ring that snaps in to hold parts in place. The installation and removal of a snap ring is almost impossible if you don’t have the proper tool. I didn’t even know what that tool looked like. Transmission parts spilled on the floor and no way to get this snap ring off. How did I get here? I either had to go back where I came or continue into the unknown. Mama didn’t raise no quitter so there was only one choice, plus no one would give me a ride to the auto parts store. It was like an infant trying to get the square block in the round hole, but I finally figured out how a snap ring works.

In the end, I became a toolmaker. I ground down a pair of needle-nose pliers to fit the snap ring. A full day had passed since the two-hour job had started, and it was a roller coaster of emotions created by a ring less than 2 inches in diameter. Specialized tools seem pointless until you need one.

THE START

The history of magazine-fed shotguns is one of a specialized tool. This might seem like a contradiction as shotguns are so versatile, but adding a magazine usually meant added limitations. Shotguns by themselves are different than any other firearm. The idea of a big projectile and a small target is counterintuitive to every other kind of shooting. 

The answer was to give the shooter more chances to hit that small target, and evolution took shotguns from double barrels to eight-round tube magazines seemingly overnight. Innovation brings us further down the road to the magazine-fed shotgun. These quenched the thirst for more ammo, but lack of reliability turned many shooters away from the platform. When a gun isn’t reliable, it becomes a toy. For the most part, mag-fed shotguns have been considered toys, but the story doesn’t end there. The magazine-fed shotgun found a niche in the practical shooting competition world.

Competition shooters are great at finding new ways to get ahead of their rivals. Innovations that wouldn’t necessarily be made in any other environment happen when competition is involved. High-capacity shotguns were a low-hanging fruit. 

The practical shooting shotgun evolved into a different beast. Initially, the thought was to make standard tube-fed shotguns hold more shells. Then, the idea was to load them easier. The magazine-fed shotgun took care of both of those problems. One thing was clear — the hindrance with shotguns was not so much pulling the trigger but how to keep them fed. RECOIL is bringing you a comparison of magazine-fed shotguns from two companies that seem to have it all figured out. 

THE TOOLS

The Genesis Arms Gen 12 shotgun has made a splash in the shotgun world. Genesis Arms has created a new use for an old receiver. The Gen 12 is based on the DPMS Gen 1 .308 lower receiver. Unlike the AR-15, the .308 AR has no military standard designation, so there is no consistency when it comes to .308 AR receivers. The developers at Genesis settled on the DPMS Gen 1 design. They have built a proprietary shotgun upper to fit on the .308 lower. The Gen 12 features a short recoil action that doesn’t rely on gas or inertia to operate. 

When a shot is fired, the barrel and bolt move back in recoil until the two separate and the bolt continues on to remove the spent shell and picks up a fresh shell on the way back into battery — pretty standard in modern handguns but not so common in shotguns. The idea gained traction and found its way into the hands of one of the most famous 3-gunners in the world.

Taran Butler has been winning matches for decades. 

Not only does Taran know what it takes to win but seems to have a bead on what looks really cool. It might be all the gun cameos in action movies. Taran Tactical Innovations (TTI) has partnered with Genesis Arms to create the TTI Gen 12 Dracarys 3gun. Why are the names of guns getting longer and longer every day?

The TTI Gen 12 features Remington pattern chokes, a mid-barrel compensator to mitigate the explosion, a flared magwell, a Hiperfire competition trigger that breaks just under 3 pounds, ambidextrous charging handles, and a gray Cerakote. These are all the go-fast goodies that help the Gen 12 perform in 3-gun competition. The Gen 12 feels like more of a production gun. It is a refined take on a new platform.

Dissident Arms has a different interpretation of the magazine-fed shotgun. Dissident Arms is a company that specializes in premium custom shotgun and rifle builds. They have taken an old operating system and massaged it into submission. The KL12 is based on the Molot Vepr 12-gauge. 

This is basically an AK-47 that shoots 12-gauge. A long stroke gas piston aids in the cycling of the bolt, just like the AK-47. 

The KL12 is a custom gun that is built for speed. Parts were developed with the game in mind. The safety that can be deactivated without adjusting your grip will allow for a faster first shot. The monster compensator that keeps muzzle rise down had to be engineered to accept chokes. A bolt hold open and release are fit into the trigger guard area. That might sound unimpressive to AR guys, but this is a big plus for an AK platform. An amazing ALG trigger that breaks under 2 pounds. A huge flared magwell. It’s worth a mention that Dissident shotguns have won a few titles at the shotgun world championships. It says something if the best shotgunner in the world is using your gun.

It used to be that shooting a competition shotgun meant trying a bunch of different types of ammo and choosing the one that produced the least amount of malfunctions. Dissident Arms teamed up with a small ammunition company to help develop 12-gauge ammo specific for the game and mag-fed shotguns in particular. Federal Premium Ammunition (maybe you’ve heard of them) has removed all the guesswork by developing Action Shotgun 12-gauge ammunition. 

The roll crimp on these 12-gauge shells aids in rigidity and makes for a shorter spent hull when ejecting. The plated steel head helps with consistent feeding and ejection. The 1 1/8-ounce payload of lead shot is pretty standard, and an advertised velocity of 1,235 fps means there is just enough oomph to work a semiauto shotgun. Having consistent ammo specifically designed for these specialized tools is a game changer in terms of reliability.

 USING THE TOOLS

The hard part about doing a comparison of shotguns is how do you analytically measure the performance? There are infinite variations of ammo. With birdshot, the pattern of a shotgun is dependent on the choke setup. Chokes have more effect on pattern size than barrel length. For the sake of consistency, both shotguns were fit with improved cylinder chokes. The easy way out is to see how each gun groups with slugs or buckshot. We had a hard time deciding, so we just went with all of them. 

For the birdshot test, we used the Federal action target 7.5 shot. We set a target at 15 yards to get a measure of the pattern size. The pattern at 15 yards almost covered the entire target. Oddly, both shotguns measured around 15 inches. Next, we loaded some Fiocchi 12-gauge 9-pellet buckshot. At 25 yards, the pattern was a bit wider than expected but pretty consistent. The TTI measured at 10 inches and 12 inches for the KL-12. Lastly, we shot some Fiocchi low recoil 7/8-ounce slug at 50 yards. The Dissident grouped a bit tighter at 2.5 inches, while the TTI measured at around 3 inches.

FINISHING THE JOB

The TTI Gen 12 has the advantage of having AR pattern controls. The AK-style controls of the KL-12 were a little counterintuitive at first (especially for an AR guy.) Performance-wise, the Dissident shot just a bit flatter than the TTI. We attributed this to the massive compensator of the KL-12 versus the side port comp of the TTI. The biggest downside of the Gen 12 was the magazines. 

The design of the magazine features “tabs” that hold the front of the shells in the magazine. This coupled with the tight channels made to fit the base of the shells made for some stuck shells. The shells jammed in the magazine needed a bit of “persuading” to get out. This didn’t happen every time, but it’s a disadvantage if you are in a rush. The Gen 12 requires close attention when loading the magazines — not an issue after we figured it out.

Surprisingly, both shotguns ran flawlessly with almost every kind of ammo we threw at them. We found some subsonic birdshot that didn’t quite cycle either gun but that’s normal. Both guns are easy to shoot and recoil less than expected. Both feature extra padding in the buttstock, which helps further cushion the blow. We were able to empty mags as fast as we could without a hiccup in either gun.

FINISHED PRODUCT

In the end, the Dissident KL-12 is more of a custom gun specific to the game. The AR-style upper and lower make the Gen 12 more of an all-around package. These are shotguns designed by people who know what they are doing. Both of these guns are capable machines and are the best examples we have run across in the magazine-fed shotgun world.

The Dissident just edges out the TTI in terms of performance. 

The KL-12 feels more like a custom gun and shoots a bit softer. The Gen 12 lost a few points for the magazine design. Being that these guns have a similar MSRP and on paper do almost the same thing, it was the minutiae that made the difference. It seems like a lot of money, but these are specialized tools that have no equal. I still haven’t bought snap ring pliers, but I do still have those modified needle-nose. A good tool is worth its weight in gold. You just need to figure out if you want to spend that much gold.

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