Atchisson AA-12

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AA-12 Combat shotgun with magazine
Type	Combat shotgun
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Designer	Maxwell Atchisson, further developed by Military Police Systems, Inc.
Designed	original 1972 2005 MPS version
Manufacturer	GWA
Produced	soon to be confirmed
Specifications
Mass	5.2 kg less magazine. 7.3 kg with loaded 32-round drum (original version)
Length	991 mm
Barrel length	457 mm
Cartridge	12 Gauge
Action	Selective fire, forced gas blowback operated
Rate of fire	300 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	350 m/s (1,100 ft/s)
Effective firing range	100 m (12 gauge slug)
Maximum firing range	200 m (FRAG-12 ammunition)
Feed system	8 rounds in box magazine, 20 or 32 rounds in drum magazines
Sights	Iron sight, 2x zoom optical scope

The Auto Assault-12 (AA-12), originally designed and known as the Atchisson Assault Shotgun, is a shotgun developed in 1972 by Maxwell Atchisson. The current 2005 version has been developed over 18 years since the patent was sold to Military Police Systems, Inc. The original design was the basis of several later weapons, including the USAS-12 combat shotgun. The weapon is selective fire, operating as a semi-automatic, or in fully automatic mode at 300 rounds per minute. It is fed from either an 8-shell box magazine, or a 20- or 32-shell drum magazine.

History

In 1987, Max Atchisson sold the rights of AA-12 to Jerry Baber of Military Police Systems, Inc., Piney Flats, Tennessee. MPS in turn developed the successor simply known as Auto Assault-12, which was redesigned over a period of 18 years with 188 changes and improvements to the original blueprint. MPS also teamed up with Action Manufacturing Company, and Special Cartridge Company to combine the gun with FRAG-12 High-Explosive ammunition into a multifunction weapon system.

The weapon was lightened to 4.76 kg and shortened to 966 mm but retained the same barrel length. The CQB model has a 13-inch barrel, and is half a pound lighter than the regular model. Uncommon in other automatic shotguns, the AA-12 fires from an open bolt, a feature more commonly found in submachine guns and heavy and squad level machine guns. It uses 8-round box, 20-round drum, or 32-round drum magazines, as opposed to the original 5-round box magazine. Due to the abundant use of stainless steel and the designed clearance for fouling, MPS has claimed that the weapon requires zero cleaning or lubrication. The designer states that cleaning is required after 10,000 rounds.

Ammunition

The AA-12 can use different types of 3" 12 gauge ammunition such as buckshot, slugs, or less-than-lethal rubber stun batons. It can also fire flares or special Frag-12 19 mm fin-stabilized HE, HEAP, and sensor fused HEAB "air-burst" fragmentation shells that can detonate in mid-air.

Usage

In 2004, ten firing models of the AA-12 were produced and demonstrated to the United States Marine Corps.

The HAMMER unmanned defense system by More Industries uses dual-mounted AA-12s on the H2X-40 Turret. Neural Robotics has also mounted the weapon on their AutoCopter Unmanned aerial vehicle.

See also

• Automatic shotgun
• Combat shotgun
• Daewoo USAS-12
• List of shotguns
• Military technology and equipment
• Saiga-12

External links

• YouTube video from Future Weapons on the Discovery Channel
• Modern Firearms Atchisson AA-12 page
• The auto assault-12: A Killer Shotgun for the War on Terror
• Action Manufacturing Company press release
• AA-12 demonstration video