I came across a pretty radical new shotgun while at the wholesaler show last week. The SRM Arms Model 1216 is an American-made, semi-automatic, 12-gauge shotgun that holds 16 rounds in a manually indexing, four-chamber tubular magazine.
With manual indexing, you can instantly select birdshot, buckshot, slugs, bean bags, rock salt, flares, Dragon’s Breath—any kind of shotshell you have loaded—with the simple twist of your wrist. Even better, the magazine is quick-detach so you can instantly reload if 16 shells aren’t enough to get your shit out of the fan.
HK fans take note, this gun functions by way of delayed roller lock-up, which I think is really cool, and it takes down like an AR-15 for easy cleaning. Surprisingly, it’s not a heavy gun at all.
Unless you’re shooting some kind of invasive species such as Eurasian collared dove, the magazine capacity of the Model 1216 is going to limit hunting opportunities though competitive shooters will probably go wild over it if it proves reliable. I can see the tactical market giving this a serious look, too, and if you’re really into having a blast, there is also a full-auto version.
Mayer began his outdoor industry career in 1993 on the NRA Technical Staff where he became American Rifleman magazine first Shooting Editor. Mayer left NRA and entered the business end of publishing in 2003 as Advertising Account Executive for Safari Club International SAFARI Magazine and Safari Times newspaper. In 2006, Mayer was named Publisher of Shooting Times magazine where he was also tasked with launching and leading Personal Defense TV, the first television show of its kind.
In 2008, Mayer returned to the editorial side of publishing, this time in the digital field, as Editorial Director for Guns & Ammo, Shooting Times, Handguns and Rifleshooter online magazines. After a brief stint in 2011 as the Digital Media Director for an ABC TV affiliate, Mayer returned to the outdoors industry and Safari Club International where he is currently Assistant Publisher and Multi-Media Communications Editor.