The AA-12 shotgun

[waiting4something]

Hi new guy here. While I have opinions about the AA-12. I think I will stay away from that flame war. Anyways, I remember reading somewhere (Cant remember where for the life of me.) that the USAS is very picky about ammo. If you run anything but 2, 3/4 remmington 00 buck in it. It jams up like a son of gun. Just some food for thought.

It's not picky with the loads I have tried, which have been Winchester, Federal, and Remington(00 buck, slugs, and #4 buckshot. I have not tried using any low base loads, and I could see that being a probelm like with most semi-autos. The USAS-12 is chambered for 3inch loads, but the kicker like most, if not all magazine fed shotguns is they can only fit 2 3/4 shells in their magazines. One shotgun that I have seen be picky is the SPAS-12. It seemed to like Winchester and Federal. The Remington loads sometimes had issues. The big probelms with the USAS-12 is its fucking heavy, bulky, and slow and cumbersome to reload. Honestly I have not yet had a jam, key word YET. I used to have a Saiga 12 and that actually jammed twice on me on only 60 rounds. But then again to be fair, Saiga 12's are more just custom guns so each one will be different.

[Panther Al]

It's not picky with the loads I have tried, which have been Winchester, Federal, and Remington(00 buck, slugs, and #4 buckshot. I have not tried using any low base loads, and I could see that being a probelm like with most semi-autos. The USAS-12 is chambered for 3inch loads, but the kicker like most, if not all magazine fed shotguns is they can only fit 2 3/4 shells in their magazines. One shotgun that I have seen be picky is the SPAS-12. It seemed to like Winchester and Federal. The Remington loads sometimes had issues. The big probelms with the USAS-12 is its fucking heavy, bulky, and slow and cumbersome to reload. Honestly I have not yet had a jam, key word YET. I used to have a Saiga 12 and that actually jammed twice on me on only 60 rounds. But then again to be fair, Saiga 12's are more just custom guns so each one will be different.

Huh. When I was over there I toted around a SPAS12 for about 4 months till higher started to police unautherized weapons and never noted any issues with it liking one sort of ammo over another, it took everything I gave it and asked for more.

[Targan]

... it took everything I gave it and asked for more.

LOL. "I like the same traits in my shotguns as in my women".

[Ronin]

It's not picky with the loads I have tried, which have been Winchester, Federal, and Remington(00 buck, slugs, and #4 buckshot. I have not tried using any low base loads, and I could see that being a probelm like with most semi-autos. The USAS-12 is chambered for 3inch loads, but the kicker like most, if not all magazine fed shotguns is they can only fit 2 3/4 shells in their magazines. One shotgun that I have seen be picky is the SPAS-12. It seemed to like Winchester and Federal. The Remington loads sometimes had issues. The big probelms with the USAS-12 is its fucking heavy, bulky, and slow and cumbersome to reload. Honestly I have not yet had a jam, key word YET. I used to have a Saiga 12 and that actually jammed twice on me on only 60 rounds. But then again to be fair, Saiga 12's are more just custom guns so each one will be different.

Interesting. Good to know.

[Panther Al]

LOL. "I like the same traits in my shotguns as in my women".

*looks at his ex's and no comments*

[waiting4something]

Huh. When I was over there I toted around a SPAS12 for about 4 months till higher started to police unautherized weapons and never noted any issues with it liking one sort of ammo over another, it took everything I gave it and asked for more.

Well I don't know what to tell you on that one!? I have one and a relative has one. And from both our experience they tended to not dig the Remington loads 100% of the time. They can handle them, but their was a stoppage here and there. If you have military loads they are more then likely the Olin Winchester green shells with the black painted or dyed brass. So yeah it would most likely like that food. I know for sure low base rounds and reduced recoil rounds will make it choke, which is why it's a pump gun sometimes. The only thing where I could see different is the two I fired where pretty much new, yours I'm guessing had been broken in more? That is the only thing I can think of.

[Panther Al]

Well I don't know what to tell you on that one!? I have one and a relative has one. And from both our experience they tended to not dig the Remington loads 100% of the time. They can handle them, but their was a stoppage here and there. If you have military loads they are more then likely the Olin Winchester green shells with the black painted or dyed brass. So yeah it would most likely like that food. I know for sure low base rounds and reduced recoil rounds will make it choke, which is why it's a pump gun sometimes. The only thing where I could see different is the two I fired where pretty much new, yours I'm guessing had been broken in more? That is the only thing I can think of.

Just goes to show the same design can perform differently from piece to piece.


Ours formerly belonged to Iraq- we took them out of an arms room, where I have to admit while well used, was spotless unlike most weapons we found over there. As to the ammo the bulk of it was random grab bag of what we could scrounge up with some mil issue.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Well for a third perspective on the SPAS-12, way back when people in Australia were still allowed to own pump-action shotguns I was able to get my hands on a SPAS-12 for a weekend of goat culling.
There were four of us and while we had no issues with the Winchester 12g ammo, the action was stiff. It felt like you were working against the weapon - fast loading it was not. This particular gun was a few years old and had seen semi-regular use so it was definitely broken in and the guy who owned it was no slouch when it came to caring for his guns.
As 'cool' as Arnie had made the SPAS-12 in 'The Terminator', we stopped using it and relied on the rifles and other shotguns.

[waiting4something]

Well for a third perspective on the SPAS-12, way back when people in Australia were still allowed to own pump-action shotguns I was able to get my hands on a SPAS-12 for a weekend of goat culling.
There were four of us and while we had no issues with the Winchester 12g ammo, the action was stiff. It felt like you were working against the weapon - fast loading it was not. This particular gun was a few years old and had seen semi-regular use so it was definitely broken in and the guy who owned it was no slouch when it came to caring for his guns.
As 'cool' as Arnie had made the SPAS-12 in 'The Terminator', we stopped using it and relied on the rifles and other shotguns.

I totally know what your saying when you said that the action seems like it works against you. Both my convertible shotguns (SPAS-12 and M3 Benelli) are that way when set in the manual action mode. They aren't really intended to be used as pump guns. It's more a fail safe system when you have low power loads like cs rounds and such. It's the reason you always see SPAS-12's and M3 Benelli on the silver screen being used as pumps. The semi auto action can't cycle blanks, well that and pumping the action manually makes one look more macho.