By Andrew Liszewski
Anyone who’s watched Mythbusters enough knows the damage a shotgun can cause. But imagine combining that firepower with the ‘benefits’ of a machine gun. What you’d end up with is the Atchisson Assault Shotgun, or the AA-12 for short, which is capable of firing up to 5 12-gauge shotgun shells per second. The gun was originally designed by Maxwell Atchisson way back in 1972, but in 1987 he sold the rights to a company called Military Police Systems who spent 18 years improving and perfecting the original design.
Not only can the AA-12 cause serious amounts of damage in a small amount of time, but thanks to a proprietary gas system there’s little to no recoil, which means the weapon can actually be fired with one hand if you’ve got the muscle. It’s also made from aerospace-grade stainless steel which means there’s minimal cleaning and it actually self-lubricates with the carbon produced by a shell firing. Future Weapons had a chance to try out the AA-12, and you’ll find a clip from that episode after the jump.
[ Gizmag – AA-12 Combat Shotgun ]