AA-12 full-auto shotgun review: an early prototype on the range

Key points: AA-12 full-auto shotgun review

• The gun shown is serial number 12, an early prototype, so some quirks differ from later AA-12s and the host stops short of calling the design reliable or unreliable.
• Cyclic rate sits around 300 rounds a minute and changes with load: lighter birdshot cycles slower than buckshot.
• A long-stroke gas piston feeds a constant-recoil system where the bolt never bottoms out, the same idea as the Ultimax, which keeps 12-gauge recoil soft even without a muzzle brake.
• Downsides include many small parts, aging plastic stick magazines, out-of-production 20-round drums, and a clamshell body that pinches beards and fingers.
• The open-bolt trigger breaks at about four to five pounds, and a top Picatinny rail takes an absolute-cowitness optic well.
• The host disputes claims the Marine Corps should have adopted it, arguing development never reached contract readiness, and credits Call of Duty for its reputation.
• Owner BRCH Arms says the gun ran worse after a deep clean and better once carbon built up, and slow-motion footage of the shell-off action shows the very long recoil spring cycling.

About this Gun Review video

AA-12 full-auto shotgun review from Garand Thumb, shooting serial number 12, an early prototype. The stainless constant-recoil design runs at roughly 300 rounds a minute and is soft and controllable without a muzzle brake. The verdict is that it is the coolest shotgun but not a finished one: small fragile parts, a pinching clamshell and an extractor that broke mid-shoot. Owner BRCH Arms explains why it runs better dirty, and slow-motion footage shows the long recoil spring at work.

Transcript: AA-12 full-auto shotgun