Smith and Wesson got out of the shotgun game in 1985 when the Smith and Wesson assault shotgun failed to attract military and police customers. It simply wasn’t profitable even though they produced and imported a collection of shotguns for years beforehand. Imagine my shock as I, a shotgun nerd, awoke to see that the M&P line now included a shotgun. I was even more surprised when I saw that the new M&P 12 was a dual tube bullpup shotgun.

The KSG started the genre, the UTAS 15 followed, and so did the DP-12. The DP-12 did utilize a second barrel but mostly fits here. The S&W M&P 12 is more practical with a single barrel. It’s a pump-action design, and it might just be the most practical and high-quality option of these futuristic bullpup dual-tube shotguns. Let’s dive into it.

Specs and Features

This is a bulky beast. It looks like it stepped out of some sci-fi flick set in the near dystopian future. If you said this gun was from Cyberpunk 2077, I’d agree. It does the job of looking cool quite well. The M&P 12 comes in a sweet hard plastic case with two chokes, instructions, gun lock, and a choke wrench. Here are the numbers for you nerds.

• Barrel Length: 19 inches
• Overall Length: 27.8 inches
• Weight: 8.3 pounds
• Chamber: 2.75 to 3 inches
• Capacity: 14 (2.75 inch rounds)

Fourteen rounds are nothing to laugh at, especially 14 rounds of high-quality buckshot. That second tube adds some weight to the gun, but the weight is easy to ignore since it’s closer to the body. Ultimately it’s quite small, much smaller than my Benelli M4 or Mossberg 590A1.

Inside The M&P 12

As a bullpup shotgun, the M&P 12 doesn’t follow the traditional pattern of a standard shotgun. Therefore let’s take some time to point out some of the more unique features of the M&P 12 gauge.

First, clearing malfunctions appear difficult. The bulky ammo, bullpup design, and small loading area look like it might be a nightmare. S&W saw this and designed a retractable rear plate that opens up that loading chamber. 

The extra room makes it easy to dump out jammed shells. I purposefully jammed the gun with two Snap Caps and retracted the rear plate. The two rounds dumped right out.

Retracting the plate requires the push of a button in the stock and a sharp pull. Ensure the action is locked forward when you do so.

Clear it, close it, and get back after it. It’s not as easy as tap rack bang or even clearing a normal shotgun. It’s one of the bullpup compromises, and I commend S&W for including it.

In front of the chamber, on each side of the gun, there are two load-assist buttons. These make loading the gun easier and also make unloading it easy. Press the buttons, and the shell retainer hits the road. This allows you to easily load the gun and makes admin unloading quick and safe. Pressing the load assist buttons is not necessary to load it but makes things easier.

Optics and Slings

Along the top of the gun sits a long optics rail—plenty of room for a red dot, like the AEMS from Holosun. You can also mount 12 o’clock lights like the OWL from Cloud Defensive. If you want more options, there are M-LOK slots that run across the top of the gun and allow you to offset mount accessories.

This scope rail and mounting platform also works as a heat shield. It covers most of the barrel and will certainly protect your paws. Also, it seems to be the only place to mount a front sling point. An M-LOK sling mount is easy to attach and will work perfectly with the rear QD sling mounts. These are ambidextrous and simple to use.

S&W M&P 12 Ergonomics

S&W embraced ambidextrous ergonomics with the M&P 12. In fact, all the controls are ambidextrous. The safety is an AR-type design that sits above the thumb for easy access. In front of the trigger, we have the pump release that’s also ambidextrous. The rounds eject downward and avoid throwing hulls into your face.

Swapping tubes requires the press of a button that’s integrated into the pump. It’s huge, easy to reach, and works well. According to the manual, the pump needs to be locked forward before you switch tubes. If not, you might damage the gun.

The M&P 12 pump utilizes an integrated attached vertical foregrip. I think this is a great idea because the distance from the pump to the barrel is quite short. You wouldn’t want your hand to slip off and find its way in front of the barrel as you fire. Also, it makes it easy to fight with recoil. You can detach the foregrip. I will say that S&W did it right and ensured the pump wasn’t just reliant on a small M-LOK slot. It’s a beefy boy.

The rear pistol grip is the new M&P model and allows for AR 15 compatibility. The included grip even comes with three back straps to customize the grip for you.

Lastly, boy, oh boy, is the length of pull rather long. It’s a little over 14 inches. For my 6’5” gorilla self, it’s okay. With that said, I still prefer a shorter LOP. Smaller shooters should most certainly ensure they shoulder this gun and comfortably run it.

The M&P 12 At the Range

New shotguns and range days are always my favorite. I love shooting shotguns, so I went with two hundred rounds of birdshot from Estate and Federal and 50 rounds of Rio 00 buckshot, five rounds of Flitecontrol, five slugs, and 50 rounds of Suprema buckshot. Oh, and I also brought 20 mini shells.

I equipped the M&P 12 with an AEMS red dot I’m testing. I figured a shotgun’s recoil would be easy to test it with. I start zeroing the gun with some basic buckshot using the 65 MOA circle and 2 MOA dot. Once zeroed, I began blasting away first with buckshot on an ISPC target. I got a good idea of how the gun recoils.

Using a push/pull recoil mitigation technique, I was able to easily control the gun and keep the red dot on target shot after shot of full-powered buckshot. That front integrated grip makes it quite easy to apply the ole push/pull technique to its full effect. I feel I would be able to better control the gun if the LOP was a little shorter, but even so, I don’t have issues running the gun.

The action is chunky but smooth. It’s not gritty, but not as smooth as an old Wingmaster from Remington. It slides rearward and forward with ease. The M&P 12 delivers a tactile feeling as rounds load into the chamber. You’ll feel the difference between a shell loading and not, and this helps you know when to swap tubes.

Tube Swaps

The M&P 12 allows you easily swap from tube to tube without issue. Hit that button, and bam, you are rocking and rolling with your next tube. Doing so on the fly isn’t tough to do. You can do it when a tube runs dry or swap to the second tube, which could be holding slugs instead of buckshot.

Swapping tubes is easy, but reloading is not. That loading port is small and makes it tough to load either tube with the weapon shouldered. In fact, it’s easier and much quicker to dismount and get the gun into action. Loading it in combat would be impossible. However, after 14 rounds of Federal FliteControl, the problem is likely solved.

Keeping this thing continually loaded like a standard shotgun isn’t possible. Shotgunners won’t like it, or at least this shotgunner doesn’t like it. I like being able to continually top off a shotgun. This is a gun that you blast away with and then go to your secondary.

Remember when I said that I had to improvise a malfunction? Well, it’s because the gun never failed when firing. After a little over two hundred rounds of various shot types, the gun ran crazy well. In fact, it ate through those mini shells without issue.

Accuracy and Patterning

The pattern is average and obviously dependent on your load and choke. The gun comes with two chokes, including modified and cylinder bore chokes. Most basic loads will pattern as you expect at 10 to 15 yards. Nothing crazy, and the group is typically around 12 inches or so at fifteen yards.

At 15 yards, Flitecontrol will make one big hole, and you’ll get all the advantages that Flitecontrol offers. Make sure you use the cylinder bore, or your FliteControl patterns might be wider.

With Hornady slugs, I got impressive shots at 25 and then 50 yards in the offhand. I punched the IPSC target in the -0, and two slugs nearly formed one hole.

One major complaint I have is the ambi safety works a lot like the CZ Scorpions safety. With every shot, it digs into my trigger finger. If this was my gun and not a loaner, I’d take a Dremel to the safety. Why is this in the accuracy portion? Well, I found myself anticipating the pain, and I would flinch as I came to the end of my 200+ rounds.

Short and Sweet Design

I messed around shooting around cover and found the short bullpup design of the M&P 12 to be quite nice. I could ease up to the cover and feel like I’m quicker to peek and fire around corners. The 27.8-inch overall length makes the gun quite nice for maneuvering indoors. For home defense, it’s even handier.

Imagine holding up in your room, calling the police, and aiming the M&P 12 at the door. It’s easy to hold the gun up with a single arm with the weight all to the rear. If someone comes through the door, it’s easy to fire that first shot, drop the phone and rack the action.

The same goes for opening doors or clearing something out of your way. Here the M&P 12 works well and allows you actively navigate an environment without the need for both hands all the time. Short shotguns are the best, and the NFA is garbage. This is the best way to get a truly short shotgun without the need for a tax stamp.

The M&P 12

The M&P 12 isn’t a perfect gun, but it’s the best bullpup pump-action I’ve ever handled. It solves the shotgun’s low capacity problem, is super easy to use, and is mostly ergonomic. The LOP is long, and the ambi safety is a pain, but other than that, it’s a well-planned out design. Reloading sucks, so better get it done in those 14 rounds. If you want a bullpup pump-action for serious use, this is the only one I’d suggest. It’s insanely reliable and suited well for home defense in most aspects.

What say you? Are you into the pump-action bullpup genre? Does the S&W M&P 12 appeal to you? Let us know below.

Dry Fire Practice. It is something we all can be doing to improve on our firearms fundamentals. I should be doing it more often than I do. It doesn’t cost you any money in terms of ammunition and with the current market prices of ammunition, dry fire sounds much appealing than sending expensive rounds downrange. There are different methods to make dry firing even more effective, such as placing an empty casing on top of your slide with the goal of keeping it steady through your trigger press. There is also a multitude of products to help enhance dry fire practice. I have tried and used a few over the years and Mantis X is one of my favorite ones to use.

Mantis X

Mantis X is one of the higher-tech options available on the market. It uses a small electronic device that attaches to your rail on your pistol or rifle that tracks the slightest movement during your dry fire practice and instantly sends the information through Bluetooth technology to your smartphone. Downloading the application is free through the play store and it is very easy to use. Not only does it track your dry fire practice, but it can also do live-fire practice and give you tips on how to improve, depending on your results.

In the past, I used one of Mantis X’s first models and it worked well. The only downside to it was the hardware. When it came to mounting it to your rail, it used a cross-bolt very similar to some weapon lights. It was very secure. However, it required tools to install and made it a little inconvenient to have to install and remove for every practice session.

Mantis X10 Elite

The X10 Elite is the latest model from Mantis X and it improves upon the earlier model in many ways. From outward appearances, it is noticeably smaller and slimmer than its predecessor. It has a different method for mounting — a spring-loaded catch that makes attaching to the rail a quick, simple task that requires no tools. The easier it is to get going, the more training you’ll do with fewer excuses for not training.

Getting Started with the X10 Elite

Once you open the box, attach it with the charging cable and get it fully charged. While it’s charging, download the app and create a new account or sign in if you already have one.

When it is fully charged, it is time to attach it to your cleared and safe pistol. Attaching it to the frame is easy, just pull down the lever and slide it on until it is lined up with the slot, then let go. That locks it in place. It’s really that easy!

To turn it on, hold the button at the bottom until it lights up green. Now you open the app on your phone and hit the connect button. It may need to calibrate so just set the pistol down until it is complete. Then go down the menu and choose whichever program you want to run. You can choose the make and model, whether you’re practicing dry or live, left or right-handed, etc. through the drop-down menus.

Now you can start to practice. Make sure your pistol is safe, clear and that you have no live ammunition near you. Depending on the type of dry fire practice you are doing, it may be easier to not use any magazines at all so you can cycle the slide without worrying about it locking to the rear. I know there are magazine plugs for that but if you’re just focusing on trigger control, you just don’t need it. Also, make sure you have a safe spot to focus and target for your training. You can never be too safe when working with actual firearms.

The Mantis X app tracks and saves everything so you can see your progress.

You can see live as you are practicing, regardless if you’re doing dry fire or live fire. I got to do both dry and live fire practice over the past few months. I wish I could’ve practiced a lot more than I did for the purposes of this article. I found the Mantis X10 Elite to be easy to use, accurate, and very helpful with the tips in response to how I was doing.

The X10 Elite MSRP of $249.99 is well worth it. It really is like having an instructor watch what you are doing while practicing so that you actually can make improvements to your shooting performance. The quick detach feature is simple to use as well as the app. Being able to do dry and live fire practice is also an added bonus. You really need to do both, I know ammunition is expensive but live-fire practice is a must.

Of all the products that I have had experience with over my years of using firearms, the X10 Elite is by far one of the most effective available. What I found out about myself from using this over the past few months is that I need to practice even more. I highly recommend it to everyone from all levels of experience. 

I love PCCs and Subguns. Something about these little fellas just makes me happy. As a kid, I loved submachines in movies and video games, so maybe it comes from that. Maybe it’s the fact that 9mm ammo is cheap. Or maybe it’s because my home range only goes out to 100 yards. I have a blast shooting them, and when I got the offer to review the APC9K, I jumped on it. 

I waited anxiously for the gun to come to my FFL. I love guns, and if you hand me a budget-tier weapon, I’m still going to have fun with it. I was so excited with the APC9K that I was checking the tracking two or three times an hour the day it was scheduled to be delivered. I already dedicated a healthy chunk of my 9mm stash to the gun and was waiting eagerly for the little fella to fall into my lap.

Once it arrived, I could help but be impressed. The APC9K comes in a massive hard case, complete with foam. Sadly, it only comes with one magazine, but we also get a cleaning kit and a one-point sling. With that said, let’s break down the APC9K.

Breaking Down the APC9K

The APC9 is the standard variant of this gun, and the K model follows that European meme of applying K to the shorter models. As far as I know, this meme comes from the Germans and the MP5K. K stands for Kurz, and Kurz means short in German. APC stands for Advanced Police Carbine, which makes sense for the SMG variant, but not so much for a civilian-made pistol.

How short? Well, the barrel is a mere 5.4 inches, which is a hair longer than your standard 1911. Heck, my long slide 1911 provides more barrel than the APC9K. The overall length without the brace extended is only 13.5 inches. With the telescoping brace extended, the APC9K is 21.25 inches total.

Weight-wise it’s 5 pounds and 15 ounces. The short nature certainly makes it seem heftier. However, the gun is lighter than the CZ Scorpion and just a tad heavier than the SIG MPX. The magazine holds 30 rounds with the standard B&T magazine. Users can also purchase separate lowers to use Glock magazines or SIG P320 magazines. The upper receiver is the serialized portion, and the lowers can be ordered direct to your home.

The APC9K packs a full-length optics rail, a smaller bottom rail, and two M-LOK slots. You can toss on various rials, accessories, and whatnot. The barrel is also threaded with a 1/2×28 pitch for adding suppressors or other fun muzzle devices.

The Wonderful World of Swiss Ergonomics

B&T absolutely kills it in the ergonomics department. Every control is perfectly ambidextrous. The safety, charging handle, magazine release, and bolt release are all represented on both sides of the gun. Heck, we even get ambidextrous sling mounts on the gun! Not only is everything ambidextrous, but it’s all large and easy to engage with.

The safety has a short throw and delivers a big lever that makes it easy to engage and disengage at will. The magazine release buttons are located in a position that’s easy to reach with a hand around the magazine well or located on the main pistol grip. The same goes for the ambidextrous bolt release.

The pistol grip is also fantastic, and if I could, I would put this grip on all my other rifles. It fits my hand, but it is still thin and easy to grasp. I do have one complaint, though, and it comes in regards to charging the weapon.

The charging handles are great! They are large but fold forward when not gripped. The downside is the amount of effort required to charge the weapon. Blowback systems do require a hefty spring and bolt, and you feel it as you attempt to charge the gun. That’s my only ergonomic complaint.

Accuracy On the Range

With a range bag full of ammo and a heart full of hope, I hit the range running. I have an Aimpoint mounted, so my first step was some slow fire to zero the weapon. I zeroed the gun at 25 yards and began my real shooting tests. First, I started with some simple accuracy testing, but from a practical starting point.

Offhand, in the standing at 25 yards, I created a single shot group of three rounds with the APC9K. The trigger is superb. I would go as far as saying it’s the best trigger in the PCC market. On my trigger gauge, it comes in at a little over 4 pounds. It blows away the Scorpion and SUB 2000 and even edges out the Sig MPX and CMMG Banshee.

I dropped back to 50 yards and used my gong rack. I have an 8, 6, and 4-inch gong. From the standing, I moved from big to small and cut each one down in less than 4 seconds from the low ready. I experienced this consistent accuracy for round after round. It’s absurdly accurate, and I got really sick of walking downrange to unwrap the 4-inch gong from around the post. Even 9mm makes that thing spin over the top.

Just for fun, I moved back to 100 yards with an ISPC sized steel target bearing down on me. That shiny scum squared up with me and felt the pain. At 100 yards, 9mm has some drop, so I aimed at his head and dropped round after round into his chest. I’m not talking slow fire either, but ten shots in 8 seconds, and all ten went ding.

What About Recoil?

One of the biggest reasons people dislike straight blowback operations is due to the recoil. Recoil is often more than you’d expect and closer to that of a 5.56 rifle, which seems a fair bit much for a 9mm. However, B&T found some way to make it easier to handle and have a much lower perceived recoil than other blowback actions. Maybe it’s that pesky and extremely stiff buffer spring.

ACP9KThe blowback design has surprisingly light recoil.When the Army adopted the APC9K, I thought it was odd to choose a weapon with a straight blowback action. However, I get it now. The APC9K doesn’t have a ton of recoil and is pleasant to shoot.

Yeah, but does the APC9K Eat?

Oh, boy, does it. The APC9K doesn’t care what you feed it. Steel-cased garbage ammo like Winchester Forged creates zero issues. Neither did 124-grain +P loads or 147-grain subsonic loads. While it was costly, I fed the gun 20 rounds of JHPs, and it ate its way through them without issue.

Hundreds of rounds from various companies delivered not a single issue occurred. If I pulled the trigger, the APC9K went bang. Interestingly enough, the handguard barely got past warm even after hundreds of rounds.

B&T has done a fantastic job of producing one helluva awesome subgun. Everything about the gun shows nothing but the highest quality imaginable. It’s superbly capable, accurate, and easy to shoot and control. Plus, it won’t tap out when you need it most. The downside most will face is the MSRP of $2,450 dollars. That’s an expensive pill to swallow, but it is most certainly a premium experience wrapped up in metal and polymer.