All images by the author. Sorry about the harsh shadows… it was a rare sunny day!
The world of 12-gauge shotguns is wide and varied. Who amongst us didn’t grow up with one flavor or another of that gun close at hand? The 12-gauge is one of the few universal gauges or calibers out there. You can go anywhere that sells any kind of ammo and always find a good selection of 12-gauge shells. Pump guns, semi-autos, over-unders, and even single shots, have defined the discussion of shotguns for decades.
Recently, the influence of tactical firearms (however you define them) has led to the introduction of the shotgun’s variation of the “black rifle”… the tactical shotgun. First, there were basic pump guns with stocks of polymer and maybe a few doo-dads attached to make them “tactical.” Then some semi-autos jumped on the bandwagon. With a few mutations, the world of pump guns eventually brought forth the bullpup 12-gauge. That’s what we have here today.
Bullpup?
First, let me say I am not an expert on bullpup long guns. I am left-handed and it wasn’t until fairly recently that I discovered that there were bullpup rifles out there that allowed you to switch the ejection port to the other side.
I’ve had cases whizzing past my glasses once too many times, so I generally avoided that class of firearm. The bullpup design, to be very basic, puts the magazine and the chamber behind the trigger. This allows you to have a rifle or shotgun with a decent-length barrel but still keeps the overall length of the gun short. Bullpups are used by military and law enforcement organizations.
They do make sense – I have nothing against them except for what I mentioned above. They are easily transported and carried since they are shorter and seem to have come into their own in close-quarters combat. A bullpup 12-gauge within easy reach could be useful in home defense situations. Their short length appeals to a lot of shooters.
But, sometimes “bargain” bullpups aren’t worth it because it takes some decent engineering and manufacturing to get the design just right. This gun proved to be an exception to that.
This Shotgun
Those of you who have read some of my reviews may recall that I mention a friend of mine, Ed, who is a former deputy. He has extensive firearms experience and has been helpful to me. He likes off-the-beaten-path guns… things like the LifeCard credit-card-sized .22 and the Pen Gun. So, one day he brought over the gun we have here. He got a bargain on it during a recent Black Friday online sale.
Here is it…
The gun is a Garaysar, made in Turkey. I forget how much he said he paid for it, but it was low enough that it surely made it interesting. Politics aside, I’ve owned a few Turkish pistols, mostly 9mms, and they are built very well in my experience.
They are well worth their price. I also own a really nice 20-gauge over/under made in Turkey that I like a lot. I was not, however, familiar with their other shotgun types – especially the bullpups.
It came with a five-round magazine, although he might be able to find a 10-rounder online. It has flip-up sights…
…that are adjustable, AR-fashion. When you fold them down, they become interesting:
Notice the rear sight imitating that sight on a pistol. You can see the front post, out of focus but there. This allows you to at least have an aiming reference point even with the sights folded down. That is different, and I like it.
The “shell shucker”. The V-grip is just a bit short and it pinches your fingers but it works.
The stock has an adjustable comb but is not adjustable for length of pull – you’re stuck with what they give you. It does have a decent recoil pad. Note the AR-style controls.
Here’s the trigger:
The safety is easy to reach and to use. The trigger guard is open enough to allow a gloved finger to enter it.
How Did It Shoot?
Ed did the shooting since he fires from the “correct” side. The gun ran flawlessly with all the shells he put through it. He commented that the felt recoil was less than what he remembered from shooting stock Remington 870s and Mossberg 500s. That added to the “plus” column, for sure.
We didn’t try to pattern it… we just wanted to make sure it functioned as designed and was reliable. It passed both of those criteria. I don’t remember how many shells he put through it – there were a bunch – and the gun didn’t hiccup once. I have to admit, I was impressed.
As far as the choke goes, the website just calls it “Multi/Fix”. Evidently, it’s “one-size-chokes-all”.
Summing Up
This bullpup 12-gauge is certainly something to consider. I could probably research left-side-ejecting bullpup pumps but I would wager they would cost a lot more than this one did and may not work any better. For those of you who don’t have that particular issue, this gun might bear checking out.
We didn’t try slugs, but I don’t know why they wouldn’t work. This gun, loaded with five-plus-one buckshot loads, would be formidable. I would hate to be on the receiving end. That it digested everything we fed it leads me to lean towards recommending it. We shot a lot with zero issues.
That says it all, I guess. Let us hear from you below!
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