Yep, a Smithy bullpup.
Smith & Wesson is getting back into shotguns with a bullpup 12ga. It can hold upwards of 20 (with mini-shells) and is alleged to run just fine with the otherwise somewhat problematic little rounds.
This is all a fascinating development for a Tuesday.
Now, I am a bullpup fan. The X95 is a superb carbine. Bullpup shotguns (and I owned a KSG) still seem like a tough sell. Sure, they hold more ammunition, sure they have the compact profile that the bullpup excels with, but the reload mechanics and clearance procedures are still a little bit much. They still feel and look like juggling.
Now, that isn’t to say I am simply observing without experiencing (because I am in this instance) and this scattergat may be superb in its handling. But the M&P12 seems to have come no closer to solving the geometries that make loading smooth than any other of the current bullpups.
That is the compromise, bullpup shotguns save you the space and give you the capacity of two shotguns but they are much more ‘fire until empty, then dump’ than shotguns you can dual and quadload with. If that’s a tradeoff that sounds worth it (and 15 2-3/4″ 00 Buck is a lot of onboard boom) then the newest M&P is worth a gander.
