Daewoo USAS-12
Daewoo Precision Industries · Shotgun · Out Of Production · 1989
Also known as: Universal Sporting Automatic Shotgun
Overview
The Daewoo USAS-12 (Universal Sporting Automatic Shotgun) is a select-fire, gas-operated 12-gauge combat shotgun. Designed by John Trevor Jr. of the Gilbert Equipment Company in the late 1980s and manufactured by Daewoo Precision Industries in South Korea, it feeds from a 10-round detachable box magazine or a 20-round drum. The forged aluminum receiver, M16-style sights and a hollow polymer buttstock that houses the bolt's long over-travel give it manageable recoil even in full-automatic fire. It was marketed to military, police and anti-terror units, primarily in Asia.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 5450 g (192.2 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 6200 g (218.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 960 mm (37.80") |
| Barrel Length | 460 mm (18.11") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Rotating Bolt |
| Firing Mechanism | Closed Bolt |
| Trigger Type | Select Fire |
| Magazine Capacity | 20 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Drum |
| Muzzle Velocity | 400 m/s (1312 fps) |
| Effective Range | 40 m (44 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 425 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Aluminum |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Polymer |
| Finish | Anodized |
Calibers
- 12 Gauge · primary — also known as 12 ga, 12 bore
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine, Drum Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Cross Bolt Safety
- Features: Select Fire, Ambidextrous Dual Ejection, Carrying Handle Rear Sight, M16 Style Front Sight, Translucent Drum Magazine, Long Bolt Over Travel
Variants
- USAS-12 Semi-Auto — Semi Automatic Civilian
Production
Estimated total produced: 30,000 · Production years: 1989-1990s
Over 30,000 reportedly produced by the mid-1990s; production has since ceased
Origin
Country of origin: South Korea
Designer: John Trevor Jr.
Notes
The semi-automatic civilian variant was reclassified by the US ATF as a 'destructive device' under the NFA (ATF Ruling 94-1, effective March 1, 1994), as it was judged unsuitable for sporting purposes. The registration window for pre-1994 examples later expired, making legally transferable civilian guns extremely rare.
Background
The USAS-12 borrows its long-bolt-over-travel principle from Maxwell Atchisson's automatic-shotgun work, but the semi-auto civilian version became one of only a handful of shotguns ever classed by the ATF as a 'destructive device' rather than an ordinary firearm.