I don't mind the bolt lock back lever, I dropped it once by pushing the little nub that remains and I was able to easily lock back the bolt using it as well. I am still playing with it to decide which side I like the charge handle on.
I'll have a closer look at it later this week when I'm off work. I'm hoping I can swap in one from an AR, I doubt it will work but either way it's very easy to drop the bolt, worst case scenario I'll just switch the charging handle back to the left so I can do it quickly with my support hand rather than reaching under the gun a la Swiss Arms style.
The hole in the back of the receiver that the protrusion of a standard back plate sits in is smaller on the MK-12 than on an AR and instead they have a round plug that sits in the hole which has a small stud on the back side, the back plate has a small hole that matches the stud. It's kinda weird but works. A standard back plate should be able to be modified to work without much effort but I haven't bothered to try yet. Pretty much just take the back plate you want to use and put it on the concrete and slam it with a large hammer to flatten it and then drill a hole to match the stud, there are other ways but that seems the simplest. I didn't take a picture of it or I'd post it so it made more sense.
Oh ya, forgot to mention, the trigger is a little gritty and heavy but feels pretty decent for a gun like this. Reminds me of my Daniel Defense trigger group when it was new. I'm sure it will smooth out with some use but looking at it reminds me of an AR trigger so I may just do some tinkering and see if I can swap in an AR trigger and just use the MK-12 hammer (it's definitely not an AR hammer).
Either way, the trigger is acceptable for a shotgun and as always should get better and better the more it is used.
I'm also quite pleased with how simple it is to disassemble this shotgun. No tools at all unless you want to remove the barrel from the receiver which by the way is required if you want to remove the bolt group.
The gas system is very simple and seems to work well, kind of a cross between a short stroke piston and a delayed blowback. The bolt has a cam that locks it into battery. Instead of an op rod though it has a large sleeve over the barrel that is pushed back by the piston and then two lugs protrude into the receiver to push the carrier that unlocks the bolt.
The gas system looks like it should remain clean for many shots as it vents out inside the handguard, I'll need to do a little experimenting but it looks like if you were to hold your hand over the area it vents you may get some gasses on your hands, I reach further forward so didn't notice while shooting but a different grip may get your hands dirty. One thing I noticed is that the piston assembly is held together by a threaded collar and after 20 rounds I took the forend off and the collar had loosened off a little. I gave it some extra torque this time and will keep an eye on it.
Last edited by cr5; 05-15-2017 at 08:17 PM.
Don't be so sensitive snowflake, words can't hurt you.
"Facts don't care about your feelings" Ben Shapiro
If it's on the muzzle it's a brake NOT a break
By the power vested in me as God of my world.
Just wanted to chime in to say that I took mine to the trap shoot yesterday and it functioned flawlessly. Great ergonomics; comfortable fit, and the recoil was like nothing (compared to my 870). Thanks, Tony!
I kinda left that part out on purpose, as I was so excited to shoot trap that I skipped the trip to the rifle range to sight it in (with slugs). It needs to be sighted-in big time; I was only hitting 15/25's. I'm pretty confident that once I get it zeroed I'll improve my game though.
If that won't work, I might go with this buttstock with QD mounts...which also has a recoil absorbing spring mechanism. https://www.fab-defense.com/en/categ...buttstock.html
My goal with this thing is to get as close to a rifle as I can...small groups and fast follow up shots with slugs. I'm hoping the recoil absorbtion of the gun itself is as nice as what people have said so far. I also bought the Carlson's rifled choke, which claims to cut group sizes in half. Reviews online support that claim.
I don't think that will work without some work with a dremel. The one I was going to install was similar (not as nice though) but had the QD on the side. I don't think the hole in the back of the receiver is large enough for that ridge above the hole. Dremel could take care of that though
Don't be so sensitive snowflake, words can't hurt you.
"Facts don't care about your feelings" Ben Shapiro
If it's on the muzzle it's a brake NOT a break
By the power vested in me as God of my world.