sillymike
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Since they already have knockoff 1911, AR15... I wonder if we could convince Norinco to produce some of these... 
The Colt Defender
The Colt Defender was the logical successor to Hillberg's earlier liberator gun. With the war in Southeast Asia winding down, Hillberg sought to design a weapon that would have appeal to other purchasers - primarily law enforcement agencies. Hillberg believed his initial concept was sound, but sought to increase its versatility. The final design was completed in 1967. In designing the new gun, Hillberg reverted to the 20 gauge 3 inch magnum. He felt that this gave a more compact and easily controlled weapon with nearly identical hit potential and lethality to the 12 gauge. The new weapon was nothing if not visually impressive. Eight 12 inch barrels were joined together around a central axis. The gun possessed the familiar pistol grip revolver action mechanism with a second forward pistol grip for instinctive shooting. Overall length was 17.75 inches with a weight of 8.6 pounds. The weapon was composed of an aluminum alloy receiver with steel inserts and was covered in an epoxy paint finish.
http://tml.travellercentral.com/hillberg/index.html
The final version of the weapon was available in four configurations: One version contained a receptacle for a canister of tear gas between the barrels. Pressing the trigger on the foregrip allowed the shooter to spray the target with teargas, giving him a non-lethal option. Another version incorporated a barrel selector on the rotating striker on the hammer. This allowed the shooter to select any one of the eight barrel. This meant that the weapon could be loaded with a variety of ammunition and the shooter could select which round was most appropriate for the situation in question. A third variant include both features, and the fourth had neither.
Like the Liberator before it, the Defender possessed semi-automatic like fire without the complexity of the semi-automatic gun. It was extremely simple to operate and very robust. Hillberg believe that the double action trigger mechanism was ideal for law enforcement applications, as it minimized familiarity and training requirements..
Hillberg thoroughly tested the Defender before seeking out a manufacturer. The design proved to be so correct, that only a couple of minor changes were made for manufacturing.
When Colt Industries was contacted, they showed considerable interest in producing the Defender. However, before committing to production, they insisted on a market survey to see if there was an adequate market for the gun before committing to full production. Colt demonstrated the weapon to a number of departments, and all who saw it were impressed with its compactness, volume of fire and reliability. Additionally, many cited its appearance as having a decidedly deterrent effect.
Unfortunately, the defender was introduced at a time of national recession. Police departments found themselves scrambling to maintain what funds they already had. Despite interest showed in the Defender, Colt determined that there would not be adequate demand for the new weapon to justify full production and the product was shelved. By 1971 the Defender, like the Liberator before it, was dead.
The Liberator and Defender shotguns designed by Robert Hillberg were perhaps some of the most innovative combat shotguns ever devised. Their compactness, reliability, firepower and simplicity have yet to be equalled by any other weapon. They certainly deserved a better fate than they received.
