A Novel Idea in 1981...
On August 1, 1981, 3 year old Cobray decided on a radical idea: manufacture a 12 gauge shotgun in pistol format, with an extendable stock, that fires from an open bolt just like the big machine guns. Normally, a
slam fire is a bad thing, emptying your clip unexpectedly due to a stuck firing pin or accidental hammer follow. In this case, open bolt fire is a CONTROLLED and intentional slam fire, hence the name!
As the first 22 began to roll off the assembly line, ATF announced that ALL open bolt guns, semi or auto, were to be classified as NFA (class III destructive device) guns. There were two reasons for their decision. First, nearly all open bolt guns were full auto anyway (the shotgun you are looking at is the lone exception that's not NFA under today's rules, and is grandfathered as a "pre ban"). Second, of the others being produced, simple auto kits were so easy to create, that ATF felt that ALL open bolt/slamfire designs should be classified as NFA
