I bought the shotgun a week or so ago from S&J Hardware and finally got a chance to shoot it the other day so wanted to do a review.
This is an Uzkon AS-44 tactical SBS with a full accessory treatment from S&J Hardware.
Specs:
- Made in Turkey, aluminum receiver with matte black finish.
- 13” barrel with 3 x chokes (Browning/Mossberg Invector)
- 4+1, 2 ¾ shell capacity. (5+1 depending on shell maker)
- Pistol grip full length stock.
- S&J jumbo safety.
- S&J no jam follower.
- King Armory Hatsan side saddle mount and Tacstar saddle.
- S&J receiver sling plate. (included)
- S&J Magpul/870 stock adapter and sling attachment.
- Magpul SGA stock w/ Remington Supercell recoil pad.
I own various Turkish brand shotguns, this is my first from the Uzkon brand. Compared to Hatsan, the fit and finish is comparable with a slight edge going to Hatsan. A significant difference in the smoothness of the action is also noticeable.
The Uzkon takes more effort and sticks upon opening the action. All my Hatsans are smooth as glass when cycling.
I would say the Uzkon has more in common with the Sinsinati and Akar brands (same trigger guard, chokes, bolt and sights) than the Hatsan brand of Turkish shotguns.
At the range I used three brands of shells through the gun.
- Challenger 7.5 target load – Normally this stuff runs great in every shotgun I own. Theses shells were sticking in the chamber 3/5 times requiring force to open the action to eject the shell. (That gets annoying real fast)
- Winchester #5 shot – I don’t like this ammo in my Remington’s, so reserve it for use in my Turkish guns as they don’t mind it. These shells were also sticking in the chamber and would not eject 3/5 times as well.
- Score 1oz slugs – This was the only ammo that cycled and ejected properly. (albeit only 10 rounds fired)
This gun may require a chamber polish, or more break in time…even though I fired nearly 100 rounds through it. It might just prefer Score ammo too, so I’ll bring more out next time with it. Patterning with target loads was nice and tight, using an Improved Modified choke.
Overall, a great deal from Simon at S&J considering the value of the accessories provided with the gun. Only “sticking” point was the continious FTE and sticky action. Hoping it’s just an ammo issue and not a defect. I did notice that the extractor housing inside the barrel insert is machined a little rough. So I wonder if the extractor is getting hung up upon opening the action causing you to use more force than usual to open the action. We’ll see after some more rounds.
This is an Uzkon AS-44 tactical SBS with a full accessory treatment from S&J Hardware.
Specs:
- Made in Turkey, aluminum receiver with matte black finish.
- 13” barrel with 3 x chokes (Browning/Mossberg Invector)
- 4+1, 2 ¾ shell capacity. (5+1 depending on shell maker)
- Pistol grip full length stock.
- S&J jumbo safety.
- S&J no jam follower.
- King Armory Hatsan side saddle mount and Tacstar saddle.
- S&J receiver sling plate. (included)
- S&J Magpul/870 stock adapter and sling attachment.
- Magpul SGA stock w/ Remington Supercell recoil pad.
I own various Turkish brand shotguns, this is my first from the Uzkon brand. Compared to Hatsan, the fit and finish is comparable with a slight edge going to Hatsan. A significant difference in the smoothness of the action is also noticeable.
The Uzkon takes more effort and sticks upon opening the action. All my Hatsans are smooth as glass when cycling.
I would say the Uzkon has more in common with the Sinsinati and Akar brands (same trigger guard, chokes, bolt and sights) than the Hatsan brand of Turkish shotguns.
At the range I used three brands of shells through the gun.
- Challenger 7.5 target load – Normally this stuff runs great in every shotgun I own. Theses shells were sticking in the chamber 3/5 times requiring force to open the action to eject the shell. (That gets annoying real fast)
- Winchester #5 shot – I don’t like this ammo in my Remington’s, so reserve it for use in my Turkish guns as they don’t mind it. These shells were also sticking in the chamber and would not eject 3/5 times as well.
- Score 1oz slugs – This was the only ammo that cycled and ejected properly. (albeit only 10 rounds fired)
This gun may require a chamber polish, or more break in time…even though I fired nearly 100 rounds through it. It might just prefer Score ammo too, so I’ll bring more out next time with it. Patterning with target loads was nice and tight, using an Improved Modified choke.
Overall, a great deal from Simon at S&J considering the value of the accessories provided with the gun. Only “sticking” point was the continious FTE and sticky action. Hoping it’s just an ammo issue and not a defect. I did notice that the extractor housing inside the barrel insert is machined a little rough. So I wonder if the extractor is getting hung up upon opening the action causing you to use more force than usual to open the action. We’ll see after some more rounds.
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