Standard Manufacturing SKO-12 Tactical 12 Gauge Shotgun - Blue/Black, 18.5" Barrel, 5+1 Rounds, Synthetic, 3" Chamber, 6-Position Stock

Excellent weapon. Fit and finish is outstanding. Another smooth transaction from Buds.

I am quite disappointed with this gun, as well as with my interaction with the manufacturer. I immediately discovered a design flaw the first time I took the gun out to the range. The design of the receiver allows for over-insertion of the magazines, which causes the bolt to lock back in a "frozen" position when you shoot to slidelock. When it is jammed back like this, as opposed to being expectedly locked back, the only way to drop the bolt is with the bolt release. You cannot use the charging handle after loading a new magazine. Fortunately, as a left-handed shooter, this isn't a big deal for me, because I use the bolt release anyway, but the fact that it is so easy to get this gun into this jammed up condition is quite absurd. And, the force required to over-insert the magazine is very low, certainly well within what you'd expect from someone reloading on the clock, which is quite a common use case for a gun like this. Initially, I was hoping it was just a problem with my specific gun, so I sent it away to Standard Manufacturing for them to look at. I described the problem in writing, as well as including a video of my recreating the problem on demand. After a while, they sent it back to me with a letter saying they cleaned it and test fired it, and that it was operating as expected. Then, almost as an after-thought, was a message that said "try not to over-insert the magazines." An additional problem is the 10 round magazines, which they've since redescribed as 9 round magazines. I asked them why that was, and their response was this. "It is more of a function issue. the ten round capacity deforms the spring to solid height which was aproblem in a per centage of assemblies. the magazine envelope dimensions is best suited for 9 1" The testing of this design is apparently being done by us, the public who are giving them money for their untested guns. Very disappointing. Again, the gun is still fully functional, and I can use it in spite of this poor magazine seating behavior, but I would never recommend it to anyone. For a gun that's allegedly inspired by the AR-15, it would have been nice if they'd incorporated the magazine stop into their design instead of creating a new, inferior design.

This only arrived a few days ago, so the only experience i can claim is cleaning it and shooting some #8 bird shot from 2 3/4" shells. There are lots of reviews on the Internet that are more detailed. What I can add is that this strikes me as a high quality shotgun. The clearances are tight and it feels and handles like a well made firearm. There were no malfunctions, and the trigger was decent, remembering that this is a shotgun. This is one heavy gun when loaded. I have not weighed it, but it is clearly heavier than my AR15 (Bushmaster). It can get fatiguing to hold pn target for any length of time. I suspect the 5 round mag will be the popular choice. However, the foregrip was comfortable, and I really enjoyed shooting it. Not nearly as loud as a .223. This does not come with sites. My sporting shotguns have a front bead, while one has a back bead which I never use. At bird hunting distances, spreads are wide enough that aiming along the rib normally gets the job done. The SKO-12 is different. Being an AR form factor, I found no comfortable way to hold it and site down the rail with any sort of accuracy. You'll need iron sites, and for slugs, maybe a red dot or light scope. With these, everything lined up as it should, and the rails are standard AR. Keep in mind that in a tactical situation, shotgun pellets will not spread more than an inch or two, so siting is important. It does not come with a bottom rail, but there are attachment points for that or other accessories. However, the barrel and action are all 12 gauge, no charging handle or dust shield. The bolt locks back on final round, and it also locks back when an empty mag is present. The mags slam home with the same authority as an AR, and the barrel has removable chokes. It comes with an open choke, but all the normal variants are available. Barrel mounted AR accessories won't fit, of course, but the stock looks to be interchangeable with other AR pieces. I haven't tried swapping with my AR15, because I better things to do. IT comes with one 5 round mag, but Standard makes a 10 and 2 round available. Can't wait to get to the skeet range with a 2 shot mag and an AR shotgun and see the looks on the faces of the O/U set. Since it's a shorter barrel than a sporting gun, I don't see this as a good choice for hunting in anything but heavy brush with short shots, but there are plenty of options for that. For tactical work or home defense, this has to be a top choice.

Awesome shotgun. Pleasantly surprise to find a 10 round mag in side the box instead of a 5 rnd. As always Buds delivered without any problems. MAGA