Shotguns have plenty of weaknesses worth noting, but I still love them. One of their weaknesses is their relatively low capacity, and lots of people are trying different ways to solve that particular problem. Some use massive box magazines, some use drums, but the SRM 1216 is a new take on a classic design. It will inevitably draw comparisons to the IWI TS 12, but the SRM 1216 has been around for a decade now.
The SRM 1216 utilizes the traditional tubular magazine. Well, it’s four rotating tubes actually that hold a total of 16 rounds of 2.5-inch twelve-gauge rounds. That quad tube magazine is also removable and can be instantly swapped should you run it dry. I was intrigued, and SRM Arms agreed to send me a model for test and review.
Piece By Piece With the SRM 1216
Shotgun nerds like me are always wary of weirdness, and shotguns attract lots of weirdness. A lot of these weird firearms are often just unreliable gimmicks. I can tell you two things. First, the SRM 1216 is beyond a gimmick, and two, yep, it’s pretty freaking weird.
The SRM 1216 is a bullpup, semi-automatic shotgun that feeds from a removable rotary tubular magazine that incorporates a roller delayed blowback action. Yep, you read all that right. The roller delay fascinated me. Much like the famed HK series of rifles and SMGs, the rollers are built into the bolt and act as a delay for the bolt.
It might not be a true bullpup, more like a quasi bullpup like an Uzi, if you will. The action is still forward of your face and right above the trigger. The end result is about 6 to 7 inches trimmed from the overall length compared to other standard shotguns.
Taking the firearm apart for cleaning and maintenance takes no time at all. You pull out a single pin and break it open ‘shotgun’ style. Then you can pull out the bolt, clean the insides, etc. Users can order it oriented for lefties or right-handed shooters or can switch it from right to left-handed at home.
That Weird, But Awesome Magazine
The SRM 1216 comes with a single magazine, and extra magazines will cost you about 200 bucks. If I was using this in a duty role, then I’d want extra mags. However, for home defense, I think 16 rounds of 00 buck oughta get the job done. However, I kind of always want more magazines.
One benefit to this design is the fact it’s four separate four-round magazines. This means it doesn’t run afoul of ridiculous magazine capacity laws, although it is detachable. They do make a California-approved model that requires a tool to remove and therefore doesn’t run afoul of their stupid laws.
You cannot top the magazine off while it’s locked in place. Loading the magazine tubes requires two hands. The shell retainers have to be manually pushed rearward to insert the rounds into each tube. It’s not hard, but it’s not super fast either.
Magazine changes with the SRM 1216 take a little practice. It’s slower than any standard magazine-fed firearm, and the horizontal orientation makes it somewhat odd. The trick I found that works best is to insert the magazine into the magwell while gripping the magazine near the end. Once it’s situated into the magwell, press upwards, and it will lock in place easily enough.
Removing the magazine is very easy. Beneath the barrel sits a tab, press the tab in, pull downward and out, and the magazine is free. Rotating the magazine is also very simple. We have a set of tabs that are pressed up, freeing the magazine. Users can then rotate the magazine clockwise or counterclockwise.
Ergonomics That Go Far
This could have been a weird bulky shotgun, but SRM Arms really went above and beyond ergonomically. I already covered the magazine design, but that’s only a small part of the ergonomics.
First, the 13.25-inch length of pull allows you to get behind the gun and shoulder it comfortably without it feeling too long or awkward. Why in 2021 do tactical shotguns come with 14-inch LOPs is beyond me.
Next, unlike semi-auto Benelli, Mossberg, and Remingtons, the charging handle is on the left-hand side for right-handed shooters. You can charge the weapon, clear malfunctions and whatnot without having to remove your hand from the firing grip. The bolt lock and release are on the right-hand side beneath the ejection port. It’s a triangular tab that is super easy to use. Press it forward with the thumb or trigger finger, and the bolt sails home.
The safety is an AR-type lever that features a very short throw and is easily accessible. Your forward grip is the magazine itself. My main complaint here, and with the ergonomics in general, is that the grip is smooth and doesn’t provide much texture for your support hand.
The gun weighs 7.25 pounds unloaded, so it’s right on par with most tactical shotguns. With 16 rounds of buckshot, that weight get’s considerably higher and does give the gun a front-heavy balance. Front heavy does mitigate a little muzzle rise when the magazine is on the fuller side.
Sitting above the magazine and gun is a tri-rail for optics, lights, and whatnot. The rail makes adding a light easy enough, but because the rail stops hallways down the barrel, expect plenty of barrel and magazine shadow from your light.
Chucking Hulls
At the range, you’ll feel the downside to the blowback system, and that’s recoil. A lot of the bite that semi-autos take out of 12 gauges is gone here. Blowback systems are very reliable, very simple, and work well, at the cost of a little extra recoil. With full-powered loads, you’ll feel the SRM 1216 buck a fair bit.
Muzzle rise the gun doesn’t seem to rise hard and fast, even when you go all mag dump with the gun. With standard cheap birdshot or reduced recoil buckshot, the gun is a kitten. With 3-inch buckshot, you’ll most certainly feel the oomph and thump.
In the reliability department, the SRM 1216 handles every standard round extremely well. It eats through cheap birdshot, heavy-duty birdshot, cheap Rio buckshot, as well as my favorite reduced recoil Federal Flitecontrol buckshot. I fed the gun a wide variety of ammo that included Number 1 buck, Number 4 buck, slugs, and birdshot of varying qualities. I had no real failures with standard ammo.
I did try Mini shells, just because, as well as super lower recoiling trap/skeet loads. The 1.75-inch shells don’t feed, which isn’t a surprise. The super-low recoil birdshot doesn’t function reliably either. Surprisingly the 2.5-inch shells from Nobel Sport functioned fine. I only had 15 rounds of this ammunition to test, but they all fired without issue. These 2.5-inch shells give you one extra shell per tube, bringing total capacity to 20 rounds.
On Target For Home Defense
The cylinder bore choke works perfectly with tactical buckshot and gives me those tight patterns I crave with Flitecontrol. A nice light trigger makes it easy to maximize slug and Flitecontrol accuracy. At 50 yards, I rang out headshot after headshot with slugs backed by a red dot. It’s more accurate than a shotgun needs to be, and as such, it’s quite capable for home defense.
The SRM 1216 uses an inline stock design that makes it compatible with AR height optics. I used a Holosun 510C, and it worked perfectly with the shotgun. A red dot is perfect for home defense and outfits the SRM 1216 perfectly.
Sixteen rounds of 12 gauge give you more than enough ammo to deal with a home defense threat. That’s a lot of firepower, and if that’s not enough, a second magazine surely will be. Check out SRM Arms if you want to see the various SRM shotguns. The SRM 1216 is a revolutionary design that completely changes what a shotgun is and can be. It’s well suited for home defense, as well as duty use.
MSRP $1799
Well it certainly is one of the best “new wave” designs and the tubular magazine(s) mean no worries of shell deformation (squish from long storage in box magazines).
My issue is that we seem to have confused the role of a shotgun. Combat shotguns are weapons for fast up close action not sustained fire weapons. Sixteen rounds on a truly combat shotgun is about as foolish as a 26” barrel to support a ten round extension on a conventional shotgun. When five or perhaps seven rounds of 12ga buckshot aren’t enough, then perhaps the shotgun wasn’t the best choice for the mission. A shotgun shot feel like it’s an extension of the shooter not a heavy suitcase. It should swing like it’s part of you.
Shotguns are also not rifles, so I question the need for slugs and sights; although I suppose this can’t be the 21st century without someone demanding a red dot.
Pasted from above…
“Well, it’s four rotating tubes actually that hold a total of 16 rounds of 2.5-inch twelve-gauge rounds.”
“These 2.5-inch shells give you one extra shell per tube, bringing total capacity to 20 rounds.”
So… It’s 16 rounds of 2.75“?
I guess my only question is do you have to spin the magazine manually when one tube is empty? If so,.who.would want that.
Cost waaaaay more, and is no more reliable than my Saiga.