thoughts on the leader arms AR12?

a friend of mine sent me this link. I like the looks of this gun, and the reviews seem to be pretty positive. Ever since the early days of the atchisson assault 12 i've wanted one. this thing is pretty affordable and am thinking of taking a chance on one with tax refund time.

Gotta buy a gun with the Fed tax return payment ya know.

Anyway just wondered if anyone knows anything about them, maybe even shot one... at this point with the reviews and relatively low price i think its woth a shot. would be a blast with a 20 rd drum magazine. (puns not really intended)

Leader arms AR12

You might want to think about something that does not potentially blow up in your face. 6.5 pounds for a semi automatic shotgun seems just a wee bit flimsy to someone (me) that does not know much about firearms....

a reply to: caterpillage

i'll just stick with my Mossbreg 590, they also make a semi or what they call autoloading 930. both kinda pricey.
but if they are good enough for the U.S Military, good enough for me.

and they make 20ga versions i got one of those to, got that one on the cheap.

a reply to: notmyrealname

You might want to think about something that does not potentially blow up in your face. 6.5 pounds for a semi automatic shotgun seems just a wee bit flimsy to someone (me) that does not know much about firearms....Text

Mossbreg's only weigh 7lbs.

a reply to: caterpillage

Buy a Saiga 12 if you want semi auto. The Catamount Fury 2 semi auto shotgun is more budget friendly, but certainly more reliable. It also has an adjustable gas system.

ADD TO CART...............

a reply to: caterpillage

I have (did have) the www.centerfiresystems.com...(comes in all black also. It would shoot with less recoil than most semi auto 12 gauge shot guns. The biggest problem you will find with the weapon is loading the mags. The way a shotgun shell is designed the lip of the shell gets hung on the brass casing as the mag is filled.. Also if I remember correctly the mags are around 40$ a pop.. Mine shot 2 3/4 and 3" magnums and also came with a removable choke and tool to remove said choke.. I never have been a shot gun kinda guy and have always preferred a rifle or a pistol but I did have some interesting times shooting slugs against feral pigs with the MKA-1919 in some heavy brush.

I personally do not think they are made very well and are a bitch to clean but to each his own.. Anyway check how to clean..... and load a few mags..... you might find everything is tolerable or get turned off by those functions.

I'd do some more searching online for reviews of people that own the shotgun and see what they say about reliability. $400 for a autoloader seems low to me.

Besides the very low price point, the only other downside I see is looking a little silly when you go duck hunting!

a reply to: hounddoghowlie

A Mossberg 920 is at it;s lightest 7.5 pounds and heaviest 7.75 unloaded. Also, the Mossberg is not an AR configuration which it seemed to be what the OP was looking for.

Personally, I feel the AR configuration for shotgun is a fad more than a serious contender in the current shotgun market. As a matter of fact, when my life may be on the line, KISS principle applies for me and I would avoid any autoloading shotgun whether it is the cheapest or the most expensive Benelli; there are too many instances of malfunctions to keep it reliable as a main weapon (in my opinion).

a reply to: caterpillage

I would like to hear your opinion of it,if you get one, am interested myself. heard it's a Bellini type action in a ar housing.

originally posted by: botay
a reply to: caterpillage

I would like to hear your opinion of it,if you get one, am interested myself. heard it's a Bellini type action in a ar housing.

Will do, still thinking it over, at that price it does seem a little too good to be true. i read that as well about the benelli action which made me seriously start to consider it.

Thanks to all for your replies and advice!

a reply to: notmyrealname

I'm not dead set on an AR type really. The saigas are interesting too.

And i agree on a good pump for home defence i have a mossberg all set up for that. just looking for a fun toy to shoot at clay birds with at my buddies place

a reply to: 727Sky


thanks for the info, thats what i was hoping for, real intel. I think i read somewhere this gun is basicly a slightly improved version of that gun you posted, MKA 1919, which I totally missed existing. hmm

a reply to: projectvxn

I was looking at that Catamount fury tonight at Gander Mt. I like that one too. seems well made. I want one of each

a reply to: hounddoghowlie

I love the looks of the 590, I have a 500 currently and it works flawlessly and i enjoy shooting it. at the time I bought it I was determined to get a 590 but this one went on sale and. Well I'm on a budget. My want list for firearms is much bigger than my paycheck.

a reply to: projectvxn

Without that adjustable gas system, don't you wind up having to buy a special type of shell to be able to shoot and feed it reliably? Or do you have to buy 'em even with the adjustable gas system?

a reply to: projectvxn

At least, that's what I've read. I don't remember what they were called, some three letter designation.

With adjustable gas systems you can shoot various loads. Everything from bird shot to slugs.

a reply to: caterpillage

To me I see warning signs about this gun just reading the name.

1. Leader arms: gee whiz that's really close to the company names gun designer Charles St George has used over his many decades in the industry...

2. AR-12: Not only the name of an Armalite prototype, but also one letter away from the well known AA-12 designed by firearms legend maxwell g atchisson! The AA-12 being an AR style 12 gauge fully automatic shotgun using 20 round drum magazines...

So just in the company name and product designation alone we see two instances of attempted misdirection, if not outright duplicities, meant to capitalize on the hard earned reputations and technical skills of others in the industry. It's a bad sign.

If you want a bennelli style operating system at saiga 12 prices go for the TriStar tech 12. It's semiautomatic with a selector that allows you to run it in pump action should you need to. It's about $100 more if you shop carefully, and you can get an aftermarket 8 shot replacement tube.

TriStar makes decent stuff and doesn't employ deceptive naming to trick buyers into purchasing their wares.

FWIW in my experience box magazine fed shotguns are like Harley Davidson motorcycles. Great for people who like to WORK on motorcycles, terrible for people who like to RIDE motorcycles.