It’s widely accepted that a 12-gauge shotgun is near the top when it comes to stopping power in short-range situations. The combined terminal energy of nine 00 buck pellets from a standard, 1,200 fps load is around 1,700 ft.-lbs. at the muzzle. Moreover, each pellet creates a separate wound channel, adding to the devastation while also increasing the shooter’s margin for error in missing. The shotgun’s reputation became mythical, and is likely why it was the arm of choice for millions of Americans in their homes throughout the 20th century.
But, there are reasons why a large portion of the more discerning home-defense community—i.e. gun experts—opts for less-powerful handguns or AR-15-style carbines: 1. Shotgun magazine capacity is low. 2. Reloading is slow. 3. Modern Americans tend to be more accustomed to riflery than shotgunning. Lastly, 4. Shotguns recoil fiercely.
Over the course of the last decade-plus, however, shotgun companies have been making design changes to address some of these drawbacks. AR-style, box-magazine-fed shotguns have gained in popularity in part because they solve the first three problems mentioned above. (There’s not much that can be done for the recoil problem, although it can be mitigated.) There has also been an evolution in these guns within the competitive 3-gun circuit, which in time has been proven to influence the civilian defensive market.
Fifteen years ago, an AK-47-style shotgun clone called the Saiga-12 began making its way to 3-gun tournaments because shooters in that highly competitive realm realized that either they needed years of practice to master the speed-reloading tricks required to win tournaments with a traditional tubular-magazine shotgun, or they needed a box-magazine-fed shotgun that operated much like their carbine. Training for one would mimic training for the other.
The problem was the Saiga, although great in theory, was inherently unreliable, in part due to the gas action of the gun, the design of the shotgun shell itself and to the widely varying nature of shotshell pressures among various loads. In other words, big, square-ended plastic shells that generate lots of friction during chambering and extraction are not conducive to feeding. Also, there’s a world of difference between a 7/8-ounce target load and a 3-inch magnum slug. In time, some companies observed the problems inherent with box-magazine-fed, semi-automatic shotguns and addressed them. In 2024, there were more than a dozen companies making AR-style shotguns specifically for home defense and competition, but the one that will be the focus of this article is Tokarev and its TT 12 Pro.
Tokarev is a relatively new Turkish company whose U.S. firearm offerings are dictated by a few American gun-industry veterans. It specializes in traditionally stocked, gas-action semi-autos and pumps, bullpup-stocked semis and AR-style shotguns. Tokarev USA’s director of engineering is a professional-level 3-gun shooter from Tennessee by the name of Davis Gaines. As Gaines knows, competitions are often decided by seconds, and a malfunction during a stage can be the difference between first and last. I spoke to him to glean information for this article, as it was my first time shooting a Tokarev firearm of any kind.
In essence, the TT 12 is a gas-action, box-mag-fed, semi-automatic shotgun that looks, feels and operates much like an AR-pattern rifle. With its 18.5-inch barrel, it weighs 9 pounds, 9 ounces unloaded (according to my scale, not Tokarev’s) and measures 37.75 inches in overall length. Its upper assembly consists of an aluminum receiver that houses the bolt, barrel and a notable barrel extension that is formed into the top of the receiver. It also has a gas system hidden within its 15-inch machined-aluminum handguard that’s loaded with M-Lok and Picatinny rail options for mounting accessories, and its chrome-lined barrel is threaded for removable choke tubes. The action itself is probably the most unique aspect of the TT 12, so let’s jump right in and then work our way to the extremities.
The TT 12’s gas action is a dual-stage, self-regulating-gas-tube design. The first stage consists of a piston that uses gas from the shell to drive the bolt back when a minimum pressure threshold is met. If there is too much pressure due to a load that produces more gas than is needed, the excess gas goes to the second piston system that, when pushed, increases the size of a relief orifice (valve) so that gas is expelled. In this way, cycling is regulated and therefore is touted to be reliable across a wide spectrum of shells. It is said to also extend the life of the action as well as mitigate recoil.
The bolt-return spring is not found in the buttstock’s buffer tube, but rather in the handguard, where it enshrouds the gas tube. This change gave engineers more options for the buttstock, and even potentially allows the option of an aftermarket folding stock. The buttstock contains a traditional buffer tube (that’s empty) so any AR-15 stock is compatible. The barrel and gas system are centered and secured inside the handguard by way of a forward barrel nut that can be removed by the user via the included tool.
The bolt is set on raceways machined into the receiver walls and is captured within the receiver, even as the upper and lower units are separated as you would separate any AR. Only after fully disassembling the gun via removing the barrel nut can the bolt be removed. One of the niftier features about the gun’s action is that while the upper receiver’s ejection port is located on the right side, a slot was machined into the left side so that the reciprocating bolt handle can be removed from the right side and placed through the slot on the left side. But even for right-handers, having a bolt handle on the left side of the gun is often desirable so the right hand can retain its grasp on the pistol grip and remain in control of the shotgun at all times, while the left hand can easily slide from its position on the fore-end to work the bolt. In my opinion, all defensive shotguns should be built like this.
Speaking of controls, all of them—the magazine-release button, the bolt release and the thumb safety are made in duplicate for a fully ambidextrous design. The hammer is chrome steel, while the lower receiver’s magazine well and feed ramp are molded from one piece of polymer. Only time will tell if these—especially the feed ramp—hold up for the long run. The trigger broke at 6 pounds even, which is pretty typical of a semi-automatic shotgun. It comes with one magazine, a five-round MKA 1919-style metal unit, though 10-round aftermarket mags are available for purchase on Tokarev USA’s website.
The lower receiver is adjoined to a full-length, molded polymer, straight-line buttstock that is non-adjustable. While I do not care for the straight-line design typical of AR-15s because it places the head so far above the boreline that optics or tall sights must be used—and recoil is exacerbated—I must say that for an AR-style stock on a shotgun, Tokarev executed it well. The TT 12’s stock offers half-moon-shaped cheek welds for both right- and left-handers, lending enough surface area to provide some recoil mitigation without killing the shooter’s cheek. Similarly, the buttpad is one of the best I’ve felt; both firm on the outside, but very giving thanks to its vented, leaf-like design. Finally, the buttstock offers a de-facto rear carry handle as well as five different options for sling styles/placements upon it. It’s 10 inches long, giving the gun a length-of-pull measurement of 13.75 inches.
While those are the gun’s specs, after shooting and thoroughly testing the TT 12, I have some of my own insights and opinions. But, first I must warn you that I am biased. You see, I love shotguns, and especially if they fit well so that my eye is aligned down the rib so that recoil is mitigated and the gun shoots its pattern where I look. However, AR-style shotguns, with their straight-line stocks, very low bore axis in relation to a high line of sight and pistol grips are not conducive to traditional shotgun shooting. In fact, a sight or optic must be used, thereby almost guaranteeing that the shotgun must be aimed rather than pointed instinctively. But, this is by design, as this shotgun is intended for AR shooters who wish to gain the power of a shotgun and the reloading speed of a mag-fed gun, all while maintaining their muscle memory that was developed from training with the AR-15. I tried my best to evaluate this gun for what it is and the niche it serves.
After opening the box, I oiled the action liberally and hit the range with an array of loads. In testing any new semi-automatic gun, I have learned to expect that it will likely perform better after a break-in period to self-hone little imperfections and rough spots left on its moving parts from the manufacturing process. But, even after a break-in period of 200 rounds, the TT 12 would not cycle light 1-ounce loads, nor low-recoil loads at all. This has been my experience with most 12-gauge semi-autos that are also designed to shoot heavy loads, too, but it was disappointing after learning about its dual-stage action. It initially struggled with 1 1/8-ounce loads—the standard target load—and this would be a kiss of death for the gun, save for the fact that the more I fired it, the better it began cycling them. After 200 rounds, it cycled them about 95 percent of the time. Hope-fully, this will continue to improve as I shoot more. Heavier buckshot and slug loads cycled great, with no issues. I found that recoil was much lighter than I anticipated across the load spectrum, likely owing to the gas action, the recoil pad and, mainly, the gun’s mass of more than 9 pounds.
The magazine was continuously difficult to load in that each shell must be carefully pushed to the rear of the box or else the spring will not compress to seat the next shell. Remember, though, each shell has a rim, so it’s not as easy as loading a STANAG 5.56 NATO mag. My main complaint is that this gun, meant for competition and home defense, could have an advantage over most mag-tube shotguns in that those guns can generally only hold five to eight rounds, depending on magazine-tube length. Although changing a magazine is much quicker than reloading a tube for most people, it sure would have been swell had Tokarev decided to ship the TT 12 with a 10-round mag. (Ten-round magazines are available, but I did not get one to test.) At the very least, the company should have included two five-rounders with it.
In terms of patterning, the plastic, adjustable, flip-up sights provided with the gun did not have enough range of motion to move the gun’s point-of-impact high enough to match my point-of-aim, so I installed a red-dot sight. Problem solved, but it remains puzzling to me why the flip-ups weren’t better suited to the gun. When I asked the company reps about it, they said they did not experience this problem.
And finally, although one of my favorite aspects of the TT 12 is the reversible bolt handle, it popped out and fell on the ground several times during shooting. This must be fixed moving forward. I also noticed that the red “anodizing” on the controls was merely red paint. I trust the company when it said that production models will certainly be anodized. From these words, I gleaned that perhaps this specific test gun was expedited to me for deadline purposes, so I will keep that in mind.
As for pros, recoil mitigation was much better than many of the AR-style shotguns I have tried. The execution of the fore-end is pure awesomeness with its well-conceived layout of various rails and slots that provide attachment points, but somehow do not impede grip. At first, I was worried that the heavily slotted fore-end would fail to protect the hand from gasses expelled from the action, but I found this was not the case. In fact, I now believe all the slots help to vent the fore-end, allowing swifter cooling. The gun is fully ambidextrous, and the whole thing, with its red accents and AR profile, just looks cool—like something out of a John Wick movie.
With full-power buckshot loads and an optic installed, the TT 12 Pro performed great and was fun to shoot. Certainly, with spare magazines handy, it handles like any heavyweight AR and is much faster than any tube shotgun to reload. Lastly—and this must be considered in judging it—it’s a hell of a lot of shotgun for around $440. If Tokarev can get a few issues ironed out before it goes into full production, I think it could have a place in tournament fields and homes across our rifle-loving nation.
