SRM Arms Model 1216

In this day and age of innovation, we are seeing a constant influx of uniquely designed firearms that are being offered with more firepower, convenience, style, and just plain cool features. However, with more and more restrictive gun laws being placed on firearm owners, many of these guns remain inaccessible in some parts of the country. Stocks are too short, capacities are too high, or they are just too scary looking for the common shooter to own. So when a gun maker brings us something that can offer some of these modern features without causing too much unwanted attention from the firearm police, it is time to take a closer look. Such is the case with SRM Arms Model 1216.

This bulky looking, but yet surprisingly comfortable shotgun will impress from its first trip to the range. The 1216 shotgun has a unique rotating magazine tube platform that offers four times the capacity of a traditional tube fed shotgun. Each tube holds four 2-3/4” or 3” shells giving it total capacity of sixteen rounds, which is still a bit too scary for some areas, but most municipalities will take no issue with it. For added versatility each of these tubes can be loaded with a different ammunition type, which truly makes it a full utility use shotgun.

The action is a delayed blowback semi-automatic, which has a bolt hold open function on an empty tube, and automatically chambers a round when the magazine has ammunition to feed. The sturdy one-piece magazine snaps in and out with ease, and the gun weighs just over seven pounds.

Its manual safety, charging handle, and ejection port can be relocated to either side making the SRM 1216 a completely ambidextrous shotgun. It also comes in two smaller and slightly more restricted versions, an 18” barreled 12-round Model 1212 and an NFA regulated 10” barrel version.

Sure SRM doesn’t yet have the name recognition of some of the larger shotgun manufacturers, such as Mossberg, Remington, or even Kel Tec, who makes the KSG dual magazine tube shotgun. However, if SRM Arms keeps making guns with innovative and creative designs like this one, it won’t be long until the world knows their name.