Читать книгу Gun Digest 2011 онлайн

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The Cosmi: a unique inertia system with a break-open action. Expensive, too.

The earlier mentioned Armalite Corporation came out with a rather unique autoloading shotgun, the AR-17, which they called the “Golden Gun,” a lightweight gun made of “space-age”materials that weighed 5-½ pounds in 12 gauge. It worked on the short recoil system but unlike the Browning Double Auto, which had a loading port on the side, the AR-17 loaded from the bottom in conventional fashion and had interchangeable choke tubes. Unfortunately, it never caught on. It was, perhaps, a bit too futuristic looking with its gold anodized coloring and plastic stock. Parts for this gun were made between 1956 and 1962, enough for 2000 units. However, only a total of 1,200 units was sold during its lifetime.

Currently, the only shotgun that operates on a short recoil system is the rather expensive, previously-mentioned Beretta UGB25 Xcel. The UGB, like the Cosmi, has the unique break-open barrel like a double gun or a single shot, yet it also has a round that is held on the side, somewhat like the Browning Double Auto, and operates on short recoil. It is made only as a 12 gauge trap gun.