Last updated April 2026 · By Nick Hall, who has run bullpup shotguns from Kel-Tec, IWI, and Century Arms across multiple range cycles and tracks Palmetto State Armory inventory daily for the UGS price tracker
Quick take: Palmetto State Armory has the Century Arms Centurion BP-12 in stock at $199.99, down from a $499.99 MSRP. That’s 60% off and the cheapest legitimate semi-auto bullpup 12-gauge on the market right now. The BP-12 is a Saiga-pattern bullpup that runs detachable box magazines and feeds 2¾-inch and 3-inch shotshells. At this price it competes with single-shot break-actions and pump shotguns that cost more. Stock will not last.
- Deal price: $199.99 at Palmetto State Armory
- MSRP: $499.99, savings of $300
- Discount: 60% off, the deepest cut on a semi-auto shotgun in the UGS catalog this week
- Why it matters: Sub-$200 semi-auto bullpup 12-gauge is a price point that essentially didn’t exist as recently as 2024. The BP-12 at this discount slots into home defense and truck-gun roles for the price of a budget pump.
Bullpup shotgun deals don’t show up at this discount tier often. The Kel-Tec KSG holds price hard. The IWI Tavor TS12 is a $1,500 platform. The Century Arms BP-12 has always been the budget entry into the bullpup format, but the historical street price was $400-450 and rarely broke below $350.
PSA dropping it to $199.99 is a category event, not just a sale. Here’s what the BP-12 actually is, what it does well, what it doesn’t, and why it works at this price point.
What the BP-12 Is and What It’s Built On
The Century Arms Centurion BP-12 is a Saiga-pattern semi-automatic bullpup 12-gauge shotgun. The action is a long-stroke gas piston, the magazine is detachable, and the layout is bullpup, meaning the action sits behind the trigger and gives a 12-gauge shotgun a 28-30 inch overall length comparable to a short-barrel pump but with semi-auto cycling.
Capacity runs 5+1 with the standard mag. Aftermarket 10-round drum and 20-round mags are available and reliable, which expands the platform’s usefulness past the factory configuration.
The BP-12 feeds 2¾-inch and 3-inch shotshells in birdshot, buckshot, and slug. The action is more forgiving on light-recoiling target loads than some semi-auto shotguns, which matters at this price point because most $200 semi-autos struggle with cheap range ammo. The Saiga-derived gas system was designed to run dirty Russian-spec ammunition, and that engineering carries over to the BP-12.
The platform’s roots are 100% AK-pattern. The bolt cycles like an AK-derivative, the controls live where AK shooters expect them, and the magazine well accepts standard BP-12 box magazines. It’s not a Saiga-12 (Century imports the BP-12 from Turkey, not Russia), but the family resemblance is unmistakable.
What 60% Off Means at This Price Point
A semi-auto shotgun at $199.99 is competing with single-shot break-actions and pump shotguns for the same dollar. A Mossberg Maverick 88 pump runs $230-280 in 2026. A Stevens 320 pump sits around $200. A Charles Daly single-shot break-action runs under $150.
The BP-12 at $199.99 is now cheaper than the Mossberg pump and competitive with the budget-pump tier, while delivering semi-auto cycling and bullpup compactness those platforms can’t match.
For a home defense gun, the BP-12 is a credible option at this price. Five-plus-one in a sub-30-inch package is a meaningful capacity-and-maneuverability upgrade over a Mossberg 500 with a 26-inch barrel. The semi-auto cycling means a recoil-sensitive shooter, or a shooter with limited time on the trigger, can get follow-up shots without working a pump action under stress.
For a range-toy or a truck gun, the BP-12 is a category of one at this price. There is no other semi-auto bullpup 12-gauge in this market for under $200, period.
What the BP-12 Doesn’t Do Well
Honesty matters here. The BP-12 is not a competition gun. The trigger is heavy and creepy out of the box because the bullpup geometry runs the trigger linkage back through the receiver to the sear. The fit and finish on the polymer furniture is acceptable, not premium.
The magazine release is forward of the magazine well in true Saiga fashion, which takes practice for anyone coming off an AR-pattern manual of arms. The first time you reach for a paddle release that isn’t there, it feels weird. By the second magazine change, it stops being a problem.
The BP-12’s ammo preferences also matter. Cheap Russian-spec 2¾-inch buckshot runs reliably. Mid-range Federal and Winchester loads run reliably. But hyper-light skeet loads and very high-end European competition shells can short-stroke, particularly with the standard adjustable gas regulator. The fix is the regulator, but new shooters often don’t know to adjust it.
For most buyers in the home-defense, truck-gun, or starter-bullpup demographic, none of this is disqualifying. For competitors and high-volume sport shooters, look elsewhere.
Stock and Timing
PSA’s deal cycles on Century imports tend to run 5-10 days when inventory is moving, longer when it isn’t. Bullpup demand has been strong through 2026, and a 60% off cut on a semi-auto bullpup is the kind of price that draws searches the moment it hits the price-tracker feeds. Inventory at this discount is unlikely to last the full week.
Our shotgun deals tracker covers parallel discounts on Mossberg, Remington, Benelli, Stoeger, and Beretta inventory. The UGS gun deals page and gun deals of the day tracker update with live cross-retailer pricing on this BP-12 listing and dozens of other 50%+ deals.
Sixty percent off a semi-auto bullpup shotgun is not a sale that comes around quarterly. The BP-12 at $199.99 makes the cheapest home defense bullpup option on the market more accessible than it has been in years. The platform isn’t perfect. It runs, it cycles, it holds five plus one, and it costs less than a Mossberg pump. That’s the whole pitch. If a bullpup shotgun has been on the maybe-someday list, this is the price point that makes it a yes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Century Arms BP-12 bullpup shotgun on sale for?
Palmetto State Armory has the Century Arms Centurion BP-12 at $199.99, down from a $499.99 MSRP. That's a 60% discount, the deepest cut on a semi-auto shotgun in the UGS catalog this week. Historical street price has been $400-450, so this represents a category-event price point not just a routine sale.
Is the BP-12 a Saiga-12?
No, but it's the closest currently-importable equivalent. The BP-12 is built in Turkey and imported by Century Arms. It uses Saiga-pattern action layout (long-stroke gas piston, AK-style bolt cycling, magazine-fed) but is not a Russian Izhmash Saiga-12. Saiga-12 imports were halted under sanctions; the Turkish-made BP-12 is what's available now in the same form factor.
What ammunition does the BP-12 run reliably?
Standard 2 3/4-inch and 3-inch shotshells in birdshot, buckshot, and slug. Mid-range Federal, Winchester, and Russian-spec buckshot all run reliably out of the box. Hyper-light skeet loads and very light competition shells can short-stroke unless you adjust the gas regulator. The fix is simple but new shooters often don't know to do it.
What's the BP-12's magazine capacity?
The factory magazine holds 5+1 rounds. Aftermarket 10-round drum magazines and 20-round box magazines are available and reliable. The BP-12 uses standard BP-12 box mags; Saiga-12 magazines do not fit interchangeably despite the platform's Saiga-pattern roots.
Is the BP-12 good for home defense?
At this price point, yes. The bullpup layout gives a 12-gauge a sub-30-inch overall length, comparable to a short-barrel pump but with semi-auto cycling. Five-plus-one capacity exceeds a standard Mossberg 500. The semi-auto action means a shooter under stress can place follow-up shots without working a pump. The trigger is heavy out of the box, which is the platform's biggest home-defense limitation.
How does the BP-12 compare to a Kel-Tec KSG or IWI Tavor TS12?
The Kel-Tec KSG is a $750-900 platform with dual tube magazines. The IWI Tavor TS12 is a $1,500 rotary-tube platform. The BP-12 is a Saiga-pattern detachable-mag bullpup at a fraction of the price. Trigger and fit-and-finish are noticeably below the KSG and TS12. For the budget-bullpup category specifically, the BP-12 has no real competition; for premium bullpup performance, the KSG and TS12 are different tier.
How long will the BP-12 stay at $199 at PSA?
PSA's deal cycles on Century imports typically run 5-10 days when inventory is moving. A 60% off cut on a semi-auto bullpup is the kind of price point that draws searches the moment it hits the price-tracker feeds, so this discount is unlikely to last the full week. Once initial inventory clears, the price typically returns to the $350-450 historical band.
Is the BP-12 California-legal or compliant in restrictive states?
It depends on the state. California and several other states with assault weapons bans have specific requirements around magazine release, pistol grip, and capacity that the standard BP-12 may not meet without modification. The Florida-spec featureless or fixed-magazine compliant configurations exist but are less common at this price point. Verify your state's specific requirements before purchasing.
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