19 Best Box Mag Fed Shotguns – Dec 2022

You may know I have a fetish for high-capacity shotguns and I think now is the time to buy a box magazine fed shotgun. That is the tech that has won the day.

Grandpa used to grab his trusty double barrel. Now? The trusty AR-15 or even more trusty AR pistols offer 30 rounds and unerring accuracy.

The 12ga was in danger of becoming a forgotten memory.

Novelties like the new age double barrel Kel-Tec KSG and triple barrel Tavor TS-12 showed the way back to relevance with radical and yet complex designs. This is simply the combination of age-old tech that we know works to create an obvious future for the best tactical shotgun.

Here are the best magazine fed shotguns, in our humble opinion.

1. Kalashnikov KS-12T Tactical

• Price: $1,000.99
• Barrel Length: 18.25 inch
• Total Length: 38 inch
• Weight: 8.86lb
• Magazine Capacity: 10+1

Kalashnikov is so far ahead of the game right now that it was either going to be this or the shorter barrel version.

This Kalashnikov semi-automatic shotgun is a versatile work of art and it just has to be the winner at this price. It also reportedly feeds that little bit smoother, so these are the best magazine fed shotguns for sale in 2022.

Kalashnikov was hit with a US import ban for a while, but Kalashnikov USA has solved that thorny issue with US-built firearms. So you can now get an official Kalashnikov that looks like an AK-47 to the untrained eye. I mean, why wouldn’t you want that?

Use Saiga Drum Mags With 50 Shells

The 10+1 magazine is just a cherry on the firearms cake as far as we are concerned. You can also use Saiga parts & accessories on the Kalashnikov, including those infamous 50-round drum magazines with this combat shotgun.

If you’re looking for a semi automatic and you like a modern take on military history then this is about as good as life gets. You don’t need a pitch, this is really one of those ‘Shut up and take my money’ moments.

The modern collapsible matte black synthetic stock and handguard give this fresh look at the AK-47 the edge in my humble opinion, especially when combined with a traditional AK-47 lever action safety. This is a great looker that comes with enough rails to hang all your adaptive tactical shiz off this assault shotgun and the grip is perfectly situated.

It’s a rifle layout, whereas others have the folding stock, but don’t think you’ll be restricted to proprietary Kalashnikov parts. All the Saiga mags, drums, muzzle devices and more will slot straight on to this firearm and turn it into a semi-automatic weapon of war. Or a hunting icon.

2. Mossberg 590M Series

• Price: $579.99
• Barrel Length: 18.5″
• Total Length: 39.5″
• Weight: 7.75lb
• Capacity: 10+1 rounds / 20+1 Optional

The Mossberg 590M Mag fed pump action shotgun comes with an optional 20-round mag. Really, 20 rounds of 12 gauge venom in a double stack magazine, and then you can pop in another mag and start firing again.

It also means you can load up an ammo belt with buckshot and slugs, so this tactical pump shotgun suddenly becomes versatile. Fit a reflex sight, use the right slugs and this is a total self-defence weapon. Up close, load up with buckshot and this is a beast.

One of the Best Shotguns On the Market

The best magazine fed pump action shotguns hold a lot of appeal when the chips are down, especially when there’s a reservoir of 12 gauge shotgun ammunition in front of that synthetic stock with integral recoil pad.

Gun reviews have noted, though, that the 20-round mag is noticeably harder to rack. It isn’t smooth and it is hard work, so you might opt for the 10-round version of pure performance reasons. The mags are also expensive, but then this is a gamechanger. So you could still argue they’re good value. Maybe.

You can fit ghost ring sights to the Mossberg 590M mag fed punp gun, a heat shield and a whole host of Mossberg accessories to create the classic high capacity shotgun. It’s soft shooting, a classic pump action shotgun that you can reload in half a second. What more do you really want here?

3. Rock Island Armory VR80

• Price: $599.99
• Barrel Length: 20 inch
• Total Length: 40 inch
• Weight: 8.27lb
• Capacity: 5+1

The Rock Island VR80 won’t win any beauty contests. But when it comes to functionality, this is a surprisingly high-tech 12 Gauge for the money.

That weird fixed stock counts as a thumbhole stock, but also functions as a broad base monopod. That means you can lean on this rifle and get a firm base to take aim with that 20″ barrel, The flip up front sight and fully adjustable rear sights should help.

Check what the user reviews say and you’ll see they love the Rock Island Armory VR80. This gets 4.5 out of 5 stars. That’s impressive.

4. JTS M12AK

• Price: $414.99
• Barrel Length: 18.7″
• Total Length: 39.37″
• Weight: 7.75lb
• Capacity: 5+1

The JTS M12AK is a simpler, cheaper version of the Kalashnikov benchmark for the sector.

It has also won rave gun reviews from the people that really matter: owners across the land.

Check for yourself, then get a great AK-platform for bargain-basement money.

5. Kalashnikov Komrad 12.5

• Price: $1,190.99
• Barrel Length: 12.5 inch barrel
• Total Length: 31.5 inch
• Weight: 7.85lb
• Capacity: 10+1

The Kalashnikov Komrad is a 12ga in an AK-47 pistol frame. Just think about that for a second.

The only gun that can beat a Kalashnikov here is another semi auto Kalashnikov. If we’re being entirely honest, this should be number two. That’s how far ahead of the game we think this semi auto shotgun really is and only the price, which isn’t normally this high, is keeping it down here.

Is This Really the Best in the World? Maybe…

The Kalashnikov Komrad pistol is an AK shotgun pistol with a 12.5 inch barrel, and it’s pretty much the best shotgun right now if you look at it coldly and logically. The detachable magazine release just works and you can reload in less than half a second with some practise.

Law enforcement and specialist military units around the world are looking long and hard at what is probably the closest you can get to an assault shotgun. Legally, anyway.

It’s a great Close Quarters Combat weapon, you can mix up mags with buckshot and slugs and it’s about as potent a weapon as you can reasonably have by the side of your bed.

Blend of an AK Pistol and Grandpa’s 12 Gauge

This combines sawn-off manoeuvrability, AK-47 simplicity and insane capacity with a double stack mag or drum mags.

You can turn the Kalashnikov Komrad into an absolute weapon of war. There are rails for all your tactical wares, a solid SB Tactical SBA3 pistol brace that you normally see on an AR pistol and that removable vertical grip up front are just special for this class.

10 Rounds, or 50 Round Drums Fit Too

Upgrade to the 10-round mags, or 50-round drums, and you have got real options with your best mag fed shotguns. The sky is the limit with mag capacity.

The short barrel turns serious buckshot into pure evil at close quarters, while slugs will be effective at anything like personal defense distances.

6. Black Aces Tactical Pro Series M

• Price: $399.99
• Barrel: 18.5 inch
• Weight: 10lb
• Capacity: 10+1

In the old days, Black Aces Tactical made the best mag fed shotguns from Mossbergs and Remingtons. Now it has used all that experience to move on from third party conversions and build its own firearms.

The company built the Black Aces Tactical Pro Series around Saiga magazines, which means you can strap a 100-round drum mag on and shoot until it melts. Just flick the box magazine release with a finger, slot home the next mag and you’re good to go.

You get an AR-style safety and charging handle, Benelli Mobile chokes, ambidextrous oversize charging handle and other neat features. It’s soft shooting, costs less than a Hi Point, and is so much better.

7. EAA Akdal MKA 1919 Match Pro

• Price: $403.99
• Caliber: 12 Gauge ammo
• Barrel: 20 inch
• Total: 39.5 inch
• Capacity: 5+1

The Akdal MKA 1919 Match Pro has achieved the seemingly impossible. It’s a well-proportioned Colt M4-style shotgun that doesn’t look completely ridiculous. In fact, it’s kind of nice.

EAA bills this mag shotgun as an out the box low budget competition shooter. Features include an extended bolt release and mag release. You get two gas rings, and can use 3″ Magnum loads or 2 3/4 inch shells and slugs. And the upper receiver looks basically right, from a distance.

This is a solid 3-Gun Competition mag fed shotgun for less than $500. If that’s what you want, you don’t have a huge amount of options. It’s also accurate, reliable and a solid semi auto shotgun with a mag. I mean the occasional round may hang, but that nth degree of reliability aside, it’s amazing.

Watch a 25-round mag dump here in just 3.42s. That’s not bad…

8. Fostech Origin 12

• Price: $3,060.99
• Capacity: 10+1/30+1 Round drum optional
• Barrel: 18.5 inch
• Total Length: 36.25 inch
• Weight: 9.2lb

The Fostech Origin 12 is one of those rare weapons that started life as a gaming creation and actually turned into a winning recipe in the real world.

Yes the Fostech Origin 12 is expensive, but it’s a modular system that gives you a variety of different weapons in one. This is several high capacity shotguns in one.

Go for an AR pistol style that can mix it with the Kalashnikov, or go for the longer barrel and turn this Fostech Origin 12 into a 12 gauge slug firing marksman’s rifle.

The Fostech Origin 12 can do it all. And if you want the best shotgun in the world at any cost, you just might be looking at it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnrsvUanLfU

9. Rock Island Armory VR60

• Price: $427.99
• Caliber: 12 Gauge
• Action: Semi automatic
• Barrel: 20″
• Total Length: 39″
• Weight: 7.4lb
• Capacity: 5+1 rounds

Rock Island Armory and Armscor, it’s all basically the same thing with semi auto shotguns. This is the Colt M4 clone, the tribute to the classic 70s military icon that doesn’t really work aesthetically, but is a very usable workhorse.

With the 19 round extended magazine, it’s an absolute weapon of war when it needs to be as well. It even gets the cute carry handle.

There’s nothing fancy about the Armscor, or Rock Island Armory VR60 in this form. All the furniture is basic polymer down to the bog standard pistol grip, although you do get a recoil pad to handle the substantial kick. It’s not a true upper receiver, either, just a basic shotgun in plastic.

Apart from that the semi auto handles largely like an AR-15, which is the point. Fit a good optic up top and you have got a very solid hunter with the right slugs in the single stack magazine.

10. Standard Manufacturing SKO Shorty

• Price: $979.99
• Capacity: 5+1/ 10+1 Rounds
• Barrel: 18.5 inch
• Total Length: 26 inch
• Weight: 7.14lb

The Standard Manufacturing SKO Shorty was a box magazines shotgun before they were a thing. It’s an AR-style semi auto shotgun. What’s not to love?

In its time, this was really something, but the compact Kalashnikov USA and Mossberg magazine fed shotguns have rendered the Standard Manufacturing SKO Shorty largely redundant. But it’s still cool.

The receiver is machined from billet aluminum and the Standard Manufacturing was well know for cycling reliably thanks to the overengineering that went in to this AR pistol style 12ga.

11. SRM Arms M1216

• RRP: $1,574.16
• Barrel: 18.5 inch
• Total Length: 33.75 inch
• Weight: 7.75lb
• Capacity: 16+1

The four rotating tubes on the SRM Arms M1216 makes it look a little like the much more famous tube fed shotgun, the Tavor TS-12.

But there’s another trick up this tube magazine fed shotgun’s sleeve. As well as a 16+1 starting capacity, you can pop those four tubes out as one and replace it with another 16 rounds of buckshot. It’s not a box magazine really, but we’re taking some creative leeway here.

That’s cool, but be under no illusion that reloading this tube fed shotgun is as smooth as popping out a mag. It really isn’t. But there’s a lot of trick-tech here that we do like.

Compact, With a Serious Kick

Like the Tavor TS-12, this is a tube fed semi-automatic 12 gauge. So you rotate the tube into place and if there’s a shell in the pipe then it will load automatically. It’s a roller-delayed blowback firing system, much like the iconic HK SP5, which isn’t a bad system to copy if you’re going looking for inspiration.

Design wise, the stripped down SRM Arms M216 isn’t the prettiest thing and in some ways it looks like the first rough prototypes for the Tavor TS-12. But the fact you can pop out that mag and fit another, which could also overcome reliability problems with a mag that just isn’t feeding right, then this is actually better.

The synthetic stock and recoil pad work pretty well and these are famously soft-shooting semi-automatic shotguns. The flip up sights are basically a hybrid of ghost rings and AR-15 irons. They work.

12. Panzer Arms BP-12

• Price: $605.99
• Barrel: 18.5 inch
• Total Length: 29.5 inch
• Capacity: 5+1

We are getting down into the new breed now, which you will either love or instantly dismiss as a novelty. When you break it down, though, the Panzer Arms BP-12, that’s BullPup 12 Gauge, has a lot of positive features.

This is compact with a detachable box magazine, which nestles in the shoulder by design. The barrel is long enough to take it on a turkey shoot, although people might stare, and yet it’s one of the most intriguing options here.

Put a reflex on that top rail and a strobe lamp and you’ve got more or less a home intruder’s worst nightmare. As defense shotguns go, it’s an almighty weapon out in the field, too, especially with larger 10-round mags that you can obviously source pretty easily.

Iron Sights, or Fit Your Own Optic

The fold-down iron sights that come with the Panzer Arms BP-12 are enough for pretty much all close up purposes.

That Picatinny rail could handle a full-on scope and with shotgun slugs tuned for long-distance shooting, you’ll find this can match an entry-level AR-15 when it comes to range.

It’s a legit hunting weapon with 10+1 rounds at your disposal, Picatinny rails everywhere, a recoil pad and a form that basically makes sure your shooting technique is right. This shotgun has got to work for some of you.

Bullpup Shotguns All the Rage Right Now

There are plenty of bullpup shotguns hitting the market right now and it’s really down to personal taste and your own brand allegiances rather than any real discernible difference.

Panzer Arms has a solid rep at a sensible price point and this one certainly looks the business, although we have to be honest we’re playing safe with our money and opting for the big names.

It’s our personal favorite of this new breed of bullpup shotguns, but we want to point out that there’s an element of personal bias.

 

13. Mossberg 590M Shockwave

• Price: $706.00
• Barrel: 14.37″
• Total Length: 27.5″
• Weight: 6.55lb
• Capacity: 10+1 rounds / 20+1 Optional

Shockwave is Like a Sawn Off With AR Capacity

The mag-fed Mossberg 590 Shockwave version is even more menacing in its own spectacular way. It’s a Pitbull of a shotgun, or firearm if you want to get pedantic.

Of course there are a serious amount of 590M mag-fed pump action shotgun accessories out there and you can turn your Mossberg 590 Shockwave into a Zombie Apocalypse special if that’s your thing.

We love 590M series Mossberg Shockwave magazine fed shotguns for that optional 20-round detachable magazine. It’s a double stack magazine packed with 12 gauge. What more do you want in life?

But you might find yourself opting for the lighter 10-round magazine instead for a smoother, lightweight magazine fed shotgun. If you do, then the Mossberg 590M mag fed loses its decisive competitive advantage. Suddenly it has bog standard options nibbling at its heels.

Box Magazine vs Drum Magazine

The smaller detachable box mags make it easier to swing and pivot, so there’s always a trade-off. Shells are heavy and you will feel the difference between a slimline detachable box and a clunky drum mag.

The Mossberg is still a real contender with this capacity. Find the right ammo at  the range and then stick with it. Then start to add a synthetic pistol grip to the magazine fed pump-action shotgun and other parts & accessories to turn it into your ultimate zombie apocalypse companion. Or something more practical…

14. EAA Akdal MKA 1923

• RRP: $629.99
• Barrel: 20 inch
• Total Length: 29.5 inch
• Weight: 9.7lb
• Capacity: 5+1

This is another one of many bullpup shotguns in 2022 and it’s basically a clone of the IWI Tavor bullpup rifle layout, tweaked to take 12 gauge shells. The action and the mag sit behind the trigger and it’s surprisingly fun, durable and solid.

There isn’t much innovation here and it is generic, but it works and the layout means it’s great for inside the home. It’s short enough to swing round your home and yet nestles into your shoulder to help absorb the recoil and straighten out your shooting technique.

The 5-round mags switch out for a 10-round alternative, which means it can mix it with anything here.

Go Tacti-Cool With Shotgun Accessories

You can also get a solid grip on this black synthetic polymer frame with a rubber recoil pad. There’s a long rail for red dots, iron rear sights and tower front that comes with the package or other tacti-cool madness.

That fixed front sight is kinda fun, but we think we’d be looking for something more substantial in terms of a red dot sight.

It’s not the most prestigious here, but the bullpup mag-fed shotgun is showing just how to make friends and influence people with great reviews on gun sites and user reviews on the gunbroker sites online. It might be a bit of a mongrel, but we kinda like it.

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15. Panzer Arms AR-Twelve

• RRP: $698.99
• Caliber: 12 Gauge
• Action: Semi Automatic
• Barrel: 18.5 inch
• Total Length: 39.75 inch
• Weight: 8.12lb

The Panzer Arms AR style shotgun has a fixed synthetic stock and looks like an M4 rifle. Kind of. If you squint.

This is a mongrel of a magazine-fed shotgun, but the Panzer Arms AR shotgun also works pretty well and is a fun gun.

Panzer Arms has a bullpup shotgun and a growing line of rifles. The Turkish firearms manufacturer is one of the smaller companies making a name fast with great user reviews on online gun stores.

The Panzer Arms AR-12 is hardly a new idea, but it really does work for everything from home invaders to hunting. Well, those two are kind of the same thing actually…

16. Remington 870 Tac-14 DM

• RRP: $390.00
• Barrel: 14″
• Total Length: 26.3″
• Weight: 6lb
• Capacity: 6+1 Rounds

Remington has its own alternative to the Mossberg Shockwave in the Remington 870 Tac-14 DM best magazine fed pump-action shotgun. It’s compact, it looks like a sawn off shotgun and yet technically it isn’t a shotgun at all.

It’s a firearm in NFA speak, as the cylinder bore has no rifling. All we know is that sometimes the regs are a glorious mess, with loopholes we can use.

This not a pump action shotgun just looks sexy, and the overall length of 26.3″ means it’s a compact firearm you can have fun with. It’s not quite a concealed carry shotgun, but it’s close.

And only the Remington 870 DM finishing so highly explains why the Remington 870 Tac-14 DM is all the way down here.

18. AA-12

• RRP: $3000
• Barrel: 18″
• Total Length: 39″
• Weight: 11.4lb
• Capacity: 20+1 rounds / 32+1 Optional

Update: There were stories of AA-12 seizures earlier in the year , an ATF Cease & Desist and more. It looks like the complications have at the very least stalled supply. Make sure that’s dealt with before you order one…

This is basically an overgrown Uzi, according to the creators, with a sophisticated gas operated system. There is almost no recoil on this gun, it comes with a massive capacity and it’s an absolute beast.

It comes with a 20-round drum mag, although 32-round drums are available and smaller box magazines. Put a red dot on it, and this would be a monster to have in your home, in modern semi-automatic form.

Originally, this was just for the special forces, which needed an automatic warrior for the increasing issues presented by urban warfare. That explains the basic black synthetic finish. Calling this a matte black synthetic stock is missing the point, the whole thing is one big plastic wedge.

As a SHTF, last line of defense, zombies are closing in kind of gun, I can’t think of a better one.

Military Hardware, Sort of For Sale

It was a secret military weapon for many years, but Max Atchisson signed over the rights to this gun in 1987. Jerry Baber has refined the basic concept since then and finally the gun went on sale to the public this Summer. Kind of.

The ATF got involved with this bullpup shotgun, it all get messy and the AA-12 disappeared. Somebody really needs to fix that.

The FPSRussia fella got one too, and he thinks it’s even better than the Saiga thanks to the reduced recoil and the sheer stopping power of a 32-round shotgun.

His is automatic, natch, which is one of many things the ATF and FBI wanted a separate and private chat about. But even in semi-automatic shotgun form, the AA-12 is an almighty weapon that could make you rethink your defensive firearms collection…

15. Remington 870DM

• RRP: $403.99
• Barrel: 18.5 inch
• Total Length: 38.5 inch
• Weight: 7.10lb
• Capacity: 6+1

The best magazine fed shotgun battle had come down to Remington and Mossberg, well the mag-fed pump action shotguns anyway. For a long time, the Remington held the advantage. But then the company went bankrupt again and you’ll be lucky to find a used one now.

That’s a shame. We liked the Remington 870DM and kinda hope it makes a comeback. That’s why we’re saving its place at the shooting table, or something…

Six Shells is a Handicap, For Now

The Remington can only take six 3 inch shells in the mag and we’re waiting to see if this shotgun with a magazine gets a bigger box in the future. Or if we can get it again at all.

The Picatinny rail and straightforward black synthetic stock, as well as the badass flash hider, all help to give an operator look and feel.

A SuperCell recoil pad helps soak up the impact on your shoulder and this is simply a Remington 870, with a mag. That makes it awesome for shooting in our eyes.

Remington 870 is a Hall of Famer

The Remington 870 pump action shotgun is an icon. It has been with us since 1950 and although it has evolved, it has been basically the same since. Until now, when the Remington 870 Express has basically sprouted a mag for your slugs or buckshot.

The addition of a magazine changes the gun’s character, as well as it’s potential. This gives you options in the field. You can hunt with it, you can keep it loaded with slugs and by your door, you can use it for what you want.

It’s very clearly an 870 that has been modified with the grafted on mag receiver, and that’s good. It just needs a bigger mag. And to come back. Sniff, we’ll be OK…

19. MOLOT Vepr 12 Tactical

• RRP: $899.99
• Barrel: 19″
• Overall Length: 38.5″
• Weight: 8.5lb
• Capacity: 5+1 / 8+1/ 10+1 optional

Long before Mossberg and Remington opted to make magazine fed shotguns, the Eastern Bloc was making waves with the Saiga 12 semi-automatic shotgun.

Due to the vagaries of Russian copyright law, there are several variations of the basic AK 12 Gauge. The MOLOT Vepr 12 is one of the best and now FIME Group in Vegas is listed as an official importer. That’s good.

This is AK functionality with magazine-fed shotgun horsepower. It’s an adaptive tactical shotgun, and we love it.

A Great Russian Hammer

You get a pistol grip, Picatinny rail, a folding stock and a 5+1 round mag that can easily be switched out for the 10+1 mags that can be found on the web. There are even 20-round drums, so it depends on exactly how much ass you need to kick at any given time and what ammo types you like.

It was designed around the AK basics, which means it’s tried and trusted technology and nobody tried to get too clever front and rear.

Check this one out, the crazy FPSRussia dude has a fully automatic version of the Saiga-12. You will get the semi-auto mag fed shotgun, if you don’t want all his legal problems, and it does almost as good a job.

Check out this 3 Gun custom weapon in action to witness the Saiga 12 in its purest form. Law enforcement, special forces, everybody would love this magazine fed semi auto on their side.

Where to Buy the Best Magazine Fed Shotguns

Not every dealer loves these variants of the classic 12 gauge shotgun. Palmetto State Armory pretty much always has them in stock, though, as well as Guns.com

Palmetto State Armory has emerged as our go to in recent months. Because when other dealers jacked up the prices, Palmetto State Armory kept theirs low. Now, it’s always worth checking their site whatever you’re buying, because the price difference can be huge.

Palmetto State Armory built its brand on cheap prices and great customer service. That’s still true if you’re buying a 590M Shockwave or a semi-automatic shotgun with ghost ring sights from Black Aces Tactical.

Beyond Magazine Fed Shotguns? Check Out These

These are cool guns, but by definition you won’t get all the top guns in a post devoted to the best magazine fed shotguns. That leaves out a lot of design options for shotguns for home defense.

So if you’re looking for a gas operated Benelli, Smith & Wesson or a turkey blaster, well you’re shit out of luck here in the best magazine fed shotguns land. But we want to make you happy too, as well as sell you a mag fed pump action shotgun. We’re people pleasers, if anything. We’re working on it…

• Semi Automatic Tac Shotguns With Magazine Capacity You Need in Your Life.
• High Capacity Tac Shotguns: Box vs tube Fed vs Everything Elsee. A 12 gauge pump action shotgun or with a mag.
• Bullpup 12ga Shotguns – Get the best bullpup shotgun now.

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