Beyond The Norm:

The MD-20
12-Guage drum from MD Arms

By Jeff Zimba

In the world of shoulder-fired weapons, when you combine big projectiles and high-capacity feeding devices, eyes start to open. When you can throw the phrases “low cost” and “reliable” into the mix you will own the moment. 

Shotguns have been an important part of the American firearms landscape for over a century. Credited primarily as a tool for many good men to feed and protect their families and flocks, they soon became popular “sporting arms” also used in competition. As firearms evolved to repeating actions from the original muzzle-loaders and early side-by-sides, the military and law enforcement began to take notice as well. While some modern shotguns still heavily resemble their origins, others have traveled far from their family tree and look and function more like modern military arms than the scatterguns of days long gone.

Along with the evolution of firearms in general, innovation in the “support role” category follows closely behind. In this particular instance, a somewhat traditional semiautomatic action of popular origin has been transformed from mild to wild with the adaptation of a detachable, high-capacity feeding device. Today we are testing the 20-round drum magazine from MD Arms Ltd. designed for use with the Saiga-12 gauge shotgun.

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