I was able to test a few different types of ammunition through this Rock Island Armory AG12 shotgun. No 3″ ammunition was available in my area. So, all ammunition tested was 2.75″. Birdshot, buckshot, and slugs were all tested at an average distance of 35 yards. Show
BirdshotWhile using some target load ammunition from Winchester and Federal, as well as some heavy game load from Fiocchi, I found that the Rock Island Armory AG12 seemed to pattern center but about 6″ high at 35 yards on average. This pattern seemed to hold whether the modified or full choke was used. BuckshotAt 35 yards, 2.75″ 00 Buckshot seemed to pattern pretty well spot on. I used some ammunition offerings from Winchester as well as Remington. There was little change in the pattern noticed by switching from the modified to the full choke. SlugsI used some traditional 2.75″ 1 ounce slugs from Winchester as well as some special offerings from Ddupleks. Using the improved cylinder choke, grouping with all of these slugs was more than acceptable, for a smooth bore shotgun, at the average testing distance of 35 yards.  Rock Island Armory AG12 Feel & ReliabilityHow Does It Feel?I won’t lie here, the AG style synthetic furniture does feel weird to me. I absolutely love the way it looks but if you are used to a traditional shotgun stock, the angle on the grip or wrist will take some getting used to. Speaking to the feel of the action, this pump shotgun racks as smoothly as any other shotgun that I own, many of which have a far more expensive MSRP. Is It Reliable?With ammunition in fairly short supply at the time of this article, I have only put about 300 rounds total through this Rock Island Armory AG12 shotgun. Most of that is low brass, birdshot, target loads. That said, I have had zero issues with shell feeding or extraction. This is not surprising considering that a pump action shotgun is one of the most reliable designs ever invented. Likes With The Rock Island Armory AG12
Dislikes With The Rock Island Armory AG12
My Final ThoughtsWhether you are seeking a shotgun for hunting, sport, or self defense, this shotgun from Rock Island Armory seems to be a pretty decent value for the money. The fit, finish, features, and overall quality are pretty much on par or maybe even a little better than the popular and comparable Mossberg Maverick 88 shotgun series. I would not recommend this as a youth starter shotgun, at least not one chambered in 12 gauge. While the recoil should be completely manageable for an adult, it is in no way pleasant. That said, Rock Island Armory does off the All Generations shotgun series in .410 and 20 gauge as well. Want To Buy This Shotgun?As always I highly encourage shopping local when and where it is possible. As of the publishing of this article, supply and inventory on firearms and ammunition are sparse at best. Normally you will find these shotguns at or below the MSRP of $299 but with this supply and inventory issue in mind, prices can easily be above MSRP.
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I love shotguns, and I love historic firearms. You mix the two, and I’m a fan. I’m quite fond of ‘Trench’ guns and ‘Riot’ guns from a historic and shotgun appreciation perspective. Most actual historic shotguns are quite pricey, and they aren’t guns I’d torture and enjoy. This is why modern replicas like the Rock Island Armory TPAS are guns that I can’t help but love. What does TPAS stand for? I have no earthly idea. Uhm, maybe Trench Pump Action Shotgun? That’s all I got. The TPAS replicates the Ithaca 37, specifically the old school riot or trench gun version. Well, it does lack a bayonet lug, which is disappointing, but I can get over it. Rock Island’s website might be confused as the description lists it as the T1897 pump gun. It’s very clearly an old-school Ithaca 37 clone. (Although, I hope this means Armscor might be importing an 1897 clone, and someone just got the description wrong.) Anyway, it’s a Turkish-made shotgun from Derya Arms. I’m really picky about my imported shotguns, and I know nothing about Derya Arms, but I trust Rock Island Armory. They’ve imported a ton of great shotguns. I’ve shot their VR series a ton and enjoyed them immensely. I had high hopes for the TPAS. The TPAS – An Ithaca by Another NameThe Ithaca 37 is just “one of those guns.” It saw widespread use by the military and numerous police forces and is one of the hall of fame combat shotguns. Like a lot of shotguns, the Remington 870 came on in and replaced it with dual-action bars, a slick action, and a fairly affordable price point. Even so, the ability to own a classic without breaking the bank and to enjoy it without babying it is fairly attractive. The MSRP is just $599, but they seem to be sold for less than 500 dollars on a good day. The TPAS is an attractive gun overall. The stock and pump are both wood. The wood features a shiny clear coat. No MLOK handguards in sight. The pump is a classic corncob-style design. It’s small but fairly accurate for the guns at the time. The wood stock has nice checkering along the pistol grip that’s tough to hate. We get sling swivels and even a sling, but the sling seems rather dainty. Across the barrel, we get a fixed metal heat shield for those trench gun vibes. The TPAS gives us a shiny black finish that’s not quite blued, but it looks like a classic gun. My only real complaint is the paragraph worth of text on the absolutely huge receiver. We have tons of text that takes away from the gun’s appearance. The LayoutThe TPAS clones the Ithaca 37 down to the controls. This includes the larger pump release forward of the trigger guard and a safety that sits behind the trigger. It’s a simple and effective layout. Ergonomically the controls are easy to run either left- or right-handed, with little advantage for shooters of either stripe. You’ll also notice a lack of a side ejection port. The Ithaca loads and ejects out of the bottom of the gun. It’s not throwing shotgun hulls anywhere but downwards. The lack of an ejection port means an emergency reload isn’t easy, and a slug select drill requires a different manual of arms than most guns. At the end of the TPAS barrel sits a rifle-style Ithaca sight. It’s not exactly a replica of the Ithaca deer slayer sight, but fairly close. There are no rifle rear sights, which would have been an amazing touch if Rock Island Armory went that route. Even so, the height of the sight makes it just perfect for putting buckshot where you want it. At the RangeOh man, one of the most impressive things about these affordable, imported shotguns is the action. It’s abnormally smooth. I didn’t expect a gun imported from Turkey to be this slick. The TPAS action glides rearward, and you’ll feel the pressure when the action meets the hammer, but it’s still super smooth. Color me impressed. The ejection is positive, reliable, and consistent. The front sight has a white color applied to the ‘bead-like’ portion that’s easy to see. I ran a series of snap drills with clay pigeons, which, as you’ll note, are relatively small. Against a timer, I started with an empty chamber, with the hammer down, so it was cruiser ready. I landed plenty of sub-second shots on the clay pigeon at 10 and 15 yards with a standard load of 9 pellet buckshot. I fired two rounds on two targets in 1.35 seconds. The sights work, and the action is slick and smooth, which makes those follow-up shots easy. The pump is very small but allows me to tight grip the gun and work the action without it slipping from my hand. I tried the snap drills with the chamber loaded and safety on and did find the small safety tougher to hit and engage. The gun is a little hefty at 8.10 pounds unloaded, but the weight helps with recoil. What also helps with recoil is a good push/pull technique. The downside of the TPAS is the length of pull. Like a real Ithaca 37, it’s fairly long at 14 inches. Loading UpThe TPAS keeps things close to the real Ithaca 37 and only chambers 2.75-inch shotshells. That’s mostly okay. In terms of practical application, there aren’t any issues with using 2.75-inch shells. The only real downside is how small the loading port is. You can barely get your thumb behind the shell to shove it in. Doing fast reloads isn’t as easy as a gun that chambers 3-inch shells. Like most imported shotguns, you are limited to a five-round magazine tube. The nature of the TPAS design means adding a magazine extension isn’t possible. RIA delivers another nice surprise with a crisp and short trigger pull that’s too good for most shotguns. The older 37s could slamfire, but the TPAS can’t. Slamfire isn’t really useful, but it’s fun. The first thing I did with the TPAS was load two rounds, go outside, and see if it slam fired. Sadly no, it does not. I used a mix of 100 rounds of Fiocchi birdshot sent by RIA, 100 rounds of birdshot from Federal, 25 rounds of buckshot from Monarch, and 100 rounds of buckshot from Sterling. Inside of all of those rounds, I only had one small issue. One round of Monarch seemed to do something to the action after the round was fired. It became heavier and took some effort to eject. Upon inspection, I couldn’t see any reason why. The shell looked fine. Monarch ammo is fairly cheap and not always the most reliable or consistent ammo. Patterning was predictable from a shotgun with a cylinder bore. With standard buckshot, it patterned nine pellets within a 10.5-inch circle. Not bad, not super awesome. With Federal FliteControl, it punched a golf ball-sized hole into a target at 15 yards. I’m curious how compatible the TPAS would be with Ithaca stocks and accessories, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any on hand to test. I’m picturing this being a good way to make the Ithaca 37 Stakeout I’ve always wanted. Specifications: TPAS Pump Shotgun Ratings (out of five stars):Accuracy * * * * * Reliability * * * * * Ergonomics * * * * Overall * * * * ½ How good Rock Island shotgun are?The fit, finish, features, and overall quality are pretty much on par or maybe even a little better than the popular and comparable Mossberg Maverick 88 shotgun series. I would not recommend this as a youth starter shotgun, at least not one chambered in 12 gauge.
Who makes Rock Island shotguns?They are designed and manufactured by Armscor in Marikina, Philippines, and distributed in the United States by Armscor USA, located in Pahrump, Nevada. RIA (Rock Island Armory) 1911s are derivative of the US Military G.I.
Is the the Rock Island Armory Meriva a good shotgun?The Rock Island Armory Meriva proved reliable, as were the others. Pump-action shotguns just don't give much function trouble, even the cheap ones. The vented recoil pad seemed effective when firing 12-gauge shells. A dramatic drop in price among affordable shotguns makes them even more attractive.
Are Rock Island semiIt is solid and highly dependable in its construction, and you can feel that when you handle it. Obviously, there can be some kind of a production line defect, but overall the VR series is considered to be well-made and reliable. Rock Island's VR80 is a 12 gauge, semi-auto, magazine-fed shotgun.
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