Practical Shotgun - box fed

[Redboat01]

I'm hoping to get some recent opinions on options and reliability. It seems to me there are three options:

Typhoon - AR based, seems to not be very reliable
Armsan RS-S1 - AK based, I have heard good things about it, seems to be pending a new release
Dissident Arms - AK based, seems to be the pinnacle of reliability/expense, but not sure if this is available for the UK market any more?

Any thoughts from those with experience would be much appreciated!

 

[Pete T]

Out of the 3 the Typhoon would be my choice, they are readily available, serviceable and the one's I have seen function very well. They also have a left hand charging handle as standard.
Dissident Arms are top of the list but hand built in the US so if something goes wrong with it you will have to wait for spares and find a UK smith to do it possibly invalidating the warranty. The Armsan RS-S1 I have no idea about but if you know V2 is due then it may be worth waiting for. The reviews will flow once it's released. Also bear in mind can you get magazines and magazine holders for your chosen rifle.
I actually really like shooting box fed shotguns, I've had the Utas, Tigris Arms and the Kral XPS. When they work they are all great fun but frustrating when they jam or miss-feed. I'm ok with these faults as I have great fun in competing with them on a club level.
Good luck with your search, have fun whichever one you get and enjoy it.

 

[Jester]

The Dissident is the one to have.
The Armsan is good though every one I've seen has been heavily modified by the owners.
The Typhoon's a good gun, most of the ones that have been unreliable have been shot to death. The usual cause of issues I've seen on those is poor maintenance.

 

[Redboat01]

Thanks for the updates. I'm actually not sure if the Dissident is still available for the UK. There was a specific UK model that has the muzzle break welded so it was the correct UK legal overall length and I have heard they are no longer supplying it?

I think cost will also be a factor. It's interesting to hear that the Armsan and Typhoons are an option and can be used without regular jams. I'd heard the AK platform was a bit more reliable than the AR, but it's all secondhand information...

 

[Pete T]

Blue Fieldsports in Hampshire may be able to advise regarding the Dissident.
The AK platform is better with ejection as the port is a lot bigger than the AR's, reloading for me however is
quicker on an AR than the AK. I still have the rock and lock style mags but may try to convert to a straight
in magwell on my AK.

 

[Redboat01]

Yes I checked with them and that's who said it was not available. I was wondering if that was a response to a bulk purchase request rather than an individual purchase. That having been said, if the Typhoon and Armsan are reliable enough there is less case for paying the price difference, even if they look great.

 

[Yetidude69]

I've owned a typhoon for the last 5 years, I use it for hunting mostly, I've put around 4000 cartridges through it and the only problem I've had is when trying very light clay loads, it doesn't like to cycle them, my normal 32/34gr though I've had no issues at all.
I'm very happy with the choice I made.

 

[GrumpyGrandpa]

I use it for hunting

I was about to ask, "what are you hunting with that?" but I worked out the answer given in the clue from your username ... yeti

 

[Redboat01]

I've owned a typhoon for the last 5 years, I use it for hunting mostly, I've put around 4000 cartridges through it and the only problem I've had is when trying very light clay loads

Thats interesting. My application would be target shooting rather than hunting. Do you often fire multiple cartridges in quick succession? I was assuming not, but 4000 is quite a lot!

I still have an open mind as to what type is best, so many different views!

 

[The Burpster]

I still prefer tube mags (I have an M3) even tho I have played with all the above mentioned ones. The Typhoons I have shot (3 different ones) and they all worked as well as the owner could shoot it. I’ve only shot 1/2doz slugs through a Dissident many years ago and it was a peach.
The 3 Typhoons (all fellow club members) were loved within an inch of thier lives so run like a singer sewing machine. I have heard the ones that start to trip up are abused and not cleaned/lubed properly but personally not seen it.
The only problem I have with the box fed ones is carrying the mags. They are big and cumbersome but you pays your money and takes your choice.
Oh and to add you can have a vermin condition on a S1 SG (I have). Get into a big flock of Pigeons and you can drop quite a few.

 

[Yetidude69]

Thats interesting. My application would be target shooting rather than hunting. Do you often fire multiple cartridges in quick succession? I was assuming not, but 4000 is quite a lot!

I still have an open mind as to what type is best, so many different views!

I regularly dump the 10round mags as it just puts a smile on my face, I've got 6 10 round mags and it gets expensive when you dump all in quick succession on the steel plates (I've got my own range set up at home for fun)

I was about to ask, "what are you hunting with that?" but I worked out the answer given in the clue from your username ... yeti

It's on my ticket for pest control

I still prefer tube mags (I have an M3) even tho I have played with all the above mentioned ones. The Typhoons I have shot (3 different ones) and they all worked as well as the owner could shoot it. I’ve only shot 1/2doz slugs through a Dissident many years ago and it was a peach.
The 3 Typhoons (all fellow club members) were loved within an inch of thier lives so run like a singer sewing machine. I have heard the ones that start to trip up are abused and not cleaned/lubed properly but personally not seen it.
The only problem I have with the box fed ones is carrying the mags. They are big and cumbersome but you pays your money and takes your choice.
Oh and to add you can have a vermin condition on a S1 SG (I have). Get into a big flock of Pigeons and you can drop quite a few.

I've also got an M3 with the pistol grip, I've had that for 15 years. That's been a great gun, and having the pump action allows any cartridges to be used. It also doesn't like cycling light clay loads in semi.