MAG-7 'uzigrip' shotgun

Type: manually operated, pump-action
Gauge: 12
Chamber: 60 mm
Length: 550 mm
Barrel length: 320 mm
Weight: 4 kg
Capacity: 5 rounds in removable box magazine

The MAG-7 shotgun was developed by the Techno Arms PTY company of South Africa. It is intended specially for close combat and operations in confined spaces, like the room-to-room searches. This kind of combat requires compact and maneuverable firearms capable of high stopping power. In the terms of stopping power and short range firepower in general the 12 gauge shotguns are hard to beat, but most shotguns of conventional design are too long or has too small magazines for confined spaces operations, so designers of the Techno Arms developed a new concept of the shotgun, mixing the concept of the compact submachine gun and the concept of the pump shotgun.

In general, MAG-7 appears much like the enlarged UZI submachine gun, having receiver made of stamped steel, with plastic pistol grip and a box magazine, located inside the pistol grip. Since the standard shotgun shells are too long to fit in the pistol grip, a shorter shells of only 60 mm (2 1/3 inch approx.) long are used. This, along with short barrel, limits the effective range, but it's still enough for close quarter work. MAG-7 uses more or less conventional form of pump action, being operated by the sliding forearm. This forearm internally linked to the action platform, which, in turn, linked to the bolt (breech block). Locking is achieved by the single locking piece which engages the slot in the roof of the receiver.

Manual safety lever is located at the left side of the gun, above the pistol grip, the forearm is fitted with special lock button, which must be pushed to operate the slide and reload the gun - this allows the gun to be held safely two-handed in the heath of the combat without the risk of unintentionally opening the action. MAG-7 is intended to be fired off-hand, but it could be fitted with top-folding metallic butt.

Since the compact size and short barrel effectively limits the civilian use of the MAG-7 (in most countries short-barreled shotguns are prohibited from civilian use or must be registered separately), special, "civilized" version, called MAG-7M1, had been developed. MAG-7M1 features a longer barrel of approx. 20 inch length (about 500 mm), and a fixed wooden butt, but, in this form, it looses all advantages of its original concept and is of interest mostly as a curious weapon.