You are undoubtedly aware of combination guns--those firearms that offer a combination of rifle and shotgun in the same package. In the United States at least, these generally feature a .22 LR barrel over a .410 shotgun barrel. The U.S. Army is adopting its own combination weapon system--the M26 Shotgun. (H/t the Firearms Blog):
It weighs 3.5 pounds, has a barrel length of 7.75 inches, fires 12-gauge shells and can be mounted on the M4 carbine or act as a stand alone firearm; it is the M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) is the first unit in the Army to be issued the combat enhancer.
“This is a new capability that is now in your hands for you to conduct your mission downrange,” said Col. Scott C. Armstrong, with Project Manager Soldier Weapons, during a presentation ceremony held at Fort Campbell’s Strike Academy, February 7th. “This is a big day, not just for the 2nd Brigade, but for the Army.”
* * *(Full story here).
“I can see this being very effective with the engineers for breaching and with the military police, especially since you can shoot ammunition that is non lethal,” said Sgt. Rhys McMahon, a combat engineer with Company A. “So far this is an amazing weapon; I’ve shot about 75 rounds and it works magnificently. This would have helped us out quite a few times when we were in Afghanistan.”
As noted, it can also be used independent of the rail mount, as seen in this photo:
It would require an SBR license/stamp, but would be an interesting accessory for an AR.
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