Sarsilmaz Cobra

     Notes: Designed primarily for police use (though also sold to civilians), the Cobra is found in four variants which are essentially identical in their mechanisms, but vary in the stocks.  All are basically conventional pump-action weapons with underbarrel tubular magazines.

     The Baba is the base member of the Cobra line; it is basically a no-frills shotgun which looks much like other such shotguns in the world, with wooden furniture and no embellishments other than a rubber recoil pad.  The Cobra is basically the same, but the furniture and pump slide are polymer.  The Super Cobra is also essentially the same as the Cobra, but the stock is a Speedfeed stock with a compartment for four extra rounds in the stock.  The New Cobra is definitely a tactical shotgun, with a stock that folds over the top of the weapon (but unfortunately no sort of pad on the buttplate), and a full pistol grip.  Both the pistol grip and the pump slide are of polymer, and the stock is of strong yet lightweight alloy.  An unusual feature for all members of the Cobra line except the Baba is the semi-matte black finish on the metalwork, but with gold highlights on the receiver.  (The Baba has metalwork which is simply semi-matte black with no highlights.)  Sights for all of these weapons are simple notch rear and blade front sights, and they can be had with 18.5-inch or 24-inch barrels.

Tristar TEC-12

     Notes: As stated in Turkish Semiautomatic Shotguns, Tristar is the American company that is importing the TEC-12 from a part of Huglu in Turkey.  It is designed for self-defense, and is similar in concept to the SPAS-12 in that is is normally used as a pump-action shotgun, but a turn of a dial turns it into a semiautomatic shotgun.  The TEC-12 comes in only one version, with a synthetic stock, true pistol grip, and topped with a MIL-STD-1913 rail.  Though the stock has no recoil pad, in semiautomatic mode the operation is by Inertia Rotary Bolt, dampening felt recoil in that mode of fire. The sights are ghost ring-type sights that allow for quick target acquisition at short range. The front sight also has a fiberoptic bead.  Barrel length is compact at 20 inches; the barrel comes with one external choke tube -- Ported Cylinder (native choke is Full). It does not come with any, but can use Beretta or Benelli choke tubes.

UTAS UTS-15 Gen 3

     Notes: Similar in many ways to the Kel-Tec KSG, the UTS-15 (Ultimate Tactical Shotgun) feeds from a pair of magazine tubes above the barrel.  The UTS-15 was first pitched as a request from several police agencies in the US to Smith & Wesson for “the ultimate police shotgun.”  Smith & Wesson was not interested, pointing to the Kel-Tec KSG and its disappointing sales.  The Turkish manufacturer of UTAS (through its US offices) decided to take up the design criteria.  Though it is an effective weapon when all is right, the UTS-15, like the KSG, suffered problems in failure to feed and failure to extract.  UTAS rectified this with a Gen 2 and Gen 3 of the UTS-15, and it appears that with Gen 3, the problems have been fixed.  The UTS-15 has enjoyed not only police sales, but is being sold to civilians.

     The UTS-15 works by pump-action, with the slide under the barrel. The magazines can feed the action in an alternating pattern (first from the right magazine, then the left), or from one magazine or the other, useful when the shooter has different types of ammunition in each magazine. The UTS-15 has a bullpup design; though the magazines are ahead of the trigger, the action is in the stock, and the overall length of the UTS-15 is only 28.3 inches.  Atop the weapon is a Picatinny Rail for mounting of optics or accessories.  The UTS-15 comes with a built-in flashlight and laser pointer in the front of the weapon, below the muzzle; the controls are on the pistol grip.  The laser is red and the flashlight throws 200 lumens.  They are powered by a pair of lithium batteries, with the batteries housed below the laser/light pair. The sights, machined from billet aluminum, are both adjustable for elevation and windage.

     The 18.5-inch barrel may be tipped by a 7.5-inch long barrel extension with muzzle porting and spikes that is used to help tame recoil, increase accuracy, and is used for breaching doors, windows, and locks. The extension is essentially a choke tube, and interchangeable choke tubes may not be used with the extension in place. The basic barrel is threaded to allow for the use of Beretta-type removable choke tubes. 

     The UTS-15 may be finished in black, gray, or in a digital desert camouflage, a marine base blue over a black and gray base coating, or a digital woodland camouflage.  The receiver housing is of polymer, while most of the rest of the housing parts are of aluminum.  Barrel and working parts are of steel. Steel marts are finished with chrome or black oxide, aluminum parts are black anodized; and polymer parts are black.  Some weirder finishes include "Muddy Girl" (a sort of pink/brown/woodland "camouflage), Zombie Green, and Kryptek (Desert, but in a “chocolate chip” pattern.).

     Other than complaints about the feed (mostly fixed), other complaints center around the stock – and that it is not very comfortable.  The LOP is short, as the entire shotgun is short.  Retraining is necessary to fire the UTS-15 from the shoulder.  The UTS-15 is not set up for left-handed shooters; in fact, where the ejection port is, the spent shells are shot directly into the mouth of a left-handed shooter.  A brass deflector is necessary.  The cover to the ejection port is kept shut by a magnet, and turns on and off as the gun cycles, which tends to make the cover flop around in quick shooting.  Loading quickly is basically impossible. Topping off the magazines while in the firing position can be very difficult (though most police consider the amount of available ammunition plenty): it is considerably easier than loading a KSG.  The magazines are slotted to allow the shooter to see how much magazine he has, but this is also an entry point for dust and dirt.

Sarsilmaz Cobra

     Notes: Designed primarily for police use (though also sold to civilians), the Cobra is found in four variants which are essentially identical in their mechanisms, but vary in the stocks.  All are basically conventional pump-action weapons with underbarrel tubular magazines.

     The Baba is the base member of the Cobra line; it is basically a no-frills shotgun which looks much like other such shotguns in the world, with wooden furniture and no embellishments other than a rubber recoil pad.  The Cobra is basically the same, but the furniture and pump slide are polymer.  The Super Cobra is also essentially the same as the Cobra, but the stock is a Speedfeed stock with a compartment for four extra rounds in the stock.  The New Cobra is definitely a tactical shotgun, with a stock that folds over the top of the weapon (but unfortunately no sort of pad on the buttplate), and a full pistol grip.  Both the pistol grip and the pump slide are of polymer, and the stock is of strong yet lightweight alloy.  An unusual feature for all members of the Cobra line except the Baba is the semi-matte black finish on the metalwork, but with gold highlights on the receiver.  (The Baba has metalwork which is simply semi-matte black with no highlights.)  Sights for all of these weapons are simple notch rear and blade front sights, and they can be had with 18.5-inch or 24-inch barrels.

Tristar TEC-12

     Notes: As stated in Turkish Semiautomatic Shotguns, Tristar is the American company that is importing the TEC-12 from a part of Huglu in Turkey.  It is designed for self-defense, and is similar in concept to the SPAS-12 in that is is normally used as a pump-action shotgun, but a turn of a dial turns it into a semiautomatic shotgun.  The TEC-12 comes in only one version, with a synthetic stock, true pistol grip, and topped with a MIL-STD-1913 rail.  Though the stock has no recoil pad, in semiautomatic mode the operation is by Inertia Rotary Bolt, dampening felt recoil in that mode of fire. The sights are ghost ring-type sights that allow for quick target acquisition at short range. The front sight also has a fiberoptic bead.  Barrel length is compact at 20 inches; the barrel comes with one external choke tube -- Ported Cylinder (native choke is Full). It does not come with any, but can use Beretta or Benelli choke tubes.

UTAS UTS-15 Gen 3

     Notes: Similar in many ways to the Kel-Tec KSG, the UTS-15 (Ultimate Tactical Shotgun) feeds from a pair of magazine tubes above the barrel.  The UTS-15 was first pitched as a request from several police agencies in the US to Smith & Wesson for “the ultimate police shotgun.”  Smith & Wesson was not interested, pointing to the Kel-Tec KSG and its disappointing sales.  The Turkish manufacturer of UTAS (through its US offices) decided to take up the design criteria.  Though it is an effective weapon when all is right, the UTS-15, like the KSG, suffered problems in failure to feed and failure to extract.  UTAS rectified this with a Gen 2 and Gen 3 of the UTS-15, and it appears that with Gen 3, the problems have been fixed.  The UTS-15 has enjoyed not only police sales, but is being sold to civilians.

     The UTS-15 works by pump-action, with the slide under the barrel. The magazines can feed the action in an alternating pattern (first from the right magazine, then the left), or from one magazine or the other, useful when the shooter has different types of ammunition in each magazine. The UTS-15 has a bullpup design; though the magazines are ahead of the trigger, the action is in the stock, and the overall length of the UTS-15 is only 28.3 inches.  Atop the weapon is a Picatinny Rail for mounting of optics or accessories.  The UTS-15 comes with a built-in flashlight and laser pointer in the front of the weapon, below the muzzle; the controls are on the pistol grip.  The laser is red and the flashlight throws 200 lumens.  They are powered by a pair of lithium batteries, with the batteries housed below the laser/light pair. The sights, machined from billet aluminum, are both adjustable for elevation and windage.

     The 18.5-inch barrel may be tipped by a 7.5-inch long barrel extension with muzzle porting and spikes that is used to help tame recoil, increase accuracy, and is used for breaching doors, windows, and locks. The extension is essentially a choke tube, and interchangeable choke tubes may not be used with the extension in place. The basic barrel is threaded to allow for the use of Beretta-type removable choke tubes. 

     The UTS-15 may be finished in black, gray, or in a digital desert camouflage, a marine base blue over a black and gray base coating, or a digital woodland camouflage.  The receiver housing is of polymer, while most of the rest of the housing parts are of aluminum.  Barrel and working parts are of steel. Steel marts are finished with chrome or black oxide, aluminum parts are black anodized; and polymer parts are black.  Some weirder finishes include "Muddy Girl" (a sort of pink/brown/woodland "camouflage), Zombie Green, and Kryptek (Desert, but in a “chocolate chip” pattern.).

     Other than complaints about the feed (mostly fixed), other complaints center around the stock – and that it is not very comfortable.  The LOP is short, as the entire shotgun is short.  Retraining is necessary to fire the UTS-15 from the shoulder.  The UTS-15 is not set up for left-handed shooters; in fact, where the ejection port is, the spent shells are shot directly into the mouth of a left-handed shooter.  A brass deflector is necessary.  The cover to the ejection port is kept shut by a magnet, and turns on and off as the gun cycles, which tends to make the cover flop around in quick shooting.  Loading quickly is basically impossible. Topping off the magazines while in the firing position can be very difficult (though most police consider the amount of available ammunition plenty): it is considerably easier than loading a KSG.  The magazines are slotted to allow the shooter to see how much magazine he has, but this is also an entry point for dust and dirt.