DP-12 | Double Barrel Pump Shotgun Gun Full Review

Standard Manufacturing Company raised the bar with its one-of-a-kind DP-12 shotgun. It is designed for discerning shooters who require consistent reliability and extreme firepower.

Here is everything you need to know about the DP-12 double-barrel shotgun.

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Everything You Need to Know About the Dp-12 Double-Barrel Shotgun

Understanding the DP-12

The DP-12 is a creation of Standard Manufacturing and is the first-ever double-barrel pump-action shotgun to exist. It is, however, not the first bullpup shotgun, but its performance is something to reckon with in the gun world.

Weight

The DP-12 shotgun weighs in at 9 pounds and 12 ounces which is solid considering that the shotgun's receiver is made from a single block 7075 aluminum. This largely guarantees sturdiness and durability, while the bulky weight ensures better recoil management.

Caliber and Capacity

This double-barrel pump-action shotgun is chambered in 12-gauge. Each of its two magazines feeds a specific barrel and can hold up to seven 2 ¾-inch shotgun shells or six three-inch shells.

This gives you a total capacity of between 14 and 16 shotgun shells, which is more than you need for home defense.

Sights

The DP-12 does not come with optics, but you can easily install a red dot sight and or iron sights by mounting them on the Picatinny rail above the barrels.

You can use the second Picatinny rail under the muzzles (at the end of the slide) for your favorite accessories or a forward grip.

Release and Safety Mechanism

Though you can opt to remove the vertical foregrip and cycle the gun by hand smoothly like in other shotguns, it gives you some leverage that also comes in handy when managing recoil.

What's more, an ambidextrous forend release is strategically located in front of the trigger so you can effortlessly release it and cycle through.

Like the forend release, the safety on the DP-12 shotgun is also ambidextrous, making the shotgun versatile and accommodating to a wide range of shooters.

RELATED: 6 Features You Need For a Home-Defense Shotgun

Ergonomics

This firearm features a rubberized texture on the grip's backside and molded texturing at the front. The texturing is not too aggressive, especially on the grip's backside, giving you a great feeling of control when shooting and cycling the firearm.

Besides allowing you to see the magazine tubes fill up when reloading shells, the viewing windows also visually reference how much ammo you have left when shooting.

Stock

To help with recoil mitigation, the DP-12 features two springs underneath the rubber butt pad. This also acts as a cushion for the weight at the gun's back when you are shooting. This, however, levels out when your magazine tubes are full with shotgun shells.

Field Stripping and Maintenance

Being a 12-gauge double-barrel pump-action bullpup shotgun, you can expect field stripping and maintenance to a little more tasking due to more mechanics and moving parts. All in all, ensure that you lubricate all moving parts with high-quality gun oil before assembling them back to ensure proper function.

Operation

Contrary to what you may think, the first trigger pull on this pump-action shotgun fires the right barrel while the second pull fires the left barrel. Dual operating bars connect the sliding forend to the bolt, allowing you to cycle through to eject spent shells and feed two unspent ones into the chamber.

Ammo is loaded into the magazine tubes through a loading and ejection port located behind the pistol grip. Keep in mind that pent shells are ejected through the same port.

Aiming

While most people believe that the DP-12 cannot be aimed pin-point due to two barrels, all you have to do is make up for it by bringing the firearm slightly over, considering that the right barrel will be the first one to fire.

Price

Even with a wide array of outstanding features, 1495 dollars is a bit much to pay, considering all the money you will need to spend on ammo afterward. A lower range of 1200 to 1100 dollars would be reasonable for a large arsenal like the DP-12.

Pro Tips:

• The DP-12 is prone to failure to extract and feed
• The shotgun has a mechanical issue cycling when held vertically or pointed to the ground, a rather common way of holding a firearm.
• Lack of a selector switch means that you cannot tell the shotgun the magazine tube you want to use

Watch this video from Keith Warren Hunting for an on the field action of the DP 12 shotgun

The DP-12 pump-action shotgun is the gun to go for if you are looking for a double barrel. Even with a hefty weight of 9 pounds and 12 ounces, it is ergonomically designed to balance this for quick and effective handling with minimal recoil. This way, you can rest assured that you can never go wrong with it, especially for home defense or duty use.

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