Rock Island Armory Meriva 12 Gauge Pump Action Shotgun Review

Rock Island Armory (RIA) is typically associated with depression-priced 1911s that run surprisingly well for the tiny investment that it takes to get one in your hands. Although RIA technically could just stick to the 1911 game and continue to churn out every bit many high-quality pistols as it tin, these folks practice similar to branch out. Over the years Stone Island Armory has introduced different semi-automobile shotguns. Most recently, they've entered the pump-action shotgun market...and NRA Families should have note!

The new series of pump-action shotguns is dubbed the "AG," which is brusque for All Generations. The lineup spans the three well-nigh popular gauges in the U.Southward., to include 12 gauge, 20 gauge, and .410-bore offerings. Barrel lengths range from eighteen.v to 28 inches, depending on the model and, of course, estimate. For our testing, we sought the heart basis and went with the new 20-gauge model that is built with a short field butt measuring 26 inches.

Upon first glance, it was obvious that this was not "just another pump-action" trying to take advantage of the soaring market. No, it was pretty easy to tell that RIA put a lot of thought into making the modern pump-action better equally well equally beating "the other guy'southward" cost point. With an MSRP of just $299, one would expect a stripped-down version of what the bigger brands tin deliver. You'd exist wrong.

Honestly, I've never seen such a feature-rich shotgun with this small a price tag. For starters, information technology is fully adjustable to fit a variety of shooters. The adaptable cheek riser tin be fabricated taller or shorter without the use of whatever tools. The buttstock has a spacer system, allowing the end-user to tailor the length of pull (LOP) to all-time fit their unique body style. Although the dimensions are a bit also big to be considered a youth model, having the ability to adapt the LOP makes this perfect gun for a son or daughter, as information technology can grow with them.

While the adaptability alone is enough to get a potential buyer'south attention, it pays to mention that the gun also includes sling swivels both fore and aft every bit well as an oversized buttpad that is molded with some exceptionally deep texture to ensure that it stays put nether damp conditions. Completing the furniture is a unique fore-end that incorporates a pair of hand stops to help maintain control during both the forwards and rearward stroke of the action. This forend is locked in place via a traditional breech locking system, and has an oversized release located just forward of the trigger guard.

While the article of furniture is impressive, it pales in comparison to the functioning of the AG shotgun. The All Generations shotguns feature a polished chamber, ensuring shine feeding and ejection. Bated from beingness polished, the barrel is proof rated and tin accept heavy-striking 3-inch shells, fifty-fifty steel. Stone Island caps off the business cease with internal threading to have chokes, and includes the "holy trinity: (IC, Modified, and Full), complete with carrying case and a snazzy choke wrench. Shotgun manufacturers have been eliminating extra chokes and hardware for years in an attempt to reduce prices and still haven't been able to provide this much to their customers at such a low price.

Another easy-to-cut corner is an action bar, but the AG doesn't practise that. Instead, information technology employs a dual action bar system, making information technology as run as smoothly and wear equally ruggedly as more than expensive shotguns. These activeness bars run straight into the aluminum receiver that is cut with a 3/8 dovetail groove, and so mounting a telescopic or blood-red dot is elementary and won't crave whatever gunsmithing.

I packed the motorcar with some paper targets as well as a diversity of shells from Winchester and Browning and hit the route. My goal was to gather how the gun patterns shot, as well as how tight a group we could expect when firing slugs. As it is a hunting configuration I figured I would test it with slugs besides as birdshot. With the slugs, I fired 5-shot groups from 25 yards with Winchester'due south Rack Master 7/viii ounce slugs and produced one-pigsty groups that I was more than than satisfied with. The point of bear on was well-nigh the signal of aim at this altitude, which is always important when yous are working with non-adaptable sights.

Moving on to the duck load, we patterned the #3 Browning BXD long-range steel shells and saw consistency was well within a "infinitesimal of mallard," even with the IC asphyxiate installed. Backing it upwardly to l yards we noticed almost a 6-inch drop in both the slug impacts as well equally the shot pattern, which was expected.

What wasn't expected was that the slugs still produced groups that were within but two inches from center to center, which is simply about an inch larger than many rifles with a similar MSRP—not too shabby for a polish-bore shotgun.

All in all the Rock Island Armory AG is just another shining example that the correct people tin can make quality guns without much cede. I enjoyed the ergonomics of this shotgun, particularly the fore-finish, and found the accuracy to exist superb. Weatherproof finishes as well as the use of polymer furniture make this gun safe for duck hunting in adverse weather. The 5+1 capacity gives you a fair amount of ammo to handle a flock of waterfowl, but y'all may desire to get with i of the other, higher-chapters RIA shotguns if y'all are considering this for home defense. $299;Armscor.com

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Source: https://www.nrafamily.org/content/reviewed-rock-island-armory-all-generations-pump-action-shotgun/

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