This project was one of the more entertaining hands-on reviews we’ve done – getting acquainted with the Standard Manufacturing DP-12 shotgun.
Featuring two barrels and two 7-round magazines, the DP-12 will hold 16 12-gauge shotgun shells (14 in the magazines and 2 in the chambers). That’s impressive right off the bat; combine this with the vertical foregrip pump action, and you’ve created a formula to throw a lot of fury downrange in a very short time.
While this in and of itself is cool, I have to say that my favorite parts of this shotgun were the smaller things.
First, I really liked the AR-style ambidextrous thumb safety. Being able to use the considerable muscle memory I’ve built up running carbines and other Stoner-pattern rifles toward this platform was comforting.
Second, the built-in rail and sling mounts allowed me to use my existing gear on the DP-12 without modification. In this trial, we took a look EOTech holographic sight and screwed it on the shotgun for instant both-eyes-open optic support.
Last, I was not sure that I’d like the double-press trigger – you see, for each action of the shotgun, the trigger will press twice, once for each barrel. My initial concern would be that it would be counter intuitive to press the trigger twice for each actioning of the shotgun; however, with a few dryfire reps, this all came out in the wash.
I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical about this gun, as others have tried before with only moderate success and some issues; however, after getting a DP-12 in my hands and running some rounds through one, I think this one will be popular. It feels solid, ran like a top, and was a ton of fun to shoot.
Enough talk, let’s see this thing run:
Mission accomplished…