The 12-gauge tactical shotgun is the most versatile weapon, but it has two major flaws, namely, the muzzle shock wave and the huge muzzle flash, which make it difficult to use concealedly.
As early as 1967, the U.S. Navy announced the need for a technology that could reduce the sound of firing without requiring special modifications to traditional military shotguns.
At that time, this requirement seemed impossible to achieve, but AAI Company made a breakthrough in ammunition. This AAI Company's patented silenced shotgun uses the sealing principle to isolate most of the noise and noise when fired. Fire, but it also greatly reduces the muzzle velocity of the shotgun, reducing the range and power of the shotgun. As a result, the Navy only test-fired 200 rounds of silenced shotguns and ended the project.
Realizing the tactical need for silenced and flash suppressed shotguns, Mike Rescono, chairman of TacOps, began developing such shotguns. After four years of research, TacOps finally successfully developed the world’s first silenced shotgun, the Clandestine 12.
The silencer of the "Secret 12" shotgun uses a "wet technology" principle. The silencer using this technology has better performance than the traditional silencer, and the name of this silencer is " Secret 12TM”.
The silencer is made of stainless steel body and aviation aluminum parts. Because it is designed for 12-gauge shotguns, it is relatively large. The length of the silencer is 254mm and the outer diameter is 70mm. The silencer is a sealed device and requires no maintenance. Needs to be taken apart. Users can use immersion liquid to clean. It is recommended to use light gasoline (safety solution).
"Secret 12TM" weighs about 1.75kg. A silencer of this weight would be too heavy when installed on the muzzle. Therefore, TacOps has produced a lightweight sample, but there is no information about this sample yet.
Except for the barrel, all metal surfaces of the "Secret 12" shotgun are treated with patented matte technology. This technology was specially developed for use in weapons. It has high wear resistance, excellent corrosion resistance and smooth properties. It is considered to be the best surface treatment technology and has been used by the FBI and many governments. Agency designation as proprietary technology.
The "Secret 12" uses two barrels: one is a standard Remington-type chokeless barrel, 457mm long; the other is a 350mm long barrel with a fixed " Secret 12TM” silencer, including the silencer. The overall length of the barrel is 533mm.
The "Secret 12" shotgun has a polymer stock, the small grip has TacOps' unique anti-slip structure, the stock and handguard are treated with green epoxy resin, and the handguard is marked with SURE -FIRE tactical light. The receiver has a ghost ring rear sight with a tritium light bar and an offset ammunition carrier. The standard barrel has a front sight with a tritium light dot. There is a tritium dot sight above the tail of the suppressor.
"Secret 12" can be used as a multi-purpose obstacle-breaking tool. Especially when it comes to high-efficiency breakthroughs, it is more effective than other obstacle-breaking equipment. It can serve a dual purpose: it can provide safe and rapid tactical armed penetration while maintaining the effectiveness of defensive weapons. The shotgun's barrier-breaking capabilities aren't limited to doors. It can push open sliding glass doors, remove padlock latches, destroy car door mechanisms with minimal collateral damage, and more.
For safety, TacOps developed a stainless steel muzzle attachment device called the "Breaker" with an outer diameter of 50.8mm and a length of 76.2mm for the silencer, which can leak gunpowder gas. This way, the shotgun can be fired with the gun port directly against the door or door frame. It will not cause the barrel or silencer to explode due to excessive pressure inside the silencer. The mouth of the muffler has a threaded extension for mounting the Breaker.
When not needed, it can be removed to reduce the overall length of the "Secret 12" shotgun. The mouth of the "Breaker" is serrated, which can prevent slipping when in contact with the door. There is a fairly large hole in the bottom for venting. There are no openings in the upper part, ensuring the user's safety when performing obstacle breaking operations.
Joko Company is developing special subsonic frangible barrier-breaking ammunition and subsonic shotshells for Secret 12. Choco currently produces a specialized No. 0 deer bullet. The company also produces a unique shotgun shell as an alternative to the single shot. This bullet has the same accuracy as the single bullet, while maintaining the terminal effect of the No. 0 deer bullet.
Testing and Evaluation At the shooting range, the Secret 12's performance is unparalleled and it's hard to believe it's being used with a 12-gauge shotgun. At 18.2m, the maximum dispersion of tactical shotgun projectiles is 228.6mm.
The muzzle noise of subsonic bullets is reduced to the sound level of a rifle firing a 5.6mm short bullet or a 5.6mm RWS air rifle, which is really amazing. Some experts commented that the sound of Secret 12 firing No. 12 subsonic bullets was quieter than the sound of the Remington M870 pump-action shotgun mechanism. They compared the sound of Secret 12 to being like a rubber bat hitting a door. Even when supersonic rounds were fired, the personnel at 23 to 27 meters did not notice that the tester was firing shotgun shells. The subsonic bullet produced by Choko can easily open a lock in the barrier-breaking test.
Like Tango51, the evaluation test of "Secret 12" was conducted by LASDSEB. During the test, 30 rounds were fired with Secret 12 without cleaning the silencer or adding additional liquid. The noise was not high. There was no noticeable increase and the muzzle flash was completely eliminated. Due to its good noise reduction performance, Secret 12 will be widely used in law enforcement agencies and special operations forces in the near future.