SDS Imports new Civet 12 Shotgun has much to offer.
A magazine fed pump action shotgun at a bargain price sounds like a great idea right?
I got a chance to thoroughly review the SDS Imports Civet 12 Shotgun and here is what I found.
The idea of a detachable magazine fed pump action shotgun has been around for more than a few years. Sadly the price of most of those weapons on top of the price of a dependable magazine was beyond practical. With the popular Saiga style shotguns such as the previously reviewed SDS Imports Lynx-12 semi-automatic shotgun the detachable magazines are now priced right and very dependable. The time is now for a pump action shotgun that will use the popular style magazines.
The good folks over at SDS Imports has the answer for a dependable magazine fed pump action shotgun. It is in the form of the new Civet 12 Shotgun. They sent over to me for a thorough review the Civet 12 Shotgun to see how it performs in my tests.
My great friends at Silverado Arms gave me a call in about a week that the shotgun had arrived to their shop. It is always a joy to talk and shop with the helpful staff there for my shooting needs.
Upon opening the box we found a pump action shotgun, separate Picatinny style rail mount with ghost style rear sight attached (assembly was an easy mount with only four supplied screws needed). Mount a scope or red dot scope if you like. A five shot SDS Imports magazine supplied feeds the Civet 12 Shotgun.
The action appeared to be much like the popular and great performing Remington model 870 shotgun. There were a few differences of course to utilize a detachable magazine instead of a traditional internal tubular magazine. The stock is a textured synthetic but any 870 style stocks and forearms will mount so add that wood stock you have had for years if you like. Oh yes and this shotgun is chambered for both 2.75″ and 3″ magnum 12 gauge shells.
The first range day was the very next day. The temperature was an arctic 20 degrees Fahrenheit with a strong 35 mile per hour wind. Ammunition chosen for function testing was bargain priced one ounce Federal #7.5 2.75″ and other various shells. How would the Civet 12 do in such cold conditions for the very first shots? Loading up the five shot magazine I secured the mag inside the shotgun with the chamber open (it is much easier to load any of the detachable magazine fed shotguns with chamber open). Pushing the forearm forward I was loaded and ready to tear up some targets. I used for part of the test an old large frozen log with a 2×6 board in front of it as the original target. Firing as fast as I could I blew through a big pile of shells magazine load after load with no issues. The wood targets were turned into fragments quickly. I do love shotguns for just that reason among many others. Talk about a lead hammer up close. Stepping back to 15 yards I decided to see how many pellets from the light Federal one ounce #7.5 load would hit the empty cardboard shotshell box. From a cylinder choked barrel the results surprised me.
The pellet count of hits was 26 hits. Any small game or vermin in that type of pellet spread would have been done for. This shotgun would certainly be handy around the farm, field and homestead too.
The next test on range day number two was with shotgun slugs and #00 size buckshot. Now we are talking business when it comes to big game or home defense.
The target above and below was shot at 15 yards with a single Remington Express #00 2.75″ buckshot load. Needless to say that would have been a lethal shot.
A second shot out at 25 yards away opened up the group after the above picture. The original 15 yard holes are circled with new impacts in the circles also and outside of them in later target images.
The next shooting was done to test how close the ghost ring style sight groups shotgun slugs. Remington Managed Recoil 12 Gauge 2.75″ Sluggers were fired in a five shot group offhand at 25 yards away. While the group is a bit lower and right on the target the group itself was very small for a smooth bore shotgun and foster style lead rifled slugs. A quick adjustment requiring loosening two small phillips screws allows the ghost ring style sight to be right on target for windage after adjustment. Now that is a handy option to have. More practice also would certainly tighten up the two fliers that were most likely shooter error (yes at this point I was getting cold at 20 degrees on a fine February day).
Is 5 rounds just too little firepower for your defense needs? SDS Imports also has a 10 round extended magazine that will boost your firepower double between reloads.
In summary after a large pile of various 2.75″ and 3″ shells I found the Civet 12 to be a tough, well built shotgun that gets the job done. The ghost ring style sights are quite a personal favorite and the Picatinny rail is ready for any scope or red dot you want to add. The synthetic stock is strong and drama free. It is also textured for a better grip. The soft rubber recoil pad helps tame the heavier loads you fire. This was especially handy firing off hard hitting 3″ magnum loads. For shotgun slug hunters this shotgun would be great for hunting the thick stuff. Rabbits would certainly be in great danger from any hunter packing one for small game. Add a tighter constriction choke tube found online for Saiga-12 style shotguns (same choke tube) and use it for longer range game. For home defenders it packs a lot of firepower into a manageable package with fast reloads. For plinkers and recreational shooters what can be possibly more fun than unleashing 12 gauge ammunition payloads of choice on any given target in range? It has been quite addicting testing out the Civet 12 Shotgun. Be sure to head over to SDS Imports website and see the Civet 12 Shotgun and all the other interesting guns and accessories they carry.
Do you like articles about the outdoors? You can follow him @ericthewoodsman on Twitter, The Classic Woodsman on Facebook, and @theclassicwoodsman on Instagram. Visit the Classic Woodsman’s storefront on Amazon.
NEXT: GUN REVIEW: SDS IMPORTS LYNX-12 SEMI-AUTOMATIC SHOTGUN