A dramatic drop in price among affordable shotguns makes them even more attractive. Be a smart shopper and choose the shotgun that suits your needs and performs best. The market today is much more of a buyer’s market than a year ago.

During the pandemic, shortages of firearms and ammunition created a seller’s market. Folks were worried about their safety and grabbed whatever they could. Quality brand-name traditional pump-action shotguns were few and far between. Our Gun Tests field staff saw tactical versions of the Remington 870 edging one thousand dollars, and the price of the Mossberg 590 doubled. So it was with some appreciation when we saw Turkish makers step in with literally thousands of affordable pump-action shotguns that were half the price of domestic brands, often at $500 and below.

The Turkish guns developed a reputation for reliability. Some are well fitted and finished, others not so much. The situation is difficult to nail down because the many Turkish brands rival the old Basque makers in the day of Ruby pistols. Reliable information indicates there are more than 20 separate manufacturing plants making shotguns in Turkey. Some of these guns are re-branded by major importers and importers, such as European American Armory and Legacy Sports. They may specify the furniture and barrel length in different offerings. It is interesting that one of the shotguns tested here, the Rock Island Armory Meriva, is a Turkish gun. A previous chrome-plated Rock Island Armory shotgun tested was manufactured in Armscor’s home country, the Philippines.

Generally, these shotguns are made to sell and to sell as cheaply as possible. So, corners are cut in fit and polish. We will explore some of these drawbacks and also advantages. One thing for certain: It isn’t that difficult to make a completely reliable pump-action shotgun. The action may be rough and the trigger heavy, but the firearm functions. We found three reliable shotguns selling for a pittance, and prices seem to be dropping further. We have seen certain models for $99, well below their original cost to the dealer. Yep, a certain class of firearms is being sold off for less than the dealers paid. The three in this test, the EAA Churchill Akkar 612, the Citadel PAX, and the Rock Island Armory Meriva, all feature personal-defense barrel lengths, open Cylinder chokes, no choke tubes, and 3-inch chambers. Here’s more on how each firearm fared in head-to-head shooting tests.

Gun Tests Grade: A (BEST BUY)

$320

The Model 612 is a standard pump-action shotgun with an aluminum receiver, steel barrel, plastic stock and fore end, and plastic trigger housing. In this configuration, it is similar to many other modern shotguns. The action is smooth enough to operate quickly, even if it is not glassy smooth. There is no rear sight, only a groove in the receiver. In common with the other two shotguns tested, there is no provision for mounting a red-dot sight or slug scope. The front sight is a post type.

The barrel is 18.5 inches long with choke unspecified. Defensive shotguns are usually choked Cylinder bore, sometimes called the open choke. The EAA-imported shotgun patterned more like a Modified choke shotgun. The receiver is marked Churchill, a brand name EAA has used for decades. The plastic trigger guard features a cross-bolt safety in the rear of the housing. The bolt release is larger than some and operates in a positive manner. The plastic furniture pieces are a long fore end and a pistol-grip-type stock rear. We later found several on sale online and in stock at about $235 just before publication.

The furniture is the significant difference from the other shotguns. The fore end is longer than most. This accommodates all grip styles and offers plenty of leverage while fully covering the twin action bars. One of the raters generally grasps pump shotguns at the very rear of the fore end nearest the receiver. He may not have as much leverage as when a taller man with longer arms grasps the fore end near the front, but he always manages to operate the shotgun smoothly. With the Akkar stock, his grip is secure. All of the shotguns have similar fore ends. The stock, however, is a pistol grip and straight stock. The straight stock features a sling swivel; the front swivel is on the end of the magazine cap. The stock of the Akkar is just slightly shorter than the stock of the Citadel, the other pistol-grip shotgun. The recoil pad is adequate. The bolt, like the barrel, is a dull matte-gray finish. The trigger action is a smooth 6.0 pounds, the lightest of the test. The shell carrier is a solid type.

We fired the shotguns with four types of shells. The first was a light target load from Winchester using 7½ shot and then a heavier field load from Winchester using No. 5 shot. We also used Winchester No. 1 buckshot and a new brand, Jet, in 00 buckshot. In firing these loads, the Akkar shotgun was reasonably smooth in operation. The slide action was smooth at the beginning and tighter in the middle, easing up toward the end of travel. Bringing the fore end and the bolt forward was not difficult. The magazine holds five shells, and our team said it wasn’t difficult to load the shells in the tubular magazine.

Patterning was done with Winchester buckshot. We noted that the Akkar threw the tightest pattern by far, with 4-by-5-inch patterns at 7 yards. The other two shotguns hovered around 10 inches. Chokes may be individual and one shotgun to the next may fire a tighter pattern. Just the same, the Akkar held the tighter pattern, centered over the front sight. We fired 25 of each Winchester field loads, both No. 7½ and No. 5 shot, in the shotguns running a combat course at 7 and 10 yards. We also fired five each of the buckshot shells. This gave us a good idea of the handling of each shotgun.

Disassembly is an important part of shotgun maintenance. The procedure is simple enough. Triple-check the shotgun to be certain it isn’t loaded, looking in both the magazine and the chamber. Using the bolt release, move the bolt back midway in the receiver window. Unscrew the magazine cap. Shake the barrel a bit and draw it out. That is how it is supposed to go.

With the Akkar 612, the barrel was tight in the receiver. This is a new gun, and it required a bit of effort to free the barrel. The barrel extension is about the average length for a pump-action shotgun. Once the barrel was free, maintenance was simple. With the Citadel PAX, disassembly was more difficult, the barrel fit even stiffer, but after a few tries, we were able to pull the barrel free. The Rock Island shotgun was by far the most difficult to break down. In common with the Citadel, the barrel of the Rock Island features a very long barrel extension. We exerted so much effort in pulling the barrel free from the Rock Island’s receiver that we managed to pull the fore end, operating rods, and bolt free as well. The long barrel extension of the Citadel PAX and Rock Island Meriva make disassembly more difficult to do.

Our Team Said: We liked the stock of the Akkar shotgun. It is thin enough for fast handling but thick enough for recoil control. Feeding was not a problem, and reliability was never an issue. The shotgun isn’t as smooth as a Remington 870, but it costs much less. We cannot find anything on the shotgun to fault. The disassembly also points to the EAA as being the Best Buy because it was not difficult to field strip compared to the other two.

Value Guide: Self-Defense Shotgun Rankings