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: C

$229

The Citadel PAX is similar but by no means identical to the Akkar 612. The matte-blue finish is the same. The aluminum receiver is anodized. The bolt is dark; however, the extractor is polished bright. The barrel is 20 inches long compared to the 18.5-inch barrel of the Akkar shogun. The fore end is much the same in handling but differs in detail. The stock is a pistol-grip type with a carrier for five shells built into the stock, which seems like a good feature. Another good feature is a front fiber-optic sight. The safety is a trapezoid shape rather than a round button. The bolt-release lever isn’t difficult to operate, we thought.

Overall, the PAX is shorter than the Akkar shotgun. The magazine is slightly shorter than the Akkar’s and holds only four shells. This is a demerit in comparison to the other two shotguns. The trigger action is the heaviest of the test at 10.5 pounds. The shell carrier has a thin cut out in the center.

The PAX isn’t as smooth as the other two shotguns. In fact, one of our younger raters actually lost his grip on the fore end because the action was difficult to rack. He was pulling the fore end forward after firing and his hand slipped off the front of the fore end. The shotgun did not get smoother during the test.

We were puzzled by the Citadel’s roughness, so we dug a little deeper and spotted wear marks on the receiver caused by the fore end rubbing the housing. No wonder the action seemed tight. The fore end was tight enough with no wobble, so it was simply too thick inside. To solve this, we decided to carefully file off part of the fore end. This took some effort. Next, we addressed all the burrs on the action bars. There were a couple of raised spots and burrs on the draw bars. The trunnion inside the receiver is much more difficult to address. After these gunsmithing efforts, the Citadel was considerably smoother. Smooth operation is certainly a possibility for those who have a rough Turkish pump-action shotgun, but you must be willing to work on the shotgun. Do not simply work the action a few hundred times. When there is a rough spot or burr, this makes the action worse.

The pattern thrown with buckshot was considerably larger than with the Akkar 612, but no larger than the Rock Island shotgun’s pattern.

We did not like the stock. While only slightly longer than the Akkar and Rock Island shotguns, it was rated the least comfortable stock tested. The pistol grip isn’t bad, but with thick gloves, it may be a bit large for some hands. Reliability was good; there were no failures to feed, chamber, fire, or eject.

Our Team Said: The stock was not our favorite, and the action was stiff. Also, the shotgun holds fewer shells than the other two. The 1.5-inch-longer barrel did nothing for patterning. While the PAX is affordable, that doesn’t cut the PAX any slack when the other shotguns are inexpensive as well. While we like the fiber-optic front sight, this isn’t enough to override the other, glaring faults.

Value Guide: Self-Defense Shotgun Rankings