DAO-12

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DAO-12

Type	Shotgun
Place of origin	South Africa
Service history
In service	South African Police and Defence Force
Production history
Designer	Hilton Walker
Specifications
Weight	4.2 kg (empty), 4.4 kg (loaded)
Length	792 mm 508 mm (stock folded) with 12 in barrel: 800 mm 600 mm (stock folded)
Barrel length	305 mm 12 in, 356 mm (14 in)

Cartridge	12 gauge
Feed system	12 round non- detachable cylinder

The DAO-12 (Also known as Striker, Protecta and Street Sweeper) is a revolver 12-gauge shotgun created for the purpose of riot control and combat.

1 Creation
2 Design and features
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Creation

It was created in Rhodesia by Hilton Walker in the early 1980s. After Rhodesia fell, Walker moved to South Africa, bringing with him the design for the Striker shotgun. His shotgun became a success, and found its way to the four corners of the world. Even though it was successful the shotgun still had its flaws. The rotary cylinder-type magazine was bulky, had a slow reload time, and the basic action was not without certain flaws.

Mr. Walker redesigned his weapon in the late 1980s, removing the cylinder rotation mechanism, and adding an auto cartridge ejection system. Mr. Walker's new shotgun was named the Protecta.

[edit] Design and features

The reason one would favor the DAO-12 over an ordinary shotgun would mainly be because of the weapons magazine capacity and its capability of semi-auto firing. The weapon fires similar to a revolver, using a rotating magazine. Since the Striker used more or less conventional DAO trigger, and a very large and heavy cylinder (compared to handguns), the trigger pull for the conventional design could be flawed. Walker added a pre-wound clock-work spring to revolve the magazine. This proved to be a slow and ineffective way to load the weapon. Walker changed the design so that a front vertical grip is swung to the right and back to load a cartridge into place.

The DAO-12 "Street Sweeper" shotgun has a modern tactical design, appearance, and color. It conjures connotations of military and paramilitary application in the minds of many gun control advocates unfamiliar with the use and operation of firearms. Accordingly, in the United States, this gun has often been politically labelled as an "assault weapon" unsuitable for non-governmental civilian possession. In reality, the DAO-12 functions mechanically in a way similar to any revolver or pump shotgun where one round is fired for each pull of the trigger. Unlike most real military guns with magazine interchangeability, the drum magazine does not detach from the gun and must be manually reloaded once expended. The fact remains however that the DAO-12 lacks any practicacality as a sporting fire-arm and a shotgun with a 12 round magazeine in of dubious merit in regards to personal and home security.

The first designs were criticized as having a slow and cumbersome firing mechanism. The most advanced design has a pump-action style lever used to clear the chamber as other pump-action shotguns do. The DAO-12 is seen as somewhat unique for a shotgun because of its twelve round capacity and short overall length. The significant width of the drum magazine serves to limit its concealability however and, indirectly, its preference by criminals. The DAO-12's short length makes the gun favorable to some individuals as a home defense weapon for tight hallways and the close quarters of a small urban home. Its shot ammunition, as opposed to a solid bullet, also limits travel through walls and doorways, an important consideration for the urban dweller. The DAO-12 is difficult to (legally) procure in the United States of America as it has been labelled as a Class 2 destructive device under the National Firearms Act with "no sporting purpose" by the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) after considerable political pressure by the then Clinton Administration.