Daewoo Precision Industries USAS-12
The USAS-12 (Universal Sporting Automatic Shotgun 12 gauge) is an automatic shotgun manufactured in South Korea by Daewoo Precision Industries since the 1980s.[2]
Daewoo Precision Industries USAS-12

The original uploader was Olegvolk at English Wikipedia. · CC BY 2.5
- Name
- USAS-12
- Field
- shotgun
- Region
- South Korea · United States
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The USAS-12 (Universal Sporting Automatic Shotgun 12 gauge) is an automatic shotgun manufactured in South Korea by Daewoo Precision Industries since the 1980s.[2]
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wikidata · Q1157121 · wikipedia · Daewoo Precision Industries USAS-12
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — USAS-12 • Origin — South Korea United States • Type — Automatic shotgun Semi-automatic (Civilian) • Is Ranged — yes • Used By — See Users • Designer — John Trevor Jr. • Design Date — 1989 • Manufacturer — Daewoo Precision Industries, Interord Corp. (Nashville, Tennessee), RAMO Defense Co., Ameetec Arms LLC • Production Date — 1989–present • Number — >30,000[1] • Variants — Semi-automatic only for civilian commercial sales; select-fire for military and police • Weight — 5.45 kg without magazine 6.2 kg with 10-round magazine • Length — 960 mm • Part Length — 460 mm • Caliber — 12-gauge • Rate — 400-450 rounds per minute • Velocity — 400 m/s • Range — 30–40 m • Max Range — 50 m • Feed — 10-round detachable box magazine or 20-round drum magazine • Sights — Iron sights
Design
Design
The USAS-12 is a gas-operated, selective fire weapon, designed to provide sustained firepower in close-combat scenarios. It accepts detachable 10-round box magazines or 20-round drum magazines. Both types of magazine are made of polymer, and drum magazines have their rear side made from translucent polymer for quick determination of the number of shot shells left. It has an effective range of 40 meters. In the early 1990s, a new CQ model of the USAS-12 was created. It looks similar to the original model, but unlike the original, it lacks the front sight and has a re-modeled carry handle. The bolt locks on 1 cylindrical locking piece that moves up into round hole in barrel extension.
History
History
The history of the USAS-12 dates from the 1980s vintage designs of Maxwell Atchisson. In about 1989, Gilbert Equipment Co. (USA) decided to bring up the selective fired weapon, broadly based on principles employed in Atchisson shotguns. The design of the new weapon was produced by John Trevor, Jr. Since Gilbert Equipment Co. had no manufacturing capabilities, it started to look for possible manufacturers. It turned out that the only maker that agreed to produce this weapon was the South Korean company Daewoo Precision Industries, a part of the Daewoo conglomerate. Daewoo engineers adapted the new weapon to their manufacturing techniques, and mass production commenced in the early 1990s. The USAS-12 sold well to military and security forces of several (unspecified) countries in Asia, and more than 30,000 USAS-12 shotguns were made by the mid-1990s.[3] During the same timeframe, Gilbert Equipment Co. tried to bring a semi-automatic version of the USAS-12 to the U.S. market, but Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen classified this firearm as "having no sporting purpose", so it became a "destructive device" under the U.S. National Firearms Act of 1934.[5] This greatly restricted its civilian use. During the late 1990s, RAMO Defence Co. began to assemble USAS-12 shotguns from Korean and U.S.-made parts for sale on the domestic market, but sales of this weapon were limited to government agencies only. The shotgun is still being manufactured by S&T Daewoo (now SNT Motiv) in Korea for military and law enforcement sales only.[6] A U.S. firearms manufacturer, Ameetec Arms LLC of Scottsdale, Arizona, started the manufacture of a USAS-12 semi-automatic clone in 2007, called the WM-12; it mainly differs from the USAS-12 by the lack of fixed sights and carrying handle, replaced by a Picatinny rail. The manufacturer stated that the WM-12 is not a "destructive device", and would thus be readily available to civilians.[7] As of January 2008, however, the WM-12 was no longer to be found on Ameetec Arms online catalogs, because it was discontinued after its pre-production run. Only a few WM-12s were built using USAS-12 demilitarized shotguns.
Users
Users
• Brazil: Used by the GRUMEC and army Special Forces battalions[8] • Colombia:Used by GAULA, and COPES[11] • Dominican Republic:Used by Dominican Army • Philippines:Used by private security forces.[12] • Peru • South Korea:Used by the 707th Special Mission Group[15] • Thailand
Non-state Users
Non-state Users
• Grupos de autodefensa comunitaria[16][17] • Flag of the KNLA.svg Karen National Liberation Army[18] • Los Zetas[19] • Infoboxnpa.png New People's Army[20]
Conflicts
Conflicts
• Mexican drug war • Karen Conflict • New People's Army rebellion
Places
Named by the record
Places
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South Korea and United States
Country
Daewoo Precision Industries USAS-12 is associated with South Korea and United States.
Country
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.McCollum, Ian. Video: USAS-12 Combat Shotgun. Forgotten Weapons.
- 2.Lee, Jerry. The Official Gun Digest Book of Guns & Prices 2013. Krause Publications. 1162 Dead link. January 2024. 978-1-4402-3543-6.
- 3.Modern Firearms – USAS-12. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
- 4.Thompson, Leroy. The Powerful USAS-12 Full-Auto Shotgun. Firearms News. 2024-02-27.
- 5.Walker, Robert E. Cartridges and Firearm Identification. CRC Press. 369. 2013. 978-1-4665-8881-3.
- 6.USAS-12. Modern Firearms. 2010-10-27.
- 7.Ameetec Arms WM-12. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- 8.Armas que o exercito brasileiro usa - armas e bombas.projeteis.
- 9.World Infantry Weapons: Colombia. 2016-03-12.
- 10.Con fusiles atacan al Gaula en el occidente de Medellín - 360 Radio. 2018-03-15.
- 11.Dueñas, Ronald. COPES - Policía Nacional de Colombia. 2010-07-20.
- 12.www.wazile.com, Wazile Technology Solutions-. The Pros and Cons of Being a Security Guard in the Philippines. Corinthians Group of Companies. 2019-02-20.
- 13.World Infantry Weapons: Peru. 2016-05-29.
- 14.World Infantry Weapons: South Korea. 2016-03-12.
- 15.Picard, Michael. Trade Update 2019: Transfers, Transparency and Southeast Asia Spotlight. Small Arms Survey. December 2019.
- 16.Ya van 83 detenidos en Michoacán - Al Minuto. www.alminuto.mx.
- 17.Hernández, César. Mexico's lost guns: 13,000 over 10 years. Mexico News Daily. 2016-06-08.
- 18.Julius Schrank - Karen state. www.juliusschrank.com.
- 19.ALTHAUS, DUDLEY. Zetas' guns, uniforms captured in raid near Eagle Pass. Chron. 2011-06-10.
- 20.NPA squad leader captured, firearms seized in DavOr. Philippine News Agency.
References
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References
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Daewoo Precision Industries USAS-12 is associated with South Korea and United States. Classified as a shotgun. Connected to 1 other published record in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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