Wheelgun Wednesday: American Gun Craft ROTO 12 Revolver Shotguns

Welcome back to Wheelgun Wednesday, TFB’s weekly article series where we discuss all kinds of firearms with cylinders, including unusual ones like the modern multi-caliber pepperbox that we took a look at a couple of weeks ago or what we have for today's edition - the ROTO 12 revolver shotgun line by American Gun Craft. ROTO 12 shotguns are basically black powder percussion revolvers; each chamber of their cylinders must be primed and loaded with FFG powder and projectile. Well, thanks to that feature, purchasing them does not require an FFL transfer; the company can deliver these wheelguns directly to your doorstep (with a few exceptions).

Wheelgun Wednesday @ TFB:

• Wheelgun Wednesday: The Legendary Smith & Wesson N-Frame
• Wheelgun Wednesday: Looking at K-Frame and L-Frame S&W Revolvers
• Wheelgun Wednesday: A Look At The Manville R12, 12 Gauge Revolver

ROTO 12 shotguns have 12-gauge bore/chamber dimensions and use standard 209 shotgun primers. The 8-shot cylinders have a quick-change design and automatically rotate as fast as the trigger is pulled. These shotguns are compatible with AR-15 pistol grips and buffer tubes/stocks.

The ROTO-12 shotguns are currently available in the following three configurations:

• ROTO 12 Compact Shotgun - a barrel-less version
• ROTO 12 CS “Chain Saw” Shotgun - a 10” barreled version with a chainsaw-style top grip
• ROTO 12 Shotgun AR/AK Under Barrel Mount - an underbarrel version with a 10" barrel

The MSRP of the ROTO 12 Compact Shotgun is $1,255, the ROTO 12 CS “Chain Saw” Shotgun costs $1,535 and the price of the ROTO 12 Shotgun AR/AK Under Barrel Mount is $1,525. Spare cylinders can be purchased for $219. At the time of writing, the ROTO 12 shotguns are available for pre-order with the estimated start of shipping in early Summer 2025. As mentioned in the first paragraph, the company can ship these guns directly to your doorstep throughout the United States (including California) with the exception of New Jersey, Washington D.C., New York State and Illinois; purchases from these states must go through an FFL transfer.