After the Benelli inertia system patent expired, we’ve seen an explosion in the number of shotguns using their system. It’s easy to see why: they’re simple in number of parts, clean shooting, and very reliable. The Girsan MC312 is an inertia-driven, semi automatic shotgun made in Turkey. It’s budget priced (I got this one on sale for cheap from Cabela’s) and copies a lot from the Benelli M2. In the US, these are imported by EAA and were selling for as low as $300 at one point.
Specs
- 28″ barrel
- Weight: 7 lbs
- 7lb trigger pull
- Fiber optic front sight
- 5 in the tube (2 with the plug), 1 in the chamber
- 3″ or 3.5″ chamber
- Mine came with a ton of chokes (5) but it uses mobile chokes if you want more
- There’s a version with a pistol grip stock
- One version comes with a red dot
- Comes in black or camo or wood
Here’s a video review from my Slam Fire co-host Kyle:
Why are Turkish shotguns so cheap? Because their country and economy are run by a complete moron and their currency has been on a headlong dive for well over a decade. That’s terrible for the Turkish people but great for us who buy their stuff for cheap. Note: some Turkish guns are pretty good but some others are crap. Quality varies between manufacturers.
Girsan MC312 as a cheap 3 gun shotgun
As a starter semi-auto 3 gun shotgun, the Girsan 312 is about as cheap as you can go and still get any semblance of reliability. The current crowd favorite for a cheap 3 gun shotgun is the Stoeger M3K but here in Canada, it’s closer to $750 while the 312 can be $400-450.
3 gun mods for the MC312:
- Add a magazine tube extension (see my article on shotgun capacity here): this one takes Nova/supernova extension tubes
- Open up the loading port
- Weld lifter
- Optional: work over the trigger or replace trigger parts with Benelli parts
Benelli M2 and other Parts Compatibility with the MC312
- You can swap out whole trigger packs and run an M2 or Franchi trigger pack in the MC312.
- You can swap in a Taran Tactical M2 spring kit & lifter
- Benelli Super Nova magazine tube extensions work, some may required that you cut off a bit of the magazine tube (thread or two)
- Takes Beretta/Benelli Mobil chokes (tons of aftermarket options, common in Turkish shotguns if you already have some)
- You can change out the fiber optic rod if you want
Update Oct 2023: I put a 10804 buttpad on there. Drill new screw holes and it goes on EZ.
What definitely won’t fit:
- Charging handles
- Barrels
- Benelli BCG won’t fit
- Recoil spring is a bit different length
- Forends
Cons to the Girsan MC-312
- The butt pad is pretty hard and needs to be replaced
- Needs 1oz target loads or heavier because it won’t run light loads (this is pretty common with inertia shotguns though. It’s tough to make a gun that cycles target loads AND heavy goose loads)
- I don’t really like the forked lifter (bad for catching fingers)
Conclusion
“Cheap” doesn’t usually go along with “reliable” when it comes to semi auto shotguns. A lot of the really cheap semi-auto turk shotguns suffer from really poor reliability but the Girsan MC312 is OK as long as you use heavier target loads, duck/goose rounds, and let it work in. Because it’s a clone of the reliable Benelli, it is likely to be able to run reliably for long spans without much cleaning needed. As a cheap duck/goose gun, or a cheap semi-auto 3 gun shotgun, it may turn out to be a new favorite.
