Wilkinson Tactical ‘FrankenGun,’ Adaptable .308 & 12 Gauge AR! — NRA 2016

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The prototype 12-gauge CR-12, as shown at the 2016 NRA Annual Meeting. It is patterned after the Stoner AR design and can be converted to also fire .308 Win.

The prototype 12-gauge CR-12, as shown at the 2016 NRA Annual Meeting. It is patterned after the Stoner AR design and can be converted to also fire .308 Win.

Magazine-fed shotguns have fascinated me since my childhood growing up in the 1980s. I would see hodge-podge “frankengun” creations in television shows and movies, such as the one seen in the film Alien Nation, and wanted to own one for myself. Alas, while it was all for naught then, today things are a bit different. And, thanks to the efforts of Wilkinson Tactical, there is a very interesting option on the horizon for enthusiasts of mag-fed scatterguns. That option is the CR-12.

Shown in prototype form, the semi-automatic Wilkinson Tactical CR-12 on display caught my eye as I was walking down the aisles of the 2016 NRA Annual Meeting. Designed to fire 2¾-inch 12 gauge shells, the CR-1 features an 18.5-inch barrel and feeds from a detachable five-round box magazine. Operationally, the CR-12 will be easy to use for anyone familiar with a traditional AR rifle.

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Anyone familiar with the AR will be right at home with the CR-12 semi-automatic shotgun from Wilkinson Tactical.

Anyone familiar with the AR will be right at home with the CR-12 semi-automatic shotgun from Wilkinson Tactical.

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The CR-12 is planned to be offered with an optional EOTech holographic weapon sight.

The CR-12 is planned to be offered with an optional EOTech holographic weapon sight.

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The CR-12 employs an AR-pattern collapsible stock, flat-top upper receiver with integral Picatinny rail and matching strip of Picatinny rail along the top of the free-floating handguard. To enhance user-friendliness, the CR-12 employs fully ambidextrous controls and a double set trigger. Nickel boron plated internal components and HiViz custom tactical sights round out the package. An EOTech Holographic Weapon Sight will be an optional addition.

The CR-12 features familiar AR-style controls such as a forward assist and charging handle.

The CR-12 features familiar AR-style controls such as a forward assist and charging handle.

Also of note is the fact that the CR-12 is designed to be readily adaptable to fire 7.62mm/.308 Win. This is accomplished by simply swapping out the upper for one of the company’s CR-10 .308 upper receiver assemblies. Standard 7.62mm/.308 AR magazines are claimed fit into the magazine well with no adapter needed.

For more information, contact [email protected] for more information.

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  • Archangel May 25, 2016, 12:43 am

    You know, “TheFlatSpot” sells a weld together AR-308 lower kit, and I’m sure you could modify it to fit whatever you want.
    Finding the upper, bolt and barrel is the real issue.

  • arthur murphy May 23, 2016, 1:52 pm

    whats the price for the complete 2 caliber set up ? and is it available now? where can i buy one

  • Duray May 23, 2016, 1:46 pm

    Pretty much any shotgun that’s not break action is “magazine fed.”

  • Gem Gram May 23, 2016, 12:00 pm

    Actually, you can “roll your own” for a whole lot less. AND put in exactly what you want for a custom gun. Personally I like the 260 Remington or 6.5 Creedmore in the AR platform and there are all sorts of other fun ways to play with the AR-10 AR-308 platform. I have built them in very light weight guns as well as standard. And a couple with Magpul PRS sniper configurations. Anyone familiar with AR 15 building can easily put one together. It is the actual beauty of the AR platform and that goes for big boy as well. Certainly the “Barbie” guns are fun to play with but you can seriously put together some fun options with the AR-10 AR 308 platform. 308, 7MM-08, 260, 6.5 Creedmore, 243, 22-250. etc, etc. So put together a lower you like (hopefully with a great trigger” and then have fun with everything from a serious battle rifle to a fun “puppy-gun”. And almost all of them will shoot sub MOA and some even better. It really is quite amazing. And the beauty is that you build it to exactly fit you and with ONLY what you want. Personally I like the lighter weight ones with lighter weight “sniper stocks” in the 6.5 area with pencil barrels and 18 to 20 inch area. But I do have a couple of long barrel options that simply amaze me. BTW I am an old M-14 man who was a total skeptic of “Matti-Metal” but I have since changed my mind. I of course have the smaller variations but those bigger ones and their accuracy and dependability have won me over. How many guns can you put together yourself when you are not a gun-smith that you can take out and immediately shoot sub MOA. So for the same money you can have a great rifle that is exactly what you want and it with about three different calibers to fit anything you want from shooting those nice little rodents to those big nasty “rats” at distance. But be sure to make a great bottom and you are in business.

    • beav May 23, 2016, 8:41 pm

      right there , you put it out of alot of peoples price range . eo tech , 500.00 sight , out of this veterans price range . why do co’s do this ? the rifle probaly costs a small fortune already ! hey , maybe i’ll hit thr lotto !

    • Eric Kevitt May 24, 2016, 1:49 pm

      Yep,.. I agree ! So many ppl overlook the .260 Rem. round anymore, especially with all the hype of the 6.5 creed. Great round it is,.. Building an AR platform isn’t all that hard,.. certainly not as hard as people think it is that haven’t done it yet. I was amazed how easy it actually was. That said , If there was just a build kit or upper receiver that can shuck a 12 ga shell out the eject. port and bbl’s in 12ga, available, it wouldn’t be a big deal at all to get an AR-10 platform to accept a shotgun set up… the AR is the most versatile platform there is. And you could put any cal. with a 7.62×51 parent case on it also, n’ then some. I do still like the older guns though like the M-14, and other WW2 guns,…

  • Romney Dickinson May 23, 2016, 11:58 am

    A 20 ga. in 3″, wouldn’t that bring the recoil and rise right back to the 12 ga.? What would best defensive load be #2’s, or which buckshot? Also, I have several local gun dealers very unhappy with poor quality and warranty coverage on the Mossberg label. Nightmare time when sent off for repair and difficult C S. I have a 55 yo Remington11-48 20 ga. and kill better than 12s and 10s on geese. That is, of course that I don’t skybust.

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