12-MK3 Street Sweeper Revolver Shotgun

Sometimes, looking back helps us find solutions to situations that we experience nowadays. That seems to be the case for APS with this 12-MK3 Street Sweeper Revolver Shotgun, a replica of the Striker-12 from the late 80s. Why’s that? Just wait, we’ll explain.

The Revolver Shotgun

Just like the real one, this replica uses a special drum mechanism similar to that of a revolver, which gives it a greater load capacity (12 cartridges compared to 7+1 which as standard, we will be able to load in an APS CAM870). However, the cylinder won’t revolve with trigger action because it’s too big and heavy. This is why it has a preload system (hence the drum handle) which is released with each shot.

Advantages

The fact that, as a revolver, it doesn’t automatically eject bushings with each shot is a “problem” that was resolved in actions of the real model. However, in Airsoft this becomes an advantage because it helps us to avoid losing them and/or damaging them when they fall on the ground, since with the APS Mk3 version, the CO2 load goes in the cartridges and not in the chamber like with the Mk2.

Disadvantages

With the handle we’ll be able to make up to just over three full turns (37 positions), which will gradually slacken with each shot. Having said that, it slackens more quickly in our tests (32 shots), making it difficult to calculate how many shots we will still be able to make with the tension that’s left after the first reload.

History of the model

Hilton Walker designed the Striker-12 in Rhodesia, the current Zimbabwe, in the 80s. It was initially funded and produced by Armsel, but in its almost 50 years of history, various versions have been developed at the hands of different manufacturers. During the administration of U.S. president Bill Clinton, in 1993 the civilian version of this model was declared a “destructive device” (it was put in the same category as a mortar or a rocket launcher). Anyone who owned the firearm was hunted down by the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives), meaning it almost completely disappeared from the civilian market.

Playing it safe

Although this shotgun model is completely different to what we’re used to seeing on an Airsoft field (at least on the outside), it has been developed based on the tested and well-known CAM870 Cartridge Ejection System, which APS has been working on for years.  And just like with the CAM, this replica comes in two versions: the Mk2, in which gas is loaded in the bolt and the Mk3, in which CO2 is loaded in the cartridges. This means that the cartridges are different in every model.

Features

12-MK2

Calibre: 6mm
Operation: Green Gas load in the replica (similar to the APS CAM MkII)
Speed: Average of 320 FPS with a cartridge with 1-3 bbs weighing 0.20 g 
Capacity: 12 cartridges
Maximum range: 20 m
Effective range: 15 m
Firing modes: Safe/Fire
Materials: Plastic body, holster and butt pad; metal barrel, stock and cylinder 

12-MK3

Calibre: 6mm
Operation: CO2 load in the cartridges (similar to the APS CAM MkIII)
Speed: Average of 230-270 FPS with a cartridge with 11 bbs weighing 0.20 g 
Capacity: 12 cartridges
Maximum range: 20 m
Effective range: 15 m
Firing modes: Safe/Fire
Materials: Plastic body, holster and butt pad; metal barrel, stock and cylinder

RELOADS

LOAD
Before starting, it is recommendable to slacken the winder of the drum when dry firing, but don’t do that if you still have loaded cartridges left. We open the ejection port on the back part of the magazine and after inserting the new cartridge, we rotate the handle that winds up the cylinder to move to the next space. It’s important to do this gently because excess force might make us move forward two positions, and the only way we can go back to the previous one is by dry firing. When we’ve finished loading the cartridges, we’ll wind it up with the handle.

DISCHARGE
We open the ejection port and with the handle on the right side of the barrel (this isn’t the cocking handle, but the complete opposite), we will push back any rod ejected by the magazine. To change space, we’ll have to rotate the handle and if it reaches its maximum, we’ll have to make the magazine rotate in the opposite direction by dry firing.

TOP TIP 
As the system is tedious and quite slow, we can speed it up if, after removing a used cartridge, we then insert a new one before making the drum rotate. This saves us time, but it also makes us keep count of whether the next cartridge is new or used. The system seems simple, but you have to get the hang of it if you don’t want the shotgun to end up being your worst enemy.

Where have I seen it before?

We might have seen this model and its different versions and variants in a large number of films, series and even video games before it reached Airsoft. These include:

Films
Kick-Ass (2010)
Battlestar Galactica (2009)
District 9 (2009)
Smokin’ Aces (2007)
The Punisher (2004)
The World is Not Enough (1999)
RoboCop 3 (1993)
RoboCop 2 (1990)

Series
Striker Back (Temporada 2, 2011 & Temporarda 3, 2013)
Burn Notice (2007-2013)
Stargate SG1 (1997-2007)

Video Games
Battlefield 2042 (2021)
CoD: BO Cold War (2020)
Payday 2 (2013)
Battlefield 4 (2013)
Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
CoD MW 3 (2011)
Battlefield 3 (2011)
CoD MW 3 (2009)
Grand Theft Auto IV (2009)
Resident Evil 5 (2009)
Army Of Two (2008)
Resident Evil 4 (2005)