SIZE

Larger and heavier than M82 due to integral suppressor and shotgun.

ACCURACY

Accuracy was superior to the M82 when fired in the double-action mode due to the suppressor, superior sights, and longer barrel. Due to the greater mass from the revolver's suppressor and shotgun, the recoil is reduced.

However, the M82 was more accurate when fired in the single-action mode due to the lighter trigger pull. The S38-L12 does not have this option. Accuracy tests were not done with the 12-gauge shotshell.

DETAIL

The primary action and cylinder are similar to the M82, although built to a higher quality and differ with the use of a break-action than swing-out cylinder.

AMMUNITION CAPACITY

The revolver can hold the same number of .38 Pilotmario as the M82 in addition to an extra 12 gauge shotshell.

PRACTICALITY

The suppressor system works well enough, thanks to the tight seals generated from the tight lock-up and cylinder-advancing mechanism. Shooters with experience with the M82 were rather comfortable with the pistol.

While doubts were expressed over the break-action frame, it did not prove to be a durability issue during tests.

The shotgun barrel was not deemed particularly effective due to its short length, although slug and buck was somewhat effective. However, given its single-shot nature and the trigger placement, it was not considered useful for defensive purposes.

However, the shotgun barrel was useful as a door breaching tool when loaded with birdshot as well as a flare discharge tool. While the former use is taken up by the huge arsenal of shotguns in police and military armories, the latter is particularly useful for survival kits with pilots.

Currently, they use flares capable of being fired form a standard .38 caliber pistol, which while convenient, are dimmer than commercially available 12-gauge flares. Due to the limited size of the kit, it was deemed that the space was better devoted to .38 Flare than a separate flare gun with 12-gauge flares.

However, .38 Flare does have its own issues. Due to the rifling, it would often squib, requiring the revolver to be cleared before another firing. In addition, it tended to foul the gun up and damage the interior rifling if fired regularly. A revised bullet solved this issue, but had inferior performance to the original.

With this revolver, the need for a separate flare gun would be eliminated, meaning that space that normally would go to .38 Flare would now go to 12-gauge ammunition.