Tokarev TBP 12 Bullpup 12 Gauge 18.5 in. – Superb Magazine Fed Semi Auto Shotgun

Description

The Tokarev TBP 12 Bullpup puts an 18.5 inch barrel into a gun the length of most carbines. That is the whole point of a bullpup: the action sits behind the trigger, so you keep the barrel and lose about eight inches of overall length.

On a home defense shotgun that matters more than on almost any other firearm, because the places you would actually use one are hallways and doorways. The Tokarev TBP 12 Bullpup is also magazine fed, which removes the other thing people dislike about defensive shotguns.

What the Tokarev TBP 12 Bullpup actually is

• A semi-automatic 12 gauge shotgun with a 3 inch chamber, feeding from a detachable box magazine.
• An 18.5 inch proof tested 4140 steel barrel in a bullpup layout, so overall length is far shorter than a conventional shotgun with the same barrel.
• A black polymer bullpup stock with a rubber recoil pad and an AR pattern pistol grip and safety.
• A full length M1913 Picatinny rail along the top with polymer flip-up sights fitted.
• One five round magazine supplied, with ten round magazines and a twenty round drum available separately.
• A choke tube kit with cylinder, modified and full tubes plus a wrench, a sling and the manual in the box.

Why magazine fed changes what a defensive shotgun is

• A tube fed shotgun is loaded one shell at a time and unloaded the same way, which is slow and is where most handling accidents happen.
• The Tokarev TBP 12 Bullpup takes a box magazine, so loading is the same motion as any rifle and unloading means dropping the magazine and cycling once.
• It also means you can keep different loads ready. A magazine of buckshot and a magazine of slugs is a swap rather than a shell by shell exercise.
• Magazine fed shotguns are pickier about ammunition than tube guns. Low recoil and reduced power loads are the usual culprits.
• Run full power 2 3/4 inch loads while you are learning the gun, then test anything lighter before you rely on it.

Tokarev TBP 12 Bullpup specifications

• Gauge: 12 gauge, 3 in. chamber
• Action: Semi-automatic, magazine fed
• Capacity: 5+1 with the supplied magazine
• Barrel: 18.5 in., proof tested 4140 steel
• Layout: Bullpup
• Sights: Polymer flip-up front and rear
• Rail: Full length M1913 Picatinny
• Chokes: Cylinder, modified and full supplied with a wrench
• Stock: Black polymer bullpup with rubber recoil pad
• Controls: AR pattern pistol grip and safety
• Magazines: MKA / T-1919 pattern, up to 20 round drums available
• In the box: One magazine, sling, choke tube kit and wrench, flip-up sights, manual
• Item number: 21000105
• Warranty: One year limited plus a lifetime service plan on material defects

Magazines and ammunition for the Tokarev TBP 12 Bullpup

Tokarev USA publishes the TBP sheet on its own site if you want the manufacturer view alongside ours: the TBP 12 product page confirms the barrel, the rail, the choke tube kit and the magazine pattern.

• Magazines are MKA / T-1919 pattern. Tokarev sells them in ten round and twenty round drum versions. We do not currently stock that pattern, so buy them from a source that lists TBP 12 or TAR 12 compatibility explicitly.
• Do not assume other Turkish shotgun magazines fit. The five round SDS magazine we stock is cut for MFPA pattern guns such as the MK1919, ANG 4PT and MP12, and Tokarev does not list it for the Tokarev TBP 12 Bullpup.
• For buckshot, Fiocchi 3-Gun Match 00 Buckshot is a full power nine pellet load that a gas gun will cycle reliably.
• For slugs, Brenneke 12 gauge mini slug gives you a second magazine full of something quite different for very little money.
• Pattern your chokes before you rely on them. Cylinder throws the widest and is usually right indoors; modified tightens it up considerably at longer range.

Living with a bullpup shotgun

The trigger is the thing everybody mentions. A bullpup places the action behind the trigger, so the pull travels through a linkage and feels longer and less direct than a conventional shotgun. It is not a fault and it is not fixable; it is how the layout works.

The balance is rearward, which is why the Tokarev TBP 12 Bullpup handles so well in confined space and why it feels odd if you have only shot field guns. Mount it a few dozen times before you decide.

Ejection is to the side and fairly close to your face by the standards of a conventional shotgun. Eye protection is not optional with this layout.

And run it before you trust it. Magazine fed semi-automatic shotguns are more ammunition sensitive than tube guns, so put a couple of boxes of whatever you intend to keep in it through the gun first.

Why the Tokarev TBP 12 Bullpup earns its place

• An 18.5 inch barrel in a package shorter than most carbines is a genuine advantage indoors and in a vehicle.
• Magazine feeding removes the slowest and most error prone part of running a defensive shotgun.
• The choke tubes are included, so the same gun patterns buckshot tightly or throws birdshot open without buying anything.
• A full length rail means a red dot or a light goes on without an adapter.
• It is one of the least expensive ways into a magazine fed semi-automatic 12 gauge.

The Tokarev TBP 12 Bullpup suits home defense, a truck gun where length matters, and anyone who wants a shotgun that loads like a rifle. The bullpup layout takes a little getting used to, particularly the trigger, which runs through a linkage to reach the action behind it.

It is not a bird gun and it is not a clays gun. The balance is rearward by design and the trigger is not a match unit. Every firearm on this page ships to your chosen FFL for transfer and pickup.

One more point on length, because it is the reason to choose this layout. A conventional 12 gauge with an 18.5 inch barrel runs close to forty inches overall. The Tokarev TBP 12 Bullpup puts the same barrel in a package roughly eight inches shorter, which is the difference between clearing a doorway cleanly and catching the muzzle on the frame.