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Even though my shooting activities have been severly curtailed by physical problems, once I saw recent SHOT show reviews on the new MKA 1919 12 gauge semi-auto AR-15 style shotgun, I knew there had to be one in my gun safe.

Here is the link that first attracted my interest: http://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/ar-15-s ... -mka-1919/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My FFL was so impressed with it, he immediately ordered more because he knows it will be a hot selling item once the word starts to spread. So here I am spreading the word......

The MKA 1919 has a solid man size feel to it, nothing cheap or clinky about it. Bolt action is solid and has a good feel to it. Along with the manual safety lever like an AR-15 has, it also has a bolt catch lever like an AR-15 or M-16 has. That is another good safety feature.

It comes with flip up rear sights that flip to a choice of either a pin or a peephole sight. Another very surprising feature that I did not see in any of the writeups about the gun is a removable top carry handle that reveals a rail when removed..... again just like a lot of AR-15 models.

The stock configurations comes with a hard mounted sling mount on the rear underside of the stock, and a swivel type sling mount on the front. It comes with two magazines that each hold five 12 gauge rounds. One is for 2 3/4 shells, the other for 3 inch loads.



The photo above is for size comparison.... the MKA 1919 is at the top, my 1970's era Colt SP-1 is in the middle and my more modern Bushmaster AR-15 model is at the bottom.



The left side Bolt Catch Lever and Safety Lever are just like those of an AR-15.



Bringing the bolt back is easy with this man sized lever, it would be easy to manipulate even with gloves on. Easy to see from this close up photo that it needs a good cleaning to remove all the shipping grease.



Flip type rear sight, notched above, and peep hole below:





Unusual to see 12 gauge shells in an AR type magazine! Each mag holds 5 shells. One mag is supplied for 2 3/4 inch shells, the second mag holds 3 inch shells. The 1919 also comes with three different chokes and a choke tool.



The MKA 1919 is made in Istanbul, Turkey



Imported into the USA by RAAC in Indiana.



Don't know if I will ever get to fire mine, but my son (a Police Officer) sure does like it and has already talked to his department Range Master about taking it out there to break it in. Here is a decent video that Military Arms Channel made when doing a shooting review of the MKA 1919: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzh1HxRxp80" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I went to the gun show at reliant center in Houston, two weeks ago and saw a few for sale there. If felt very tough and not cheap feeling at all. They were priced around $700 at the show if I remember correctly.

I know it's been a while since the original post, but was hoping to get some feedback after breaking in the MKA 1919. The local FFL I've gotten to know since moving got a shipment in recently and has an extra one. All hype or worth the investment? I'm particulalry concerned about long term durability.

I have one - bought it last April. Had nothing but light strikes at first, but the distributor in Indiana is pretty good about customer service, so the gun was ultimately replaced.

Now that its functional, I love it. Will cycle low power target shot now (you need to break it in with 1400-1500 fps shot). I recently put a camo paint job on the stock and hand guard.

The only drawback is that there are few accessories, unlike a saiga. Tromix was making stuff, but apparently stopped. Would like to put an adjustable stock on it, but would need to do a full 922r conversion on it.

Out of the box, it puts a saiga to shame. I still have yet to see a saiga cycle light loads, without a stovepipe. Alright, now for the saiga lovers to start bashing me.

I appreciate the insight. I actually "pulled the trigger" on it and it should be arriving at my FFL in the next few days. I've ready about cycling issues with light loads, but I probably won't be shooting many light loads through this anyway. I'll definitely break it in well, regardless, so I'll know what time of ammo to feed it. I didn't realize that Tromix had stopped making accessories for the MKA 1919, but there's a local gun smith who's all setup to put on an adjustable stock and ensure the whole thing's 922(r) compliant -- and I'm considering going that route.

Heard that Tromix stopped as there aren't enough guns to offer economies of scale for the manufacturing process. Most sites are sold out of their stuff.

Firebird Precision has produced some parts. A company called Chaosus is taking orders for quad rails. But that makes me nervous.

Cheaper Than Dirt is pushing the gun now, so I expect sales to pick up quite a bit.

I've had a lot of range time with the gun, including some clay pigeon shooting. That got some looks, and a visit from the range officer because he said someone complained about a "guy shooting an AR on the shotgun range".