A subsidiary of Armscor Precision, Rock Island Armory is known for its line of imported handguns, rifles and shotguns. Having moved toward making more of its products in the U.S., in 2022, the company opened up a new manufacturing facility in Cedar City, Utah. The latest product to come from that location is the Pak-Out, a unique firearm that Rock Island offers in two configurations.
The Pak-Out Long is a 3-inch-chambered, 12-gauge, pump-action shotgun that feeds from an underbarrel tubular magazine that holds four shells. And that is where its conventional features end. Its pump mechanism is spring-assisted, which means you compress a spring on the action’s opening stroke that will close the action under its own force.
An additional benefit of the spring-loaded mechanism is that it keeps the Pak-Out’s action closed when it is folded for transport or storage. The anodized aluminum receiver has a hinge at the front of the loading port. Pushing the latch at the upper rear of the receiver (which is notched to do double duty as a rear sight) allows the shotgun to fold in two.
With an 18.5-inch barrel, the Pac-Out Long has an overall length of 37.25 inches when deployed. Its pistol-grip buttstock, which has a built-in shell holder, adjusts for length-of-pull and also folds to the side. With both the action and stock folded, the Pak-Out Long is a 26-inch package. It weighs 6.7 lbs. The Pak-Out can be folded with shells in the tube. The barrel is threaded to accept choke tubes of the Remington thread pattern and features a front sight. Its MSRP is $650.
Because it was never designed to be fired from the shoulder, the Pak-Out Short is not a shotgun, but a non-NFA “firearm” by the ATF’s definition. The means its barrel can slip below the 18-inch minimum for shotguns and not require additional paperwork. At the rear is what Rock Island calls an “F grip,” the same as used on the company's VRPF14. This is the “birdshead” grip found on many Shockwave-type firearms. The remainder of the Short’s features follow the Long version, except that it lacks a front sight.
The Pak-Out Short has an overall length of 26.75 inches with its 14.25-inch barrel when deployed and it folds to a mere 18.5 inches. Overall weight is 5.3 pounds. It has an MSRP of $600.
According to Rock Island, the Pak-Out series is perfect for camping, home defense or when placed in a bug-out bag. For more information, see the company's website here.
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