MAUL: Electric Semi Auto Shotgun?

photo via defense updateThe Metal Storm Maul isn't a gun from HALO; its an electric powered shotgun that is mounted to the front of an M16. This isn't necessarily an effort to go green, but rather an efficient means of mounting a shotgun in a compact space.

The above video shows the Maul in action, but something seems a little strange. The tester of the Maul is firing offhand and little recoil seems to be present. My guess is that light ammo was used for testing or perhaps the electronic action does something amazing. The barrel of the Maul is constructed from steel and the body is made up of carbon fibre. The beauty of this weapon lies in the multitude of ammunitions and functions it can accomplish. A breaching tool, less than lethal crowd control, and old school shotgun power are just a few of the tasks the Maul is capable of handling.

Information about the Metal Storm is a little light, but here are some additional specs from the manufacturer:

• Door breaching capability
• Improved firepower to weight ratio - at 2.75 pounds, the MAUL is the lightest multishot accessory shotgun available.
• No moving parts - Metal Storm guns have no moving parts for high reliability.
• Safe operation - The MAUL features a number of mechanical and electrical interlocks making it one of the safest guns to operate.
• Cost effective - The MAUL is inexpensive to acquire, use and maintain.
• Lethal/less-lethal in one weapon
• Boresight aligned
• Standard battery - off the shelf

We'll see if this ever makes it to the proconsumer level, but overall it looks like a sweet innovation!

Hat Tip via The Firearm Blog