Armsel Protecta Bulldog
Armsel (Pty) Ltd · Shotgun · Limited Production · 1989
Also known as: Protecta Bulldog, Armsel Bulldog
Overview
The Armsel Protecta Bulldog is a compact 12-gauge revolving shotgun, the shortest-barreled member of the South African Protecta family that descended from Hilton R. Walker's original Armsel Striker. Like the full-size Protecta, it feeds from a 12-round non-detachable revolving cylinder, but the cylinder is indexed by a manually operated swinging front grip rather than the Striker's pre-wound clockwork spring, and a redesigned mechanism ejects spent cases automatically. The Bulldog is stripped down for close-quarters use: it carries a stubby 171mm (roughly 6.7 inch) barrel and dispenses with the top-folding tubular stock entirely, leaving only the pistol grip and vertical foregrip for control. The double-action-only trigger produces a heavy, consistent pull, and the smoothbore barrel chambers standard 2-3/4 inch (70mm) 12 gauge shells. The result is a very short, high-capacity riot and personal-defense weapon intended for security and law-enforcement applications. It is produced in limited numbers in South Africa, later under Reutech Defense Industries, and shares most of its internal mechanism with the standard Protecta.
Specifications
| Barrel Length | 171 mm (6.73") |
| Action Type | Double Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Double Action Only |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 12 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Revolving Cylinder |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Aluminum |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Matte Black |
Calibers
- 12 Gauge · primary — also known as 12 ga, 12 bore
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Revolving Cylinder
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Revolving Cylinder Drum, Manual Cylinder Advance, Swinging Front Grip, Automatic Cartridge Ejection, Stockless, Short Barrel, Vertical Foregrip, Iron Sights, Pistol Grip
Base model
Service history
Operators
- South African Police Service
Production
Production years: 1989-present
Compact variant of the Armsel/Reutech Protecta, produced in limited quantities in South Africa.
Origin
Country of origin: South Africa
Designer: Hilton R. Walker
Notes
The Bulldog is essentially a shortened, stockless Protecta with a 171mm barrel, the smallest configuration offered in the Protecta line (which ranged up to a 760mm barrel). Detailed published specifications specific to the Bulldog are scarce; weight and overall length are not reliably documented and are left null rather than estimated. Cylinder capacity, gauge, action and ejection system are inherited from the standard Protecta. As with all revolving shotguns of this family, loading is slow because each of the twelve chambers must be charged individually.
Background
The Bulldog squeezes twelve 12-gauge chambers into a shotgun barely longer than a large revolver -- a stockless, snub-barreled evolution of the Striker's fearsome revolving drum, built for security work in the tight quarters where a full-length shotgun simply will not fit.