Girsan MC312 Review

Girsan MC312 Review

After the Benelli inertia system patent expired, we’ve seen an explosion in the number of shotguns using their system. It’s easy to see why: they’re simple in number of parts, clean shooting, and very reliable. The Girsan MC312 is an inertia-driven, semi automatic shotgun made in Turkey. It’s budget priced (I got this one on sale for cheap from Cabela’s) and copies a lot from the Benelli M2. In the US, these are imported by EAA and were selling for as low as $300 at one point.

Specs

  • 28″ barrel
  • Weight: 7 lbs
  • 7lb trigger pull
  • Fiber optic front sight
  • 5 in the tube (2 with the plug), 1 in the chamber
  • 3″ or 3.5″ chamber
  • Mine came with a ton of chokes (5) but it uses mobile chokes if you want more
  • There’s a version with a pistol grip stock
  • One version comes with a red dot
  • Comes in black or camo or wood

Here’s a video review from my Slam Fire co-host Kyle:

Why are Turkish shotguns so cheap? Because their country and economy are run by a complete moron and their currency has been on a headlong dive for well over a decade. That’s terrible for the Turkish people but great for us who buy their stuff for cheap. Note: some Turkish guns are pretty good but some others are crap. Quality varies between manufacturers.

Girsan MC312 as a cheap 3 gun shotgun

As a starter semi-auto 3 gun shotgun, the Girsan 312 is about as cheap as you can go and still get any semblance of reliability. The current crowd favorite for a cheap 3 gun shotgun is the Stoeger M3K but here in Canada, it’s closer to $750 while the 312 can be $400-450.

3 gun mods for the MC312:

  • Add a magazine tube extension (see my article on shotgun capacity here): this one takes Nova/supernova extension tubes
  • Open up the loading port
  • Weld lifter
  • Optional: work over the trigger or replace trigger parts with Benelli parts

Benelli M2 and other Parts Compatibility with the MC312

  • You can swap out whole trigger packs and run an M2 or Franchi trigger pack in the MC312.
    • You can swap in a Taran Tactical M2 spring kit & lifter
  • Benelli Super Nova magazine tube extensions work, some may required that you cut off a bit of the magazine tube (thread or two)
  • Takes Beretta/Benelli Mobil chokes (tons of aftermarket options, common in Turkish shotguns if you already have some)
  • You can change out the fiber optic rod if you want

For the buttpad: Limbsaver 10810 works but isn’t an exact match. However, the Limbsaver 10804 fit exactly but the screw holes dont match up so you have to screw through the plastic to get the holes to match and tighten it up

Update Oct 2023: I put a 10804 buttpad on there. Drill new screw holes and it goes on EZ.

What definitely won’t fit:

  • Charging handles
  • Barrels
  • Benelli BCG won’t fit
  • Recoil spring is a bit different length
  • Forends

Cons to the Girsan MC-312

  • The butt pad is pretty hard and needs to be replaced
  • Needs 1oz target loads or heavier because it won’t run light loads (this is pretty common with inertia shotguns though. It’s tough to make a gun that cycles target loads AND heavy goose loads)
  • I don’t really like the forked lifter (bad for catching fingers)

Conclusion

“Cheap” doesn’t usually go along with “reliable” when it comes to semi auto shotguns. A lot of the really cheap semi-auto turk shotguns suffer from really poor reliability but the Girsan MC312 is OK as long as you use heavier target loads, duck/goose rounds, and let it work in. Because it’s a clone of the reliable Benelli, it is likely to be able to run reliably for long spans without much cleaning needed. As a cheap duck/goose gun, or a cheap semi-auto 3 gun shotgun, it may turn out to be a new favorite.

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