The Pancor Corporation Jackhammer is a combat shotgun. It is a 12 gauge, gas-operated automatic weapon. With its stylish design, it is one of very few fully automatic shotguns. Patented in 1987 it has not entered full scale production, although its distinctive appearance has made it popular in violent television programs, films and computer games. Several years ago, the owners of the design, Mark III, attempted to sell the patents, prototypes, and production rights for $350,000 (US).
The weapon, excluding the barrel, is largely of a plastic (rynite) construction to reduce weight, with a bullpup layout to preserve barrel length in an overall 787 mm. The gun is fed by a 10 round capacity center-rotating drum using conventional 18.5 × 76 mm cartridges. The gun weighs 4.57 kg and has a maximum rate of fire of 240 rpm. The gas-operated weapon is fed from a 10-round pre-loaded cylindrical magazine and uses a method of cylinder rotation very similar to the Webley-Fosbery semi-automatic revolver.
The floating barrel is driven forward by gas pressure from the fired round. It is returned by a spring and moves the drum operating rod, breaking the tight seal between the barrel and the drum and allowing the drum to revolve to offer the next round. On the return stroke the barrel and drum are resealed allowing the round to be fired without loss of gas. Spent cartridges are not ejected, remaining in the magazine. Planned future vesions would carry a unique and distinctive feature; the magazine drum can be used as an antipersonnel mine. Called "The Beartrap", it detonates by firing all 10 shotgun rounds simultaneously when it is triggered by the weight of a person stepping on it.
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