Charles Daly Honcho

About the Charles Daly Honcho

The Charles Daly Honcho is a compact pump-action shotgun built around a 14-inch barrel and a bird's-head pistol grip in place of a conventional shoulder stock. Because it ships from the factory without a buttstock and has an overall length over 26 inches, it is classified by the ATF as a non-NFA 'firearm' rather than a short-barreled shotgun, putting it in the same category as the Mossberg Shockwave and Remington Tac-14. Imported from Turkey and introduced at SHOT Show 2018, the 12-gauge model feeds five 3-inch shells from a tubular magazine, weighs about 4.7 pounds, and uses a fixed cylinder bore for close-range defensive and utility use.

The Honcho rode the wave of 'firearm'-class non-NFA shotguns that followed Mossberg's Shockwave, exploiting an ATF classification quirk in which a sub-18-inch-barrel gun avoids short-barreled-shotgun registration simply by never having worn a shoulder stock and staying over 26 inches overall. Charles Daly pushed the concept furthest with the later Honcho Tactical Triple, a three-barreled bird's-head 12-gauge.

Charles Daly Honcho specifications

Maneuverable firearm format, not legally a shotgun under US federal law due to the absence of a shoulder stock; adding a vertical foregrip would make it an Any Other Weapon (AOW). Offered in 12 gauge, 20 gauge, and .410 bore; the .410 variant uses an unusual spring-assisted pump action.