The NeoStead 2000 shotgun is a very interesting piece of South African ingenuity. I remember reading about the innovations involved in the design of the rifle back in the 90’s, and was surprised to see that it finally made it into full production in 2001 and into the civilian market in Europe in 2003. What makes the NeoStead so special is the bullpup design (something never before seen in a pump-action weapon). The shotgun loads two cylindrical magazines of 6 rounds above the barrel, with the pump-action being mated to the barrel proper. This gives a total length of 27 inches for a shotgun with a 22.5 inch barrel. Unlike most pump-actions where you pump back and then forwards, the NeoStead reverses the cycle with the first stroke being forwards and then back into position, ready to fire. There is also discussion of a short-barrel variant to go into production with dual 5-round magazines instead of 6, with a total length of 22 inches.

It’s unfortunately very difficult to find good photos of this unique design out there. The best I have are from 1990’s firearms magazines from when the design was first introduced.

Categories: Shotgun