POTD: Mix a AR with a Remington 870 – The Crossfire Mk-1
Sam.S 09.22.23
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a modern drilling sort of gun. The Crossfire Mk-1 was an ambitious combination rifle-shotgun that merged a 5.56 rifle and 12 gauge shotgun into one pump-action package. First previewed in the late 1980s, it finally reached production in the 1990s, with the rifle barrel feeding from AR-pattern magazines and the shotgun using a 4-round tubular magazine on top. While intended as a flexible do-it-all gun, the Crossfire proved exceedingly awkward to operate reliably in practice. Its distant pump handle placement required substantial training to master. With a steep $2000 price tag, the complex Crossfire ultimately flopped commercially. Yet its unconventional design highlighted the enduring appeal of multi-caliber firearms, despite the engineering challenges inherent to blending two different guns coherently. The Crossfire Mk-1 stands as an example of both the potential and difficulties of multi-caliber designs.
“Manufacturer: Crossfire
Model: Combination
Type: Combination
Gauge: 12/223
Barrel: 19 inch round/ 16 inch round
Finish: blue
Stock: plastic”
Lot 606: Crossfire MK-1 Slide Action Shotgun-Rifle. (n.d.-e). Rock Island Auction Company. photograph. Retrieved September 21, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/2026/606/crossfire-mk1-slide-action-shotgunrifle.
