Colt Defender Mark I

The Colt Defender Mark I was an American multi-barreled shotgun intended for law enforcement or military use, completed in 1967. The shotgun was essentially a volley gun with eight single-shot barrels — each chambered for the 20-gauge 3-inch magnum shell — arranged in a octagonal fashion around the central axis, and could fire eight individual times like a semi-automatic firearm without the complexity of actually being a semi-automatic. The action ran on a revolver-like rotating striker mechanism. The gun had a detachable buttstock and a pistol grip with a double-action trigger and had a separate foregrip up front for instinctive shooting.
The shotgun was extremely simple to operate and very robust. The designer, Robert Hillberg, thoroughly tested the weapon before seeking out a manufacturer. The design proved so correct that only a few minor changes were made for manufacturing. When Colt Industries was contacted, they showed considerable interest in producing the weapon, but before committing to full production they insisted on a market survey to see if there was an adequate market for the gun. Colt demonstrated the weapon to a number of departments, and all who saw it were impressed...