Knight's Armament Company Masterkey

Door-Breaching Under-Barrel Shotgun Module

United States | 1985

"The KAC Masterkey was developed to broaden the tactical reach of the special forces operative, giving him a compact and effective door-breaching tool."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/26/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image from official Knights Armament Company marketing material.

Door breaching has long been a technique relied upon by various law enforcement, special forces elements, and standard infantry to gain entry to otherwise inaccessible areas. Various systems have been devised over the decades to breach such obstacles as doors and, during the 1980s, the Knight's Armament Company (KAC) of the United States developed the "Masterkey" for this very purpose.

The weapon was essentially the primary working components of the classic Remington M870 pump-action shotgun and this was mounted under the forward section of a standard assault rifle such as the Colt M16. The reduced profile of the M870 reduced the amount of carried shells to four (with one shell being chambered) and, lacking any sort of stock or grip of its own, the magazine of the rifle doubled as the grip handle, providing access to the M870's trigger unit which was retained from the shotgun. The end result was an effective battlefield piece suitable for door breaching and one that added little length and weight to the rifle.

Notable operators of the Masterkey included United States Delta Force. The shotgun door-breacher concept continues today in such developments as the M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System (MASS) produced by C-More Competition (and detailed elsewhere on this site).

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Physical
The physical qualities of the Knight's Armament Company Masterkey. Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

432 mm
17.01 in
O/A Length

432 mm
17.01 in
Barrel Length

5.73 lb
2.60 kg
Weight

Manually-Actuated Pump Action System
Action

12-gauge
Caliber(s)

3+1 rounds (one chambered)
Feed

Weapon-Dependent
Sights

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Knight's Armament Company Masterkey Door-Breaching Under-Barrel Shotgun Module family line.

"Masterkey" - Base Series Name; modified Remington M870 used as underslung base weapon system.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Knight's Armament Company Masterkey. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national small arms listing.

Contractor(s): Knight's Armament Company (KAC) - USA

[ United States ]

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Image of the Knight's Armament Company Masterkey

Image from official Knights Armament Company marketing material.

Design Qualities
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to requirements.

CLOSE SUPPORT

SPECIAL FORCES

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon representing special forces

Going Further...
The Knight's Armament Company Masterkey Door-Breaching Under-Barrel Shotgun Module appears in the following collections:

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