The Most Fascinating Shotgun Ever Made - The Breda Automatic 1003 "Prola"

Timestamps: 0:00 - Preview 1:54 - Intro 5:47 - History 11:51 - Disassembly 29:03 - Explanation of the Feed System 40:00 - Reassembly 49:50 - Shooting 50:40 - Magazine System Purpose Explained 53:27 - Slowmo 1:00:30 - Detail Reassembly Time-lapse The Breda Automatic 1003 (frequently called the "Prola," after the designer) is a shoe-in for the most amazing shotgun in the world. It features two magazine tubes, two triggers - and a mechanical computer that controls which magazine tube the gun feeds from based on which trigger was pulled. And for the first time ever, shown on video thanks to viewers, supporters and patrons over on Patreon like yourselves! A functional prototype was made in 1935, though it wasn't until after World War 2 that Goffredo Prola, the inventor, would take his design to Breda Meccancia Brescia (commonly just called "Breda" or "BMB"). Breda liked what they saw, as it offered them a path to a commercial shotgun design they could sell to help stay afloat in the postwar economy. The design was simplified and improved, and production was slated to start in 1946 - but tragedy would strike when Prola passed away unexpectedly. While the exact details are unclear, this led to some manner of intellectual property dispute, with production of the Breda 1003 ending by 1948. It's estimated that only 20 guns were produced, and the company kept their existence a secret until the 1980s. During the time Breda was working on producing the 1003, they were also developing a drastically simplified, traditionally configured (one magazine and one trigger) gun with some of the design principles the 1003 in mind (such as the top cover and easily removeable bolt). Confusingly, this shotgun would end up being known as the 1001 - because Breda didn't have a naming system when they started making the shotgun that would eventually get called the 1003. The naming system coincided with the first 1001s - produced in late 1946, and available in limited numbers in 1947. We'll have another video that takes a look at the 1001 soon! While it's not clear what the 1002 may have been, some suggest it was reserved for the original Prola-designed prototype, with the 1003 number getting retroactively assigned to the Breda-Prola partnership designed gun. Let's take a look at how this thing came to exist, how it works, how to take it apart, and how it is to shoot. Check out niceguns.com for more information about this (and other!) cool shotguns. Spreadsheet of Automatic Shotgun data: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm Ivan. I work to document and record the history and technical background of various firearms. You can support me directly on Patreon -   / ivanprintsguns   Regardless of if you are here for the research, technology, or just to see some funky looking guns tested, I hope you enjoy. *All firearms shown and tested are done so in full compliance will all applicable laws. All test firing and use of firearms is conducted on a properly zoned, legally operated firing range.*