Citadel Boss-25 Powerful Semi-Auto AR-Style Shotgun for Defense and Hunting

The new Citadel Boss-25 is an advanced AR-style autoloading 12-gauge shotgun that brings the 18th century scattergun into the Information Age. Featuring familiar controls, a detachable five-round magazine, and exceptionally cool particulars, the Boss-25 looks as good as it runs. While home defense and tactical applications are obviously in its wheelhouse, the Boss-25 is also a supremely efficient hunting arm. However, toting this gun into the field in pursuit of wild game requires a slight adjustment to the traditional mindset.

Cultural Evolution

An awful lot of folks are questioning an awful lot of things these days. In an era of revisionist history, toppling statues, and a country that seems to be covered in a thin patina of woke social justice warriors it can be easy to lose track of our roots. While hitting the field in pursuit of wild game might seem a bit anachronistic in the era of civilian space travel, designer lattes, and ubiquitous digital interconnectivity, it is actually such stuff as this that makes us human. Genesis 1:28 says, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” God put us here to live off of the bounty of the earth. To deny this fact is to deny who we are.

The manual of arms for the Citadel Boss-25 is almost but not quite the same as that of an M4. Firmly seat a loaded magazine and jack the bolt using the right-sided bolt handle. The combination of a well-reasoned design and the gun’s sleek, svelte architecture make it eminently pointable. All 12-bore shotguns are vigorous. However, recoil with the Boss-25 is pleasant thanks to the well-reasoned gas-operated mechanism, soft rubber pistol grip, and recoil pad. The presence of a separate pistol grip allows a not insubstantial component of the recoil impulse to be transferred to the firing hand. The in-line nature of the design focuses the primary recoil force directly into the firer’s shoulder so as to mitigate muzzle climb.

The trigger is entirely serviceable, and follow up shots are essentially instantaneous. On the last round fired the bolt locks to the rear automatically. Magazines need a little snatch when the release catch is activated. Slam in a fresh box, slap the bolt catch, and you are rocking another mag. The adjustable comb is a nice addition, but the length of pull for the fixed stock is ample. Little pygmy folks may have a challenge leaning forward far enough to properly index a magnified optic. I’m a pretty average-size six-foot-tall lanky guy, and the gun fit me well. This is a gas-operated autoloading shotgun, so it naturally prefers full-power rounds. This is not atypical among semiautomatic shotguns in my experience. When fed high-brass, full-power loads it ran 100%. As with any weapon you plan to use for real in either defensive or hunting applications, run it enough on the range to take its measure before toting it into the field. Fed proper fodder I would rely on the Boss-25 every time. 

Ruminations

The Citadel Boss-25 is sleek, effective, and fun. Better men than I could likely connect with slugs at 100 meters or more. However, I personally view a scattergun as a fairly close-range tool. When stoked with 00 buck or slugs the Boss-25 packs more raw power than anything that doesn’t come with a tripod or an impact fuse. I hunted throughout my childhood with a beautiful Browning Auto-5 12-bore. That racy rascal kept holidays amply supplied with turkeys, doves, and similar delectable critters. It was also an absolutely gorgeous firearm. By contrast, the Boss-25 is entirely utilitarian. However, that means the gun interfaces with the human form seamlessly and brings combat-grade ruggedness and ergonomics to the hunting field. Combine this “information age” scattergun with a proper modern optic and you have a tool that is markedly more efficient and effective than even my trusty humpbacked Browning. Whether the mission is home defense, 3-Gun shooting, or hitting the field in the pursuit of fowl, swine, or venison, the Boss-25 represents the state of the art.

Citadel Boss-25 Shotgun Specs

• Type: Semi-Auto
• Gauge: 12
• Finish: Cerakote, black, FDE and Tactical Gray
• Chamber: 3 in. 
• Barrel: 18.75-in. Chrome lined
• Overall Length: 14 in. 
• Weight: 8 lbs.
• Muzzle Attachments: 5 Chokes including muzzle brake
• Feed System: 2, 5 rds. detachable box magazine
• Sights: Fully adjustable folding sights
• Optics Mount: PIcatinny Rail
• MSRP: $579
• Contact: Legacy Sports

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About the Author

Will is a mechanical engineer who flew UH1H, OH58A/C, CH47D and AH1S aircraft as an Army Aviator. He is airborne and scuba qualified and summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times…at the controls of an Army helicopter. After eight years in the Regular Army, Major Dabbs attended medical school. He works in his urgent care clinic, shares a business building precision rifles and sound suppressors, and has written for the gun press since 1989.

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