This Is My Boomstick! The IWI Mafteah

I’ve been waiting to get hands-on with the IWI Mafteah since April, when I first shot it at the Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous. The Mafteah is a semi-auto, 12-gauge firearm that falls into the same realm as the Shockwave, Aftershock, TAC-14, etc.

The Mafteah is made in the United States by IWI and is likely the first in a series of guns. While at the Athlon Outdoors event, the IWI guys discussed a potential future for an entire series of Mafteahs, including full-sized shotguns. That isn’t a sure thing, but a possibility.

What The Mafteah Does Different

The Mafteah does something interesting; instead of using a gas-operated system, it’s inertia-operated. I didn’t have a chance to take the gun apart at the Athlon event, but I assumed it was inertia-driven like the Benellis. While they share a lot of similar features, the Mafteah design doesn’t have a buffer at the back of the bolt, which allows you to use a pistol grip design.

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The bolt remains closed long enough for pressure to drop, and it reciprocates rearward. The action bars mount in front of the recoil spring and connect to the bolt carrier with the magazine tube acting a bit like a recoil guide rod. As the bolt reciprocates rearward, it compresses the spring, and when the bolt reaches its apex, the spring pulls the bolt forward.

It’s super simple and could give the Mafteah an interesting future. Since it uses a spring, there’s potential to swap springs for different loads. A lighter spring could allow it to function with super-light loads, potentially even mini shells if they redesign the elevator to support them. Heavier springs could reduce the recoil of heavier loads.

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I’m basing this theory on how similar inertia guns, like the Benelli M2, can be tuned for lighter loads. Additionally, the gun isn’t dependent on gas, so you could trim the barrel back even further. Theoretically, with a properly tuned spring, you could have an uber short AOW-style gun.

The Benefits of Inertia Operation

That’s a potential future. What are the current benefits of an inertia-operated system? First, it’s lighter, and when you have a small gun, the lighter weight makes a difference. Second, its simplicity enhances reliability. Inertia systems aren’t going to foul up from carbon as quickly; no hot, dirty gases are bled back into the action. 

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Plus, it’s much, much easier to clean and disassemble compared to a gas gun. Simpler is also cheaper. The Mafteah is retailing for about $350 less than its competitors.

Downsides to an inertia-operated gun include slightly more recoil, but it’s still significantly less than a pump gun. It’s also going to be a bit more picky about what loads you can reliably fire.

The Rest of the Mafteah

The Mafteah makes huge strides in creating a modern semi-auto platform. These changes put the Mafteah in a category all its own.

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The charging handle is reversible, which is very rare on shotguns of this format. Positioning it on the left side makes it easy to rack the action without moving my hand from a firing grip. Next, the gun uses a smart optics mounting system. It is compatible with the Glock MOS system, allowing you to use different plates to mount practically any small optic. 

Companies like C&H Precision and Holosun offer optics that mount directly, requiring no plates. You can also use a Picatinny rail section, but I like the MOS cut because it positions the optic lower and further back. The forend comes slathered in M-LOK rails to make attaching accessories easy. 

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It includes an M-LOK-mounted strap that’s adjustable, easy to tighten, and easily removable. Plus, doesn’t a ventilated rib just look fantastic? It’s a real beauty and a stylish gun, and style is always part of the equation.

Shooting the Mafteah

I brought out everything to test the Mafteah’s reliability and recoil control. I fired a variety of loads.

For hot loads, I used 2.75-inch No. 4 shot @ 1,400 FPS, No. 4 buckshot @ 1,325 FPS, and standard 00 buckshot @ 1,325 FPS. The Mafteah certainly bucked, but it was controllable, and getting back on target fairly quickly was possible; the dot rises and drops right back to the target.

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For low recoil loads, I used Monarch 2.75-inch, 7.5 shot @ 1,200 FPS and Federal Flitecontrol 00 @ 1,145 FPS. 

The Monarch birdshot had low recoil and was a blast. The reduced-recoil Flitecontrol loads were “real kittens” and the recommended round for defensive use, with no reliability issues. The only reliability issue I ran into was with Fioochi Defense Dynamics (nine No. 1 pellets at 1,250 FPS), which is essentially a 20-gauge equivalent load. The Mafteah only choked on the softest of loads, which is understandable.

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The Mafteah scores high in reliability. What’s interesting is that compared to a gas gun, it never starts to slow down or chug along, even at high round counts. The recoil system keeps things nice and clean, preventing slowdown due to carbon fouling.

Control

The Mafteah might have more recoil than a gas gun, but it’s not all that noticeable. Even with heavy loads, I didn’t feel like I was losing control. Tightening the strap on the forend is a super handy way to make the gun easier to control, allowing for a good push/pull grip. 

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I can put two rounds of Federal Flitecontrol on target in less than 1 second; my fastest time was .89 seconds, with both rounds hitting an IPSC-sized A-zone. That’s good enough for me for defensive use. At 25 yards, landing a shot on a steel target is easy. Patterns with standard buckshot are about 6.5 inches wide at 10 yards with the gun’s cylinder bore choke.

Blasting Away With the Mafteah

I had a total blast with this gun. Part of the reason I love these little guns is that they are a bit of a challenge and aren’t for everyone. Trying to do standard shotgun things with a Pistol Grip Only (PGO) firearm is tough, but so satisfying when you do. The challenge is the fun.

From a defensive perspective, the Mafteah isn’t for everyone. It takes some dedicated practice to run and use the gun effectively. Still, for some niches, the gun’s extreme maneuverability makes it a solid option.

I’m happy to see that we now have two mainstream semi-automatic 12-gauge firearms on the market. More is better, and the fact that they are both solid guns is a blessing. I’m excited to see this genre continue to expand.