POTD: Cobray Terminator Shotgun – Open Bolt, 1986-1988

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Cobray/SWD Terminator single shot open bolt shotgun manufactured 1986 to 1988, marked for both 20 and 12 gauge with 2.75-inch chambers and cylinder choke.

The open bolt design is the main thing here. The bolt sits rearward until you pull the trigger, at which point it travels forward, chambers a shell, and fires in one motion. Simple, cheap to build, minimal parts. SWD put this together as a budget entry-level shotgun and it functioned adequately for what it was.

The 1986 Hughes Amendment banned new civilian manufacture of open bolt firearms, though shotguns technically carried an exemption. Most manufacturers stopped anyway. The Terminator’s two-year production window fits right inside that regulatory transition before the market moved on entirely.

18.25-inch barrel, parkerized finish, no-frills construction throughout. This is a utilitarian gun from a company that specialized in utilitarian guns during a very specific window of time. They don’t come up often.

Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!

“Rare Cobray/SWD Terminator Single Shot Open Bolt Shotgun.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5032/297/rare-cobrayswd-terminator-single-shot-open-bolt-shotgun. Accessed 28 May 2026.

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