Munitions

12 Gauge Bean Bag Round

Also known as
  • 12-Gauge Bean Bag Round
  • Drag Stabilized 12-Gauge Round
  • Drag Stabilized 12-Gauge Bean Bag Round
  • 12-Gauge Drag Stabilized Round
  • Defense Technology 3027
  • Defense Technology Part #3027
  • Defense Technology 12-Gauge Drag Stabilized Round
  • 12-Gauge Drag Stabilized Bean Bag Round
  • Model 3027
  • 3027

The 12 Gauge Bean Bag Round is Defense Technology's Model 3027 drag-stabilized less-lethal impact munition for 12-gauge shotguns. Official product sheets identify a translucent 2.5-inch shell, 40-gram tear-shaped bag, four stabilizing tails, 270 fps muzzle velocity, 20-foot minimum safe range, and 75-foot maximum effective range, while public police records document training, inventory, and patrol or SWAT deployment controls.

12 Gauge Bean Bag Round, Less-lethal drag-stabilized 12-gauge bean-bag impact munition, Munitions
Image source: Drag Stabilized 12-Gauge Bean Bag Round
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Type
Less-lethal drag-stabilized 12-gauge bean-bag impact munition
Service note
Contemporary
Unit cost
Reported at $7.00 each

Specifications

Model
3027
Gauge
12-gauge
Shell length
2.50 in / 6.3 cm
Projectile count
1
Projectile mass
40 grams
Projectile length
5.00 in / 12.7 cm
Payload
Tear-shaped cotton and ballistic material bag filled with #9 shot
Primary shell
Translucent 12-gauge shell
Stabilization
Four stabilizing tails
Propellant
Smokeless powder
Muzzle velocity
270 fps / 82 mps
Minimum safe range
20 ft / 6.1 m
Preferred effective range
Approximately 20 to 50 ft
Maximum effective range
75 ft / 22.9 m
Recommended launcher
18-inch cylinder-bore shotgun with no choke
Warranty
5 years from date of manufacture
Variants

Defense Technology's closely related 3027 and 3028 drag-stabilized rounds share the same 12-gauge format, velocity, range, and projectile weight; the 3028 variant adds fluorescent green marking powder for target marking.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Drag Stabilized 12-Gauge Marking Bean Bag RoundModel 3028 marking variant

The 3028 version keeps the 40-gram drag-stabilized bean-bag projectile and adds fluorescent green marking powder over the projectile material.

Sources: Defense Technology 3028 Technical Sheet

Firing Weapons

Army range-safety guidance, official product guidance, and public-agency policies identify 12-gauge shotguns as the firing weapons for Defense Technology's Model 3027 drag-stabilized bean-bag round.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
12-gauge shotgun, Shotgun, Infantry Weapons12-gauge shotgun12-gauge shotgun

Army range-safety guidance discusses firing 12-gauge bean bag rounds from a 12-gauge shotgun, and Defense Technology recommends an 18-inch cylinder-bore shotgun with no choke for the 3027 round.

Sources: Range Safety, Defense Technology 3027 Technical Sheet

Remington M870, 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, Infantry WeaponsRemington M87012-gauge pump shotgun

Chowchilla policy identifies Remington 870 less-lethal shotguns with orange furniture as the 12-gauge launchers used to deploy Model 3027 drag-stabilized bean-bag rounds.

Sources: Chowchilla Military Equipment Policy

Mossberg 590 Shotgun, 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, Infantry WeaponsMossberg 590 Shotgun12-gauge less-lethal shotgun

Baldwin Park's 2024 military-equipment report identifies Mossberg 590 less-lethal shotguns as the platform used to deploy the Defense Technology 12-gauge Drag Stabilized Round, #3027, up to 75 feet.

Sources: Baldwin Park 2024 Military Equipment Report

Design And Use Controls

Defense Technology presents the 3027 as a direct-fire, single-target specialty impact munition rather than ordinary shotgun ammunition. Public police records add the operational context: agencies generally assign these rounds to marked less-lethal shotguns, trained operators, and inventory controls.

Projectile design

The official sheet lists a 40-gram tear-shaped bag filled with #9 shot, four stabilizing tails, and smokeless-powder propulsion from a translucent 12-gauge shell.

Source: Defense Technology 3027 Technical Sheet.

Range window

The product sheet gives a 20-foot minimum safe range and 75-foot maximum effective range, while its narrative describes the 20-to-50-foot band as the most successful incapacitation range.

Source: Defense Technology 3027 Technical Sheet.

Marked launchers

Waltham policy requires clearly marked less-lethal shotguns and authorizes only drag-stabilized 12-gauge bean-bag ammunition in that weapon system.

Source: Waltham Less-Lethal Force Policy.

Municipal inventory

Napa reports both the 3027 bean-bag round and 3028 marking version for training and deployment, with a reported five-year shelf life and $7.00 per-round cost.

Source: Napa Police Department Military Equipment Report 2022.

Timeline

12 Gauge Bean Bag Round Key Events

  1. NIJ publishes kinetic-energy round testing methodology

    A National Institute of Justice report documents test methods for less-lethal kinetic-energy rounds, including accuracy, precision, blunt-trauma, and penetration assessments used to compare law-enforcement impact munitions.

    Sources: Test Methodologies for the Assessment of Less-Lethal Kinetic Energy Munitions

  2. Napa lists the round in its equipment inventory

    Napa Police Department's 2022 military equipment report lists the Defense Technology Drag Stabilized 12-Gauge Bean Bag Round (#3027) at $7 per round for training and deployment, with a five-year shelf life.

    Sources: Napa Police Department Military Equipment Report 2022

  3. Napa reports price and non-lethal use context

    Napa's 2023 annual report repeats the $7.00 each price and says the round is used to incapacitate violent, non-compliant subjects at greater distance as part of a non-lethal response.

    Sources: Napa Police Department Military Equipment Report 2023

  4. Public policy records show dedicated less-lethal controls

    Waltham Police Department policy authorizes only drag-stabilized 12-gauge bean-bag ammunition in marked less-lethal shotguns, requires operator training and annual qualification, and bars lethal shotgun ammunition from that less-lethal weapon system.

    Sources: Waltham Less-Lethal Force Policy

Media

12 Gauge Bean Bag Round Images

12 Gauge Bean Bag Round, Less-lethal drag-stabilized 12-gauge bean-bag impact munition, Munitions - view 1
Source: Drag Stabilized 12-Gauge Bean Bag Round
12 Gauge Bean Bag Round, Less-lethal drag-stabilized 12-gauge bean-bag impact munition, Munitions - view 2
Source: Drag Stabilized 12-Gauge Bean Bag Round
Related Weapon Systems
12-gauge shotgun, Shotgun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry Weapons12-gauge shotgunShotgunThe 12-gauge shotgun is a broad family of shoulder-fired smoothbore firearms chambered for fixed shotgun shells. Modern 12-gauge guns span pump-action, break-action, and semi-automatic layouts, while documented conflict roles range from Ukrainian short-range counter-drone defense and Central African militia small arms to Islamic State recoveries; Haiti coverage is narrower because the cited reporting identifies gang-held pump-action shotguns without confirming gauge.
12-gauge slug, Single-projectile 12-gauge shotgun cartridge, MunitionsMunitions12-gauge slugSingle-projectile 12-gauge shotgun cartridgeThe 12-gauge slug is a single-projectile shotgun cartridge family that includes Foster or rifled slugs, Brenneke-style attached-wad slugs, sabot slugs, and military duty loads such as A023. FBI Crime Laboratory Digest material distinguishes the Brenneke and Foster layouts, Remington and Federal publish current 1-ounce 12-gauge slug loads, and DVIDS records 200,000 slug rounds among ammunition delivered to Iraqi security forces during the 2003 Iraq War.
Mossberg 590 Shotgun, 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsMossberg 590 Shotgun12-gauge pump-action shotgunThe Mossberg 590 is O.F. Mossberg & Sons' U.S.-built pump-action shotgun line for military, law-enforcement, and defensive use. The 590A1 variant is the military-oriented branch of the family, with Mossberg listing MIL-SPEC 3443G compliance, a heavy-walled barrel, metal trigger guard and safety, a clean-out magazine tube, and Parkerized finish; DVIDS imagery documents U.S. Marines firing and handling 590A1 shotguns in Iraq during Operation Inherent Resolve.

Sources

Drag Stabilized 12-Gauge Bean Bag RoundPublisher: Defense Technology | Note: Supports the product's 12-gauge designation, model 3027, translucent shell, 40-gram bag, #9 shot fill, four stabilizing tails, smokeless powder propellant, velocity, effective range, law-enforcement focus, and product-image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Defense Technology 3027 Technical SheetPublisher: Defense Technology | Note: Supports the 3027 technical specifications, five-year warranty, 20-foot minimum safe range, 75-foot maximum effective range, preferred 20-to-50-foot employment range, direct-fire role, and recommended 18-inch cylinder-bore shotgun with no choke. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Defense Technology 3028 Technical SheetPublisher: Defense Technology | Note: Supports the 3028 marking variant relationship by identifying the fluorescent green marking-powder projectile while retaining the same 12-gauge drag-stabilized format, velocity, range, and 40-gram projectile class. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Range SafetyPublisher: U.S. Army | Note: Supports the direct launcher relationship by identifying 12-gauge bean bag (AA29) rounds in 12-gauge shotgun range-safety guidance and noting the ammunition can be fired from the shotgun. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Napa Police Department Military Equipment Report 2022Publisher: City of Napa | Note: Supports the round's 2022 inventory listing, reported $7 per-round price, training-and-deployment context, five-year shelf life, matching 3028 marking-round listing, and two-year training-update requirement in Napa Police Department records. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Napa Police Department Military Equipment Report 2023Publisher: City of Napa | Note: Supports the round's reported $7.00 each price and the description of its use to incapacitate violent, non-compliant subjects at greater distance during non-lethal response. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Waltham Less-Lethal Force PolicyPublisher: Waltham Police Department | Note: Supports public-agency use controls for drag-stabilized 12-gauge bean-bag rounds, including marked less-lethal shotguns, operator training and qualification, authorized ammunition, and exclusion of lethal shotgun rounds from the less-lethal weapon system. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Chowchilla Military Equipment PolicyPublisher: City of Chowchilla | Note: Supports the exact Remington 870 launcher relationship by identifying orange-stock Remington 870 less-lethal 12-gauge shotguns used to deploy Model 3027 drag-stabilized bean-bag rounds. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Baldwin Park 2024 Military Equipment ReportPublisher: Baldwin Park Police Department | Note: Supports the exact Mossberg 590 launcher relationship by identifying Mossberg 590 less-lethal shotguns used to deploy the Defense Technology 12-gauge Drag Stabilized Round, #3027, up to 75 feet. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Test Methodologies for the Assessment of Less-Lethal Kinetic Energy MunitionsPublisher: U.S. Department of Justice / National Institute of Justice | Note: Supports general less-lethal kinetic-energy munition testing background and law-enforcement assessment context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Marine Corps Non-Lethal Weapons Training PhotoPublisher: U.S. Marine Corps | Note: Supports contextual public-domain gallery media and broader launcher background by captioning a ballistic bean bag round being loaded into a Remington M870 12-gauge pump shotgun during non-lethal weapons training. | Accessed: 2026-07-04