The Awesome Adapter for Your 12-Gauge Shotgun That Turns It Into an 'Ultimate Survival Rifle

In an extreme survival situation where the appropriate amount of ammunition for the type of firearm you're carrying can't necessarily be guaranteed, what would you do? Carry multiple types of firearms to increase your chances of coming across ammo you can use? You could do that, or you could have an adapter system that comes in a handy pouch that allows one 12-gauge shotgun to take 11 different types of ammunition.

The creator of Gear Up's X Caliber Shotgun Gauge Adapter System, Tim Ralston, told TheBlaze it's like carrying 11 guns in one.

(Image: Gear Up)

"It's my version of the ultimate survival rifle," Ralston said, pointing out how useful an adapter system that couples with a single shot, break action shotgun would be as ammunition might become harder to purchase or in a desperate situation.

The X Caliber adapter system was recently unveiled in late November 2012 and the first shipment of pre-orders is coming in now, Ralston said. Showing it off as a drawing at a show, Ralston said he got 300 pre-orders just from there.

"I said, 'I don't even know how much it costs yet' and they said 'I don't care,'" Ralston recounted to us. "With this system, you can pick the right ammo for the right time."

It is composed of eight adapters that allow the 12-gauge to shoot 11 different caliber rounds. The adapters are each 7-inches long and made from chromoly steel.

(Image: Gear Up)

Watch Ralston's reveal on the Gear Up YouTube channel:

The system itself costs $449.99, but as Ralston pointed out, a 12-gauge shotgun with which the system is fitted to work, can cost as little as a couple hundred dollars. All in all, the system plus shotgun would be more cost effective than purchasing several different types of guns.

Calibers of ammo that the X Caliber allows a singe-shot shotgun to fire are .22lr, 38 special, .357, 9mm, 45 acp, 45 lc, .410 shotgun, 12 ga. shotgun, .223, 7.62x39 and 308.

(Image: Gear Up)

But what about accuracy? Ralston said the adapters have been tested for this. Although they might not be as on target as shooting with the actual firearm for which the ammo was designed, the adapters are rifled to increase accuracy.

Here are a couple videos showing you how they perform in field tests:

After the gun control debate truly came to a head with the mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., in December, stores have been reporting ammo shortages and even police departments have been having a hard time getting their hands on ammunition needed for the job.

Ralston said he envisions ammunition being treated as currency in a bartering system in the near future. In fact, he told us that he recently had an exchange where he himself was paid with 1,000 rounds of AK-47 ammunition.

And Ralston believes the X Caliber system will only allow people to easily adjust to situations where they might want to barter for any type of ammunition.

"The key to survival is the ability to adapt," one of the X Caliber promotional flyers reads.

But Gear Up isn't stopping with X Caliber when it comes to creating an adaptable firearm. Although still in the works and patent pending, Ralston teased a new firearm, which he believes will be ready for showcasing at the 2014 Shot Show, that he said will "set the gun world on fire."

"We're keeping an eye on what's coming down as for regulations and already adapting," Ralston said. "We're going to be proactive instead of reactive."

And that's about all he would reveal to us on that front.

Check out more about the X Caliber here.

Update: Some people were asking about the possibility of adapters sold as single units instead of a set. X Caliber Adapters are sold individually for $50 each. See those here.

Editor's note -- We'll be discussed this story during Thursday's live BlazeCast: