Derya's 18-Inch EX1400 Coach Brings Side-by-Side Speed at $699
Derya Arms has built a 12-gauge side-by-side with 18-inch barrels, and it lists at $699. The EX1400 Coach is a break-action double gun made for fast pointing in tight spaces. It joins the 24-inch EX1400 Field in Derya's EX line of imported shotguns, which are built in Türkiye and exported to the United States. Derya Arms Vice President Dustin Jones sums up the purpose in one line: that is what a coach gun is for. The Coach keeps the Field's architecture and changes the barrel length. The result is a shotgun built for work in cramped quarters, not for a long walk through a field.
Key Details
The EX1400 Coach carries the following specifications and package contents:
- Gauge and action: 12-gauge side-by-side, break-action
- Barrel length: 18 inches, with choke-threaded barrels
- Chokes included: Full, Modified, and Improved Cylinder, packed in the box
- Receiver: Mono-block steel, lighter without losing strength, finished in black chrome
- Stock: Hand-selected Turkish walnut with a checkered grip
- Controls: Tang safety and fixed bead front sight
- Capacity: Two rounds
- Overall length: 35 inches
- Weight: 6.61 pounds unloaded
- Length of pull: 14.3 inches
- Trigger pull: 4.4 pounds
- SKU / UPC: EX1400.12.18 / 810216300609
- MSRP: $699
Every Coach ships with an extra grip. The owner can run the gun as a traditional coach gun or swap in the alternate grip for a shorter, more compact hold. The box also includes a Derya bag, a user manual, a WTTA flyer, a cleaning cloth, a tool, and the choke set. Both EX1400 models carry Derya's limited lifetime warranty to the original owner. The 24-inch EX1400 Field (SKU EX1400.12.24, UPC 810216300036) has a 41-inch overall length and the same $699 price. The Coach is compliant in California, Maryland, and Massachusetts.
Background
The phrase "riding shotgun" traces back to stagecoach messengers who sat beside the driver with a short double-barreled gun. Their job was guarding the cargo and the route, and they needed a weapon that could be brought up fast at close range. That is the origin of the coach gun, a side-by-side cut short for close defense.
Modern coach guns live under federal law. Under the National Firearms Act, a shotgun with a barrel shorter than 18 inches counts as a short-barreled shotgun, which requires registration and a tax stamp. Eighteen inches is the legal floor for a smoothbore barrel without that paperwork, so Derya set the Coach at exactly that length. The shape also survived in shooting sports. Cowboy Action Shooting stages still call for period-style double guns, and the design has stayed popular with hunters who want a compact gun for brush and blinds.
Why It Matters for Gun Owners
Buyers who want a fast, short-barreled double gun now have a factory option at a set price without a custom gunsmith build. The 18-inch barrel avoids the NFA short-barrel problem, but owners still need to check their own state rules. California, Maryland, and Massachusetts all carry tight firearm laws, and Derya says the Coach is compliant in each. Confirm that against your state's current statutes and your dealer's paperwork before you buy. Any shotgun purchase from an out-of-state seller may also require transfer through a licensed dealer.
Owners who run the Coach in a truck, boat, or side-by-side vehicle should test the grip swap. The 18-inch barrel fits tight spaces better than a 24-inch Field, but the short length still leaves the muzzle close to the operator. Watch for the two-round capacity. Anyone who plans to use this gun for home defense should weigh reload speed against the value of quick, simple two-barrel access.
DownRange Analysis
Bruen asks whether a firearm is in common use and whether a regulation fits the country's historical tradition. A 12-gauge side-by-side is about as traditional as American shotguns get, so this gun sits well inside the Second Amendment's protection. The real legal question is the barrel length, and the 18-inch cut keeps the Coach outside the short-barreled shotgun category. Derya made the right call on that line.
The market gets a clean option. A $699 coach gun with a lifetime warranty and two grips competes with custom builds that cost far more. The grip swap is a smart touch. It gives one gun two handling profiles, and that matters more than most spec sheets admit. Right now, a gun owner should check the Coach's legal status in their state, handle one at a dealer, and decide whether two shots fit the job.
