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Kel Tec KSG ... Comments?

12K views 35 replies 12 participants last post by  cdn_rhino 
#1 · (Edited)
I know that there are a lot of gun guys on the board, so I'm soliciting input. I've recently found out about the Kel Tec KSG 12 gauge bullpup shotgun. This looks like a very well thought out design that addresses some common shortcomings in currently available shotguns. Here is Kel Tec's press release and link to the site:

The KSG is our first entry into the shotgun market. The size, shape and design are similar to the currently available Kel-Tec RFB rifle, but the KSG ejects downward, instead of forward. The KSG weighs 6.9lbs and is as compact as legally possible with a 26.1" overall length and an 18.5" cylinder bore barrel. Even with this compact size, the internal dual tube magazines hold an impressive 14 rounds of 12 gage 2-3/4" rounds (7 per tube). The simple and reliable pump action feeds from either the left or right tube. The feed side is manually selected by a lever located behind the trigger guard. The lever can be positioned in the center detent in order to easily clear the chamber without feeding another round from either magazine. A cross bolt style safety blocks the sear, and the pump release lever is located in front of the trigger guard.

The pump includes an under Picatinny rail for the mounting of a forward grip, or a light or laser. The included top Picatinny sight rail will accept many types of optics or iron sights. Forward and rear sling loops are built in, and a basic sling is included. The soft rubber butt pad helps to tame recoil.


Kel Tec CNC

I've attached a couple of thumbnails.

I can see applications for house clearing and even hunting with the proper sights. I want one, but does anyone know of any negatives (or positives of course!)?
 

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#4 ·
I have actually considered getting one myself but since I left the dept can not seem to find a viable reason for my wife. LOL. Maybe if she would just accept the "but honey its f'ing awesome and i need or it" I could get it. Otherwise it will just be more money into my home renovation just like all my 1/6 proceeds for the last 8 months. God the 1/6 and 1/1 I could have bought with the 9k I put into this house in the last few months. Argghhhhh.

Here is a really good video from a Kel-tec Fan at Shot Show 2011
YouTube - nutnfancy's Channel
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the link Nick. The guy sounds a little too "dude" and "bro" for my tastes, but he did get a lot of candid info from the Rep. Yeah, I want one.

And I feel your pain on the home improvement front. The painting crew should be arriving about 2 1/2 hours to start power washing and prepping the house. We got a good price, but, man!
 
#8 ·
but have to look at the wonderful NYS Gun Laws pertaining to this.
Kel Tec claims that it's legal in all 50 states. The fact that there are two 7 round tubes gets around any 10 round magazine limits that might be in effect. The barrel is a legal length anywhere. It should be good to go in NY.

Steve, as for the house you should do it all yourself and save some money.
I have the molding ready to install in the bathroom as we speak.
 
#7 ·
LOL my wife actually read this after I wrote it and asked what I wanted. I told her a new shotgun. She said " well get it". I told her the price and then she just said "Oh", well then I wont be able to get my new deer rifle".
Steve, as for the house you should do it all yourself and save some money. I have completed 2 bathroom remodels, painted 7 rooms, new light fixtures and fans, and laid 1500 Sq ft of laminate floor. I also bought some new furniture and electronics all for around $9k. It took me 6.5 months but just imagine the money I saved, not to mention I know alot more about taking care of plumbing and electrical work now. LOL
 
#9 ·
Sort of looks like the grandson of the old High Standard 10, a shotgun that seemed a bit ahead of it's time.



Does the Kel Tec load and eject from the bottom?

Had dinner with a couple of buds tonight, and they'd been to The Bullet Hole this morning, for some planned early shooting (along with most of the rest of the world it seems). They ran into a mutual friend, recently retired from local LE job. Apparently there's a lot of discussion of the weapon, but no one seems to have used one, or at least enough to get a fix on how well they function.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Yeah, Mike, there seems to be a lot of discussion, but little first hand experience. Look on youtube for videos from the SHOT Show as well as range sessions.

It does load and eject from the bottom, to the rear of the pistol grip. It has a thumb switch that is used to designate which tube to load or from which to feed. As you can see from the thumbnail, the loading/ejection port is roomy enough to allow fast and easy loading, even under stress. The Shooter also has the option of loading one round at a time, even with shells in one or both of the tubes.

Again, it looks cool AND practical. I can't wait to get my hands on one.
 

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#11 ·
So I found this site: KTOG Forum - KSG Bullpup Shotgun

There are a lot of good points raised (both positive and negative), and a Kel-Tec rep is one of the posters, responding to specific questions, as well as starting threads to make announcements. KT is listening to "the folks" and is addressing the issues that were raised after SHOT. I want one.

Can you imagine how cool this would look in 1:6?
 
#14 ·
My pleasure, Clay.

I've joined the KTOG board so that I can post comments. Check it out for some insights to the R&D process and also just how some peoples' minds work. I personally do not foresee a "Zombie Apocalypse", but there are plenty of home/self defense scenarios that I can envision where this gun would fit the bill very nicely. I hope you can get one up there.
 
#15 ·
I think these could replace police squad car shotty's potentially. one tube with non-lethal and the other with another type of load. Of course heat of the moment could see an officer switch to the wrong tube. Murphy has a way of crapping on even the most prepared and well trained person at the most inopportune time.
 
#16 ·
That exact point (lethal/nonlethal mix up potential) has been brought up in discussions on the KTOG board. Understandable liability issues concerns. One suggestion is a designated, clearly marked gun for nonlethal.
One guy has stated that no LEA would get this gun, but he hasn't given a reason. I was an MP many years ago but never a civilian cop, so I have no frame of reference as to why he would make such a statement. Anyone care to hazard a guess/informed opinion?
 
#17 ·
I was a Sheriffs Deputy for all of about 2.5 years on the County's Tac team. IMHO it would be a great choice for a dept. Saying that it would once again come back to training and the "Oh S&*T " factor brought on by adrenaline and stress. I can see Murphy raising his head and playing a cruel joke on an officer with the best of intentions. Maybe if 1 tube was clearly marked orange for non-lethal but even then, did the operator have a oo in the chamber already and forget to eject it before switching the tubes. Ooops I just killed the guy I meant to knockdown with a beanbag or foil round. Use for a tac team would be about the same. Oh crap I just shot the perp with a breaching round instead of a slug. Once again Training and stress, but I can see a good use from my own experiences.
 
#18 ·
Good points Nick.

I think that this would definitely need to be a weapon that is dedicated to a certain role. Stress and Murphy are a b!tch. Case in point: the SF (or Oakland?) PD Cop who shot that perp on the rail platform when he meant to tase him.

Makes me wonder how the corps handles the "lethal/nonlethal situation? They're the lead proponent in nonlethal means in the US Military, and must have training/SOPs/doctrine in place to address that issue.

So, if it were to be loaded up with one type of ammo per scenario, and the officer (Breacher on a SWAT team, Patrolman on the beat, Game Warden etc.) was trained and proficient with it, I think that it would be damned practical. I mean, 14 breaching rounds fired without reloading? Talk about "flow" through a building.
 
#20 ·
This is a pretty cool shotgun. I told my wife about it after reading about it in a magazine.

Might even be able to get these in Canada. I'll have to seriously look at getting my PAL again.

Apparently they eat all the special shells too and have no/few jamming issues. And different chokes are available for speading shot. Good for hunting, and skeet too. Of course magazines are good sources for biased propaganda, but some of the stuff I've seen online look just as promising.

And it just looks super cool.

Some good YouTube stuff.

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sourc...p_H5DA&usg=AFQjCNG04EykXdpQI7PwU9LoZksFAhOhew

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sourc...p_H5DA&usg=AFQjCNFK5SmKZlg79YjxmepMTb2YIEokmw

And you can get fancy colours too. Yay
 
#21 ·
Some links to some more videos.

KSG Part 1:
KSG Part 2:

These are both about 45 minutes long, with more nutnfancy commentary that, again, I'm not a fan of, and I feel could shorten the videos considerably if pared down to the relevant points. However, it's nice to see guys running and gunning with the KSG. There are miscues, but IMO they're more training/ammo than equipment-related. I am a fan of this gun and will get on a waiting list when I return stateside in a few weeks.

And to my neighbors to the north: I sure hope you can get your hands on this once it comes out. After I get mine, of course! ;o)
 
#25 ·
On a similar note, has anyone looked at the UTAS UTS-15? Different manufacturer, but similar idea.

Basically a similar design. Tubes are up top on this model. And I believe the breech opens on the right side like a standard scattergun, if you can go by the pics.

it's a Turkish company, and it is looking to get some manufacturing done in the U.S., so it can sell in that market.
 
#26 ·
I'm glad that you posted, Mike! I have news relating to this thread. As to the UTS-15, I've seen pictures, but no more than that. It doesn't look as finished as the KSG, and it looks like it might be pretty heavy. No way to tell from the pics, but I just get that impression.

Now, as to the news; I am now a KSG owner! Long story as to how I got it. I've had it out on the range, and it runs like a champ! I had a couple of difficult feeds, but those were due to short trokes on my part, which just means that I need to train more with this weapon, not that there's a problem with the gun itself. I'm looking forward to more range time with different loads. The Aguila Mini Shells look like a very viable contender for a home defense load, and I want to get ahold of some of those.
 
#27 ·
Short Strokes? I thought that meant too much time spent down range:wink

seriously though if I had the cash I would jump on a KSG. Short funds is why I have learned to do my own basic gunsmithing.
 
#28 ·
I did recently shoot one at a demonstration my Gunsmith held at his range. Found it a bit weird at 1st but after a few rounds it settled in very nicely. No jams for me with a full load and 1 reload. Only saw a jam twice in 30 guys shooting and I'm not convinced they weren't operator error. I'm saving up for one. Soon as I can I'm getting it. This is perfect for home defense and CQB work. I would recommend it.
 
#29 ·
Here's the article where I first read about this...And I am still trying to tackle making one for my 1/6thfgiures...just hate to mess up some perfectly good 1/6 shotguns for one of these...BUT if anyone wants to "give me" 1/6th scale shotguns [preferably some of the latest metal ones], I am willing to go all out and try m,y hand at making one or two.

http://www.recoilweb.com/preview-mesa-tacticals-kel-tec-ksg-15991.html

Bravo out
 
#30 ·
I made one for a guy some time back, can't remember who though, I'll look it up. Meantime here is a semi-auto I did for myself and the one I made for the guy. Enjoy!
 

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#31 ·
I forgot about this...

Sounds like the feed issue you had, SteveO, is a common one, not racking it hard enough. I heard the other issue with the tube selector has since been rectified. I'm hoping sometime in the new year will see me shopping for some new stuff. Just need to branch away from figures and stuff first haha.

I had a chance to handle the UTAS-15 at a gun show this past summer. None of the sellers at the show had the KSG. Iteresting beast thats for sure. And it would take a bit of getting used to that short length. I don't remember the weight being too much of an issue. Probably because of the short legnth. Sure can move it around easily.

Steve, since you have been practicing with yours for a few months now, any changes in the opinions of the gun?

Nice work on the 1:6 version Delta :thumb
 
#32 ·
Hi Mike!

Yes, I'm still muscling through the occasional "hard rack". I've read that there may be a mechanical reason for that, and I plan to address it with the Kel-Tec folks when I go to SHOT Show next month. Too many guys on line recommend making modifications to the gun that will likely void the warranty. I figure that talking to the source is the best way to go.
Yeah, the weight is not an issue, even with two full tubes, and the length makes the KSG a JOY to manipulate. I did add a Pachmyr Decelerator butt pad that goes a long way toward taming the recoil. I want to try out some of the Aguila Mini Shells when I can find them in stock. They're 1 3/4" in length with a corresponding reduction of recoil. There was some initial concern about the ability of the KSG to reliably cycle them, but Kel-Tec has come out and recommended them. It seems that the Aguila slug shell is a pretty much optimal home defense round.
I'm still "over here" for a couple more weeks, but I'll get to the range when I'm home before I head out to Vegas so I'll have some recent experience to discuss.
 
#33 ·
I just picked up on the Aguila Mini Shells references. A bud of mine who is a reloader and self-taught machinist, made up mini rounds quite a few years ago. They worked fairly well in pumps and autos, as I recall. Labor intensive when made at home.

We kicked around the idea of a single shot shotgun-based sniping weapon as well, with a sabot "long penetrator" round. but never went anywhere with that.
 
#34 ·
The issue, as I'm sure you know, Mike, is that in many shotguns the lifter won't reliably transfer the mini shell from the magazine to the chamber. They tend to flip over and "fail to feed". Whether by design or happy accident (I suspect the latter), the KSG feeds them like a champ. This increases the per magazine (tube) capacity from seven 2 3/4" shells to twelve 1 3/4" rounds. In a home defense scenario, a one ounce lead slug moving at approximately 1250 FPS will resolve a lot of issues. And twenty five of them will resolve many more.

Interesting concept, the sabot round that you mention. Do you know why it didn't take off?
 
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