Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Kel Tec KSG 12 gauge


This is the new shotgun from Kel-Tec, the KSG. It is a bullpup 12 gauge shotgun with dual magazine tubes. Ever since it was announced a few months ago, I have been excited about it. The KSG manages to be as compact as legally possible with a 26.1" overall length and an 18.5" barrel. It is pretty neat design, almost revolutionary, the only other thing that is close to it is the South African Neostead.

http://homemadedefense.blogspot.com/2009/10/weird-guns-part-4-neostead-dual-tube.html




The magazine tubes carry seven 2-3/4" or six 3" shells apiece for a total of 14+1, which is nearly ridiculous (-ly awesome). The user can switch between the tubes with a three position lever located in the area behind the trigger guard. The lever can also be set to a central detente area to allow the chamber to be emptied with the pump action without feeding a new shell from the mag tube. The pump is linked to the bolt via dual operating bars. The spent shells are ejected down through the loading port. Once the selected magazine is empty, the user must manually switch to the other tube. There is a cross bolt safety located above the pistol grip and a pump release lever at the front of the trigger guard.


The KSG comes in at 6.9lbs (unloaded I am assuming) and while that is maybe a little heavy, you will likely want that extra weight to soak up the recoil. Which I imagine will be, ummm, noticeable even with the rubber butt pad. It has a Picatinny rail along the bottom of the pump to mount a grip, light or laser and another rail on the top of the weapon for sights. As of right now, it seems it will come bare, and that is a bad decision on the part of Kel-Tec. If I buy a gun, it should come with sights. So do me a favor and throw a cheap fiber optic on there. Forward and rear sling loops are built in, and a regular sling is included. There is a cheek rest structure that also functions as a type of blast shield in case of a catastrophic failure of the chamber or barrel. And that is nice, because, you know, your face goes there.



KSG field stripped


There have been some internet rumblings about perceived shortcomings of the the design though. One thing is recoil, which in large bore bullpups can be a bit much. Another is the fact that its extremely short overall length may lead to negative views by the media, law enforcement or the States. I could easily imagine California, for example, looking on the KSG with scorn. There are also some issues with the magazine selection lever and the trigger. But keep in mind that any design takes a little while to reach maturity and this is still a new design, not yet for sale at this time.




In the pic above you can really see how much more compact the KSG is compared to a standard pump shotgun. If the design proves solid, I think it might find a lot of acceptance in the Law Enforcement and civilian areas. MSRP has not been stated, but it has been mentioned to be in the $800 US range. Hopefully that would make it about $625-675, which I think would be a good price, I would probably be willing to pay that, but they are not going to find a lot of people willing to pay $800 for a pump action 12 gauge, no matter how stumpy.

17 comments:

  1. "the only other thing that is close to it is the South African Neostead"
    -there's also UTS-15, based on the Neostead (UTAS Makina bought the plans)

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  2. WOULD THIS SHOT GUN BE LEAGAL IN CALIFORNIA?

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  3. The KSG meets federal guidelines for minimum length, so it SHOULD be legal, but in California, who knows...

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  4. Great Neptunes Nipples!!! Shhh...inside voices Anonymous, no need to YELL. I worry if you cannot master the keyboard, how can you be trusted with a gun (tip, pointy end towards enemy). If you have to ask, then it is illegal in california unless you are talking about drugs, illegal immigrants, domestic violence, or taxation without representation.

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  5. I HOPE THAT THEY OFFER THIS IN A 10RD GUN SO IT CAN BE OFFERED IN N.Y. I'D BUY ONE ASAP.

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    1. NY prohibitions only deal with semi auto weapons, this is a pump so is completely legal. Go buy it.

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  6. I want one. Thanks for posting. I love the posts about rare or unusual guns. Great blog.

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    1. Well, an interesting design to say the least. I am howevr very skeptical of a super-compact bullpup shotgun. It seems impractical. It's overall length is good for close quarters, which is the only place you realisticly should be operating a shotgun in a combat situation, but with such a short barrel it causes the issue of short overall range. Also the idea of a 15 round shotgun seems obsurd. No one needs that many rounds. Ever seen what a 12g 00 shell will do to living tissue? One is more than enough. That and thr idea of split magazine tubes is a little iffy for me due to the fact that remembering to switch tubes in a stressful situation can be a hazard. Imagine pulling thr trigger knowing you still have 7 rounds and getting a mind shattering click noise from the reciever. One other comment about the sighting system. The necessity for sights on this thing is kind of a moot point. You're going to have to get so close that your blind grandma could shoot a .500mag "gangsta" style and shave the hair of a flees ass with this thing for it to even be remotely capable of placing lead on target. I think a sighting system is probably the least of your worries.

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    2. I think someone raided the hooch supply and used the spell checker (No one needs that many rounds...really, you are kidding right?)

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  7. seems pretty cool, can you butt-stroke the bad guy with it?

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    1. It's got a butt, so I don't why you couldn't. But, it's also a 14+1 capacity shotgun, so I don't see why you'd need to.

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  8. I like the fact that you have the option to change barrels manualy great for less then lethal and lethal combination in one weapon just make sure you remember which one your on oops sorry bout that I ment to shoot you with the LTL not the 00 oh you cant breath thats because theres really big hole in your chest my bad

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  9. "but they are not going to find a lot of people willing to pay $800 for a pump action 12 gauge" How wonderful is hind sight? People willing to pay $1,299 can't get them. This gun has turned out to be a good reliable gun and Kel Tec can't come close to making enough of them to meet the demand.

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  10. Early adopters always enjoy overpaying. I bet they bought PS3s for $1200, too. Still stupid. And Kel Tec hasn't made ANY of their long arms in sufficient numbers to meet demand.

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  11. I just won this gun at the NRA tonight
    doing research on it cant wait to fire it
    Bad ass weapon

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