Review and video of Kel-Tec KSG - New video added

Mercury0_0

Mercury0_0

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I just received my Kel-Tec KSG shotgun. It was way smaller than I was expecting. It feels solid and the action feels smooth.

I was totally prepared to love this shotgun even if it had some issues, FTE/FTF etc. Fortunately, it ran flawlessly for me. And I love it even more now. It will be my “go to” 3-gun shotgun and maybe even some bird hunting.

I fired off 150 #7shot 12ga shells, 20 #2 heavy game loads, and a couple slugs. All fed and fired without any issues at all.

My only other shotgun is a Dominion Arms Grizzly Mag. Since its mag fed I don't have a lot of experience loading traditional tube fed shotguns. Loading the KSG seemed a bit awkward at first, but I quickly got used to it. If you flip the gun upside down and drop shells in and then just push them forward they go right in no problem. Loading while you have the gun right side up is a little trickier but certainly doable. Of course, since it holds 15 rounds you don't have to do it all that often.

At first I thought that it kicked quite hard. After firing 150+ rounds my shoulder hurts. But after going over the events of the day, I realized that the issue I was having was that the stock was just a bit too far to the right on my shoulder because of the plate carrier I was wearing. I wear the carrier to hold 3-gun ammo so I'll have to find a way to get the KSG stock further to the left on my shoulder.

I really liked the action of the gun. It felt very smooth and solid. My Grizzly Mag is much more clunky and gritty. I don't have a lot of experience with shotguns so I can't really give a definitive account of what it's like compared to others. A friend of mine has a Mossberg 500 and it feels more like this than the Grizzly Mag.

The other thing is how it patterned. I was standing 10yds away from a piece of cardboard and #7 shot spread to about 9”. I need someone to tell me if this is a lot or not. I’m thinking that I’ll have to get a choke and install it. Fortunately, Kel-Tec does make one. There is also a muzzle brake by Carlson Comps that is supposed to be the cats ass.

When you rack the slide, and chamber a round, you cannot re-rack the slide unless you pull the trigger or push down on the lock button in front of the trigger guard. Is this the usual way shotguns are configured. With my Grizzly Mag I could just keep racking the slide until it locked back on an empty mag. Is there a special reason for this type of action?

I just finished taking the gun down for cleaning and found that a small part is missing from the rear stock. It's part #350 called a lifter axis. It's a type of pin that holds the lifter bar in place.

Even though the gun only had one of two in it during the shooting today, it still worked and fired just fine. I'll contact Vault and see if they can get me one from Kel-Tec. From what I've been able to discover on the net Kel-Tec is very good at customer service. I just hope that being in Canada everything will be ok with trans border shipping of shotgun parts.

Ok, on to the video. If you guys have any questions or some answers to my questions above please let me know. I love this gun.:bigHug:

[youtube]ASy37PKXwPQ[/youtube]

Here's a quick vid firing all 15rds. It's not as fast as I can go but it's all 15.
[youtube]LZAh4bQkfws&[/youtube]
 
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Mercury0_0 said:
The other thing is how it patterned. I was standing 10yds away from a piece of cardboard and #7 shot spread to about 9”. I need someone to tell me if this is a lot or not. I’m thinking that I’ll have to get a choke and install it. Fortunately, Kel-Tec does make one. There is also a muzzle brake by Carlson Comps that is supposed to be the cats ass.
Click to expand...

This is normal with an open choke.

Is it threaded for choke tubes?

If it is what kind of choke is in there now, and they should be able to be easily swapped.

If not it will have to be threaded to accept chokes, which for it's intended purpose is likely useless. It isn't meant to shoot bird shot! ;)


Mercury0_0 said:
When you rack the slide, and chamber a round, you cannot re-rack the slide unless you pull the trigger or push down on the lock button in front of the trigger guard. Is this the usual way shotguns are configured. With my Grizzly Mag I could just keep racking the slide until it locked back on an empty mag. Is there a special reason for this type of action?
Click to expand...

Also normal. Lets you know when not to eject a round that would otherwise be wasted I guess. I am not sure about those grizzlies, but every pump I have ever laid hands on has such a lock.
 
You can put a choke on the KSG. Apparently there is a certain type or brand that must be used. Something to do with the length of the choke, it has to be a short one I think.

I guess I'll have to have a good look at the Grizzly Mag and see why it's not locking the foregrip forward.
 
Mercury0_0 said:
You can put a choke on the KSG. Apparently there is a certain type or brand that must be used. Something to do with the length of the choke, it has to be a short one I think.

I guess I'll have to have a good look at the Grizzly Mag and see why it's not locking the foregrip forward.
Click to expand...

EDIT: Just looked into it(took 2 seconds on google) and the KSG is not able to accept chokes as it comes. It is a cylinder bore like most tactical shotguns meant for slugs or buck.

To add a choke there is a special adapter and chokes if I read correctly.
 
I was shooting in Squamish, BC.

As for the choke, I don't know what's on there right now. The only shotgun I've ever shot is my Grizzly Mag, so I don't know much about shotguns really. Now that I've got the KSG I'm gonna start really getting into them.
 
man this would be the best turkey gun out there I must know more about the choke options. I wonder what a smith would charge to thread one in
 
jbr87 said:
man this would be the best turkey gun out there I must know more about the choke options. I wonder what a smith would charge to thread one in
Click to expand...

You won't need to have one threaded in. Kel-Tec makes a choke adapter for the KSG. There's been lots of talk about it on the KTOG forums. Apparently the castle nut on the end of the barrel is put on with 50ftlbs of force and medium thread locker. This was difficult for a lot of people to take off, but one guy figured out a way. He used a large socket and cut the castle nut cut outs into it with a dremel tool and put the socket into a Dewalt cordless impact screw gun and it came off lickety split. Another guy found the correct sized castle nut socket on the net and ordered it and used the same impact gun to take it off.
There is another company that makes a muzzle brake for the KSG. It's supposed to work very well. I'll probably get both. The muzzle brake for 3-gun and the choke for Grouse. Can't wait.
 
Mercury0_0 said:
You won't need to have one threaded in. Kel-Tec makes a choke adapter for the KSG. There's been lots of talk about it on the KTOG forums. Apparently the castle nut on the end of the barrel is put on with 50ftlbs of force and medium thread locker. This was difficult for a lot of people to take off, but one guy figured out a way. He used a large socket and cut the castle nut cut outs into it with a dremel tool and put the socket into a Dewalt cordless impact screw gun and it came off lickety split. Another guy found the correct sized castle nut socket on the net and ordered it and used the same impact gun to take it off.
There is another company that makes a muzzle brake for the KSG. It's supposed to work very well. I'll probably get both. The muzzle brake for 3-gun and the choke for Grouse. Can't wait.
Click to expand...

Any Idea on what chokes it will take? like rem-choke, or optima?
 
I hate you. It looks like maybe Christmas before I get mine (#12 on a list).

Your DA is not working properly. The KSG is working normally. Any shotgun pump shotgun should only open if the trigger is pulled or the action release button is activated.
 
forbes/hutton said:
I hate you. It looks like maybe Christmas before I get mine (#12 on a list).

Your DA is not working properly. The KSG is working normally. Any shotgun pump shotgun should only open if the trigger is pulled or the action release button is activated.
Click to expand...

It was the first shotgun I'd ever owned and I didn't know that's how it was supposed to work. I'll have to take it apart and see what's wrong.
 
A friend of mine has exactly the same problem with his Griz. Try racking it with no mag and no round in the chamber...forcefully close the action. It should lock, and only open once you've pulled the trigger or pressed the release.

His does the same thing as yours with all magazines except the one that came with it, and those will lock if you're forceful enough.

DA heard his complaint, and I believe he sent the shotgun back only to be told there was nothing wrong with it. I think it's a magazine problem.

-Scott
 
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