The UTS15, seemingly the back sheep shotgun of the online community. The YouTube reviews are absolutely cringeworthy. The forum and blog reviews from owners are no less forgiving. Failures to feed and extract abound. But, these harsh words came from Generation 1 and 2 guns. UTAS appears to have taken the failures to heart and since released two further generations to address the shortcomings original users experienced. Reviews for the 3 and 4 versions are quite sparse and certainly not strong enough to turn the tide against the current opinion of the gun. I've always liked the design of the gun, and when I saw them on sale at GP-Tactical I thought I'd give the Gen 4 gun a try, and share my findings.
As I mentioned previously I really like the look of the shotgun. Some people have said it looks futuristic, or "District 9". I see it differently. I see what looks like a linear, simple, and compact design. Sure it has vents and angles that look tactic-cool to affectionados of that genre. I think it looks like a 2x6 painted black with a grip on it. The profile looks correct and simple to me. But style is subjective right? People actually paid money for Pontiac #####s.
Unboxing the gun revealed it to be VERY lightweight. Much lighter than I expected. The manual is the best I've ever seen come with a firearm. My version came with the UTAS fixed sights and the breaching tool. The supplied grip is a poor match with an odd angle and awkward appearance, it's also simply uncomfortable. I've read that people have a hard time getting comfortable behind the gun and that it won't point naturally. It's the grip. I later changed it to an Ergo with beaver tail and it's transformed how the gun handled. The gun carried, shouldered, and comes up on target like the high performance police shotgun it was meant to be. Change the grip.
At this point I started to give the gun a good detailed look over. Initial impressions weren't that good, and here's what I found. Upon opening the loading ports I noticed quite a bit of machining fines in and around the port. Fines on the plunger and down the tube magazine. The butt pad is crooked, it's fully seated to the gun in some places but an 1/8"off on others. The height adjustable front sight post has been drilled offset, even the screwdriver slot to adjust the sight is not centered. The tube magazine covers bow out because the holes on the cover and the holes on the gun do not correctly line up, as such the plastic covers are under stress. Hell, even the bolts that hold the cover on are swaged offset from center. When is the last time you've seen that?
We're not off to a good start here. In each case these flaws represent a basic lack of care right from start. I am left wondering what else has been haphazardly assembled with poor parts and attention that I can't see. Think for a moment about the chain of assembly here. Somebody produced those parts with flaws, but thought they would be good enough. Somebody, presumably, QA inspected those parts and said they were good enough. Somebody then took those parts and thought they would be good enough for my gun, so they assembled it. Then, perhaps,somebody in QA inspected the final product and summarily thought it's good enough as representation of their employee skill and company reputation. Is this a direct result of the massive price drop from $1300 to $700? When a person can't even blow out the machining fines,it makes me wonder what else they couldn't be bothered to do. I'm also confused why the importer or retailer wouldn't give a cursory inspection before sale, especially with the history this gun has from the previous generations.
I considered sending the gun back. I really wanted it to work. With it having been heavily discounted (even greater discounts now) and shipped for free then perhaps I could tweek it myself without a lot of pain, so I decided to hang on to it and see how well it shot. I ordered a set of Magpul MBUS Pro sights, an Ergo Grip, and a Bushnell TRS25 red dot. I put the gun away until all the parts showed up. While waiting I often pulled the gun out and ran function tests and drills with it. I really wanted it to work. The concept of this shotgun is brilliant, it's the execution of it that I was most worried about. Please work.
When my parts showed up I immediately changed the grip, and as I previously noted, it completely transforms the gun. It's a critical upgrade and poignant example the importance of ergonomics. I was disappointed to find out my MBUS Pro sights won't fit the rail. The top width is fine, but the taper is too thick, bummer. So I installed the UTAS sights, which I like, but am not impressed with the manufacturing flaws on the front sight. They would lower 1/3 co-witness with the TRS25 red dot I also installed. I liked this combo quite a bit.
It took longer than expected to finally get time for a range day. The weather was near freezing, it was raining, and the range was a big mud pit. There was almost no shelter to speak of. Perfect! I had brought with me about 150 rounds of mixed ammo. 3" and 2 3/4", high and low brass, buckshot, slugs, and bird shot. Remember the flaws on the gun? I didn't remedy any of them, I just oiled the gun and decided to run it as it was sent to me.
Whenever I first fire any gun I always hold it away and shoot from the hip. So I loaded up a single 3" high brass shell with #4 shot directly into the chamber and fired. Bang. My aim was low, obviously, and it dug a hell of an impressive trench in the ground. Recoil was nowhere near as bad as expected with such a light gun. Next I loaded up both tube mags with the same shells and took aim. I got the first shot off, cycled the action and immediately had a failure to feed. I lifted the inspection cover, extracted the round, and tried again. No dice. 100% of the time the gun will not feed a shell. Each time I needed to lift the inspection cover and extract the round. Not impressed.
I chambered a single 2 3/4" low brass bird shot which shot normally. I then loaded the tube mags to capacity with those same shells and found it fed normally. I was able to shot all 15 rounds without an issue. I reloaded and tried again, fast. As quick as I could cycle and pull the trigger the gun fed and fired with 2 3/4"perfectly. I changed to 2 3/4" high brass 7/8oz slugs and repeated the test. No issues. It would feed and fire perfectly, as fast as you can go. Each mag tube would feed alternately with the selector switch in the middle position, or feed from whichever tube you want depending on how your orientate the selector. I revisited the 3" shells to try again, no change. 3"shells will not feed. I was not short stroking, the gun was well lubed.
Some notes about the range day. Half way though the test the gun was soaked with rain water, and because everything was muddy eventually so was the gun, and the ammo. I had an ammo box get some water logged it fell apart and dumped with shells right into a stew of mud and water. The shells were caked. I shot them anyway. A gun that claims it was designed as a police/military firearm needs to perform in these conditions, and it did quite well, with the 2 3/4"ammunition. Recoil was a non-issue with this gun, which I must say is surprising. I had a few other issues with the gun during my shoot. There's a plug on the side of the gun that covers the holes for the optional light/laser combo, and it has fallen back into the gun somewhere. My TRS25 fell off after the second shot, even though I had it tight and Locktite'd, and sadly it took a small piece of rail with it. Loading the gun isn't pleasant. It's not difficult to load at all, it's literally painful. The loading ports have such sharp edges it's gives you a raw thumb after a few reloads. Radiusing the edges would likely solve a lot of that issue.
So where are we with this gun? It shot extremely well, in really poor conditions too, later completely wet, with mud inside and outside the gun. But, it would only do that with 2 3/4"ammo, though UTAS claims it will shoot 3" shells. It also has some really suspect build quality. But it's also under $700 now. I should note the 3"shells were tested well before the gun was wet and muddy, and then again after it was a mess, no change. Throughout it was kept well oiled.
As I write this now I still feel an attachment to this gun, I believe the concept. I think if UTAS didn't screw themselves releasing a gun before it was fully sorted they might actually be used for their intended purpose by professionals in LE and the Military. Sadly that ship has sailed already. The execution still needs some work, even for the Gen 4 models. I feel that I can beat the short comings through some simple tweeking and use of the warranty service. I want this gun to work. Whether or not I can recommend this gun to you will be based on how the warranty takes care of me. The gun has issues, but issues can be resolved. If they are resolved and the gun hits the target the concept intended, it's a great value, a real bargain actually. If the issues aren't resolved, or if I'm left without support and have to resolve them all myself, then the gun should be considered a novelty purchase only.
I'll start the warranty process shortly and keep everyone updated as to the progression of that. In the meantime I welcome comments and questions.
PIC: Hosed off and ready for tear down and cleaning.
As I mentioned previously I really like the look of the shotgun. Some people have said it looks futuristic, or "District 9". I see it differently. I see what looks like a linear, simple, and compact design. Sure it has vents and angles that look tactic-cool to affectionados of that genre. I think it looks like a 2x6 painted black with a grip on it. The profile looks correct and simple to me. But style is subjective right? People actually paid money for Pontiac #####s.
Unboxing the gun revealed it to be VERY lightweight. Much lighter than I expected. The manual is the best I've ever seen come with a firearm. My version came with the UTAS fixed sights and the breaching tool. The supplied grip is a poor match with an odd angle and awkward appearance, it's also simply uncomfortable. I've read that people have a hard time getting comfortable behind the gun and that it won't point naturally. It's the grip. I later changed it to an Ergo with beaver tail and it's transformed how the gun handled. The gun carried, shouldered, and comes up on target like the high performance police shotgun it was meant to be. Change the grip.
At this point I started to give the gun a good detailed look over. Initial impressions weren't that good, and here's what I found. Upon opening the loading ports I noticed quite a bit of machining fines in and around the port. Fines on the plunger and down the tube magazine. The butt pad is crooked, it's fully seated to the gun in some places but an 1/8"off on others. The height adjustable front sight post has been drilled offset, even the screwdriver slot to adjust the sight is not centered. The tube magazine covers bow out because the holes on the cover and the holes on the gun do not correctly line up, as such the plastic covers are under stress. Hell, even the bolts that hold the cover on are swaged offset from center. When is the last time you've seen that?
We're not off to a good start here. In each case these flaws represent a basic lack of care right from start. I am left wondering what else has been haphazardly assembled with poor parts and attention that I can't see. Think for a moment about the chain of assembly here. Somebody produced those parts with flaws, but thought they would be good enough. Somebody, presumably, QA inspected those parts and said they were good enough. Somebody then took those parts and thought they would be good enough for my gun, so they assembled it. Then, perhaps,somebody in QA inspected the final product and summarily thought it's good enough as representation of their employee skill and company reputation. Is this a direct result of the massive price drop from $1300 to $700? When a person can't even blow out the machining fines,it makes me wonder what else they couldn't be bothered to do. I'm also confused why the importer or retailer wouldn't give a cursory inspection before sale, especially with the history this gun has from the previous generations.
I considered sending the gun back. I really wanted it to work. With it having been heavily discounted (even greater discounts now) and shipped for free then perhaps I could tweek it myself without a lot of pain, so I decided to hang on to it and see how well it shot. I ordered a set of Magpul MBUS Pro sights, an Ergo Grip, and a Bushnell TRS25 red dot. I put the gun away until all the parts showed up. While waiting I often pulled the gun out and ran function tests and drills with it. I really wanted it to work. The concept of this shotgun is brilliant, it's the execution of it that I was most worried about. Please work.
When my parts showed up I immediately changed the grip, and as I previously noted, it completely transforms the gun. It's a critical upgrade and poignant example the importance of ergonomics. I was disappointed to find out my MBUS Pro sights won't fit the rail. The top width is fine, but the taper is too thick, bummer. So I installed the UTAS sights, which I like, but am not impressed with the manufacturing flaws on the front sight. They would lower 1/3 co-witness with the TRS25 red dot I also installed. I liked this combo quite a bit.
It took longer than expected to finally get time for a range day. The weather was near freezing, it was raining, and the range was a big mud pit. There was almost no shelter to speak of. Perfect! I had brought with me about 150 rounds of mixed ammo. 3" and 2 3/4", high and low brass, buckshot, slugs, and bird shot. Remember the flaws on the gun? I didn't remedy any of them, I just oiled the gun and decided to run it as it was sent to me.
Whenever I first fire any gun I always hold it away and shoot from the hip. So I loaded up a single 3" high brass shell with #4 shot directly into the chamber and fired. Bang. My aim was low, obviously, and it dug a hell of an impressive trench in the ground. Recoil was nowhere near as bad as expected with such a light gun. Next I loaded up both tube mags with the same shells and took aim. I got the first shot off, cycled the action and immediately had a failure to feed. I lifted the inspection cover, extracted the round, and tried again. No dice. 100% of the time the gun will not feed a shell. Each time I needed to lift the inspection cover and extract the round. Not impressed.
I chambered a single 2 3/4" low brass bird shot which shot normally. I then loaded the tube mags to capacity with those same shells and found it fed normally. I was able to shot all 15 rounds without an issue. I reloaded and tried again, fast. As quick as I could cycle and pull the trigger the gun fed and fired with 2 3/4"perfectly. I changed to 2 3/4" high brass 7/8oz slugs and repeated the test. No issues. It would feed and fire perfectly, as fast as you can go. Each mag tube would feed alternately with the selector switch in the middle position, or feed from whichever tube you want depending on how your orientate the selector. I revisited the 3" shells to try again, no change. 3"shells will not feed. I was not short stroking, the gun was well lubed.
Some notes about the range day. Half way though the test the gun was soaked with rain water, and because everything was muddy eventually so was the gun, and the ammo. I had an ammo box get some water logged it fell apart and dumped with shells right into a stew of mud and water. The shells were caked. I shot them anyway. A gun that claims it was designed as a police/military firearm needs to perform in these conditions, and it did quite well, with the 2 3/4"ammunition. Recoil was a non-issue with this gun, which I must say is surprising. I had a few other issues with the gun during my shoot. There's a plug on the side of the gun that covers the holes for the optional light/laser combo, and it has fallen back into the gun somewhere. My TRS25 fell off after the second shot, even though I had it tight and Locktite'd, and sadly it took a small piece of rail with it. Loading the gun isn't pleasant. It's not difficult to load at all, it's literally painful. The loading ports have such sharp edges it's gives you a raw thumb after a few reloads. Radiusing the edges would likely solve a lot of that issue.
So where are we with this gun? It shot extremely well, in really poor conditions too, later completely wet, with mud inside and outside the gun. But, it would only do that with 2 3/4"ammo, though UTAS claims it will shoot 3" shells. It also has some really suspect build quality. But it's also under $700 now. I should note the 3"shells were tested well before the gun was wet and muddy, and then again after it was a mess, no change. Throughout it was kept well oiled.
As I write this now I still feel an attachment to this gun, I believe the concept. I think if UTAS didn't screw themselves releasing a gun before it was fully sorted they might actually be used for their intended purpose by professionals in LE and the Military. Sadly that ship has sailed already. The execution still needs some work, even for the Gen 4 models. I feel that I can beat the short comings through some simple tweeking and use of the warranty service. I want this gun to work. Whether or not I can recommend this gun to you will be based on how the warranty takes care of me. The gun has issues, but issues can be resolved. If they are resolved and the gun hits the target the concept intended, it's a great value, a real bargain actually. If the issues aren't resolved, or if I'm left without support and have to resolve them all myself, then the gun should be considered a novelty purchase only.
I'll start the warranty process shortly and keep everyone updated as to the progression of that. In the meantime I welcome comments and questions.
PIC: Hosed off and ready for tear down and cleaning.
Last edited:
nice pics, nice gun and good luck brother ... 
