Kel-Tec KSG: A Top-Selling Pump-Action Shotgun

by
posted on September 2, 2020
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
kel-tec-ksg.jpg

Kel-Tec changed the way we think of pump-action shotguns when it introduced its KSG in 2011. The bullpup design makes it shorter than most in the category, and that improved nimbleness is a decided advantage in home and self-defense. Overall length measures 26.1" in 12 gauge, which comes with a 18.5" barrel that chambers shotshells up to 3" in length.

There’s more than just the bullpup design that makes this tubular-magazine fed shotgun innovative, though. It has two magazines, which run parallel to one another. They give the firearm a total capacity of 6+6+1 or 7+7+1, depending on the length of ammo. Spent shotshells eject toward the bottom and once one magazine is exhausted, the shooter rotates a lever near the pistol grip to feed from the other.

The gun’s not picky which magazine it digests from first. For the home defender that means they can load one tube with 00 buckshot and the other with slugs. They can decide which load to chamber on the fly.

American Rifleman tested an early model in 2012 and it performed admirably. “At 25 yards, Hornady’s Critical Defense 00 buckshot loads provided excellent patterns with most of the pellets centering inside a 12" circle,” Paul Rackley wrote. “I also took the KSG on the skeet field to determine the gun’s effectiveness on moving targets. With the KSG, I was able to hit 17 and 18 out of 25 clays in two rounds (I even doubled on a couple of true pairs), which is right on par with my abilities with a more conventionally stocked shotgun.”

The KSG does not come with sights, although there’s 12" of Picatinny rail atop for mounting your choice of optic. Another rail underneath, 6" long, is ideal for lights and lasers.

The shotgun weighs 6.9 lbs. empty and MSRP is currently $770. Believe it or not, that is $110 less than when the gun was officially introduced.

Latest

Star Model B Ihtog 1
Star Model B Ihtog 1

I Have This Old Gun: Star Model B

Of the many Spanish-made firearms to emerge throughout the 19th and 20th century, one of the most recognizable is the Star Model B, largely due to its similarity to the Colt Model 1911.

New For 2025: Kimber Next Generation 1911

For its latest M1911 offering, Kimber Mfg. borrowed design elements from its double-stack 2K11 pistol to create what it calls the Next Generation 1911.

Review: Charter Arms Double Dog

Charter Arms is an American gunmaker that has offered its own versions of compact, double-action revolvers at fair prices for more than 60 years.

Rifleman Q&A: Mysterious “Broomhandle” Bring-Back

"My favorite gun is inoperable, so I have not shot it. It is one of two weapons that my dad brought back from the Philippines after World War II, the other being a sword."

New Jersey Town Supports CCW With Fee Refund

The city of Englishtown, N.J., recently made a move to reduce that financial barrier, sparking widespread optimism that a statewide, even nationwide, trend may be on the horizon.

Review: Savage Arms Revel

Lever-action rifles have experienced a revival in recent years, and Savage Arms is getting in on the act with its Revel series rimfires. To understand it, you may have to read (backward) between the lines.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.