Kel-Tec KSG 12 Gauge
Model: KSGBLK
Kel-Tec KSG 12 Gauge
Model: KSGBLK
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
The Kel-Tec KSG is a bullpup pump-action 12 gauge built for home defense. It has an MSRP of $900. Two magazine tubes sit side by side under the barrel, each holding seven shells of standard length, and a selector under the receiver picks which one feeds, so 14 rounds go behind an 18.5-inch barrel in a gun 26.1 inches long.
Picatinny rails run along the top and the bottom, and nothing is fitted to aim with, so an optic is a separate purchase. The barrel is smooth bore with no choke threads, so the pattern cannot be tightened with a tube. The selector does not move itself, so switching tubes when one runs dry is a manual step. Kel-Tec gives the trigger pull as 5 lbs.
If you're cross-shopping, the IWI Tavor TS12 is the semi-automatic version of the idea, with three tubes, 15 rounds and 144.0 oz at an MSRP of $1,399. A Mossberg 590 is the conventional answer at 100.8 oz and an MSRP of $592, and it needs 38.63 inches to carry the same barrel length, 12.53 inches more than the KSG.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- Kel-Tec introduced the KSG in 2011, so the design has a long production run behind it.
- The chamber takes shells up to three inches, and both tubes feed the same chamber, so a buckshot tube and a slug tube can be loaded and switched between.
- A sling is in the box, and there is no conventional stock to carry the gun by.
- At 111.0 oz it is 10.2 oz heavier than a Mossberg 590 while being the shorter gun, and the mass sits behind the grip where it does nothing for a swing.
- Nothing on it adjusts and the length of pull is fixed short, so a tall shooter takes it as it comes.
- There is no choke thread and no rear sight.
Ballistics Calculator
Calculate trajectory, drop, and energy for 12 Gauge ammunition.
12 Gauge Ballistics →Frequently Asked Questions
How do you reload it?
One tube at a time, through the port on whichever tube the selector points at. There is no single loading gate feeding both.
Is it usable left-handed?
Yes, with nothing changed. Shells eject downward and every control works from either side, which is Kel-Tec's stated reason for the layout.
What is the barrel like?
Smooth bore 4140 steel, 18.5 inches, with no constriction and no threads at the muzzle.
Does it hold 14 rounds whatever I load?
No. Fourteen is the count with standard-length shells, seven in each tube, plus one in the chamber. Longer shells give twelve.
