Kel-Tec KSG-25

Kel-Tec KSG-25

The first firearm I purchased was a Winchester 1300, which I then used to hunt everything from doves to deer. I’m still a fan of slide-­action shotguns but, in my opinion, there haven’t been a lot of groundbreaking changes to the basic pump design since I bought that 1300. Unless, of course, you consider Kel-­Tec’s KSG.

Imported pump shotguns are limited to five shells in their tubular magazines, and there are some domestic pump guns that come with nine-­shot tubes. Kel-­Tec, on the other hand, beat those numbers soundly with the KSG in 2011. The original held seven 23/4-­inch, 12-­gauge shells each in two tubes with the option of one extra in the chamber for 15. The new KSG-­25 holds 24 (plus one) and weighs 9 ­pounds (2 pounds more than the original). Shells are cleverly held in a pair of tubular magazines that run from the receiver — the top of which doubles as the comb of the stock — to the muzzle.

The KSG feeds from below the barrel, and ejects as the forend is pumped along the dual magazine tubes.

The KSG feeds from below the barrel, and ejects as the forend is pumped along the dual magazine tubes.

The design of the KSG series is simple. It feeds from below the barrel, and ejects as the forend is pumped along the dual magazine tubes. Feeding is controlled by a three-­position selector switch at the rear of the magazine tubes underneath. This switch allows you to choose whether the shotgun feeds from the right or left tube, or neither if the selector is in the middle. Both magazine tubes have numerous cutouts that keep the shooter informed of the remaining shells available.

When the ambidextrous action release on the front of the triggerguard is placed into the down position and the forearm is retracted, the bolt is

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