Kel-Tec unveils new shotgun that’s not really new

Kel-Tec has announced that they will launch was is essentially an updated version of the Neostead shotgun.  It’s a pump-action tube-magazine fed shotgun that uses two tubes allowing the shooter to load one tube with say, slugs and the other with birdshot.  The shooter can then select which tube to load the next round from.  Oh yes, and the bullpup fanboys will flip, because well, it’s a bullpup.  Are the ergonomic issues combined with the heavy recoil of a polymer shotgun sounds like an awesome idea.

photo courtesy The Shooter's Log

I just don’t know what to say about this.  Actually, no I take that back.  I have a shocking prediction: this gun will not hurt Remington, Mossberg, Winchester, FN, or even Saiga’s market share.  I wish Kel-Tec the best of luck with this, but seeing as they still are having a hard time getting the PMR pistols to the market, and I’ve only seen one RFB in the wild, I doubt I’ll actually see these any time soon.

17 Comments

  1. Did the Kel-Tec guys piss on your head at the last shot show or something? IMO, they are trying new and different stuff, yeah, it might not be ready for prime time, but at least it isn’t yet another polymer duty pistol/1911/AR15 that we’re all tired of seeing.

    I applaud companies that try new stuff and while it may not be my cup of tea, I think they deserve some praise for not puking the same stuff as everyone else is.

    1. I am not tired of seeing polymer pistols, or 1911s, or ARs. I am tired of seeing vaporware that doesn’t actually improve on any of the products on the market already. I would suggest that maybe instead of trying to launch some random shotgun that maybe Kel-Tec should get the PMR-30 in full production. Or fix the issues with the RFB. Dropping new guns for the sake of dropping new guns when your existing line has major QC issues doesn’t seem smart.

      1. So 14+1 in a 26″ package isn’t an improvement? In what world? Sure beats the too late to the party Ruger PF9 er LC9.

        Plus, you know, RAILS!

      2. *cough* Masada/ACR *cough*

        MagPul’s expansion into training has done wonders for their image but they suffer from the vaporware and “dropping products” problems too. In the chaos that is gun manufacturing in this country the smaller guys are always going to have less than perfect execution on everything. I’m still glad they’re out there throwing stuff at the wall to see if it sticks.

        1. At least I can walk in to most gun stores and actually buy an ACR. I can’t do that with a PRM-30, since I’ve never actually seen one for sale in a store. I’ve also never seen an RFB for sale.

          1. There’s some selective memory here. The Masada/ACR was vaporware for four+ years if I remember right…

            So you can buy one now, yes. There’s a great YouTube video that expounds on this. 😉 What about the promised 7.62×39 version? Or the 308? Or the 6.8? Let’s check back in four years on RFB or PMR-30 and compare oranges then.

          2. I handled a RFB at a small gun store near Fayetteville not more than a month ago. It was the second they’d got in- the first sold in less than a week. There’s a bunch of them for sale online, if you had bothered to look.
            Sounds like you’re just going to the wrong stores and then overgeneralizing from there.

          3. The plural of “anecdote” isn’t “data”. There are five RFBs for sale on Gunbroker. I have been to most of the gun shops in western WA and I think I’ve seen one or two.

            On the flip side, there are over 100 ACRs for sale, and I can walk into one of any of a dozen shops and find one of those for sale.

  2. OTOH, if they’re smart they’ll get a few into Hollywood armsmasters’/propmasters’ hands ASAP. If that’s not something that ought to be in pictures…

    Get it into the next Counterstrike, too..

    More seriously, try and get it into dynamic-entry teams, where having a choice of rounds on tap (breacher/whatever your preferred serious shotgun load is) would actually be useful. A bullpup makes sense in this context , as shorter OAL improves MOUT/CQB handiness.

    Step 0, of course, is improve the reputation for shoddy QA, though. Which you can only do by throwing product out…

    (Incidentally, I might be talked into at least looking at one, simply because that’s a downright evil-looking gun that isn’t banned by NJ’s AWB; being, you know, not Semi-Auto)

  3. My full length Mossberg 590 used to hold 14+1 of the 1.5″ Aguila mini shotgun shells and operated flawlessly. This would hold 24+1.

  4. I was interested in the PMR-30 but have also never even seen one offered for sale. I have seen and fired an RFB, we got about 20 rounds through it when it started jamming on every round. Disassembling showed that the sheet-metal tray that guides the expended casings out through the top/front of the gun had it’s feed ramps severely bent. We were able to bend them back with a pair of pliers, and Kel-Tec did provide a replacement part at no cost, but it wasn’t exactly a great first impression.

  5. After they announced the PMR-30, I was talking to a buddy of mine and we speculated on what their next offering would be. My guess was a bolt action carbine chambered in .45 ACP. Looks like I was way off, but this bullpup shotgun thing looks to be equally as random.
    Seriously, I applaud their R&D department for trying something different, but do they not have *any* marketing people on their staff? Are they using a magic 8 ball to decide what to release next?

  6. The concept looks good to me, imagine a home defense use, military or LEO entry team use, being able to select between 2 loads at the flip of a switch (not to mention holding 15 total rounds) has to be a good thing. And being such a small package it would be very maneuverable as well.

    As long as it’s reliable the only drawback would be recoil, especially when nearly empty. (15 12 ga slugs adding almost a pound to total weight of the gun has to make a recoil difference)

  7. And BTW, I too am wanting to get my hands on a PMR-30, 30 rounds of 22 mag has to put this (assuming reliability-big assumption, I know) in the serious defensive pistol consideration class.

    Not to mention it would really piss off the gun ban crowd who want a 10 round pistol limit!

  8. This has been around for YEARS, it started life in S. Africa. I remember seeing it in Combat Arms in the mid 80’s

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