  The UTS-15 from UTAS-USA is a 15 round pump shotgun with magazine tubes on the top instead of the bottom as they are on a Kel-Tec KSG. While it is impossible to not bring the KSG into any discussion about a bullpup 15 round shotgun, the folks at UTAS claim that the impetus for the project pre-dated the KSG and came from a spec released by Smith & Wesson.  Shown here next to our “working KSG,” the UTS-15 is a slightly larger and heavier gun, with some significant advantages and disadvantages when you compare it to its predecessor.  The UTS-15’s top mounted dual 7 round magazine tubes use this follower. First you click it back into the tube, then you can load rounds like you would any pump shotgun.  You wedge the last round in like you would a battery in a radio.  When you click this door shut it releases the column of shells rearward to the feeding system.  Both sides have the same gate, and the center selector can be left in the middle if you want to just run the gun. Move it right or left to select the other side exclusively if you wish. Otherwise the UTS-15 takes a shell from wherever it finds one, right side first.  The rear action shroud opens easily to give you complete access to the loading system, so if it hangs up you can just dump the round and keep going.  The gun comes with a pre-installed cylinder bore choke tube with a knurled front on the 18 1/2″ barrel. Also included are this breacher tube and a 7.5″ extension barrel, that also takes the standard and breacher chokes. A breacher is used on a shotgun to blow out locks and hingens on doors. It acts as a standoff so that the gasses can escape with the muzzle held firmly against the breaching surface.  The UTS-15 also comes with a pre-installed light and laser combo, with a control switch in front of the trigger guard. You can choose either light or laser.  The manual explains in full color the operation of the gun, as well as how to completely take it apart. There is even an accordian exploded parts diagram.  This the gun with the barrel extension.  The included open sights mount on the Picatinny rail. The rear is adjustable for windage and can be set as either this ghost ring or a V notch, and the front is a height adjustable raised bead. They do not fold down. MORE PICTURES BELOW ARTICLE |
UTAS-USA
https://www.utas-usa.com/
Any new gun in the market should face extreme scrutiny. This is particularly true of a new design, and even more so of a new concept, engineered into a new design. Back in 2011 we got our first look at a bullpup 15 round pump shotgun in the form of the Kel-Tec KSG. At the time, most gunwriters who got one were elated with the gun, including us. But part of that elation was that this entirely new concept had come from Kel-Tec, an American company that had already pulled off groundbreaking products like the PMR-30 and another bullpup, the .308 caliber RFB rifle. Nothing about the KSG was a disappointment. The engineering made sense, and the gun worked fabulously. This year a new 15 round bullpup came into the market called the UTS-15 from UTAS-USA. It has the magazine tubes on the top instead of the bottom like the KSG. It has a built in flashlight/laser combo, and it says “Made in USA” on the gun, though UTAS is a Turkish company. We were finally able to get our hands on one this week, and like any other newly designed mechanical device, there are positives and negatives to the gun. Overall it worked well, but we did have some light strikes and mis-feeds. Understanding the differences between the UTS-15 and the KSG will be a big part of deciding which gun to try to buy. The KSG is still extremely backordered, selling for up to twice MRSP, while the UTS-15, MSRP $1200, is currently available in the market at close to that price. The UTS-15 is a lot of gun for the money, and if a 15 round shotgun is in your future, this may be the superior gun. Is it a KSG killer? No. But is it a viable option? Possibly yes.
To back up a bit, the first question anyone would should ask before buying this gun is “and exactly who the heck is UTAS-Makine?” That is the manufacturer of the UTS-15. According to the (excellent) manual that comes with the gun, UTAS has been an OEM manufacturer in the American market for many years. They claim that they won an NRA Golden Bullseye Award in both 2006 and 2007. To begin with, the Golden Bullseye is given out in several publications by NRA, and they are largely advertising driven. From my research, the American Rifleman awards to which UTAS seems to be claiming were given in 2006 to Kimber for a doublegun, and in 2007 to a Remington Model 105 for shotguns. So either UTAS is claiming that they made either of those guns, or it was not a shotgun for which they were OEM. OEM is “original equipment manufacturer” and is a friendly way of saying “we made that or a piece of that.” In this case there is very little backup evidence to determine exactly what UTAS is actually claiming to have made. That doesn’t mean that they are aren’t a sound company, but unless we get some specifics, I would not base their veracity on NRA awards.
Moving on to the gun itself, on paper there is no other shotgun in the market that can touch it. The top loading magazine tubes on the UTAS-15 are head and shoulders easier to load than the KSG, and you don’t have to flip the lever to fire 15 consecutive rounds as fast as you can pump and fire. The The UTS-15 automatically takes a shell from first the right then the left tubes, and the selector lever merely allows you to hand select the sides, in case you want slugs in one side and buckshot in the other, or a nonlethal/lethal combination. Slamming 15 rounds of high brass buckshot through the gun is exhausting, but it works. As you can see from the pictures, our only jams were from working the action slower do to being tired from several runs of 15, and trying to work the gun with it vertical. The UTS-15 works best when the gun is horizontal and you work the action quickly and with the full force of your arm strength. If you rack it back and leave it, then try to rack it forward, it generally is going to hang up on you. Holding the gun vertically requires that you rack the action as fast as you can, or it can hang up. For recoil, shooting the gun is not unpleasant with 2 3/4” shells at all, especially with modern combat loads. The recoil pad is roughly twice the thickness of the KSG. But 3” shells are an absolute NO in this gun, just like they are in the KSG. We had problems with them cycling correctly, light strikes, and they beat the heck out of you.
There were a total of three light strikes on the gun where it failed to fire. Two of these were on 3” shells, of which we only had two boxes for our testing. The third was a 2 3/4” Hornady Critical Defense, and on all three shells we could not run it back through the gun and have it fire. It was like these shells were slightly out of spec, and the chamber/bolt dimensions of the UTS-15 were too tight to fire the shell. All three were subsequently run through the KSG and fired perfectly. Just to note though, in defense of the gun and its reliability, I personally shot at least 6 full loads of 14 shells at a 6” steel target at 40 yards and dinged it every time with that same 00 Buck 9 pellet Hornady Critical Defense. Tight tolerances equal good accuracy, but it can sometimes be at the cost of ammo sensitivity. I tried to get this gun to fail in every way possible, and those three light strikes were the extent of anything but generally good reliability with the UTS-15.
That brings us to an extremely big departure from the KSG in the engineering of the UTS-15. But as a side note, as it relates to UTAS copying the KSG, according to UTAS-USADirector of Product Development Ted Hatfield, the UTS-15 was a project that began more than 5 years ago, at the bequest of Smith & Wesson (who won the Golden Bullseye for Manufacturer of the Year in 2006 so that could be the NRA award connection). That fact would argue that the UTS-15 was developed at the same time as the KSG, because of an open product concept for a “full capacity” 12 gauge shotgun, and that it isn’t just a cheap copy with the mags on top. The fact that the mag tubes were placed on top, and this other huge difference between the UTS-15 and the KSG is that Kel-Tec chose to cover the entire action of the gun with a blast shield of sorts and UTAS did not. These are both bullpup guns, so the blast from shotgun shell is actually happening right next to your face. The blast shield on the Kel-Tec was one of the biggest selling points on the gun back in 2011. Barrel obstructions happen, and slam fires also happen when stuff gets into the action. If the side of the action blows out, I would prefer to have the blast directed down and away from my face. This is especially true in the case of a partially closed accidental slam fire. It is an “impossible” occurrence with both the KSG and the UTS-15, but I like the fact that Kel-Tec defaulted to Murphy’s Law.
The UTS-15 is just the opposite. The action is covered by only a thin plastic wall and an even thinner plastic cap. From a tactical perspective this is 100% better than the KSG, because you can easily clear any type of mis-feed, light strike, or jam that might occur. When you lift up the cover everything is right there, and any round that might be hung up can easily be dumped out of the gun. It also gives you the added convenience of being able to unload the UTS-15 without running the remaining unfired rounds through the chamber. With the plastic cover up they jump right out of the gun onto the table. I love this feature, but I can’t help wondering if the convenience is worth not having that blast shield protecting my face. The UTS-15 has a rotating, locking bolt, but the last 1/8” of pressure to close the action is hard once your arms are exhausted, and it leaves me wary that the trigger is going to release to fire without the bolt being all the way locked. There is no evidence to indicate that this would ever happen, but it is something to think about.
Extra features are at no loss on the UTS-15. It comes with an integral flashlight and laser combination that is completely modular and replaceable should it break down. The control switch is mounted on the frame of the gun and you can choose flashlight or laser, but not the two at the same time. It runs on two standard 123A batteries. Out of the box the laser shot to point of impact at 5 yards. This all in one approach also extends to chokes. Our gun came with not only the standard cylinder bore screw out choke. It also came with a breacher/flash hider screw in choke, as well as a 7.5” barrel extension that itself also takes chokes. You have to give UTAS-USA a ton of credit for bringing a gun into the market with this level of maturity. Already they have introduced a camo-dipped sporting model as well as a marine coat version meant for combating Somali pirates. Our gun also came with excellent iron sights that mount to the top full Picatinny rail and an Allen wrench key that allows you to fully take apart the gun. The manual is full color and explains complete disassembly, with an accordion foldout showing a 15” by 16” exploded parts diagram. The only intentional misrepresentation by UTAS I found with the gun was that it is much heavier than they claim. I have seen quotes from 6.9 lbs. To 7.2 lbs., and our test gun weighs 8 lbs. 9oz.
The only thing seriously missing from the UTS-15 is a bottom rail on the forearm. The muscles that you use to rack a pump shotgun back and forth are not muscles that get a regular workout from lifting cold 12 ouncers. If you practice with the gun, you can develop muscle memory so that you drive that next shot home every time on your forward racking, but it is something you do have to concentrate on to get the gun to work well. The KSG also has this issue. Neither of these bullpup actions work as smoothly or lockup as easily as a Mossberg 500, because on the Mossberg your arm is more fully extended and at the peak of its ability. In close with a bullpup, your arm is in the middle of its extension where you have the least leverage. The KSG has a bottom rail on its forearm so you can put a vertical handle on it, which I did. This changes which muscles you use to rack the gun, and hammering 15 shells through the KSG becomes much easier. If I was going to change one thing on the UTS-15, it would be to add a blast shield, but the bottom rail would be a close second. My last peeve with the UTS-15 is the action release button, which is under the rear stock. See the pictures for that one.
Hollywood should love the UTS-15 because it looks so futuristic, and the early adopters will probably buy up the first guns out, but UTAS-USA isn’t just trying to be a fly by night company unloading containers of shotguns. From the packaging, manual and extras that come with the UTS-15, it is clear that UTAS intends to become a permanent fixture in the American market. Bullpups used to not sell very well in the US, but these days they are very popular, and a lot of that started with the KSG. Kel-Tec can sell every one of those they make even all these years later, so there is definitely room for another bullpup 12 gauge. A lot of thought and engineering went into this UTS-15. It is elegant in its simplicity. The few failures we had are not deal killers for the most part. These guns are currently out in the market, and your local dealer should be able to get you one through standard distribution. Unlike the KSG I would not pay in excess of MSRP. The boom is over and there should be plenty of the UTS-15 to buy.
 The cylinder bore choke delivered great results at 15 yards with combat ammo from Hornady, Federal, Winchester and Fiocchi. All of the ammo patterned tight and repeatable. |  The only unexplained problem we had were 3 light strikes, where the shell just didn’t seem to fit correctly in the gun. Repeated firing of the same shell in the UTS-15 didn’t fire them, and it only did it on a few shells. The KSG fired all three fine. |
 The only other failures were due to either intentionally cycling the action with a hestidation or slow, or just because of tired arms not having the strength to slam the action forward to lock it up or pull it all the way open. |  The integral sling swivels are really nice, but be careful not to put your hand to far forward on the forend. |
 The box velocity on these are 1600 fps. The UTS-15 delivered 1525 out of the short barrel. |  The barrel extension added almost 100 fps. |
 The only thing we found that didn’t jive with the marketing materials was the weight. Our test gun is 8 lbs. 9oz. empty, not 6.9 or 7.2lbs you will see quoted by other “reviewers” who merely copy press releases. |  Overall the fit and finish on the UTS-15 is fantastic, except for these ugly welds on the takedown rings. |
 Taking the UTS-15 down for cleaning is extremely easy, and it goes back together without any mystery fitting. |  The flashlight/laser module is proprietary and made by or for UTAS, but, assuming the company stays around, it is easily replaced if it breaks. |
 The action release is on the rear of the stock at the bottom. That means that to releast the action you have to take your hand off the pump, or handgrip, and push the button. It is odd, and seems to be an afterthought in the engineering. |  The trigger is fairly crisp and consistent at 5lbs. |
 We didn’t have any 2.5″ beanbag and other specialty rounds to try, but the mini Aguila rounds do not work at all, unlike the KSG that eats them perfectly. |  The only thing that was really left off this gun that it needs is a rail on the bottom of the forearm like the KSG. You really need that front grip to slam the shells in and out of this big heavy 12guage shotgun. |
getting the last pair of shoes in your size AWESOME!
There is a company who has made a rail for the UTS. Tooth and Nail Armory. It is metal not plastic like the KelTech and works great. They also make a trigger guard which looks more like an AR instead of the boxy one installed from the factory. I have not had ONE failure to fire or jam on my UTS.Most videos on U Tube are very outdated, some two years old and older and the company made improvements to the shotgun to address some issues that first arose from
To be honest, I see nothing amiss that Kel-Tec can’t meet initial demands. They obviously got their engineering right and that is the first concern. They have actually fielded quite a few firearms recently with a generous sprinkling of innovation among them. They are simply having growing pains … a good problem to have.
Engineering costs money. Marketing costs money. Manufacturing, especially adding capacity, costs money. Let’s not forget that we closed our trade schools down in favor of 2 year colleges … good machinists don’t grow on trees and we don’t put ourselves out to train them, either. I’ve seen the math skills of some recent high school grads and there has been plenty of room for improvement. So, part of growing a manufacturing company in America is finding and training employees … and then figuring out how to keep them afterwards. All of this is against the backdrop of foreign companies drawing employees from trade schools at lower wage & benefit levels.
America seems to have decided that non-degree training has no value. Guys who can’t convert between decimals, fractions and metric units are the result of that decision. We’re asking them to run million dollar (and up, way up) CNC equipment where a single tooling crash can have consequences running into the tens of thousands of dollars.
I think Kel-Tec has come a long way in a short time. I look for the company to develop into a first tier supplier of firearms to the military, LEO and sporting shooters and to be in business long after I am gone. Let ’em snag a military contract or two and watch their supply problems disappear. When you have an order for a million units of almost anything, you don’t have to find money to expand with — it’ll find you.
The part about a CNC tooling crash costing lots of $$$, that’s no joke for those not familiar with machine operations.
As far as KT, I don’t buy their products because it keeps my blood pressure down.
I actually answer this question from the perspective of a disabled person. Everyone disabled is a little different from the next guy. I like to have a weekend with my son where we shoot a couple hundred clay targets and where the shooting is generally at the 50 yard range. What I love about the gun is the high number of loads and how a lot of the weight of gun is back closer to my body. My Long gun is a full length Browning. A great gun, but with my disability and out of a wheelchair the weight is just too far out there to have fun and a long afternoon. This gun brings a lot of that in closer to my chest and would give me a better balance to shooting. That should add up to better accuracy as the day wears on and in the end, more fun. I intend to try one soon.
Just a quick note on the cost. I have contacted a dozen Canadian companies as to the cost of the gun and have been given prices ranging from $900 – $1100 with the guns in stock. At today’s exchange rate of 0.92, these guns are costing $828 – $1012 US. Still above what I would like to pay, but well within the MSRP of $880. I am sure with a little time you will see the price drop down. I did find one guy in Idaho who had one in stock at $900 US. Good luck and just spend a little time asking around and I am sure you will find one at a good price.
I wanted a KSG but finally gave up. Nobody I know can touch one anywhere near the MSRP, and I am not about to get raped just so I can say I own one.
Kel Tec is doing a lot of innovation, but very little manufacturing. So, if UTS can actually ship product….I’m in!
Howdy, have owned my UTS 15 for 6 months now. Here is how it goes. People saying that there mossy and Remy are forgetting that all guns really do have some break in period. This gun much like my 1911s has this. After about 300 rounds the gun action is now much smoother than when I first got it. Also there is alot of changes,that were made between mine and the one I handled at the NRA convention. Improvements to the selector switch for the chambers from plastic to machined aluminum is the most obvious. The only problem that I had were fte that was with any type of round of any brand during the first 300 or so rounds. Some was do to the fact of me not used to the gun. After that no problems. Most shooting has been at targets for home defense and hogs which in Texas there is no round limit, I did take as is my tradition to the skeet range (with a different choke installed) and shoot it for the look on peoples faces which have done before with my Winchester 1897 trench gun clone with bayonet attached while skeet shooting. All said I am very happy with the gun. On another note the gun is made wholly in the US but yes the company is a Turkish one. The reason I know this is the gun can not be imported at all due to the magazine size. So must be made here for them to sell the product.
Hey all, ive never handled a KSG. But ive owned my UTS15 for almost a year. After putting about 120 shots through it, both 2 3/4 and 3″ shells never missed a beat. At the 120 mark (give or take) the tube selector broke off. Thankfully this only meant i couldnt isolate a tube. I could however keep blasting away. On another fateful day of intense shooting including lots and lots of slugs, 2 3/4 and 3″ magnum in very rapid succesion and the welds holding the barrell to what would usually be the magazine tube decided to become unwelded causing the gun to break apart in my hands. Not a very happy day since I was getting ready to blast some skeets. Any way, i sent the gun off for warranty repair and promptly got it back with some fancy very reinforced parts. The differance is very noticable. Since getting it back ive put another couple hundred rounds of slugs and 00 without a single issue. No mis/hang fires or jams. And im shooting in -36C temperatures.
Needless to say that ive had my issues, but as the saying goes. What doesnt kill ya, makes you stronger. The same goes for this one, came back way stronger.
Oh, an for any who are interested, i have successfuly put an AR15 ATI grip in replace of the plastic UTS grip. It needed a little sanding to fit, it has a different angle but its comfy enough.
The other argument that people have is what is it useful for… Well… Combat maybe? Zombie apocalyps.. Not likely… Making your penis appear bigger?? Emphasis on the appear. Shes a great compensator. And in all regards, being an owner and gun lover, i see absolutly no purpose to this thing. (Sucks for skeets too)
Can you fire it left handed?
the utas15,is totally made in the USA.the company is american and produced in US>
What are you a company shill? That’s why we couldn’t get a review gun until the import permits were approved? The only things made here are what legally have to be made here.
They are made in Turkey. The KSG is made in the USA. I decided on the KSG. When I got my KSG for $700 last year the UTS was about the same price. I got the KSG because it is more compactt.
I have had a UTS 15 for several months and have put a couple of hundred rounds through it. I took it to a tactical shotgun course and had a lot of failures to feed and / or eject when firing multiple round strings. However, when I took it to the range the next day, it fired every round. The difference was in the ammunition – Winchester and Remington worked flawlessly; Estate and Spartan would not cycle at all. I have never heard of a shotgun being sensitive to ammunition, but the UTS 15 is. If you use only Winchester and Remington (I have tested everything from 3″ magnum 1 oz slugs through 00 buckshot to 2- 3/4 ” sub 3 dram equivalent #9 birdshot), you should have no problem.
Another point, with the barrel extension and a good red dot or holographic sight, the shotgun should be a good hunter. The factory has tested it out on various game, and I am going to try it out on clays. They are also in the process of producing a magazine limiter that can be installed by the user to restrict the magazine plus chamber to the 2 + 1 or 4 + 1 round limits in some States.
But its primary use is tactical, home defense and crowd control, and you must have confidence in its reliability for that.
According to the youtube video I watched this is a peice of crap. The KSG worked fine, this thing jammed,failed to feed, etc. I will stick with my 500 with extrs barrels for hunting, self defense etc and buy more ammo with what I save over buying either of these.If I had to have one of these I would go with the KSG, at least it works.
Haw much it cost
six million ducats
I can see Call of Duty and Battlefield Nerds pooping themselves to own either this or the KT for coolness factor, however, once your testosterone levels mellow out and your brain begins to work at an adult level, you’ll probably find that these overpriced Mattel toys, are just that.
The KT products are a joke, yeah, there customer service is good, because it has to be, and to buy something this non standard from an out of country manufacturer, and they are, no matter where the made in sticker says, is too risky to waste 1200 beans on something, just not, well, reliable.
Its cheaper to buy a Mossberg, or a Remington pump, AND, a Saiga semi, which can hold more cartridges, and fire and reload them MUCH faster than these turkeys, in any case, and you would be way further ahead of the game.
Keep the pump for when you know you want to have seven shots that actually work, and the Saiga when you need to fight hords of Zombies, and at least, you know both systems are proven, and work.
Nice weapon indeed. I need these types of shotguns for home defense and to protect my love ones. The hunting shotguns, military style ones are bulky designs and are too much deal with when you need to put it away and blend in the environment etc.. Guns don’t kill people do, you can easily eliminate a crowd of 10 with one pass using your vehicle so please Educate yourselves before speaking your mind about guns and violence. Thank you kindly.
I love my UTS15. And as far as it not being a hunting weapon that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I knocked down dozens of doves with it. Can’t wait for fall turkey and pheasant season!
Just a word of caution, friend.. check your local hunting regulations for specifications of capacity, etc.
A lot of states will confiscate guns considered illegal if found being used to hunt with.
We offer a better trigger guard and a forend picatinny rail for an AFG.
I have well over 800 rounds through my personal UTS-15 with no FTF’s actually NO FAILURES of any kind that couldn’t be fixed or cleard by cycling the action.
Mine also runs the Aguila MINI’s almost flawlessly.
Check out my reviews on youtube
This will most likely suffer the same fate the SW Daniels “Sweet Sweeper” suffered. The
BATF will probably classify it as “any other weapon” like they did the Steetsweeper.
Daniels was truly stupid calling their 12 gauge “The Street Sweeper”.
Not to mention that both these shotguns are one hell of lot better than that Streetsweeper piece of junk!
Until someone comes up with a better shotgun,
I’ll hang on to my 10 shot Mossberg 590A1.
Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a 10-shot 590A1. There is a 9-shot though.
No disrespect intended, but you are WAY off base with your review of the KSG vs. UTS. I have handled and fired both, and the KSG wins hands down in fit, finish and function. While I concede that the KSG may be a bit more difficult to initially load, with 15 rounds of 2 3/4″ 12 g, if reloading is an issue, I would submit that you have bigger fish to fry than ease of filling a magazine.
The UTS felt cheap and did not function with the degree of smoothness of the KSG, which is why I have a KSG. Kel-Tec is creating a true niche in these unique bull pup-style weapons; my Special Ops, Narcotics and SWAT colleagues love the KSG.
I’ll admit the UTS cycles a little hard at first, but now that mines broke in, it’s as smooth as can be.
I don’t see how the fit and finish could be ANY BETTER than my UTS.
Nice web site by the way T&N! I may have to send my dealer your way!
I’LL KEEP MY 870 MAGNUM,THANK YOU!!!
IT WORKS TIME AFTER TIME EVERY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t blame you. As for myself, I’ll keep my Saiga 12. It has always been as reliable as pump guns and reloads way faster than these tube magazine guns.
I agree Tim. My Saiga 12 and my Mossberg 930 SPX both have a great rate of fire and I have had no feed problems. Both good guns in my opinion, even if they don’t have the bullpup “cool factor”.
I have been watching this gun for a very long time. I think this is very poor customer service. The gun looks fun to shoot. But I guess I will never get the chance. GET it to the market at a reasonable price, And stop playing around.
It appears that this gun, unlike the KelTec, ejects on the right and is therefore useless to a lefty. The KelTec ejects on the bottom, which makes it usable for left-handed shooters. I’m normally not a fan of KelTec, but the KSG is admittedly cool and I’d probably buy one if I saw it for sale. This, not so much. Also, there’s no way I’d buy anything from a Turkish company until they kick the Islamists out and stop supporting groups like Hamas in Gaza and Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria.
It is a very GOOD home defiance be for you can call 911 mate be to late
I own the Utas-15 and love it serial # 50. Easy and compact it makes a very impressive looking futuristic weapon for my collection of shotguns. Browning Citori 325 Sporting Clays grade 2, Serbu super shorty Rem. 870 express, USAS-12 2-10 clips and 1-20 drum. I love the service I was given when I first inquired from Mark Burton at their offices as to all the details of this marvelous weapon and the cool flashlight/laser unit which I installed myself. I put on my own tactical sling.
I love that shotgun…where can I buy one! People say in this blog it has no use but I completely differ in opinion with them. I live near to prisons and if by some miracle they manage to escape enmasse that gun could definitely “sweep” the house! I will most definitely own one of these! Ron
I have a KSG and have had no problems with it. Ran though a tactical shot gun class with a mix of slug and 00(over 100 rounds) and ran great. The UTS-15 may get their bugs worked out in the future, but I’ll keep my KSG.
Cool toy but with all the issues and the cost, think I will stick with my good Mossberg 550 that holds 8 rounds and will always go bang.
larry,i tried the kel and didnt like the hot shells hitting my arm so i went with the UTS,i have been completely satisfied withit.i use it for hunting,home security and sometimes i shoot clays with my boys.I do just as good with it as i do with my 870.if the shtf i will depend on my 15 shot UTS.It ius a great dear gun and works good for turkey.After all it is 18 and half inch barrel.For my money i couldnt be happier,only wish they had camo when i bought mine.
I understand that the job is to evaluate and comment on weapons and equipment legally available in the US market. And I understand any reluctance to “politicize” GA or the blog. Consequently, if my comments below are inappropriate to the blog, I apologize in advance and understand should my comments not be posted.
Is it just me? However well made, I’m uncomfortable purchasing weapons from a manufacturer in a country that is actively anti-US and anti-Israel in their politics and that is becoming more radical each year. Especially so for a country that even the EU is holding at arm’s length. It makes me wonder about the politics of the manufacturer, particularly a weapons manufacturer, and what activities/groups they are supporting with the proceeds of US sales. In a broader context, when there are so many other first-rate companies with excellent products to purchase from, should we always consider where weapons are manufactured as part of our decision making process before we purchase?
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/turkey-and-the-eu-a-broken-relationship-/77676.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accession_of_Turkey_to_the_European_Union
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_6066.html
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1046.html#special_circumstance
http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/turkey
This is so much misinformation from the government and the media that what is true at this juncture is dubious. Like China is a friendly country? They have nukes pointed at your house. The Turks do not.
True enough; certainly disinformation and spin, on both sides, don’t serve us well. However, from my perspective as a practical day-to-day concern, I would suggest that there is a greater likelihood of Turkish supported terrorists causing death and mayhem on Americans at home and in Turkey than of China launching a nuke.
Why do they have a lot of old white men in suits there?
I have some Turkish friends who aren’t any happier about the shift to Sharia law that we are – believe me – they better watch their step in Turkey or they’ll end up like the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt!
Not too many suits, but we do have an Air Force base there (Incirlik) and 1,200 or so US companies have operations there not to mention quite a number of expats both American and European. As JCitizen suggests, not everyone is happy with the direction the government is taking but they are increasingly in the minority and at risk thanks to the militant factions. Turkey’s secular culture is stronger than that of Egypt so it will be a greater struggle, but there that won’t stop the radicals.
Fetullah Gulen, terorist clerics lives in Pitsghburg PA . He is most dangerous islamist terorist worse than osama bin ladin guess whose protect him CIA!! In USA
Excellent point, but where do we draw the line? Chances are very good that the gas you burn in your car came from Saudi Arabian oil. They finance the vast majority of terrorist activities worldwide. That is why we (Canadians) are trying to get you to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. That would mean all of your oil would come from domestic production or your greatest ally – all importation from the middle east and Venezuela could stop.
I hear ya KJQ!! It is kind of funny(not Ha!HA! funny but), how Obama wants to put pressure on Putin to get out of Ukraine, but because he’s blocking natural gas and the pipeline treaties, he hasn’t got any sway at all. If he had done something 3 years ago he’d have Putin shaking in his boots! The Dems got to quit listening to the greenie weenie earth worshipers. They have no brains, and less common sense!
However we have already reached oil independence on our own, but that is no excuse not to do the pipeline, because the rest of the free world needs this supply too! It would be a move for freedom everywhere to complete this project, and it would also make it more possible to repair other pipelines if they spring a leak. The greenie weenies are forcing a bad situation worse, because they can’t afford to shut the pipelines we got to do the repairs. The demand is just too large to do that now. Wow! I’m really getting off subject now! 🙂
You spelled ‘brakes” wrong. It’s breaks. I mean you’re the one who decided to be a writer (as it were).
Its a muzzle “brake”. A break is something you take from work.
Unless you work in an auto plant. In that case, you take the whole thing, brakes and all, one piece at a time.
8~]
(Thank you, Johnny Cash)
Nothing was said on this subject, but based on the pictures, I’m guessing this is a right-hand only shotgun. It looks like it’s a permanent ejection port on the right-hand side of it, meaning unusable for a southpaw. Am I correct?
Depends on how much you like the taste of warm gunpowder flavored plastic.
Sounds like you need the SRM 1216 – It is fully ambidextrous with configuration of the receiver & controls. That one is semi-auto. When I was in the Army, and in police training we always trained to use our other hand in case of wounding or other disablement. I found I could shoot 100% when I had to shoot left handed, and could win any shooting medal or award with either way. It’s just a brain thing – we can over come!
They work FINE for lefties.
I will not think about it since I live in Commifornia!
Not true … it’s legal go to the DOJ website. You will find it if you dig around and read the law[s].
Have used, would not recommend. Problems cycling. Lots of them. Jams. Futuristic look, 16th-century operation.
make it semi auto and i’ll buy it
I would love to have either one, but, living in Socialist NEW YORK , they are already illegal and banned….
For all of the whining that comes out of New York I haven’t seen them try anything like what they did in Colorado. You can’t just sit and take it.
Dang right! >:(
Unfortunately, New York doesn’t do recalls. And the entire state is dominated by NYC liberals, making it very next to impossible to fix any problems. Any common sense repeal of absurd NY gun restrictions will have to come from the courts.
This shotgun is Ny Legal. Please read and understand the law before making comments like this.
Just imagine if Bill Clinton were still in office these weapons would be declared “Destructive Devices” and flat outlawed. Bring back the Street Sweeper!
It should be noted that they have made product improvements over the first ones that are discussed in some bullpup-oriented forums. There were some parts made of plastic that have been retooled in steel, such as the magazine tube selector. Early plastic ones could break off or cause feed issues. There are some other design improvements over the original as well, but the steel vs. plastic parts item is the biggie in my mind. Of course the early ones had issues that got some bad press on the Interweb, and these issues should be addressed now with these improvements. Reports indicate that UTAS is providing good customer service as well, which is always a good thing.
Interesting design, no blast shield is a turn off
Had an opportunity to shoot a UTS15, the aguila minishells were not consistent but I did get them to work. Short stroking definitely an issue, my customer could not figure it out and sold it back to us. Interesting concept like the KSG, but I’ll stick with my 870 for actual home protection as I know everytime I pump it it will fire until it’s empty. To the guy that asked about sporting purpose,basically its a home defense type item… Maybe could be used in 3gun competition.
Beware, I purchased one of the UTS-15 and had nothing but problems with it. After about 6 Shells it would not eject the spent shell, the next shell would try to drop in on top of it causing a jam. When I reached in the bottom of the gun to remove the stuck spent shell, the new shell would become loose and would not chamber. You then would have to open the top cover and dump the shell out of the gun. (It was not the extractor, the guide to load the new shell would drop onto the top of the spent shell and jam it .) I would then chamber a new shell and the nightmare would start over again. I tried 4 different makes of shells all 2 3/4″ but nothing worked. I took this gun back and bought a Kel Tec KSG which works flawlessly. The build quality of the UTS-15 just is not up to the standards of the KSG.
Just curious – was yours one of the version 1 units, or the newest version 2? The V1 units were terrible for jams every few shells. The reviews of the V2 units show virtually no problems, except with the larger 3″ shells.
Ours was sent a week before the review came out, so most likely it was a V2. My understanding is that the V1s were really just prototypes and not available in the general market.
They are both cool weapons and when I have the free funds to play with I’ll get them both. But for now, there are too many other things that are more important to buy, such as AMMO for my other guns!
Do you have any pictures of the bolt and hammer spring? The light strikes might be fixed by swapping out the spring for something else, vis-a-vis the JM930 and 10/22 Wolff Power Spring.
Exactly; a semi version[$$$] would be good if the price were to come down.. It would help people with shoulder problems and deficiencies as the first commenter stated; believe me I know.
Hint Hint KSG or some Sub 1000 dollar shotgun maker..
MERVYN here’s your answer. I’m not a rocket scientist but I’m pretty sure it’s used for eliminating would be rapists, thieves, and gangbangers that break into homes and cause families great harm. If you a read a paper any day of the week you should be able to figure out where it would have made the difference life and death. Armed innocent people turn criminals into cowards.
“Armed innocent people turn criminals into cowards.”
Or pink spray. It’s kinda hard to predict ahead of time, but easy enough to identify afterward.
One leaves a brown mark on the floor and the other leaves pink spray on the walls.
The UTAS has one major benefit over the Kel-Tec…UTAS has actually made their shotgun and you can buy one. Kel-Tec is typical in their gun production…they don’t. Dribs and drabs are released, go to a gun show and you’ll see an obscenely overpriced KSG.
I’d say, in great scheme of things, UTAS respects it’s customers, Kel-Tec laughs and never quite gets around to providing their product.
The KSG is famous for it’s front vertical grip breaking the lower rail off their gun…that plastic rail just doesn’t hold up.
Which is why we suggested in our original article to use a plastic grab and we have never had a problem.
I purchased one a while back, and this thing is a blast. The only problem I had with it was the misfeed. But if you take your time while racking the next round, there is no problem. The misfeed I think comes from short stroking the slide when trying to pump them out as fast as possible. Other than that no complaints.
Your assessment of the UTS-15 is pretty good but the UTS-15 is AMERICAN MADE!!!! Please correct this it’s very important indeed.
The “included accessories” aren’t included. What does the gun weigh without the laser and accessories? The gun needs to be worked hard with areal purpose, if you run it gently it won’t work all the time. I sell these guns and the “cool” factor is off the scale in New York. One of my customers is a “federal contractor” and he took his on assignment.
I would like to see a bottom rail too. the gun is a little selective about it’s ammo.
Scott Foster
Catskill Mountains Firearms, LLC
It is interesting that the guns say Made in USA on them, and that was added to the article. I strongly doubt that the parts are made in the USA though, other than what has to be for import restrictions.
Please excuse my 2cents, but feeding the liberals with info, only hurts us and does not help us.
Well in a way I agree but we have freedom of speech and information here in the USA so screw the Liberals! What makes me mad is nobody making anything in the US seems to be interested in meeting the demand for products on the American market. IF we have to buy foreign to get it to our gun cabinet then SO BE IT! I’m tired of the weakness of the US market to meet the public’s demand!
Hooah!
This is an incredible firearm, congratulations to the inventor it’s amazing and I like!!!!!
O arma foarte reusita
Bravo, Mas Fuerte!!!!
An exceptional gun
No thanks. I will stick to my Mossberg 500. You know, the one that after 25 years still goes bang every time I pull the trigger. As an aside, any guesses what Kel-Tec will invent next that they will not be able to actually bring to market? As Springfield Armory says in their ads, cute fad, now back to business.
“Cute fad, now back to business”? Sounds like the losers of most wars in history. That is, the ones with the least vision and innovation. I imagine there were quite a few who had the same “cute fad”, “those new-fangled contraptions will never catch on” comments when the musket, revolver, pistol, machine gun, PUMP SHOTGUN, submarine, tank and airplane were invented.
I for one am happy there is competition in the market, as Kel-Tec seems to care less whether they actually get any product to the market place!! This is not the American way. I don’t know what their production problems are, but not meeting demand is not a way to get popular with the shooting public. It just causes bad feelings and goads greedy jobbers to buy up any small amount that does reach the market, and keeps us poor boys in the gutter with nothing to show for it. >:(
I say bring it on, and lets get some competition going here! I’d like to see a test of the SRM Model 1216 myself – and I’ll buy from whoever has the guts to meet demand for the buying public!!!! 😀
With respect, you missed the point, I will take 6 shots guaranteed over 15 that might jam if not handled precisely. Maybe I am slow to grab every bit of new technology as soon as it comes out. Hell I finally purchased an AR because I feel they have been properly field tested by this point. FYI the cute fad comment was from the .380 craze. Meant to be light humor but, I see you are an angry humorless individual. My apologies for offending.
Better a fad we’ve vetted and found to be cute than an opportunity we missed out of arrogance and shortsightedness.
Hello,KSG Killer? UTS-15 I cannot imagine what this shotgun could be used for, Surely not hunting. It would be fun to play with for sure. I have a pump shot gun, I’ve been in the hospital for the past 9 weeks and my mind is not working very well right now. My shotgun is in the gun safe and I cannot even remember what brand the gun is. I cannot walk without the aid of a walker and some one to hold on to me while I try to walk. So, If anyone can give me any appications as to what this gun could be used for, please pass the information on to me and to anyone else that can benefit from it.
My kind regards, Mervyn Russell,
North Carolina,
Mr. Russell
Since it seems you are having extensive health problems and wont be able to use it, please considering donating me that useless shotgun of yours!
jijijiji
Crowd control for that crowd trying to come through your front door!
The Kel-Tec 15 Shotgun is a firearm/sporting shotgun that is from my perspective designed as tacticle weopon that can be utilized for home defense, target shoting, (competition) Law enforcement, tacticle security and possibly military applications. Looks like a fine piece of engineering and expensive. I strongly believe in our second amendment. Sorry your are experiencing serious health complications Mr. Russell, hope this answers your questions.
Simple… Zombies!