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KS7 Range Reports

42K views 141 replies 40 participants last post by  Liberty4Ever 
#1 ·
I'm starting this thread as a place for all range reports on the KS7. That's the good, the bad, and the ugly. It will make it easy for members to evaluate the performance of their KS7.

Today I fired my KS7 for the first time. I thought I might have some problems. I was using some 12ga snap caps to test for function and I was having problems with feeding. While racking the pump, the outer cartridge catch (part #KS&-331) would not release the shell from the magazine. Most times, a second pump released the shell. Sometimes I could go 8 or 10 rounds with no problems and then I would have a failure every other round. I called Kel-Tec this AM and discussed this problem. The tech and I agreed on several points. The problem might be a "break-in" problem and I needed to shoot the KS7 to find out. The pump needed to be sharply pumped. The 12ga snap caps might have different size rims than live shells. The edges of the rear rims of the snap caps were beat up and may have contributed to the problem.

I made it to the range this afternoon to shoot the KS7. I shot 22 Winchester AA shells, 18 Agulia mini-shell slugs, 9 Aguila mini-shell buckshot, and 4 regular #4 buck shells. I had NO failures with live ammo except for the 4 regular shells. I believe the 2 failures I had with the regular shells were dur to operator error induced by the increased recoil. Now this LIGHT 12ga shotgun grabs your attention when you fire it with regular shells. The AA shells had some recoil but were easy. The mini-shells were delightful. They functioned correctly and had very low recoil. I'd say equal to or less than 5.56 NATO.

The sight rail, for me was too low and, as a result, I was shooting high. I'll change to the Picatinny rail, mount a red dot and see how it goes.

I really enjoyed shooting my KS7
 
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#3 ·
Well, I wish I could say I had a good day at the range with my KS7. Unfortunately, things did not go well at all. I was unable to get mine to cycle more than a few rounds without failure to eject issues. I had numerous instances where a shell would not eject and the lifter would grab a new round and it would get jammed perpendicularly to the bore and the magazine tube by the bolt. And I mean it would jam it hard. To clear the stuck round, I had to tear the gun down - removed the magazine nut, spring, barrel, and rear assembly. After getting the stuck live round out, it took time to get the stuck empty from the barrel.

I ran the gun slowly, but with authority, to make sure it wasn't being short stroked. Sometimes it would cycle through two rounds, and then it wouldn't eject the shell. If I caught it happening, I'd stop, turn the gun over and manipulate the live shell back into the magazine tube and then try to eject the stuck empty. If I was lucky, the shell would eject, but often it wouldn't and I'd have to go through the process of getting live round back in the tube. Failure to do that would result in the round getting jammed because the bolt moving forward would cause the live round to submarine since it had no place to go.

I tried a few different types of ammo. Started out with some Winchester target loads, then some Federal birdshot loads, and finally Fiocchi #4 buck rounds. The Fiocchi is high brass. I thought maybe the issue was with low brass, but that wasn't the case. I didn't even bother trying the minishells as I was frustrated enough and didn't feel like taking the gun apart for the tenth time at the range.

Not sure what else to do at this point other than to give Kel Tec a call.
 
#33 ·
Well, I wish I could say I had a good day at the range with my KS7. Unfortunately, things did not go well at all. I was unable to get mine to cycle more than a few rounds without failure to eject issues. I had numerous instances where a shell would not eject and the lifter would grab a new round and it would get jammed perpendicularly to the bore and the magazine tube by the bolt. And I mean it would jam it hard. To clear the stuck round, I had to tear the gun down - removed the magazine nut, spring, barrel, and rear assembly. After getting the stuck live round out, it took time to get the stuck empty from the barrel.

I ran the gun slowly, but with authority, to make sure it wasn't being short stroked. Sometimes it would cycle through two rounds, and then it wouldn't eject the shell. If I caught it happening, I'd stop, turn the gun over and manipulate the live shell back into the magazine tube and then try to eject the stuck empty. If I was lucky, the shell would eject, but often it wouldn't and I'd have to go through the process of getting live round back in the tube. Failure to do that would result in the round getting jammed because the bolt moving forward would cause the live round to submarine since it had no place to go.

I tried a few different types of ammo. Started out with some Winchester target loads, then some Federal birdshot loads, and finally Fiocchi #4 buck rounds. The Fiocchi is high brass. I thought maybe the issue was with low brass, but that wasn't the case. I didn't even bother trying the minishells as I was frustrated enough and didn't feel like taking the gun apart for the tenth time at the range.

Not sure what else to do at this point other than to give Kel Tec a call.
Hay so I just bought mine a week ago and have not shot it due to the ammo shortage from the Corona virus. But I bought some snap caps top practic my ranking. I did get some shells hang up on me. So I watched too see what was happening. Now I noticed that the ejector pins( I'M going to call them that due to a lack of a better term) we're too speed apart. Shoo what I did to fix the issue was I bent "SLIGHTLY" in words at the tips. Just take your finger, and at the first bend slightly bend in words on boothe of the ejector pins. but just at the top. Not twords the back. And BOOM. Fixed the problem. Had zero issues. Hope this helps.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Took my KS7 and KSG to shoot for the first time yesterday. I had racked the KSG with shotgun shell snap caps hundreds of times to get its feel. Realized that the last 1/4" or so of the pump is what drops the shell holder allowing a shell to pop out onto the shell lifter into the chamber. You have to rack FULL BACK or no shell pops out onto these lifters. This is where many have problems. You will learn to feel this happening.

The KS7 works the same way, but just one feeding tube. I also noticed that the shell holder is a little different, maybe a little taller?

SHOOTING: Was shooting #6 and #4 low brass shells (2 3/4"). Shot KS7 first. Had a learning curve. I not only had to cycle full rear but also quick. Then had no problems.

I may be the only one that feels that the KSG pumps smoother. Because of the two feeding tubes the pump handle seems to ride back with a cleaner feel. The KSG also seems more substantial in it's make up. The KS7 has some wobble at the front of the pump handle.

Bottom Line: I like them both and both have there place. However, if one is going to trust their life on these platforms they better get very, very familiar with them. You have to feel that last 1/4" on the back stroke that allows a shell to pop out of the shell tube onto the lifter. That is not forgiving, if you do not get there you will not get a shell. And, the pump stroke feels totally different then other pump guns. None of this is bad.........just very different.
 
#11 ·
Brand new KS7 owner. Had it out yesterday and went through 130 rounds of various from generic target loads to WinXX turkey magnums as well as some minishells and slugs.
Magazine consistently refused to give up new shells and on loading the magazine would occasionally seize up requiring me to wiggle the head of the shell until it broke through before I could load another. Soft or short stroking was not the issue as my bruised shoulder is more from slamming the pump than from the turkey magnums and shells would pop from the magazine even on the daintiest of pumping as I discovered while trying to see what was going on. It appears that those two levers, 330 and 331 I think, are not shaped, angled or sized correctly to consistently be activated when bringing the pump back or get out of the way when loading a new shell. Worth noting is that when I had the grip module removed and was working the pump I had nearly no failures. Maybe the grip is interfering with operation at some level.

It's heading back to Keltec today. I really want to love it. It's too cool to give up on and when it worked firing those minishells was a dream.
 
#14 ·
It appears that those two levers, 330 and 331 I think, are not shaped, angled or sized correctly to consistently be activated when bringing the pump back or get out of the way when loading a new shell. Worth noting is that when I had the grip module removed and was working the pump I had nearly no failures. Maybe the grip is interfering with operation at some level. It's heading back to Keltec today. I really want to love it. It's too cool to give up on and when it worked firing those minishells was a dream.
My KS7 wasn't feeding properly. It seemed to get a lot better with some racking of shells to break it in, but reliability seemed to go from 10% to 90% and was apparently leveling off at that point, which is still about 9.95% too unreliable. I got a shipping label a week ago and finally shipped it to Kel-Tec today.

In a similar thread on KTOG, one of the KS7 shotguns has been returned after repair for a feeding problem and the grip was replaced as well as (I believe) the CTG Inner (KS7-303) and the CTG Outer (KS7-331), which seems to verify thisguy's theories.

Thisguy: Did you ever test your KS7? Happy, or heading back again?

It may be that a couple of dozen new firearms with a specific problem need to make it back through for repairs before the service techs or engineers get a handle on the actual problem and have a real fix for it. Life on the bleeding edge! There was a time I'd wait 6-12 months before buying a new gun (mostly Kel-Tecs because that's mostly what I was buying), so the initial high prices would fall once the production ramped up and the initial demand slacked off, but mostly so I'd get a good one with all of the initial rolling upgrades. Lately, the Kel-Tec designs have been so cool that I can't seem to wait several months.

The early production upgrades to polish the design and manufacturing is not just Kel-Tec. Sig has been doing the same thing with pistols like their P365 and their P320. The more a design is innovative and pushes the envelope, the more that need to be manufactured before the design and manufacturing processes stabilize to create reliable products. It's similar to the recommendation never to buy the first model year of a new car, not even a car that's renowned for quality, because complex mechanical devices such as firearms or cars have a lot of moving parts that interact with each other and it's difficult to predict and control all of the potential problems that can arise.

Hopefully my KS7 is very close to 100% when it returns, because I really do love the design.
 
#12 ·
Should have my KS7 back from Keltec today. The email says they changed components related to firing: firing pin, hammer, etc... and nothing about the feeding. The firing was not a problem for me. The feeding was. I'm expecting to be disappointed. Will find out this weekend.
 
#16 ·
I'm starting this thread as a place for all range reports on the KS7. That's the good, the bad, and the ugly. It will make it easy for members to evaluate the performance of their KS7.

Today I fired my KS7 for the first time. I thought I might have some problems. I was using some 12ga snap caps to test for function and I was having problems with feeding. While racking the pump, the outer cartridge catch (part #KS&-331) would not release the shell from the magazine. Most times, a second pump released the shell. Sometimes I could go 8 or 10 rounds with no problems and then I would have a failure every other round. I called Kel-Tec this AM and discussed this problem. The tech and I agreed on several points. The problem might be a "break-in" problem and I needed to shoot the KS7 to find out. The pump needed to be sharply pumped. The 12ga snap caps might have different size rims than live shells. The edges of the rear rims of the snap caps were beat up and may have contributed to the problem.

I made it to the range this afternoon to shoot the KS7. I shot 22 Winchester AA shells, 18 Agulia mini-shell slugs, 9 Aguila mini-shell buckshot, and 4 regular #4 buck shells. I had NO failures with live ammo except for the 4 regular shells. I believe the 2 failures I had with the regular shells were dur to operator error induced by the increased recoil. Now this LIGHT 12ga shotgun grabs your attention when you fire it with regular shells. The AA shells had some recoil but were easy. The mini-shells were delightful. They functioned correctly and had very low recoil. I'd say equal to or less than 5.56 NATO.

The sight rail, for me was too low and, as a result, I was shooting high. I'll change to the Picatinny rail, mount a red dot and see how it goes.

I really enjoyed shooting my KS7
Fired mine 2 weeks ago with 1oz standard slugs (low recoil) like we used in the sheriff's office-haven't had bruises like that in years! also had to choke way up to get on the sight, which threw off my posture-probably made the bruises worse.
interested in the mini shells-had 2 jams using the 2 3/4 inch, and I may or may not have been short stroking-1st time out, not used to it.
Need advice-would a holo sight work better? factory hand-rail is already chipped near the front sight and it's not strong at all-brittle.
 
#20 ·
I picked up a KS7 and went to the range yesterday. I only went through 20 standard length shells and 20 Shorty's, even as low on the buttstock as I could get the sight was too high to hit anything. Is anyone actually using the sight? I've ordered the rail with heatshield and may go with a SeeAll sight I have.

As far as function, round 2 and round 3 were light strikes, round two fired on a second strike, three did not. Both were very old Remington buckshot that had corrosion on the brass, so I'm more inclined to blame the rounds over the gun. Zero feeding issues except for one short shuck (my fault).

I did not clean my KS7 prior to firing, and after 40 rounds the gunk poured out as I sprayed cleaner in. I imagine the first few range outings will be similar as any cerakote overspray or plastic molding flash wears off (Davidson's exclusive titanium model).

I hope to get to the range again in a couple weeks with a proper sight installed and zero it for Federal shorty slugs.
 
#21 ·
...the sight was too high to hit anything. Is anyone actually using the sight?
I like the sight height, which seems perfect for me, but it's amazing how individual that is for different people. I've shot guns where the sights don't line up for me and it's almost intolerable. Very frustrating.

I like the concept of the hooded fiberoptic green triangle front sight that is viewed down a trough, and I think the implementation was well done. The sights are annoyingly blurry for me but that's my darned old eyes. I can't fault the KS7 for that.
 
#22 ·
The idea is great, even like the looks of the carry handle and sight. Maybe I have too wide of cheekbones or something. Maybe Keltec should come out with a second height option or make spacers to raise the whole assembly, it would not take much but simple shims wouldn't look right or be solid, I think it would put too much strain where the screws are, they would need to be fitted to match the contours of the rifle.
 
#25 ·
first KS7 range trip today. Found it occasionally failed to strip a new round from the magazine on both standard and shorty shells. is this me? I thought iw as racking it pretty firmly but i'll run some more ammo and see. Sure wish shorty shells were a cheap as 2-3/4 #7-1/2 shells. toss-up whether the KS7 or my shoulder breaks in first.... Sights: mine shoots about 8 or 9" left at 10 yards. if I hunker down and get what i think is a proper sight picture it shoots way low. I like the little green triangle and left/right alignment is easy, but to get a cheek weld that gives me the correct height alignment i need to have a recoil pad that allows me to hold the butt about 2" higher. And then it would still shoot way low.
has anyone done any kind of modification to the carry handle to change the sight alignment?
 
#26 ·
I havent, but the sight is garbage IMO. I'll be replacing it as soon as possible. I can hit targets at 100yds with it now, but it took a long time to find where my POI was, and POA is hard to learn. Once you have a couple hundred shells through yours I suspect the issues you have will go away. Mine did.
 
#27 ·
second range trip. 1. i did a little dremel routing on the front of the carry handle so i could bias it a bit to the left. 2. I ground a piece of black plastic to fit the rear of the sight so it stood about 1/8" higher that the factory rear sight. Wonderful! pattern is now almost centered horizontally and just a little bit low. 3. The short stroking appears to have worked it self out. no short strokes shooting 30 or so mixed shorties and regular shells.

BUT(always a but) I had several cases of the magazine dumping when chambering the next round. Only happened with stardard 2-3/4" low brass shells. didn't have the issue with the slightly higher brass minishells. once it emptied the whole 5 rounds i had left in the magazine.
Trip to Keltec?
 
#28 ·
dropped my KS7 off yesterday afte4r lunch, got it back today at noon. replaced CTG inner and bolt assembly. updated CTG outer and CTG spring, serviced chamber, adjusted swedge. We shall see... I am finding it hard to load. either rim of previous shell is hanging up on something or mouth of next shell is. anyone else have that issue and a resolution?
 
#31 ·
My KS 7 is headed back for a second time. Light strikes for first run and this one. First time back they "Replaced bolt and bolt carrier, Updated CTG inner, CTG outer, CTG spring and actuator bar with newest revision. serviced chamber, adjusted swedge, inspected and test fired."

First time at range I thought it was failing to feed from the magazine but eventually I realized that I was getting widespread light strikes.

I should probably be more annoyed than I am. I had some bad experiences with Kel Tec handguns over 20 years ago so I tread into the long gun world somewhat hesitantly. When it does fire, mini shells are a dream. 3" magnum slugs are punishing.
 
#32 ·
I already have the.ksg. after shooting the shockwave. my focus has gone straight the ks7.

I think I should.have gone this route instead of shockwave. I guess this will be one more gun I have to sell I know I have said in the past that all you need is a ksg but hey we all change.


So what's the final word?

Worth the effort?
 
#37 ·
Yeah I saw that. The round is pulled out of the barrel and the lifter pushes the round out. Then when they drop that triggers the next shell in the mag to tube to be passed out and up. but when they shell ejects out if they are spread to far apart then the shell gets wedged in between the two lifter prongs. That's what cussed the jam for me. Now im no expert (just a machinist) but I thought that that I should share my findings with other people who were running into thies problems.
 
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