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I wanted a bullpup shotgun but got scared off by all the crappy reports on reliability and build quality of the Keltec KSG. So I decided to do a Bullpup Unlimited build from a Remington 870. This is just a quick review if anyone else was interested in this.
The starting gun was a new 870 Express Synthetic 7-round 18.5" ($400) and then added the Bullpup Unlimited Kit ($300 @ Bud's Gun Shop) and a set of Magpul backup sights ($75). So overall it saved me $2-300 vs the KSG at the expense of fewer rounds, but since the guts are an 870 it should be hella more reliable. Also the kit works with most 12-gauge 870 shotguns (see site for details) so if you can find a cheap used 870 this can be an even better deal.
The kit parts are almost all plastic, but it's a nice reinforced-nylon type plastic so it doesn't feel cheap. The linkage from the bullpup trigger to the 870 trigger is metal. There was a little mold flash on the trigger and on the rail that I cleaned up with an x-acto knife, but beyond that it looked pretty good.
Assembly is pretty straightforwards. Honestly the toughest part was taking off the $#!#% forend nut off the Remington, and if yours is as tight as mine was I strongly suggest you buy the proper forend wrench. Beyond that, you have to be REALLY careful not to cross-thread the screws, especially the four long ones that hold the two halves of the bullpup case together. It can be hard to get a wrench onto them straight and if you get them cockeyed they'll cross thread in a heartbeat.
There are two sizes of allen wrenches used in assembly and it comes with the wrenches. You need the wrenches if you want to fully disassemble the gun (not needed for basic cleaning). They're supposed to store in the base, but mine didn't fit very well so I left them out. The kit definitely makes it more work to break the weapon down fully.
The grip is a bone-stock A2 grip, which looks and feels pretty cheap (even worse than on an AR since it's smaller relative to the gun). Theoretically you can use any AR grip on it, but a lot of aftermarket ones will have a gap on the bullpup if they have that curved section at the rear that's supposed to follow the AR receiver. I got a Hogue AR grip that fits perfectly and feels much better. The kit also has a nice Remington shoulder pad on it.
Once it's all together it looks and feels pretty badass. The overall weight is a hair under 8 lbs. It adds 0.8 lbs to the stock shotgun, but it knocks the length down by 10 (!) inches so it's very manageable. Action when racking the slide feels very good and direct. Trigger isn't stellar (as with most bullpups due to the long linkage) but is quite serviceable. The trigger has an in-trigger split safety section that has to be depressed for the trigger to move, and there's an AR-style flip safety on the left side that falls perfectly to your thumb.
Cheek weld with the sights was good. The only awkward thing is the slide release: this is pretty far back behind the trigger on the bottom of the weapon, so you need to remove your hand from the grip to actuate it.
It's definitely fun to shoot. It's a pump, so firing it with full power 00 buck kicks pretty good. I was a lot more comfortable shooting the reduced recoil personal defense 00 buck. I'll probably also get a cheek pad for the gun as by the end of the session my cheek was getting a little beat up.
First few mags I had a couple of stovepipes, but that stopped after I paid attention to fully stroking the action (it's a brand new gun so it's a still bit stiff). The ejection port in the case is larger than the one in the receiver so I doubt this had anything to do with the kit, it was just me not racking with enough authority. Once I fixed the nut behind the gun it worked flawlessly.
I think if you're looking for a compact self-defense shotgun this is a very viable option. You get 6+1 capacity in an easy to manage and shoot package.
Pros:
-Looks very cool & feels very solid
-Compact and easy to manage
-Cheaper than a KSG
-Probably more reliable than a KSG
-Fully reversible to stock configuration
Cons:
-Difficult to completely disassemble
-Awkward slide release button position
-Typical bullpup trigger feel
Let me know if you guys have any questions.
The starting gun was a new 870 Express Synthetic 7-round 18.5" ($400) and then added the Bullpup Unlimited Kit ($300 @ Bud's Gun Shop) and a set of Magpul backup sights ($75). So overall it saved me $2-300 vs the KSG at the expense of fewer rounds, but since the guts are an 870 it should be hella more reliable. Also the kit works with most 12-gauge 870 shotguns (see site for details) so if you can find a cheap used 870 this can be an even better deal.
The kit parts are almost all plastic, but it's a nice reinforced-nylon type plastic so it doesn't feel cheap. The linkage from the bullpup trigger to the 870 trigger is metal. There was a little mold flash on the trigger and on the rail that I cleaned up with an x-acto knife, but beyond that it looked pretty good.
Assembly is pretty straightforwards. Honestly the toughest part was taking off the $#!#% forend nut off the Remington, and if yours is as tight as mine was I strongly suggest you buy the proper forend wrench. Beyond that, you have to be REALLY careful not to cross-thread the screws, especially the four long ones that hold the two halves of the bullpup case together. It can be hard to get a wrench onto them straight and if you get them cockeyed they'll cross thread in a heartbeat.
There are two sizes of allen wrenches used in assembly and it comes with the wrenches. You need the wrenches if you want to fully disassemble the gun (not needed for basic cleaning). They're supposed to store in the base, but mine didn't fit very well so I left them out. The kit definitely makes it more work to break the weapon down fully.
The grip is a bone-stock A2 grip, which looks and feels pretty cheap (even worse than on an AR since it's smaller relative to the gun). Theoretically you can use any AR grip on it, but a lot of aftermarket ones will have a gap on the bullpup if they have that curved section at the rear that's supposed to follow the AR receiver. I got a Hogue AR grip that fits perfectly and feels much better. The kit also has a nice Remington shoulder pad on it.
Once it's all together it looks and feels pretty badass. The overall weight is a hair under 8 lbs. It adds 0.8 lbs to the stock shotgun, but it knocks the length down by 10 (!) inches so it's very manageable. Action when racking the slide feels very good and direct. Trigger isn't stellar (as with most bullpups due to the long linkage) but is quite serviceable. The trigger has an in-trigger split safety section that has to be depressed for the trigger to move, and there's an AR-style flip safety on the left side that falls perfectly to your thumb.
Cheek weld with the sights was good. The only awkward thing is the slide release: this is pretty far back behind the trigger on the bottom of the weapon, so you need to remove your hand from the grip to actuate it.
It's definitely fun to shoot. It's a pump, so firing it with full power 00 buck kicks pretty good. I was a lot more comfortable shooting the reduced recoil personal defense 00 buck. I'll probably also get a cheek pad for the gun as by the end of the session my cheek was getting a little beat up.
First few mags I had a couple of stovepipes, but that stopped after I paid attention to fully stroking the action (it's a brand new gun so it's a still bit stiff). The ejection port in the case is larger than the one in the receiver so I doubt this had anything to do with the kit, it was just me not racking with enough authority. Once I fixed the nut behind the gun it worked flawlessly.
I think if you're looking for a compact self-defense shotgun this is a very viable option. You get 6+1 capacity in an easy to manage and shoot package.
Pros:
-Looks very cool & feels very solid
-Compact and easy to manage
-Cheaper than a KSG
-Probably more reliable than a KSG
-Fully reversible to stock configuration
Cons:
-Difficult to completely disassemble
-Awkward slide release button position
-Typical bullpup trigger feel
Let me know if you guys have any questions.
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