KelTec KSG410 Review: Clever Design, One Catch
The KelTec KSG410 packs 14 rounds of .410 into a 26-inch bullpup. We tested it hard and found one critical ammo issue you need to know before you buy.
USMC Veteran. Concealed Carry & NRA Pistol Instructor. 3-Gun Competitor. Career firearms writer
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KelTec KSG410 Pros & Cons
Pros
- 14-round capacity
- Lightweight
- Low recoil
- Ambidextrous controls
- Easy to mount accessories
Cons
- Ammo picky
- Less-refined feeling
The Bottom Line
The KelTec KSG410 is a lightweight, low-recoiling defensive shotgun with an excellent capacity. The gun is incredibly short and lightweight. It’s easy to maneuver and easy to shoot. Unfortunately, the gun is picky about ammo and does not like certain foreign brands. When you do run into a malfunction, it’s difficult to clear quickly and efficiently. However, it is a reliable gun with the right ammo.
KelTec made quite the splash with their first shotgun, the KSG.
But the KSG wasn’t the first shotgun designed by KelTec Founder, George Kellgren. At his previous company, Grendel, he designed the GSG-41, which was a bullpup .410 that held 12 rounds.
The GSG-41 never appeared on the market, but it seems like George Kellgren finally got his bullpup .410 to the market in the form of the KelTec KSG410.
This shotgun has a lot going on. It has features from the popular dual-tube KSG, as well as design cues from KelTec’s slimmer KS7 shotgun.
I am a shotgun enthusiast and a fan of .410 in general. With the KSG 12 already being such a neat gun, I just had to get my hands on the KSG410 to see how it was.
Table of Contents
KelTec KSG410 Specs and Features
Specs
- Caliber: .410 Bore
- Chamber: 3"
- Capacity: 14 (2.5" shells), 10 (3" shells)
- Barrel Length: 18.5"
- Overall Length: 26.1"
- Weight: 5.4 lbs
- MSRP: $510.00
Features
- Bullpup layout
- Dual magazine tubes
- Downward-ejecting
- Ambidextrous controls
- Carry handle sighting system
KelTec KSG410 Backstory
The original 12-gauge KSG entered the market in 2016, but as we mentioned, George Kellgren had previously designed a .410 bullpup shotgun that was set to be released in the early 90s.
Known as the GSG-41, Kellgren's original .410 didn’t use a dual magazine tube design; rather, it appears to have used an integral magazine.
There is clearly a big difference between the GSG-41 and the KSG410, but the general idea remains the same — fitting a lot of .410 rounds into a bullpup, pump-action shotgun.
Once KelTec released the KSG, it seemed like almost a matter of time before the .410 version hit the streets. That matter of time was nearly ten years, but Kellgren finally got his original idea to market.
Shooting the KSG410: Accuracy & Reliability Analysis
The first few rounds at the range were immensely frustrating. In a matter of moments, I was fired up and furious that the gun wouldn’t run.
Every round would fail to extract and eject, and I’d end up with a round waiting to be loaded while I still had a round stuck in the chamber.
This created double feeds, and once, it even resulted in a triple feed. Sometimes the round waiting to be loaded would be stuck on the extractor. I ended my first range trip early to go home and get tools to fix the malfunction.
Before hammering away on the gun, I decided to try some different ammo on the next trip out. I was using cheap Nobel Sport .410 shells on the first day, so I decided to swap to some simple Winchester birdshot loads.
The Winchester ran without a problem. I also ran Remington, Fiocchi, and Federal loads, both birdshot and buckshot, with zero issue.
Why did the Nobel Sport fail? Well, there are two different specifications for measuring and standardizing cartridges – SAAMI and CIP. It seems that CIP rounds are slightly larger than the SAAMI-spec ones.
The European-made Nobel Sport loads are marked CIP, while the other American-loaded ammo types I used all follow SAAMI. Since the KSG410 has a chamber built to SAAMI spec, it appears that the larger CIP-spec ammo is likely over-expanding and getting stuck in the chamber.
That’s my theory anyway; if our readers have any wisdom, please share below.
As long as I used SAAMI spec ammo, the gun ran fine. When choosing your ammo for defensive use, get out there and test the hell out of it and make sure it runs. If it malfunctions, you’ll have a hell of a time clearing it.
How Does It Shoot?
Gone is the traditional shotgun bead sight in favor of a carry handle sight. It has a huge, bright-green fiber-optic front sight that is easy to see and helps you get on target fast to unleash lead.
I shot mostly birdshot and buckshot, and within birdshot and buckshot ranges, there aren’t too many problems. You run into height-over-bore problems at super close range. At three to five yards, your pattern appears to hit low.
At seven yards or so, the shotgun’s spread and the range help dissipate these issues. My favorite .410 defensive load is the Remington Ultimate Defense 3-inch round. It holds five pellets of 000 buckshot.
The KSG410 produces a decently tight pattern within 15 yards. The pellets are nearly all touching and stay nice and tight. For home defense, that’s what I want.
The tightest-patterning ammo was the Fiocchi .410 2.5-inch buckshot, but it’s only three pellets of 00 buckshot rather than five 000.
I don't use .410 slugs because they are anemic. They are basically pistol rounds in terms of velocity and weight. them, but I wanted to shoot them for accuracy.
The front sight is quite large, and there is no rear sight, which creates some accuracy issues. I could hit targets out to 50 yards, but where I hit them was a guess. The overall accuracy with slugs isn’t all that great, but you can hit man-sized targets at 50 yards.
I love .410 because it has no recoil. It’s incredibly smooth and has less recoil than a blowback-operated 9mm PCC. Even the hefty 3-inch 000 buckshot Remington load doesn’t generate a ton of recoil. It’s absurdly easy to fire two rounds in under a second.
In fact, I even fired three rounds of .410 buckshot in 1.06 seconds. That’s fifteen pellets of buckshot, which is almost identical to two rounds of 12-gauge buckshot. The KSG410 can cycle quickly, and the lack of recoil makes it easy to keep your shot on target.
The 14-round capacity makes me think of the Henry rifle from the Civil War and the joke about it being loaded on Sunday and shooting all week.
The bullpup design and mere 26.1 inches overall create a very maneuverable platform. I shot around cover, specifically a blue barrel, and it was so utterly easy to do so. The gun doesn’t get in the way, so assuming and working around cover is extremely easy.
Inside a home, the KSG .410 would be easy to move around with. Since it’s a bullpup, not a lot of weight goes forward, so it’s easy to hold up with one hand and aim. You can easily open doors, hold a phone, or use your free hand for other tasks.
Ergonomics: Fit & Feel
Almost all KelTec guns have the same feel. They are bolted together with screws, and the polymer has this distinct feel. The Gator Grip waffle texture has become KelTec's signature style.
Don’t expect a Wingmaster or Model 31 action; the pump is gritty and not super smooth. The pump moves left to right a bit, and it’s sloppy, but it’s fine and doesn’t detract from the weapon’s function. You can still run the action quickly.
KelTec uses a crossbolt safety that’s big, square, and easy to use. Press it one way or the other, and it easily swaps between safe and fire.
The slide release sits in front of the trigger guard and is easy to reach and ambidextrous. For a pump gun, it’s probably the best slide release out there.
Swapping magazine tubes requires you to reach rearward into the ejection port and flip a small switch. It’s a little tricky, but not all that difficult.
Where the ergonomics and format become a bigger problem is in clearing malfunctions. It’s extremely difficult and takes time. There is no tap, rack, or bang here. If my KSG410 went down in a home defense fight, I’d have to swap guns, go hand-to-hand, or retreat.
The ergonomics aren’t bad, but the bullpup format might present some difficulty and has a bit of a learning curve. Overall, the gun feels like a KelTec. It’s not refined, fancy, or made by artisans. It’s a mix of polymer and steel with a dash of affordability.
Who Is It For?
I’ve long said that if the only shotgun you can handle is a .410, then maybe you should look at an AR or a PCC. But there are some states out there that make owning those types of guns difficult.
As a pump-action shotgun, the KSG410 is legal in states like California and New York. It would be a great defensive option for those states.
Most .410 rounds hold only three to five pellets of buckshot and don’t offer the same firepower as 12 or 20 gauge. While it lacks the power and pellet count, the KSG410 offers a low-recoil shotgun with a ton of capacity. It’s a capable defensive weapon for recoil-adverse shooters who want something lightweight and small.
By the Numbers
Reliability: 3.5/5
I’m taking points off for incompatibility with CIP ammo. The right ammo is the way to go, so make sure you have the right ammo.
Ergonomics: 4/5
The ergonomics are largely fantastic. It’s ambidextrous, lightweight, and short. I’m taking a point off for how difficult malfunctions are to address.
Accuracy: 3.5/5
With buckshot and birdshot, it’s mostly fine. At super close ranges, you have to account for height over bore. Shotguns are commonly used at close ranges, so it’s a bigger problem with shotguns than with any other platform.
Customization: 2/5
Shooters can add lights and similar accessories to the M-LOK slots on the carry handle. You can replace the carry handle with an optics rail as well. Unfortunately, KelTec did not add rails to the forend like the original KSG.
Value: 3.5/5
The KSG410 can sometimes be found around the same price as the .410 version of the Mossberg 590, but it is often also priced higher, which can take it out of the budget category.
Overall: 3.5/5
Upgrades For KelTec KSG410
The Streamlight ProTac HL-X 1000-lumen light comes with an M-LOK mounting system that attaches with ease to the carry handle. Any home defense weapon needs a light, and this one won’t break the bank.
Make your KSG410 optics-ready with a Picatinny rail that replaces the carry handle. A red dot is the best sighting option out there.
The Holosun AEMS is an AR-height optic that will work perfectly with the KSG410. The reticles are nice and bright, and the circle reticle is exceptionally handy on shotguns.
How We Tested the KelTec KSG410
For testing, I ran 300 rounds of .410 ammo. I used a mix of buckshot, birdshot, and slugs from Winchester, Remington, Fiocchi, Federal, and Nobel Sport.
The shotgun was patterned with buckshot at 3, 5, 7, 15, and 25 yards to check for average and extreme pellet spread. Further accuracy testing was conducted by shooting slugs at 50 yards at a man-sized steel target.
I also ran some timed speed drills to measure two things. The first was to see the speed at which I could cycle the pump. The second was to see how fast I could get back on target after each shot with the low recoil of the .410 round.
Meet The Experts
Pew Pew Tactical author Travis Pike wrote this article. Travis spent a lifetime shooting as a kid and later joined the United States Marine Corps, where he spent five years as an infantryman. His experience as a machine gunner, recreational shooter, and hunter has given him unique insight into various weapon platforms.
Travis is a lifelong shotgun enthusiast who owns quite a few himself. Additionally, Travis has thousands of articles to his name with a variety of publications, and has tested countless shotguns, rifles, handguns, and other firearm accessories.
Final Verdict on the KelTec KSG410
George Kellgren finally got his bullpup .410. It took a few decades, but the KelTec KSG410 is here, and it works quite well.
It’s a little ammo picky, but I like the design, the capacity, and the light recoil. The KSG410 could be an excellent home-defense shotgun in niche situations.
What are your thoughts on the KelTec KSG410? Is it useful, or just a gimmick? Sound off in the comments below! Interested in other KelTec shotguns? Check out our hands-on review of the KelTec KS7!