Walking down the shotgun line today’s Media Day, I couldn’t help but notice a big damn gun. And stuck to the end of said big damn gun was a big damn silencer. That wouldn’t actually be an anomaly, but said big damn gun and big damn silencer were shooting big damn twelve gauge shells. My interest was, shall we say, piqued. The gun, UTAS’ UTS-15 Tactical . . .
I’ve been told this isn’t a new gun per se, but it was new to me, so I’m willing to look past that small detail. The UTS-15 is a twelve gauge pump action shotgun capable of feeding either 2-3/4″ or 3″ shells in your choice of loading. Fill up the right side with seven, flip it over, then fill up the left side with seven more, load one in the chamber, another in a tube, and you’re ready to rain fire with fifteen rounds of twelve gauge fury.
If you fancy running fifteen rounds of the same ammo, flip the lever above to the middle position, and get to shooting. If you want to run two different types, flip the lever to the side you want to run, and get to stroking. Speaking of stroking, the pumping action is spring assisted on the move forward to help ensure reliable feeding and lockup.
As this is a proper bullpup, I expected a mushy, craptastic trigger, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a predictable, crisp trigger that allowed me lay waste to flying clays. Naturally, the Eotech mounted to the full length Picatinny rail, didn’t hurt. It certainly doesn’t swing like a field shotgun, but then again, I don’t think it is supposed to. This gun has tactical in the name, and is much more suited to defending the homestead from enemies both foreign and domestic.
Most exciting of course, was the silencer fitted to the snout of the gun. It did double duty taming the recoil as well as cutting down on the noise and blast. Given that the rest of the line was running non silenced guns, I didn’t bother removing my hearing protection to see how it sounded to my naked ear, but through a set of headphones, I was pleasantly surprised. The guy from UTAS indicates that they’re getting about 140 dB from their can, and expect to have it released this year with a MSRP somewhere in the neighborhood of $1000.
While the UTS-15 isn’t exactly my cup of tea, at a MSRP of $1250 and a street price of <$900, I have a hard time doubting the appeal to a certain type of buyer. It represents a viable alternative to something like the KSG, and the forthcoming silencer opens up a world of target and self defense opportunities. We’ve asked nicely for a T&E sample. Watch this space.
