K&MM17S Bullpup .308

[Zoogster]

I was looking at .308 bullpups and if this thing lives up to the hype it looks to be of solid construction and sounds like it has a nice trigger with AR hammer parts and so should be a lot better than most bullpups.

I am just dreaming as I live in an authoritarian state where the state prefers only law enforcement get modern rifles or handguns not on an approved list, but would like to see a good triggered .308 bullpup of solid construction succeed.
That way I can pick one up in the future.

The metal construction and some parts similarities with the AR platform make it more appealing to me than the plastic MDR, though I am sure its not in the 7075 I would prefer it beats plastic any day.
And it still is just over 8 pounds, while also using the common AR 7.62 magazines so you can get quality inexpensive magazines.

It looks like a good improvement to the m17.

Does anyone have experience with one of these?

 

[armoredman]

This is an updated Bushmaster M17? Interesting - I found those rifles to be quite intriguing back when they were out, but never picked one up, no spare change.

 

[chardin]

If that trigger breaks cleanly, I'm impressed. That might be worth my buying another .308 battle rifle.

 

[kimberkid]

I don't say this lightly because in recent years I've been disappointed by companies that I knew in my heart would never jeopardize thier reputation ... Companies like SiG; but lately any SiG you buy, you can expect problems, if not recalls. It seems they now let the buying public do the last rounds of testing ... Look at their MPX, MCX, their AR line of piston and they have dropped support for the 556 line, the SSG line, the 250 has been discontinued after a dismal and short run

My experiance with K&M goes back about 15 years, they are still a small company that still takes great pride and care in every thing they do.
This is why I feel confident in saying that if K&M built it, I would be absolutely stunned if it wasn't an absolutely solid gun.

The M17S was a great rifle & K&M has been making upgrades for it for 20+ years ... I was happy to see they got the rights to it as Bushmaster just let it die. Its drawbacks are the same as other Bullpups of its time ... With the addition of being heavy and if you did much rapid fire the aluminum chassis would heat up pretty quickly. K&M fixed all the inadequacies with the exception of the uncomfortable stock.

My last one I paid $700 for, then sent it to Ken and spent another $800 IIRC, added rails, cut cooling ports, did the trigger mod and cut the barrel down to 16.25" ... It was a great gun & good shooter but it still didn't hold a candle to my AUG, when I needed funds to build a 6.5 Creedmoor it went on the chopping block, I ended up getting $600 and a Kimber Pro-Carry with a Kimber 22 conversion

K&M / Bushmaster

JP Enterprise/Sharps Bros 6.5 Creedmoor

 

[Zoogster]

Kimberkid that pictued m17 is the 5.56 version though right? I would rather have the nice 308 AR in a .308/6.5 myself, but once you move that bullpup up into a nice threaded .308 that weighs just over 8 pounds if it can fire a large number of accurate rounds and doesn't overheat it should be a winner. It looks beefed up where needed for safety too and I would probably add a steel cheek rest for kaboom protection.

An 8 pound rifle that is only 26" long and that short would be a dream to move around with while still providing all the power for most game or defensive needs. The balance sounds like it is just behind the grip which is perfect on a bullpup and probably makes it feel like shouldering a 5 pound longer rifle.
Which would probably get more use in my life than a 3-4 foot heavier rifle that would be less fun to walk around with slung.

If it was in 7075 It would be even better. I find the softer alloys in ARs tend to ding and scratch easier than the 7075 ones.

 

[kimberkid]

Kimberkid that pictued m17 is the 5.56 version though right?

Yep, it is 556 ... I hadn't thought about a 6.5 version, a bull pup Creedmoor would be a nice shooter, better ballistics than a 308 ...