For more information, visit https://www.kmarms.com/M17S308.html.

To purchase a bullpup rifle on GunsAmerica.com, click this link: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=bullpup.

As humans, we tend to adjust our expectations gradually until the things we label as “good” have an asterisk by the descriptor.

Here’s an easy example: Thanksgiving dinner with the entire family. Once everyone has eaten and made their exits, there is the customary sitting around and discussing how well the day went. The conversation will eventually end with a general agreement that everything went relatively smoothly. “Memaw was on her best behavior,” your other half will say. Now, Memaw is the senior member of your family, and her world view was formed in 1956 and has not changed since. You may have Uncle Roy, who should be kept to an absolute maximum alcohol consumption of one wine, with dinner, at all costs. If this plan fails, he will be playing the violin for everyone, despite having never taken lessons.

Let’s convert all of this to a nice gun analogy:

“Have you been to the new gun shop”?

“No, what is it called”?

“‘Lowered Expectations.’ They stock a full line of Rhino revolvers, and all of their rifles are bullpups.”

“What about Glocks?” “Sure, but they are all .45 GAP models.”

I think you are getting the picture here; these guns work, but they are quirky designs with downsides to all their upsides. This condition has described bullpup rifles since their conception.

What’s Wrong With Bullpups?

The first issue that all bullpups share is the trigger. A bullpup trigger feels like it’s connected to the sear via a ribeye steak. The controls seem to be configured and placed ever so perfectly for only a contortionist to employ. Mag changes are difficult due to magazine well location clashing with the controls. Bullpups are not balanced like other guns, which tends to make recoil worse.

Before you think I am just a hater, I’ll confess that I currently own a Steyr AUG and a Tavor SAR-IDF, and have owned loads of other bullpup guns over the years. But let’s face facts; they are a compromise gun.

The bullpup design places the gun’s action behind the trigger, usually in front of any buttstock. This configuration is used to decrease overall length, while keeping a long barrel length. The purpose of this setup is to allow better maneuverability in confined spaces while retaining maximum ballistic performance.

The earliest bullpup rifle that I could find is the Thorneycroft carbine, which was developed by an English gunsmith in 1901. When tested, the first bullpup rifle had excessive recoil and poor ergonomics- sound familiar? Since 1901, there have been around 100 bullpup rifles created, plus their variants, as far as I can research. Only a few of these rifles listed above have had success either military or commercial markets.

The Real History of the M17S

If you do a quick search on the internet, you will find that the rifle we know as the Bushmaster M17S was a product of Australia, and known by a different name. After failing in military trials, the rifle was sold in the USA by a division of the company that developed the gun. In 1994, the rights were acquired by Bushmaster, who sold the rifle until 2005.

Following are the details that my research has turned up. Armstech, a small company organized specifically for designing and developing a new Australian military rifle, submitted a proposal in 1982 to the Australian military. When their bid was not the winner, Armstech chose to pursue the design of its 5.56mm rifle for export sales. These aspirations were cut short by a catastrophic failure during a demonstration with the press. The company went into receivership in 1990, after having transferred rights to the rifle to Keith Greenwood of Edenpine. Edenpine developed the rifle into the ART 30, with the salient features of the M17S in place. Out of a desire to enter the American market, Edenpine (USA) Inc. (the American branch of Edenpine of Australia), contracted with Bushmaster to produce the 5.56mm rifles for them. The rifle was sold as the “Edenpine M17S Bull-Pup rifle”, or the Bushmaster M17S as most of us know it. In 2012, Ken McAlister filed for the trademark on “M17S” on the out-of-production rifle, which he was granted in 2014.

SPECS

• Chambering: .308 Win.
• Barrel: 16 inches
• OA Length: 26.25 inches
• Weight: 8.2 pounds
• Sights: Rail
• Action: Semi-auto
• Finish: Matte black
• Capacity: Detachable box magazine
• MSRP: $1,999

Wait. I Like This?

This leads us to the K&M Arms M17S .308, which was a new offering at the 2017 SHOT Show. This is a .308 bullpup from a designer with a long history of debugging bullpup rifles. K&M Arms is a division of K&M Aerospace out of Chandler, Arizona. K&M Aerospace was founded in Southern California in 2003, and in 2006 the company was moved to Chandler. After this relocation to Arizona, the owner, Ken McAlister, traded for a Bushmaster M17S. Ken said “the gun was all wrong. The optics were too high, it got hot when you shot it and the trigger was gritty and hard.” So, he set to work with a full machine shop at his disposal.

First, he cut slots into the gun to lighten and balance it. From there, he just could not stop modifying the gun with trigger enhancements, rails, charging handles, cheeks rests, butt pads and other custom work. This tinkering was his process for refining what could and should be done to perfect the bullpup platform. All this refinement was on the 5.56mm platform, but Ken not happy to rest on his laurels and began upsizing to the .308 Winchester size. This involved using and improving 7.62 AR parts. However, the bolt and recoil system are still in the AR-180 style as with the original design and is a short-stroke piston system with an adjustable regulator rather than the AR-style direct gas impingement system.

As a result, McAlister was developing a new line of M17S bullpups, with all his requisite enhancements and refinements, in .223 and .308 platforms.

Hands On

All of his efforts showed in the sample .308 gun I received. The very first thing I checked after opening the gun was the trigger. I simply could not believe how good the trigger was, and I don’t mean “good for a bullpup “—I mean “good.” This is the best trigger I have ever felt in a bullpup.

The trigger is skeletonized billet with a patented linkage design utilizing an AR trigger. This trigger is designed to pull the sear rather than push it. Ken is currently using the Elftmann Tactical trigger exclusively in his rifles. The M17S308 utilize an AR-180-style carrier with both action rods and springs.  They are strong springs, which ensure that a round is chambered every time. The bolt is a massive three-lug triangular bolt that uses DPMS ejector, extractor, springs, pins and firing pin.  It also has a 30° locking rotation, unlike the standard 7.62 AR which uses a 22.5° one. This all adds up to a greater locking strength than the7.62 AR platform provides. The M17S308 has a solid cam pin and goes all the way through the bolt, correcting a traditionally weak point in the 7.62 AR platform. To harden against failure, the bolt and guide rods are NP3 plated. As noted above, as with the AR-180, the M17S from K&M features a short-stroke piston system with an adjustable regulator.

The lower receiver is made from billet aluminum and features a straightforward cross bolt-design safety. The magazine catch, grip, springs and pins come straight from 7.62 AR designs. Magpul is the source for the enhanced butt pad, and the rifle feeds from Magpul-pattern 7.62mm magazines.

The non-reciprocating charging handle can be changed to either side of the receiver. The rifle has an ambidextrous magazine release mated with the 7.62 AR-style bolt catch that holds the bolt open when the last round has been fired.

The M17S308 breaks down like a standard AR, with two captive takedown pins, and will pivot on the front pin if desired.

Two QD sling adapters are located on either side of the rifle. You can mount modular side rails in any of the side slots. A rail on top can take sights and optics (none are included). The pistol grip can be changed out with any AR grip that does not have a beaver tail. Finally, the bottom rail can take lights or handles of your choice. Arguably the best part: this gun is made 100% in the USA.

On the Range

While preparing to take the M17S308 to the range, I mounted up a Trijicon MRO, which was a simple fit thanks to the upper rail. Next up, I grabbed all the .308 Winchester ammo I could find; this was mostly from three manufacturers: Sig Arms, Aguila and Hornady.

When I got to the range, I set up my Lead Sled to sight in the optic. This was short work, and the rifle was dead-on after six rounds. As usual, I had some friends of mine at the range. These two friends happen to be on the SWAT team, and they were more than happy to burn through my ammo for me. The range was set up for a VCQB (Vehicle Close Quarters Battle) class. This allowed them to work the bullpup in and around cars. This scenario really let the gun shine. When asked for their thoughts on the rifle, they both concurred the rifle was soft-shooting, fast and accurate, and that they liked it.

I then asked what issues they felt the gun could have. The response was that charging this weapon would require a shooter with strength. The reload controls are farther back on the gun, and you had to be conscious of where the magazine well was. They were quick to say that this issue lessened as they gained more practice operating the gun. The controls for the magazine and bolt release were placed correctly once you found the magazine well. Their final comment was that the butt pad could be sharp while shooting if it was not pressed firmly against the shoulder.

I took my turn at working the course around a minivan. I was shocked by how quickly the muzzle returned on target. I did not get any poking from the butt pad, but I had the advantage of being warned prior to shooting. I checked the targets and found my hits to all be present and accounted for. I was pleasantly surprised, as I had run the course with the speed of a .223, not a .308.

After my friends left it was time to do the accuracy testing. I normally prefer to test with a least three different rounds to determine what works best. Unfortunately, once the gun was set up I found that we had burned through most of the ammunition I had brought with me in our fervor. So, I had only two different rounds to test with: Sig Sauer 168 grain and Aguila 150 grain. It became apparent that the gun preferred the heavier 168-grain round.

The gun ran flawlessly, regardless of the ammunition or shooter. The highlight of this rifle was the trigger; everyone raved about it. I would say that the balance point was right behind the pistol grip, and to prove this, the SWAT guys were able to shoot the gun one-handed.

What It Is Not

Ken is a man who I find to be refreshingly clear when he speaks. He has no plans for a select-fire version. He left no doubt in my mind when he said, “My market is the civilian market, not government or military contracts. Those do not interest me.” It must also be noted that this is a right-handed gun; Ken strongly advises, for safety reasons, that the rifle only be shot right-handed. There is not a left-handed version, and none is in the works.

The Bottom Line

I like this gun! It works, for right-handed shooter, with no problems. It has advantages over the standard 7.62 AR platform. It is robust and functional while still offering the modularity I have come to expect in AR platforms. The price ($1999.00) is not low, but this is a small batch gun, and the price-tag is not out of line with other bullpups in the market. If you are left-handed, have low upper body strength, or are unwilling to spend a modest amount of time training in the platform, this gun is NOT for you. Sorry.

The M17S is currently in production by K&M Arms and they are taking pre-orders for fulfillment. If you are interested in a bullpup that toes back to an older classic but fixes many of the issues found with this type of design, the K&M M17S is just about a perfect choice for you.

For more information, visit https://www.kmarms.com/M17S308.html.

To purchase a bullpup rifle on GunsAmerica.com, click this link: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=bullpup.