FOCUS UTS-15 Ultimate Tactical Shotgun Barrel
The UTS-15 only comes in a 19.5- inch, smoothbore barrel with a Cylinder Bore choke, i.e., no choke. The barrel has the muz- zle threaded to accept a vented stand-off. The gun comes with a 4140 steel flash hider with strike bezel and full-length knurling. This is a combination flash sup- pressor, muzzle brake, and tacti- cal breaching stand-off tube. In addition to the vented
The UTS-15 (Ultimate Tactical Shotgun) gets its name from the capacity of twin, seven-round tube magazines, plus one in the chamber.
must be done manually by moving the selector. The selector has a solid and positive detent holding it firmly in either the left, center or right position.
This selectable feature allows the operator to load one kind of lethal shotshell (like buckshot) in one mag tube, and another kind (like slugs or lock-busters) in the other mag tube. If this is a less-lethal shotgun, beanbags can be loaded in one mag tube and rubber batons or OC projectiles in the other.
The UTS-15 feeds the chamber from the twin mag tubes via a large shotshell carrier controlled by a massive “mousetrap” main spring. UTAS has not experienced a bro- ken main spring in three years of weapon development and field use. The tube magazine has cartridge counter maga- zine followers and the sides of the tubes are openly slotted to easily see the available cartridges.
Side-Eject Action
The UTS-15 is a side-eject gun, unlike some shotguns that are bottom-eject. One of the advantages of this receiver de- sign is the ease of getting right into the action by simply opening an access panel.
The bolt body, rotary bolt, triple locking lugs, and bar- rel are all 4140 chrome moly steel. All of the steel parts are black chrome plated or black oxide finished. The lower re- ceiver is a high-tech polymer. The mag tubes and upper receiver are made from magnesium.
The UTS-15 can be field stripped in under 45 seconds with no tools required. The UTS-15 has a quick, removable fire control housing containing the trigger group, i.e., ham- mer, sear and disconnector.
One of the strengths of the UTS-15 is its simplicity. On a
side eject shotgun like the UTS-15, it is easy to access the chamber and fire control. Simply lift the side cover plate to clear a failure to eject, or get to the entire fire control mechanism. Not so with similar but bottom eject shotguns. At the same time, the large cover plate seals the entire re- ceiver mechanisms from dirt and debris.
24 LAW and ORDER I January 2016
stand-off, the UTS-15 also ac- cepts the Beretta-Benelli choke tubes. The rear sights are either a flip-up, large aperture peep or a big game V-shape. The rear sights are windage adjustable while the front post is elevation
adjustable. Both are wing-protected. Rail and Forearm
The UTS-15 has a full-length, integrated top-mounted rail for optics or backup iron sights. The forearm is a combina- tion of Picatinny top rail and M-LOK handguard accessory attachment points. The pump-action forearm has a built-in LED white light rated at 200 lumens. That is the same as most duty belt carrier flashlights. The LED white light in- cludes a fully adjustable green laser, activated by a toggle switch.
The UTS-15 has front, mid and rear quick-detach sling- swivel mounting studs. The UTS-15 is available in Matte Black, OD Green, and Desert Sand. Other finishes include Blue Camo (Marine), Hunting Camo and, believe it or not, Pink Muddy Girl Camo.
Shooting Impressions
The UTS-15 is rugged, robust and reliable. The twin tubes give it lots of ammo capacity and lots of load selection flex- ibility. The UTS-15 is, as its name implies, more of a tactical operator’s weapon and less of a patrol weapon. The patrol rifle has all but replaced the duty shotgun anyhow. Shooting the UTS-15 defies expectations. First, it is a lot lighter than it looks. It may look bulky and unwieldy, but it is just the opposite. It is actually comparatively light and very handy. The UTS-15 makes extensive use of high-tech polymers and super-exotic, injected magnesium for the maximum strength and minimum weight. The bullpup design makes it easy to deploy. The week we toured the UTAS-USA factory, the Des Plaines, Ill. Police tactical team made a high-risk, warrant service entry to a house trailer. Their entry operators indicated the UTS-15 was much more maneuverable in those tight quarters than even a short barrel, pistol grip, traditional pump shotgun. The other surprise, especially for such a light, pump- action shotgun, is how little felt recoil there is. The UTS- 15 weighs just under seven pounds, empty. That means it
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68