Arizona based K&M Arms was present at the 2016 National Rifle Association Annual Meeting, and they brought with them their M17S series of bullpup, triangular-bolt rifles. New for the show was the finished .308/7.62x51mm variant of the M17S, prototypes of which had been shown previously at Bullpup Shoot 2015.

The K&M rifle is based on a Bushmaster bullpup from the early 1990s, also called “M17S”. However, Ken of K&M Arms has made extensive changes to the design. Gone is the Stoner-Johnson multilug rotary bolt, replaced with a Leader T2-type triangular rotating bolt. Instead of an external cam pin, Ken simplified the bolt carrier with an internal cam pin that abuts against a central guide rod to prevent premature bolt rotation.

Most importantly, however, the K&M M17S incorporates a completely new trigger linkage system, which pulls the sear backwards, instead of pushing it forwards, leading to a very nice, crisp trigger pull entirely uncharacteristic of most bullpup rifles.

The K&M M17S, like the original Bushmaster, uses an extruded upper receiver, made in essentially the same manner as pasta, but using aluminum instead of grain flour. This type of manufacturing is a hallmark of the Bushmaster M17S’s designer, Charles St. George, who also developed the aforementioned Leader T2 rifle. St. George and hist company, St. George Arms, were also present at the show, displaying the latest model of his Leader .50 cal rifle: