Springfield Armory Kuna: Feisty Home Defender

There are some guns that people see from across the range and are drawn to like a moth to a flame. The Springfield Armory Kuna definitely fits that description. I received the version with the Strike Industries FSA folding arm brace for testing and took it to a gun writer’s event at Gunsite to put it through all types of testing. I was not disappointed, nor were all the other writers who shot it that week.

The Springfield Armory Kuna

I was introduced to the Kuna at the Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous at the beautiful Brush Creek Ranch in southern Wyoming. There, my old friend Mike Humphries from Springfield explained that the Kuna was, more or less, the national animal of Croatia. It is a small but fierce mammal, and even their currency used to be named after it.

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

The Kuna was originally developed not only to chamber 9mm, but also to be chambered for .40, for a Brazilian law enforcement agency. I have seen lots of pistols developed in 9mm that were beaten to pieces when manufacturers tried to convert them to .40. Knowing that it can handle the .40 means it is overbuilt and should be able to handle the lighter recoil of 9mm very easily.

Mike also explained that the Kuna has a roller-delayed action (similar to the MP5, which uses a dual-roller delay). This helps reduce recoil and wear and tear on the gun. It has the added benefit of keeping the action closed a little longer than straight blowback, which makes this an ideal gun for a suppressor.

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

The Kuna comes packed with features:

• Non-reciprocating charging handle that can be mounted on either side
• Full ambi mag release, bolt release, and safety (controls mimic placement on an AR platform)
• Low-mounted barrel to reduce muzzle rise
• Integrated, low-profile sights that can be flipped up for use when a stock or arm brace is attached
• Full-length picatinny rail on top
• M-LOK attachment points at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock on the forend
• Multiple sling QD points
• Last round bolt hold open
• Replaceable AR15 pistol grip
• Threaded barrel (1/2×28) with a multi-port muzzle brake.

The 30-round, translucent magazines are proprietary, but they only cost $25 and work great.

Running an Optic on the Kuna

While I’m sure the iron sights would work, my first order of business was putting an optic on the Kuna. I recently got my hands on a Meprolight M22 Pro after a long delay.

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

The M22 is the updated version of the M21, which was introduced way back in 2002. I have an M21 mounted on a Colt SMG that works every bit as good now as it did when I mounted it more than 15 years ago.

Both sights are powered by tritium and fiber optics with no need for a battery. They are also built for reliability under extreme conditions, and by extreme conditions, I mean war.

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

My M22 Pro includes their light module kit, which does take a battery, but super illuminates the reticle. The idea is that when you are in a dark location, such as a house, but aiming toward a bright location, such as outside the house, you can press the button to make the reticle extremely bright and avoid washout.

The M22 is available with a 10 MOA triangle reticle or a 3.5/40 MOA bullseye reticle.

Final Touches for Home Defense

I look at the Kuna as an ideal home defense platform. So, my second order of business was putting on a white light. For this, I chose the Streamlight TLR RM HL-X rail-mounted light. It comes with one CR-123a-sized rechargeable battery, a remote pressure switch, and boasts 1,000 lumens (22,000 candela) of light.

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

Because it is designed to mount on a long arm, it throws light out to a farther distance. The push button and remote switch both feature permanent “on” stages with a single tap, or temporary on until released if the button is held down.

My only complaint was that I wish it directly attached to M-LOK. However, adding a short piece of Picatinny to the M-LOK on the right side made it easy to mount.

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

I was afraid the two-sided tape wouldn’t be strong enough to hold the remote switch. But later, when I tried to take it off, I realized it was borderline permanent. I like Streamlight tactical lights because they are simple to use and they are built like tanks.

Finally, I threw an adjustable Blue Force Gear Vickers push-button sling on it. The sling is over 10 years old, but still works perfectly. The one thing I didn’t get to add to the Kuna was a suppressor. But I will be looking to add one in the near future.

Shooting the Kuna at Gunsite

While at Gunsite, I had the opportunity to conduct accuracy and velocity testing, participate in various drills on square ranges, shoot on the Urban Scrambler, practice in the Funhouse, and even shoot at the Military Crest, which features targets beyond 200 yards.

A 9mm pistol is not my first choice for a 200-yard shot, and it required a little Kentucky windage. However, the Kuna was still able to hit steel more than 50% of the time. In fact, during accuracy testing, it frequently had sub-one-inch groups at 25 yards.

How Did it Perform?

Here were my impressions. The trigger felt a little mushy at the beginning, but then it breaks really clean. Similarly, the reset is super tactile with an audible click that you can really feel. The reset was so fast that many of the pics we took captured three pieces of brass in the air.

I’m far from the fastest shooter, but it was easy to put shots downrange quickly. Likewise, the gun really doesn’t rise thanks to its low-mounted barrel and roller-delay action.

The safety felt a little stiffer than I would like. However, it was quick and fast to take off, just a little slower to put back on, which is the way you want it. When a gun is going back on “safe,” there is no immediate threat, and you have plenty of time.

The rest of the controls were great, and I really like the charging handle. Too many times, your gear will rub on a charging handle and knock the gun out of battery. But I never had that problem. If I did, I could simply switch the handle to the other side and rotate the gun while reaching over the top to charge it.

I also liked the ability to lock the bolt to the rear using my trigger finger on the bottom of the bolt catch. I often find arm braces uncomfortable, but this one is not, perhaps because the recoil is so light.

The Springfield Armory Kuna: Perfect for the Nightstand or Pickup

Perhaps my biggest takeaway was simply that this did not feel like a first-generation gun. It already has all the features I wanted, and it ran like a clock. I’ll be curious to watch if Springfield releases a 16” barreled version for PCC competitions soon.

In the meantime, I need to decide if this one will fit better behind my nightstand or in my pickup. Maybe I need one for both.

Springfield Armory Kuna Specs

Performance

Bullet weight measured in grains, velocity in feet per second, 15 feet from the muzzle by a Doppler radar, and accuracy in inches for 3, five-shot groups at 25 yards.