Hey Anyone have experience with Kel Tec?

[Martydondon]

Being the prepper/survivalist I am, I tend to lean towards guns that are light and that preferably fold or disassemble easily. I recently bought the Kel Tec SU 16b, I think for the price and functionality for me it's a great gun. Shoots great, cycled 2 ammunition brands perfectly. But I wanted to see what the community thought about them and their reliability over time... if anyone has experience with them please share.

 

[redtail]

Some guys don't like the style/look of the stuff .
I don't think it is awful.
KT is gtg imo , stuff works and lifetime warranty to boot.
Agree on the Su 16, very nice for what it is.
Sent in a pistol 10+yrs. after purchase for repairs , came back with almost all new parts.

 

[meketrefe]

Being the prepper/survivalist I am, I tend to lean towards guns that are light and that preferably fold or disassemble easily. I recently bought the Kel Tec SU 16b, I think for the price and functionality for me it's a great gun. Shoots great, cycled 2 ammunition brands perfectly. But I wanted to see what the community thought about them and their reliability over time... if anyone has experience with them please share.

They are great guns for the money. Reliability over time? nobody knows but they are not for heavy use.
The tenon is literally glued to the receiver and when it is time to maintain it you are done w/o keltec support.
I guess a gunsmith could do something about it but there is not enough material to build a proper receiver.
In any case I think spare parts bolts and cams, pins are cheap so stock up on a couple of spares just in case.
they are not intended for heavy use, they are great as ranch / backpacking / survival duty.

 

[Edwardteach72]

Kel tec is an R&D company.

They come up with sick new designs, and spend all their money on figuring out new stuff.

Then they go to harbor freight buy some wood screws and take apart some super soakers for plastic and slap their design together real fast using these sub par materials.

Then they make about 1,500 of the offerings to sell and then move on to the next project.. leaving a handful of their crap on the market

 

[Calculon]

A friend just got one and it shoots really well. Incredibly light compared to the average AR and works with AR mags. Folds in half so it’s got great portability.

 

[Martydondon]

A friend just got one and it shoots really well. Incredibly light compared to the average AR and works with AR mags. Folds in half so it’s got great portability.

That's was a the main motivation for me, light and compact, sure for 100 more I could have went with a bare bones AR but mobility and weight were the selling points for me... thanks for the feedback!

 

[Martydondon]

Kel tec is an R&D company.

They come up with sick new designs, and spend all their money on figuring out new stuff.

Then they go to harbor freight buy some wood screws and take apart some super soakers for plastic and slap their design together real fast using these sub par materials.

Then they make about 1,500 of the offerings to sell and then move on to the next project.. leaving a handful of their crap on the market

It does have a cheap plastic feel, though the guy who sold it to me said it could be coated to make it more rugged. Dont know if he was blowing smoke up my a** or not, maybe something to look into

 

[Martydondon]

They are great guns for the money. Reliability over time? nobody knows but they are not for heavy use.
The tenon is literally glued to the receiver and when it is time to maintain it you are done w/o keltec support.
I guess a gunsmith could do something about it but there is not enough material to build a proper receiver.
In any case I think spare parts bolts and cams, pins are cheap so stock up on a couple of spares just in case.
they are not intended for heavy use, they are great as ranch / backpacking / survival duty.

Thanks for the feedback. Shot about 20 rounds at the range to get a feel for it... But it will definitely be a backpack gun for sure...

 

[Martydondon]

Some guys don't like the style/look of the stuff .
I don't think it is awful.
KT is gtg imo , stuff works and lifetime warranty to boot.
Agree on the Su 16, very nice for what it is.
Sent in a pistol 10+yrs. after purchase for repairs , came back with almost all new parts.

Great to know about the warranty! Love a company that stands behind the product... it does feel cheapish but a foldable 5.56 with a built in bipod cant go wrong for the price... thanks for the info much appreciated!

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

I have an RFB and like it alot.

 

[Edwardteach72]

I have an RFB and like it alot.

And they only made like 2,000 of those

 

[meketrefe]

It does have a cheap plastic feel, though the guy who sold it to me said it could be coated to make it more rugged. Dont know if he was blowing smoke up my a** or not, maybe something to look into

That "plastic" is Dupon's Cytel material that is a glass filled polymer that is actually stronger than aluminum.
It is a nice gun for what it is that is not heavy duty but a light and handy ranch/backpack do it all. I have 2 su's and will never get rid of them. just make sure to get some spares of the most serviced parts.
like edward said they are a bit hit and miss maker with lots of innovation but they have a few firearms that are actually proven. the SU is one of them. The sub2000 at the other hand is a pos.

In general innovation is good at least they are not stuck in the past like Remington making the same shit but worse every day.

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

And they only made like 2,000 of those

A collectors piece then lol.

 

[Martydondon]

That "plastic" is Dupon's Cytel material that is a glass filled polymer that is actually stronger than aluminum.
It is a nice gun for what it is that is not heavy duty but a light and handy ranch/backpack do it all. I have 2 su's and will never get rid of them. just make sure to get some spares of the most serviced parts.
like edward said they are a bit hit and miss maker with lots of innovation but they have a few firearms that are actually proven. the SU is one of them. The sub2000 at the other hand is a pos.

In general innovation is good at least they are not stuck in the past like Remington making the same shit but worse every day.

Not to be a pain in the, but I'm still a relatively new gun owner. Would you mind telling me what parts I should get my hands on? Thank you for the advice.

 

[meketrefe]

Not a problem. Get a couple of extra firing pins, gas tube, piston head and pins, extractor, bolt, cam, and perhaps and/or a complete bolt. Any other springs or little bits that are inexpensive and one might not be able to find or fabricate easily. The actual bolt and cam would be the most compicated and I belive an AR bsrrel extension could be retrofitted should that become a need.
Lets say the gun is discontinued in the future youshould be able to service it for life and rebarrel it should that be needed.
Even of you resell it that adds to the value of the gun.
I can research a bit more of you want to see what I found, it has been a while.

 

[Martydondon]

Not a problem. Get a couple of extra firing pins, gas tube, piston head and pins, extractor, bolt, cam, and perhaps and/or a complete bolt. Any other springs or little bits that are inexpensive and one might not be able to find or fabricate easily. The actual bolt and cam would be the most compicated and I belive an AR bsrrel extension could be retrofitted should that become a need.
Lets say the gun is discontinued in the future youshould be able to service it for life and rebarrel it should that be needed.
Even of you resell it that adds to the value of the gun.
I can research a bit more of you want to see what I found, it has been a while.

If that's not a problem that would be great, I'm researching parts you mentioned now. Just to get them while I have some extra cash laying around... Really appreciate the assistance. Thank again

 

[Nicys Firearm Instruction]

Re: Kel Tec SU-16b

Got the gun 2 weeks ago, $530+tx, comes w/ 2 mags (uses reg AR mags), compact, super light at 4.5lbs, low recoil, trigger 6lbs w/ clean break, added a $75 red dot and like every rifle, you need to find the ammo flavor it likes 223 or 556 (see pics below), first time shooting got 1 1/2” group at 100 yds, 1/2” at 25 yds, you can probably do better with a scope. Using for 3gun this year, for battle I’ll continue to use my M1A in .308

It also shot good w/ Frontier 556 75gr, 1/2” @ 25 yds (last ammo pic).

Ammo test:
View attachment 64053

 

[Phauxtoe]

i have shot at least two of their pistols. my buddy who owns them, calls them "KillJams"
we shot them bunch and seem to have issue of one kind or another everytime.
i wouldn't own one.

 

[Jaywmustang]

Is the su-16 legal in ny?

 

[Nicys Firearm Instruction]

i have shot at least two of their pistols. my buddy who owns them, calls them "KillJams"
we shot them bunch and seem to have issue of one kind or another everytime.
i wouldn't own one.

No jams of any kind yet, shot diff .223 and 5.56 ammo, just use a higher grain (1:7 twist barrel here), 69 gr or heavier, better accuracy and cycle.

 

[Nicys Firearm Instruction]

Is the su-16 legal in ny?

SU-16b model, yes, just (2) 10 rd mags.

 

[Martydondon]

I

Is the su-16 legal in ny?

I believe it is. Lol bought it from a reputable dealer

 

[Martydondon]

Re: Kel Tec SU-16b

Got the gun 2 weeks ago, $530+tx, comes w/ 2 mags (uses reg AR mags), compact, super light at 4.5lbs, low recoil, trigger 6lbs w/ clean break, added a $75 red dot and like every rifle, you need to find the ammo flavor it likes 223 or 556 (see pics below), first time shooting got 1 1/2” group at 100 yds, 1/2” at 25 yds, you can probably do better with a scope. Using for 3gun this year, for battle I’ll continue to use my M1A in .308

It also shot good w/ Frontier 556 75gr, 1/2” @ 25 yds (last ammo pic).

Ammo test:
View attachment 64053

Good to know, I had issues using lower grain rounds went with a higher grain this time n had no issues. Fired out 50 rounds cleanly and for iron sights was completely ok with my accuracy

 

[Marine Cpl]

I was really interested in the RDB-C but passed. They just don’t make enough. Every once in a while you’ll see 2 at your gun store a few months after they first come out and then when gone, that’s it. If you do not act right away, you are stuck buying them at Gunbroker for way more.

Then they don’t improve on their current builds. Like Edward said, “They go on to the next project.” The KSG was the only gun that they really took serious.

 

[1075tech]

i have shot at least two of their pistols. my buddy who owns them, calls them "KillJams"
we shot them bunch and seem to have issue of one kind or another everytime.
i wouldn't own one.

I have a P32. Used to jam all the time. I took it apart and looked it over. Turns out the extractor had a bad burr on it. 5 minutes with a stone on the Dremel and it runs like a charm.

 

[Nicys Firearm Instruction]

I was really interested in the RDB-C but passed. They just don’t make enough. Every once in a while you’ll see 2 at your gun store a few months after they first come out and then when gone, that’s it. If you do not act right away, you are stuck buying them at Gunbroker for way more.

Then they don’t improve on their current builds. Like Edward said, “They go on to the next project.” The KSG was the only gun that they really took serious.

Unfortunately some companies only care about $$ and not the client, you see this happening all over these days and at different industries, very unfortunately and shortsighted.

 

[beebee]

I have a P32 and it runs just fine.. Keltecs really don't "look" to be robust, or well made, but many many guys own them ,use them heavily and swear by them.. They look and feel cheap for sure.. Almost shockingly so. A Ruger polymer gun for example , looks to be of much higher quality.. However Keltec stands proudly behind their product to a fault.. Some of the very best CS in the business.

Looks can be deceiving as we know.. Keltec owners love their guns, and get good, dependable lengthy service from them, and when something goes south the builder stands up for them.. Can't really ask for more... Plus they are CHEAP!... bob

 

[Blimey]

Never owned one but I get the impression they are range guns. Look cool, do weird things, buy it to play with the friends and show off. But you'd never use it as the go to if your life depended no it. That's not a bad thing, as lots of guns are like that such as the desert eagle, which I still want.

 

[thegatman]

Had a sub 2000 until the communist took it away. Worked great. Put an AK front sight on it.

 

[Martydondon]

I have a P32 and it runs just fine.. Keltecs really don't "look" to be robust, or well made, but many many guys own them ,use them heavily and swear by them.. They look and feel cheap for sure.. Almost shockingly so. A Ruger polymer gun for example , looks to be of much higher quality.. However Keltec stands proudly behind their product to a fault.. Some of the very best CS in the business.

Looks can be deceiving as we know.. Keltec owners love their guns, and get good, dependable lengthy service from them, and when something goes south the builder stands up for them.. Can't really ask for more... Plus they are CHEAP!... bob

Its actually really fun to shoot... I've been running it at the range, had a few bad cycle issues that I chalk up to a bad box of 55 gr rounds I got at a gun show... loaded up 62 gr rounds and the gun performed like a gem... I'm not thrilled with the mags so I ordered some 10/30s (perm) but storing 2 pinch mags in the stock I won't complain about... all in all for 500 bucks for a folding 5.56 with built in bipod for me is the perfect addition to my prepping kit...