ArfinGreebly
Moderator Emeritus
I recently purchased a Kel-tec Sport-Utility Rifle SU-16A.
I had been looking at it for more than a month -- online, that is. I had finally put my hands on one at a local gun show, and found it to be unexpectedly solid, easy to shoulder, and easy to sight.
Shortly after I ordered mine, I called GunTalk to ask Tom if he had any enlightenment for me, any sense of what I had to look forward to, but other than what's published online, he had no personal experience.
Tom gave me a "homework assignment" -- to test the rifle and call him with a field report. I tested the rifle last week and called in my on-the-air field report today.
Here's a summary of what I now know about this rifle.
Prior to placing my order, I wanted to verify the chambering (the various write-ups use the terms .223 and 5.56 interchangeably), so I called Kel-tec's tech support and asked. They assured me it was 5.56 NATO, and should be fine with any ammo I chose to shoot.
Out of the box, I found that, although the stock, receiver, and fore-end are all plastic, the gun is surprisingly solid; it doesn't wiggle, rattle, or vibrate.
It comes with a sight-adjustment tool that's a philips-head screwdriver on one side and a hex-head driver on the other. It's needed for adjusting the front sight, so don't lose it. All elevation and windage adjustment is done at the front sight. The rear peep sight is fixed.
When folded, the trigger group is out of play, and the weapon CANNOT fire. A single take-down pin is used to lock the stock into the extended (working) position. That pin is really stiff to push in with a bare thumb or finger, so use a coin, thimble, or metal tool of some kind to seat it (a cartridge can be used). The screwdriver side of the sight adjustment tool works well for this.
However: I went to the local hardware store and picked up a couple of 1/4" cotterless hitch pins, which fit perfectly. These have a finger ring that a) lets you pull it out without pliers, b) makes it easier to hold onto so you don't drop it in the dirt/leaves/sand and lose it.
I believe the fore-end/bipod could be useful, but it needs a stronger spring or a latch or . . . something.
I have some friends at work who have AR clones. Both of them picked up some bulk-generic-gun-show ammo, and found that it wouldn't feed reliably in their actions. They each tossed me a bag and said, "see if this works in your gun."
I headed out to the range late in the day -- which allowed me to see the value of a light-gathering front sight.
There was too much wind to set up any paper targets, so I used water-filled jugs and bottles (which can stand in the wind).
I had a hundred rounds of ammo, of which only twenty rounds were new Federal red-box. The rest was a truly diverse assortment of brass and bullets.
The SU-16 ate it all. It fed everything, shot everything, extracted & ejected everything.
It uses a gas-driven piston+operating rod system to drive the action, rather than the (considerably dirtier) direct gas action of the AR family, so the action . . . stayed clean.
It shot where I pointed it (POI = POA), and knocked over jugs at 50 and 100 yards.
The recoil was less than I imagined it would be, and I'm not sure how they did that. The rifle only weighs 5 lbs, and generally that results in more recoil, but not in the SU-16.
I'm impressed. Cost me half what I would have spent on an AR, eats everything, shoots straight, and the recoil and the rifle are both light.
This one's a keeper.
It would be interesting, though, if Kel-tec would do one in a "sports yellow" stock. As an emergency weapon (truck gun, airplane gun, backpack gun) it's ideal. In that context, a bright color would prevent losing it.
I had been looking at it for more than a month -- online, that is. I had finally put my hands on one at a local gun show, and found it to be unexpectedly solid, easy to shoulder, and easy to sight.
Shortly after I ordered mine, I called GunTalk to ask Tom if he had any enlightenment for me, any sense of what I had to look forward to, but other than what's published online, he had no personal experience.
Tom gave me a "homework assignment" -- to test the rifle and call him with a field report. I tested the rifle last week and called in my on-the-air field report today.
Here's a summary of what I now know about this rifle.
Prior to placing my order, I wanted to verify the chambering (the various write-ups use the terms .223 and 5.56 interchangeably), so I called Kel-tec's tech support and asked. They assured me it was 5.56 NATO, and should be fine with any ammo I chose to shoot.
Out of the box, I found that, although the stock, receiver, and fore-end are all plastic, the gun is surprisingly solid; it doesn't wiggle, rattle, or vibrate.
It comes with a sight-adjustment tool that's a philips-head screwdriver on one side and a hex-head driver on the other. It's needed for adjusting the front sight, so don't lose it. All elevation and windage adjustment is done at the front sight. The rear peep sight is fixed.
When folded, the trigger group is out of play, and the weapon CANNOT fire. A single take-down pin is used to lock the stock into the extended (working) position. That pin is really stiff to push in with a bare thumb or finger, so use a coin, thimble, or metal tool of some kind to seat it (a cartridge can be used). The screwdriver side of the sight adjustment tool works well for this.
However: I went to the local hardware store and picked up a couple of 1/4" cotterless hitch pins, which fit perfectly. These have a finger ring that a) lets you pull it out without pliers, b) makes it easier to hold onto so you don't drop it in the dirt/leaves/sand and lose it.
I believe the fore-end/bipod could be useful, but it needs a stronger spring or a latch or . . . something.
I have some friends at work who have AR clones. Both of them picked up some bulk-generic-gun-show ammo, and found that it wouldn't feed reliably in their actions. They each tossed me a bag and said, "see if this works in your gun."
I headed out to the range late in the day -- which allowed me to see the value of a light-gathering front sight.
There was too much wind to set up any paper targets, so I used water-filled jugs and bottles (which can stand in the wind).
I had a hundred rounds of ammo, of which only twenty rounds were new Federal red-box. The rest was a truly diverse assortment of brass and bullets.
The SU-16 ate it all. It fed everything, shot everything, extracted & ejected everything.
It uses a gas-driven piston+operating rod system to drive the action, rather than the (considerably dirtier) direct gas action of the AR family, so the action . . . stayed clean.
It shot where I pointed it (POI = POA), and knocked over jugs at 50 and 100 yards.
The recoil was less than I imagined it would be, and I'm not sure how they did that. The rifle only weighs 5 lbs, and generally that results in more recoil, but not in the SU-16.
I'm impressed. Cost me half what I would have spent on an AR, eats everything, shoots straight, and the recoil and the rifle are both light.
This one's a keeper.
It would be interesting, though, if Kel-tec would do one in a "sports yellow" stock. As an emergency weapon (truck gun, airplane gun, backpack gun) it's ideal. In that context, a bright color would prevent losing it.
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