kel tec sub2000 thoughts / reviews
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stormcaller111
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- Feb 22, 2008
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i've shot them, mostly positive thoughts here. i'm not necessarily a fan of the reciprocating bolt handle or the front sight, but it is what it is. i've been looking for one for a year at msrp. prices now on gunbroker are just ridiculous ~$800-$1000
Buck Kramer
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- Apr 17, 2009
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Better plan on shooting hot rounds just to make it function. Mine wouldn't even run WWB.
Furncliff
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After researching the sub 2000 I bought a Hi Point 4595 as a range blaster. If I had the need or desire for a briefcase weapon the sub 2000 would have been the way to go, but the thing looked uncomfortable to shoot. The Hi Point has been OK, it was cheap, it's very reliable and for what it is it's accurate enough. There is very good support from the maker, and magazines are cheap and ship for free. With the addition of a $30 part it can be changed to accept 1911 magazines, not sure about the 9mm version.
If you have the money the Beretta will be a better choice.
If you have the money the Beretta will be a better choice.
phoglund
Member
I've had one of these for a few years. I was prepared for a gun with some teething problems and mediocre accuracy but liked the compact form factor and magazine commonality with Glock pistols.
I did have a problem with the gun right out of the box which was pretty disappointing. Customer service was quick, professional, and fixed the problem. The gun now works flawlessly and is surprisingly accurate and easy to hit with. At the 50 yard line plinking at cans etc, I found the gun easier to hit with than the 9mm Bushmaster Carbon-15 and the Saiga conversion AK-47 type rifles I had on hand as well.
I can't honestly say I've put thousands of rounds through the gun, but the hundreds I've fired since repair have been flawless! I really like the gun. I had a hard time finding mine as well. I finally was browsing through a gunshop in a nearby town and found two of them...and bought one.
I did have a problem with the gun right out of the box which was pretty disappointing. Customer service was quick, professional, and fixed the problem. The gun now works flawlessly and is surprisingly accurate and easy to hit with. At the 50 yard line plinking at cans etc, I found the gun easier to hit with than the 9mm Bushmaster Carbon-15 and the Saiga conversion AK-47 type rifles I had on hand as well.
I can't honestly say I've put thousands of rounds through the gun, but the hundreds I've fired since repair have been flawless! I really like the gun. I had a hard time finding mine as well. I finally was browsing through a gunshop in a nearby town and found two of them...and bought one.
Cornhusker77
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- Dec 20, 2008
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- 629
My Sub-2000 eats anything I feed it including WWB
I even shot some steel stuff with no issues.
The only time I had a problem was when I let it get really dirty, but I cleaned it, lubed it and she shoots fine
I even shot some steel stuff with no issues.
The only time I had a problem was when I let it get really dirty, but I cleaned it, lubed it and she shoots fine
Sapper771
Member
I owned one several years ago. Wish I still had it. Very fun to shoot and liked that it used the same mags as my G17. The 33rnd G18 mags were also a good option. The folding feature was neat. It would fit in a back pack or under the seat of my truck. It fed everything I put through it , including WWB. With WWB, it would put all rounds on a paper plate at 100 yards. The trigger was surprisingly nice for a KT.
The front sight wasnt the greatest, but it worked. After about 150-200 rounds, the malfunctions started. This was expected due to the blow back operation. I lightly polished the chamber with a polishing wheel and flitz , which helped a bit. For the first week, I kept the bolt locked to the rear to help break in the spring.
A very versatile carbine for the money (back in the better days).
The front sight wasnt the greatest, but it worked. After about 150-200 rounds, the malfunctions started. This was expected due to the blow back operation. I lightly polished the chamber with a polishing wheel and flitz , which helped a bit. For the first week, I kept the bolt locked to the rear to help break in the spring.
A very versatile carbine for the money (back in the better days).
I have had mine for about a year now... Never a malfunction. Currently running a test for how long I can go without cleaning it.
KTS2K- FDE glock 40 mags
Ammo- mostly Tulammo, cheap and dirty
Status- 300 rds no cleaning no malfunction.
Paid 419 brand new.
KTS2K- FDE glock 40 mags
Ammo- mostly Tulammo, cheap and dirty
Status- 300 rds no cleaning no malfunction.
Paid 419 brand new.
Mine runs great and has never jammed in over 1000 rounds while using glock factory 9mm mags and all sorts of ammo. I did get one stove pipe type jam using Korean mags. I can hit a pie plate all day long off hand at 100 yards. Something I cannot do with my glock 19.
Ramone
Member
That has not been my experience with a handful of different Sub 2ks.
My take based on few different rifles:
Fun
Reliable
Innovative
Reasonable accurate: I've never benched it but hitting 6 and 8" plates out to 100 yards is no problem.
Crappy, cheap, breakage prone front sight. There are after market options. Of course given the rest of the build quality I'm not sure I'd be dumping to much money into the sub 2k.
Crappy trigger
Range toy build quality and durability.
For a fun gun I'd highly recommend it. For a hard use gun I'd look somewhere else. If you are a person who is going to spend hundred of dollars trying to fix its various flaws and shortcomings, I'd probably spend that money up front on a different gun.
Christobevii3
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- Feb 18, 2008
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- 6
I have the 226 9mm version and have never had an issue. Fun gun, love it.
henschman
Member
I had a 9mm one back in high school around '01-'02. It was fun. I didn't have any reliability issues, but didn't really run it hard either. Just plinking and popping critters mainly. It worked fine for that. I had a Hi-point later on, and it worked fine as well. The Kel-Tec was nice because it took larger mags than the Hi-point.
browningguy
Member
If you did a search you woud find dozens of discussions on the SUB 2000, decent enough quality for the price you pay. My 9mm has never had any issues with any brand of ammo.
Kymasabe
Member
I had one a few years ago, the 9mm with Glock mags. I used to buy bulk, reman ammo, 500 rounds to a can, and went thru LOTS of ammo with that Kel-Tec. Never had a failure with the gun, occasional bad round but that was it. I enjoyed shooting it but it wasn't real practical for anything but range toy or possibly to throw in a bug-out bag.
Accurate enough within 100 yards. Was a good gun, I'd recommend one, as long as you keep in mind there are better guns to hunt with and better guns for home defense so...good luck.
Accurate enough within 100 yards. Was a good gun, I'd recommend one, as long as you keep in mind there are better guns to hunt with and better guns for home defense so...good luck.
I had a small problem with mine new out of the box, no rifling in the bore. I sent it back and it was repaired. Rifle functions just fine with Glock mags to match my Glock 22. It is difficult to shoot with muff on though, and the front sight sucks. I bought it for my motorcycle saddle bag. I really wanted a KT 16C but they were out of my price range. The carry bag sure is heavy with 3 30 round mags and 10 15 round mags.....chris3
slidemuzik
Member
Search the KelTec Owners group. (KTOG) There's a dedicated section for the sub 2K. Also plenty of youtube vids. Checkout Hickok45's review.
Don't let the fact that it is so much fun to shoot detract from it's functionality, accuracy, and excellent customer service including a lifetime warranty to original buyer.
The platform is solid IMO. Matching mags with your sidearm is good strategy.
What's not to like? I don't think there's anything else like it. It would be a finalist on my "If you could only have one" list.
Don't let the fact that it is so much fun to shoot detract from it's functionality, accuracy, and excellent customer service including a lifetime warranty to original buyer.
The platform is solid IMO. Matching mags with your sidearm is good strategy.
What's not to like? I don't think there's anything else like it. It would be a finalist on my "If you could only have one" list.
Horrid trigger.
Cheesy front sight that is easily broken.
The way the barrel is installed.
The bad finish on the metal parts.
Overall build quality. Of the three Sub 2Ks I've had a lot of time with, one needed to go back to the KT for repair.
I like my Sub 2k. However, it was a sub $300 gun and it shows.
What is the intended use?
Yeah that is a "small" problem. It seems that instead of investing in a better made product or better QC KT prefers to address issues in an ad hoc manner as they pop up. It probably is the more economical approach. Many people don't shoot their guns much and at 50 rounds a year may not really run into or discover issues.
I rather like mine for what it is. I've had other people buy them after shooting it. I would totally buy it again, and I don't plan to get rid of it. However, it probably wouldn't crack the top 50 of that list for me. Its not well enough made, it doesn't particularly excel at any one thing, and it is not really a very good all rounder either. The fact that it folds is neat, but not of enough utility to move it too high up the list. It would not even top the list if it was just a list of only one pistol caliber carbine.
BCRider
Member
I've inspected and shot a S2K and the JR Carbine along with a Beretta CX4 and an older HK 9mmCarbine . I've also looked over a Thrueon Defense.
For a serious use tool the Beretta and HK win hands down. Smooth to operate, VERY low kick and quality in ever way. You can put a lot of rounds into a tight area quickly with these guns. But they are SOOOO smooth that they are actually a little boring to shoot for fun since they feel more like a .22 due to the smoothness and low recoil.
In contrast the S2K and JR shudder and shake with each shot with that big bolt flying back and forth while ejection gas flys out the port so you can feel it with each shot. This makes for a lot of fun and action in plinker. You really FEEL like it's doing something MAJOR inside when a round is let loose. They really are grin filled guns.
I suspect that the TD would be in this second category.
Which way you want to go depends on your primary use of the gun and what charactaristics you consider important.
For a serious use tool the Beretta and HK win hands down. Smooth to operate, VERY low kick and quality in ever way. You can put a lot of rounds into a tight area quickly with these guns. But they are SOOOO smooth that they are actually a little boring to shoot for fun since they feel more like a .22 due to the smoothness and low recoil.
In contrast the S2K and JR shudder and shake with each shot with that big bolt flying back and forth while ejection gas flys out the port so you can feel it with each shot. This makes for a lot of fun and action in plinker. You really FEEL like it's doing something MAJOR inside when a round is let loose. They really are grin filled guns.
I suspect that the TD would be in this second category.
Which way you want to go depends on your primary use of the gun and what charactaristics you consider important.
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