Kel Tec SU-16 Thoughts

[drifter2be]

Reasons I ditched mine:

1: Manufacturer admits a barrel life of about 6000 rounds...
2: Accuracy is garbage at best and POI shifts heavily (4" @ 50 yards) when switching between shooting off hand and with the bipod.
3: That cheesy built in bipod feels like is going to break
4: Overall build quality seems sub-par for what Kel-Tec charges for the rifle
5: Quite a few people have had them blow up in their faces
6: For featureless .223 rifles, there are many other "better" options out there (saiga .223, mini-14)

These are my reasons for selling the one I had. Your mileage may vary, as may your expectations, and this just did not live up to mine.

[chead]

Guys, can we stop it with the "limited lifespan" stuff? I'm no fan of Kel-Tec, but c'mon. All rifles have an effective lifespan. Barrels, action, everything in between. The fact that they even publish it is pretty honest and up-front.

[KandyRedCoi]

haha dont say that, the AR fanboys with their bullet buttons might start crying out loud lol

[Sneaky]

I have an Su-16ca and it works great! Ive never had an issue with mine I probably have 3K rounds through it and it eats up any ammo I throw in it.

I bought it at the time because I wasnt big into AR-15s and didnt want to shell out the money for one. So it was between the SU-16 and Mini 14. I chose the SU-16 because of price, lightweight, and accepted standard AR Mags.

Also anyone who says its inaccurate is full of crap. Its shoots just as good as any mini-14 any day of the week.

But at the same time I do admit a friend of mine had a first generation SU-16A (Bought it before they released the CA model) The back of the receiver kinda exploded when we went out shooting one day. Nobody was hurt just more shocked then anything, anyway the next day he called up kel-tec and sent it in and a few days later they called and asked if he wanted a different model SU-16 he asked for the CA model and they shipped him a brand new SU-16ca.

[Atlantaboi2012]

I had one and sorta like it and sold it. Not because it was a bad rifle, but because it just didnt fit into my collection.. Its very lightweight and portable. Its intended purpose I think is to mount a scope on it and head off into the hills and kill things..not go off to the range and shoot off 100s of rounds and look cool...(AR purpose). The person who bought off me is a serious hunter and has many hunting rifles, but he didnt have one he could fold in half in a few secs...BINGO!!

[r8dr rider]

I've shot one it was OK....I wouldn't pay more then 300 for one...the plus is it takes AR mags and is featureless....that's about it.

[G-Solutions]

SU-16: Thumbs up for a backpack rifle

Never fired one, but I've heard it will jam if you rest it on the magazine. That just sounds too dainty for me.

Interesting how many hearsay opinions oppose a few actual experiences.

I taught an advanced rifle course up in Folsom end of April/Beginning of May last year. Rifles in the class were a Fuller-built AK, AR's, Saiga, Marlin 1894c and an SU-16.

The only rifle that experienced a major problem was... an AR - where the hammer cracked (crappy blank, I suppose). The student pulled a Mini-14 from his truck and proceeded through the rest of the class without any further problems.

The SU-16 in the class was set up with a fixed power 4x scope, single point sling and was used with Kel-Tec as well as with AR mags and it ran well throughout the entire course from CQB distance to 100 meters.
This was the one rifle that I anticipated problems with, but experienced none. The students fired about 600 rounds each over the course of two days.
Based on this experience, I'd see the SU-16 as a great backpack rifle. It folds down, but does not come entirely apart, which makes it very easy to get her back into action.
One thing that I would recommend is to put at least a red dot such as Bushnell TRS25 or better on it. The factory plastic sights work, but how well they hold up in a rough environment is a different story.

Now, is the SU-16 a fighting rifle? I personally would prefer something a bit stronger and heavier for that (especially in regards to using the rifle as an impact weapon), but as a backpack rifle that allows you to fire a .223 out to 200 meters I'd give it thumbs up.

[Lugiahua]

I went SU-16 for one simple reason:

I want all my firearms act as a practical weapon if necessary, BB is not acceptable.
that being said, if I lived outside CA, might get an AR.

First heard it from a retire Army Infantry friend, who went to SU instead AR...that convinced me for one.

but I must say that the factory iron sight on Alpha model is really crap...it requires a tool to adjust, not very practical other than range. So I put a Bushnell red dot on it.

BTW, Frontsight in Nevada highly recommended SU-16 in their course...

[mif_slim]

DFT uses SU-16 as their rental rifles. I'm sure they go thru a beating to be used as one...but hey, what do they know about SU? The interweb knows more then any actual users would right?

[high_lander]

I have the CA model that folded, is strapped under my rear seat in my One Fiddy. The 2 10 rounders are in the stock.

[Full Clip]

I have a CA model. After an extractor and spring upgrade (Bushmaster) I've been very happy with it. Accurate enough to 100 yrds even with the crap irons it came with. Folded, it fits perfects in a Razor scooter bag...

[Uxi]

6000 rounds is more than a decent limit. Depending on the profile, that's reasonable (I read somewhere that AR unchromed pencil barrels about 5000 or so). There are more than a few shooters at well beyond 6000 on KTOG. I've been doing about 500-600 a year or so since 2008 so still have a few years before I get there. If it was my only weapon it would be higher but I still enjoy shooting it.

I think the biggest problem WRT the SU vs AR has been the drop in price on the AR. When AR's were more expensive a few years ago, the SU-16 was a great buy. It's value has diminished a bit as the price of cheap AR's has plummeted. I would still put the SU against the lower end (likes of DelTon) and would definitely buy another. It'd be easy to argue they should lower their prices but I think that would be a bit ignorant of economics. It's a great little carbine but never intended to be any sort of battle rifle.

I think THAT should be KelTec's next product. Double or triple that expected life, built in lug, etc. Keep the pistol grip optional but maintaining the basic action of the piston operated 5.56 chamber.

[Lugiahua]

I thought pistol grip is already optional. (see above picture), going to get one when I got out from CA.

I think a longer lifespan barrel and a better sight is what they need for next model.

[Uxi]

I'm talking about for a hypothetical derivative off of the SU-16 design.

[RudyCakes]

I got one when it first came out. Its very lightweight and handy. So lightweight that you will notice recoil on a .223 for the first time. I've get well over 6K rounds through it. Accuracy has decreased over the years, probably barrel wear. The rear sight fell off early on and I replaced it with a red dot. The "bipod" ain't worth much. But I like that it folds into my backpack and I can legally have a Surefire 60 round mag and another 30 round mag in the stock because its featureless. I've run it through a carbine class in Idaho against the advice of everyone and it did fine. I cannot stress enough how light this weapon is. Seriously. It will shock you. Those that say weight isn't that big of a deal have never been on foot patrol. This is the rifle to have if you need to travel light and fast.