Sunday, November 27, 2011

Kel-Tec SU-16 Rifle (Review)

DSC00004

I spend a lot of time out in the Alaska bush country checking our gear, equipment, and survival strategies. Recently I had the opportunity to check out the KEL-TEC SU-16 Assault Rifle; a weapon that at first appearance, looked like a cheap imported plastic piece of junk.

The very first thing that I noticed is that this is probably the lightest rifle that I have ever held in my hands. It felt more like a high-end pellet gun, than a death dealing weapon.

The rifle accepts standard AR-15 magazines, as well as Kel-Tec magazines. This is an added bonus because I find it ludicrous to have to shell out $49.99 for magazines. This should be the standard used by all firearms manufacturers in the U.S. I’ve turned down different weapons because the magazines were hard to find, or cost and arm and a leg.

The sights on this rifle proved adequate. This front and rear sight alignment worked for me without any problems. The back sight is mounted on a picatinny rail, so switching out to a electronic sight is pretty simple.

The front hand-guard folds out into a bi-pod. For precision bench-rest shooting, or sighting in the rifle, this system works great. The only problem that I found with the bi-pod, is the fact that it has a tendency to wiggle around. Perhaps Kel-Tec could fix that little problem in the future.

The rifle’s butt stock holds two 10-round magazines. The magazines don’t rattle around, and this is an ideal situation. having an additional 20-rounds at your fingertips is great for survivalists.

There is a knock-out pin right behind the trigger group. Removing this pin allows the butt-stock to be folded; thereby reducing the length of the riffle for easier storage in the Bug Out Bag.

At the range, this rifle consistently put rounds into the target without any problems. The trigger was crisp, and didn’t have the normal “click” associated with most assault rifles. Even on rapid fire, the rifle performed without any flaws whatsoever.

What is pretty unique about this weapon, is that the upper receiver resembles an AK-47, while the lower receiver looks like an AR-15. Notice the gas tube in the pictures, and you can see for yourself the AK appearance.

Kel-Tec designed this rifle without a pistol grip. I’ve heard that this was to make it more of a “sporting” rifle, and to get by the various “Assault Rifle” prohibitions in certain communist states.

For survivalists, this rifle would be a great addition to the survival armory. The price is half of the costs of other assault rifles. The weight is fantastic, and performance is on-par with the M-4 battle rifle.

 

DSC00005  DSC00006

No comments:

Post a Comment