Anyone own/use a Kel-Tec RDB-S?

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Iron Sighted

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I'm in need of a new semi .223 to replace my now banned AR and the RDB has definitely caught my attention, definitely going with a non-restricted rifle this time around.

The RDB-C model is pretty intriguing, but seemingly sold out everywhere, whereas the S model seems to be at least somewhat available and I prefer the looks of these tonthe pisyol gripped models so I figured I'd ask if anyone has any trigger time with the RDB-S model and what their impressions were. If we could get the 16" barreled(USA) version in a N.R. that would be my pick hands down, however we are stuck with the 20" barreled models in order to stay N.R. compliant in Canada(why can't Kel-Tec offer an 18.5" barreled version for us up here?), I'm curious how that long thin barrel is for accuracy?

Any other N.R. semi-autos I should be considering? I know of the WK-180, but it doesn't really excite me from an aesthetics perspective.

Hoping to handle one tomorrow and possibly buy it, but I'm always interested in hearing the experiences of others before I throw my money down, especially as I have never owned or fired a bull-pup before. I get that the ergos are gonna be different than anything else I've used but it seems like this gun is typically well regarded in that aspect and I do like shorter, more compact rifles.
 
My only advice to you if you are getting a KelTec, please make sure it comes from a distributor that will back your warranty. Search for my post...
 
BDSL said:
My only advice to you if you are getting a KelTec, please make sure it comes from a distributor that will back your warranty. Search for my post...
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+1

Keltec products tend to be hit or miss. If you can't get warranty, you're screwed.
 
I have run a few hundred rounds through an RDB-C, very similar to the S but heavier and without the iron sights. And it takes a bit of getting used to but I love the trigger on them, best bullpup trigger available in my opinion. Did get a couple light primer strikes with some seemingly very hard primers though, but hard primers and light triggers have never got along for me. At first the angles feel all wrong, but once you find the right grip I started to really like the rifle grip. Plus it packs way better than a pistol grip, I was able to get it and a semi auto 12g to fit in the same hard case comfortably, pistol grips always seem to take up that whole case by themselves. Definitely try to get your hands on one though, most people find it pretty awkward at first, many of them see the light after a few mags but not all. As far as Kel-tec goes I’ve had very few problems with the dozen or so I’ve owned and own, any problems were solved with a phone call and some parts. They may not offer the lifetime warranty in all cases, but their parts dept is top notch compared to some others in the industry.
 
^^^Thanks, this gun certainly has my interest. As far as bull-pups go it seems to be very favorably reviewed for ergonomics and controls, the trigger is apparently hands down the best. Looks are a personal thing, but I happen to really like how the rifle gripped C and S models look, and the light weight and compactness are also nice to have features.

Looking forward to holding one and seeing how it feels and points. I think it could be a really fun and utilitarian rifle. Plus I'd have something to drop my Spitfire AR on as it is not a good match on my Ruger PCC and leaving it on the AR seems kinda pointless now.
 
No problems with my Keltec. The downward ejection takes a bit of getting used to if lying prone or certain bench shooting. If you are just wearing a T shirt or loose necked shirt you might get a little warm reminder at times. It’s a solid rifle but I’m still trying to see which off the shelf ammo works best. It shoots pretty well for me at 100yds.
 
Kel-Tec probably made the RDB-S in 20" for Canada since it already makes the standard RDB with a 20" barrel to keep things simple, at least that's my guess. Another benefit to the RDB-S vs the RDB-C is that the S model has the two-position stock, so the rifle does become more compact. A 10rd pistol magazine fits nearly flush too, so it becomes a very handy little package. Also the Canadian model RDB-S comes with a threaded barrel - the US 16" ones don't.

But I echo the sentiment that you should only get one that comes with a warranty. If it doesn't have the ownership certificate from Vault in the box at the store, I'd pass on it. There's a lot of posts on CGN from owners of grey market Kel-Tecs being unable to get any support from a certain distributor on here.
 
Well, here's hoping I like it as much as I think I will, it's in the backseat of the car and I'm headed home now : )

I never checked for the ownership from Vault documentation, but the guy at the counter at Corlanes did say that Vault was the distributor they bought from(I believe he said they were they only distributor in the country?)

Definitely like how it handled initially, hopefully that'll carry through when I get it to the range, hopefully tomorrow or the next day. It's certainly compact for a 20" barreled rifle, pretty lightweight as well. The downward ejection should be great for a reloader like myself too.
 
Iron Sighted said:
Well, here's hoping I like it as much as I think I will, it's in the backseat of the car and I'm headed home now : )

I never checked for the ownership from Vault documentation, but the guy at the counter at Corlanes did say that Vault was the distributor they bought from(I believe he said they were they only distributor in the country?)

Definitely like how it handled initially, hopefully that'll carry through when I get it to the range, hopefully tomorrow or the next day. It's certainly compact for a 20" barreled rifle, pretty lightweight as well. The downward ejection should be great for a reloader like myself too.
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Shoot prone and wear a very loose shirt unbuttoned quite a way and you have your own brass catcher. Enjoy the rifle! Let us know how you like it.
 
Iron Sighted said:
Well, here's hoping I like it as much as I think I will, it's in the backseat of the car and I'm headed home now : )

I never checked for the ownership from Vault documentation, but the guy at the counter at Corlanes did say that Vault was the distributor they bought from(I believe he said they were they only distributor in the country?)

Definitely like how it handled initially, hopefully that'll carry through when I get it to the range, hopefully tomorrow or the next day. It's certainly compact for a 20" barreled rifle, pretty lightweight as well. The downward ejection should be great for a reloader like myself too.
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There should be a paper owner's certificate in the box from Vault. AFAIK they're the only ones importing the RDB-Survival right now but you can always call them or email them to check your serial number.
 
Alchemist said:
Shoot prone and wear a very loose shirt unbuttoned quite a way and you have your own brass catcher. Enjoy the rifle! Let us know how you like it.
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Haha, I think I'll be content to pick up the neat little piles of brass from the ground, sounds slightly more comfortable.

Just got home and checked in the box, it did indeed come with the certificate of ownership from Vault, so warranty coverage if needed should be much more available.
 
Iron Sighted said:
Haha, I think I'll be content to pick up the neat little piles of brass from the ground, sounds slightly more comfortable.

Just got home and checked in the box, it did indeed come with the certificate of ownership from Vault, so warranty coverage if needed should be much more available.
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Out of interest, what caliber is marked on the barrel? A member on this site went on a longish journey to check the chamber dimensions of a Keltec RDB .223 marked barrel and found it to be 5.56/223. It’s in this forum somewhere.
 
Alchemist said:
Out of interest, what caliber is marked on the barrel? A member on this site went on a longish journey to check the chamber dimensions of a Keltec RDB .223 marked barrel and found it to be 5.56/223. It’s in this forum somewhere.
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The barrel is marked .223 but it'd be nice if it was actually 5.56 though. I typically reload all my centerfire ammo( I think I must be a masochist reloading for semis on a single stage, realistically I think I'm just cheap, lol) so don't often shoot 5.56 anyway, but it would be nice to have the option.
 
Iron Sighted said:
The barrel is marked .223 but it'd be nice if it was actually 5.56 though. I typically reload all my centerfire ammo( I think I must be a masochist reloading for semis on a single stage, realistically I think I'm just cheap, lol) so don't often shoot 5.56 anyway, but it would be nice to have the option.
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Check through the forum here for info. I’m not advocating or saying authoritatively that you can use both......but after checking in with the CGN member I have no issue doing so.
 
Alchemist said:
Check through the forum here for info. I’m not advocating or saying authoritatively that you can use both......but after checking in with the CGN member I have no issue doing so.
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Thanks, duly noted, I'll do some searching and see what I can find on the subject. Probably won't matter much as all my brass, reloads and factory ammo currently at home is .223 so I'm set for awhile in that regard anyway......now to get started on load development. Seems like a number of the reviews I looked at online saw guys getting accuracy with 55gr bullets that right up there with the heavier 70+gr ones which seemed odd with the 1:7 twist, but I hope I find the same, I'm happy to plink with the cheaper bullets if they shoot decently well.
 
Update: I finally managed to get to the range for a few hours yesterday with the RDB-S. My determination after one short trip is that this gun is super fun!! Immediately one of the favorites in my admittedly small stable of firearms.

No function issues, other than the one I intentionally introduced dialing in the gas system, but after setting that up it ran flawlessly, though in fairness I probably only shot 70 rounds or so. Seemed accurate enough with cheap bulk Remington 55grn FMJ bulk bucket ammo, though after sighting it in off a rest at 25m I only shot standing at around 50m-70m so I couldn't really say how accurate it is based on that(also using a 1x prism optic so that won't be the best optic to determine real accuracy).

Though expected, I can confirm it heats up pretty quick with the pencil barrel. No mag dumps, but I burned through 2- 10 round LAR mags in relatively quick succession and the rifle was definitely on the upper end of still comfortable to grasp the metal parts, the take down pin near the chamber was definitely seeing some heat too, definitely noticeable if your finger contacted it. I did notice that one of the stock screws was loose partway through the session, so I kept an eye on that and checked/tightened them all when I got home. Noticed as well that my front sight had come loose after I got home, so I re-indexed that by cowitnessing the front sight post on the dot of the optic while looking through the rear iron sight aperture.....have to field check that later to see how well that will actually work. Really enjoying the light weight and overall handiness of this rifle but if it were offered in the 20" med. contour barrel that would be pretty tempting as well, though I suppose at that point you might as well throw the iron sights on the RDB-C and have nearly the same thing(yes,I know there are subtle differences to the stock and fore end between the two). Maybe I should buy both and make an informed decision after comparing them side by side for a bit? : )

Does anyone know if people commonly use threadlocker to keep all these screws tight? I'm thinking the blue/purple stuff for the stock screws so it's relatively easy to still loosen those off in the future should I choose to do so and perhaps the red loctite on the front sight as it will see considerable heat being barrel mounted?

I'll end this with one final question for the group, any recommendations for a compact(say 1.5", maybe 2" max length), but functional flash suppressor or suppressor/compensator combo? I don't think I have any interest in a brake for the .223 as I'm not competition shooting and generally find brakes obnoxious(personal opinion only, I'm not hating on them, just don't think they're for me).
 
My RDB has a flash suppressor, didn’t realize the other models lacked them.

I keep an eye on my screws, definitely have had to retorque a few. I haven’t threadlocked any yet but that’s a decent idea.
 
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