Kel-Tec SU-16F + others short range trip

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leah_rush

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Hi all.

EDIT: All images crammed in Minus gallery here:

http://min.us/mfVI0xRuI

I went and did some short range shooting with the new KT SU-16F as well as verifying sights on a few other guns after cleaning/stock jobs. Here's some results!

You can probably tell which of the 3 I shoot more often.

The 10/22 and SKS shot as expected. The SU-16 degraded as shooting went on. I'd guess it's the combo of not so great rings and ancient Bushnell it's wearing, as it's sight-in targets were more in the 1.5" to 0.8" range.

The SU-16 also failed 8 times in 50 shots. I know it's new but something is definitely wonky. I'll be giving it a thorough cleaning (I only did a minor safety tear down/lubing out of box) as well as picking up some metal mags down the road. I was using the stock pinned KT mags. Failures were: 2 FTF, 1 Light Primer Strike, 1 FTE and 4 Chamber MF (lugs didn't lock).


Custom Ruger 10/22:

-Dlask 12.5" .920" OD BBL 1/2x28 thread
-Dlask re-worked Levang Linear Compensator (DPMS?)
-Boyd's SS Evolution Royal Jacaranda Skeleton Stock
-Stock Receiver (smoothed), Stock Bolt (polished, return rod spring adjusted/polished), Stock Trigger Assy. (some trigger work done)
-lifetime: ~20 FTF, ~20 FTE, ~900 rounds fired, >3000 rounds fired in previous build

RSA 1951 Tula SKS:

-ATI Monte Carlo Stock (bedded; raised rear section, shimmed trigger guard, faux recoil lug)
-Tech Sights TS-200
-lifetime: 0 failures, ~500 rounds fired

Kel-Tec SU-16F

-Stock, other than (crusty) scope and rings
-lifetime: 8 failures, 50 rounds fired

Oct. 30

Took the SU out again after a complete take-down yesterday. Shot 20 rounds before another ugly FTF smashed the bullet back and threw powder all over the chamber lugs and chamber. The stock KT mags are the culprit. I'll post again someday when I get some other type of mag.
 
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I'm messing with image host code. Gotta love HTML.

EDIT: Everything's in a gallery for now. Many image hosting threads, read I should have.
 
Adding on with some first impressions of the SU-16:

-Good ergonomics.
-Great weight and balance with scope.
-Plastic feel, seems rigid enough.
-Ok takedown.
-Exposed barrel/Gas tube will more than likely give serious burns should rapid fire be attempted (aiming for fun the barrel/gt were definitely in hot territory after 20 rounds with quick mag changes/reloads).
-Gas tube heats up quickly, throws cool looking heat waves in scope FOV
-"Burning plastic" smell encountered with the Sub-2000 break in was present here as well.
-If you have any sort of failure with this gun (any gun for that matter) VERIFY BEFORE FIRING. The bolt/chamber failures were freaky.
 
I cleaned the SU in and out, and have downgraded it's take-down from OK to OUCH-my-fingers.

A bunch of thread wires and weird tiny plugs fell out of the firing pin/extractor area. I guess that was the cause of some of the problems.:cool:

I will post here again tomorrow with some hopefully fixed image posting know how and a competition with the Sub 2K at 20m and 50m...

And maybe some SU-16 irons VS scoped .308 at 250m. :eek:
 
leah_rush said:
Adding on with some first impressions of the SU-16:

-Good ergonomics.
-Great weight and balance with scope.
-Plastic feel, seems rigid enough.
-Ok takedown.
-Exposed barrel/Gas tube will more than likely give serious burns should rapid fire be attempted (aiming for fun the barrel/gt were definitely in hot territory after 20 rounds with quick mag changes/reloads).
-Gas tube heats up quickly, throws cool looking heat waves in scope FOV
-"Burning plastic" smell encountered with the Sub-2000 break in was present here as well.
-If you have any sort of failure with this gun (any gun for that matter) VERIFY BEFORE FIRING. The bolt/chamber failures were freaky.
Click to expand...

Were you shooting with the bipod, or the stock? I bought mine with the intention of using it in a specific competition, that'll likely see me tossing up to 100 rounds downrange in hopefully 5 minutes of less (ideally 40 rounds in under 3 minutes, if I actually plan on winning). So I'm a bit concerned about the heat issue. I sure have no plans of doing that using the bipod, I burned myself pretty fierce this year, and that was on a gun with a full stock, no way I'm adding to the exposed hot metal factor.
I see a lot of US guys in Youtube vid's, doing real magazine dumps, so I doubt we could get it too far gone.

I also think the best thing to do with the stock mags, is keep them in the box, for if you sell it, you don't have to include any of your good ones.
 
Dexter Morgan said:
What's with all the rust inside the action of the SU-16?
Click to expand...
jZhvhgqMH7HXz.jpg

Yep I see lots of rust in that pic:rolleyes:
leah_rush ditch the crapy stock mags and you issues will be fine. Also you really find this rifle hard to take apart for cleaning???
Really?:confused:
[youtube]UOwjLewNZZA[/youtube]
Damm well then you probally wouldn't want to buy an SkS or an SVT then.
 
curtmg said:
Were you shooting with the bipod, or the stock? I bought mine with the intention of using it in a specific competition, that'll likely see me tossing up to 100 rounds downrange in hopefully 5 minutes of less (ideally 40 rounds in under 3 minutes, if I actually plan on winning). So I'm a bit concerned about the heat issue. I sure have no plans of doing that using the bipod, I burned myself pretty fierce this year, and that was on a gun with a full stock, no way I'm adding to the exposed hot metal factor.
I see a lot of US guys in Youtube vid's, doing real magazine dumps, so I doubt we could get it too far gone.

I also think the best thing to do with the stock mags, is keep them in the box, for if you sell it, you don't have to include any of your good ones.
Click to expand...
Competion get the pistol LAR15 mags. Also a Vltor makes a all alluminum handgaurd and rail that will take away this issue for you and allow quicker cool down time. Also in any comp I have been in most people use glove as a just incase.
 
The "rust" is just wonky lighting from the camera flash/lightbulbs in the gun dungeon. Bolt is shiny new. There were some machining leftovers in the bolt (firing pin/extractor area) however, make sure you give it a good tear-down before using!

I did order some LAR mags to try out from SFRC, some Thermolds from FF as well so we will see how that goes.

Take-down isn't hard, just ignored the manual warning about pinch points and closed the bipod stand on my palm while pushing the gas tube/bolt back in place (it is new and as such very snug). That was fun and have a lot of burst capillaries to prove it. It may be plastic, but it's in the Tough plastic category. The barrel lugs/chamber aren't the easiest to get to either, just have a good light and variety of brushes handy.

Haven't tried shooting with the bipod but have given it a function test. I'd recommend against it unless it's on a table or bench. Wiggles and wobbles but can serve in a pinch. I'll be leaving it stock (folded) seeing how the vast majority of my shooting is freehand but I will try it with bipod out to see how it shoots that way.
 
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leah_rush said:
The "rust" is just wonky lighting from the camera flash/lightbulbs in the gun dungeon. Bolt is shiny new. There were some machining leftovers in the bolt (firing pin/extractor area) however, make sure you give it a good tear-down before using!

I did order some LAR mags to try out from SFRC, some Thermolds from FF as well so we will see how that goes.

Take-down isn't hard, just ignored the manual warning about pinch points and closed the bipod stand on my palm while pushing the gas tube/bolt back in place (it is new and as such very snug). That was fun and have a lot of burst capillaries to prove it. It may be plastic, but it's in the Tough plastic category. The barrel lugs/chamber aren't the easiest to get to either, just have a good light and variety of brushes handy.

Haven't tried shooting with the bipod but have given it a function test. I'd recommend against it unless it's on a table or bench. Wiggles and wobbles but can serve in a pinch. I'll be leaving it stock (folded) seeing how the vast majority of my shooting is freehand but I will try it with bipod out to see how it shoots that way.
Click to expand...
Totaly agree with you about the whole bi-pod b.s. and yep that plastic is realy tough. Please post back and tell us what you think about this rifle with these LAR-15 mag's ;)
 
I bought one a couple weeks ago with a friend... he had a few miss fires and i think one or two casing jams...kel-tec said you need to fire like 300 rounds through it to get it worked in... we fired and probably 400 each and man it smoothed right out! the bi pod is ### and a pain in the @$$ to get hooked back in so I'm ordering some redlion fore ends from a buddy of mine in the good ol US of A! let you know when they get here, might even mill one out in the mean time and see how hard it is to build! highly recommend this rifle... alot of fun to shoot and a coyote destroying machine ;) also waiting on the pistol grip add on so we will see how it is when all this crap shows up... my father always said nothing will cost more in the world than tits and tires... he forgot to mention GUNS!
 
ugly FTF smashed the bullet back and threw powder all over the chamber lugs and chamber.
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Can someone explain that to me? I don't understand.


To be fair to the stock keltec magazines, I'm sure they weren't designed to function with a silly rivet in them.
 
lone-wolf said:
Can someone explain that to me? I don't understand.
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The gun tried to feed a round into the chamber but it didn't go as planned. The bullet was literally knocked all they way back into its case with copious amounts of powder thrown all over. It's fixed now.

The SU16 bolt return spring must have come from mighty Russian stock; the parents were probably named Simonov and Helga. I'm glad it's a closed receiver!
 
leah_rush said:
The gun tried to feed a round into the chamber but it didn't go as planned. The bullet was literally knocked all they way back into its case with copious amounts of powder thrown all over. It's fixed now.

The SU16 bolt return spring must have come from mighty Russian stock; the parents were probably named Simonov and Helga. I'm glad it's a closed receiver!
Click to expand...

If only it was a round loaded with varget, the powder that pushes back.
 
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