Kel Tek SU 16

Had one and sold it.
Yes half the cost of an AR but half the quality as well.
The only reason I see to own one is that it's non restricted and takes 10-round AR mags.

It's not that it's a POS or anything, just very plastic and I found showed wear quickly.
That being said I didn't have one FTF or FTE in well over 800 rounds through it before I sold it.

Also on mine the rail was not level with the rifle. It has a twist in the plastic.
Once you add a pistol grip with adjustable stock and an AR style foregrip, you are easily in AR price range if that is the style you are looking for,

That being said I think they are a great .223 semi auto hiking rifle since it's light and folds in half.
 
I had one but got rid of it. It's nice and light but I couldn't get past the fact that the receiver was all plastic. There have been reports of the receivers cracking in the 16F's. I believe there was a fellow on here recently that had his crack on him and since he wasn't the original owner, kel tec would not honor the warranty.... So if you do decide to buy one, buy a brand new one.

I believe that reliable gun in Vancouver has them in stock right now.
 
I've got a few thousand rounds of various types of ammo, including steel cased ammo, through mine and it is showing no signs of failure.

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Trying hard to find myself an AR stock adapter kit. It's a very neat rifle, I sold my sub2000 as I found it underpowered. This should fill the role of truck gun nicely.
 
That would be me, Redblock. Loved it until this...

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The thing is, I'm not even looking for warranty service. What's really grinding my gears right now is that Vault is telling me that Kel Tec is refusing to fix my rifle, even at my cost! This is certainly contrary to what my owner's manual tells me...so I'm in the process of finding out the truth from Kel Tec.

If in fact Kel Tec IS refusing to fix my rifle even though I am willing to pay for the repair, then that is unreasonable. The warranty clearly states that it applies to the original owner only, so I have no issues being refused warranty service.

By the way, it's not only the SU-16f's that are cracking. If you Google it, you will see that there are some A and C models that have cracked in the States also. This is certainly not something that is unheard of for these Tupperware rifles.
 
I have heard that Kel Tec is a bad brand. I am a new shooter and went bushmaster and h&k for my platforms but I did like the aesthetics of these guns. I just haven't been able to find a lot of positive research for these mentioned o r the bull pups. Seems like there main draw is they are NR.
I would like to know more from owners though.
 
mbonner said:
What is the opinion of this group on the SU16? Non restricted and half the cost of an AR.
Click to expand...

They are only half the cost of an entry level AR if you leave them stock and don't swap out the stock for an AR stock and add all sorts of doodads to them. No matter how much stuff you add to them, they will never be half the gun of a decent AR though. I have a couple of AR's that I have built...and if they were not Restricted, I would never even look at a rifle like the SU-16. Just my opinion though...
 
I had one. Put all the "AR" parts on it. I even put in a Red Lion aluminum triger. In the end I sold it. It's like putting lipstick on a pig. Cheap plastic gun with a pencil barrel. Anyone who has one long enough will see it start to wear out. You can't mount a barrel into a plastic stock and expect much.
My two cents based on my ownership of said rifle. Others experiences may vary.
I sold it and bought two ARs and an XCR. An SU-16 may be cheaper than those guns but for what you get it IMHO it's still over priced. I'd rather get a Mini-14.
 
TrevorF said:
I had one. Put all the "AR" parts on it. I even put in a Red Lion aluminum triger. In the end I sold it. It's like putting lipstick on a pig. Cheap plastic gun with a pencil barrel. Anyone who has one long enough will see it start to wear out. You can't mount a barrel into a plastic stock and expect much.
My two cents based on my ownership of said rifle. Others experiences may vary.
I sold it and bought two ARs and an XCR. An SU-16 may be cheaper than those guns but for what you get it IMHO it's still over priced. I'd rather get a Mini-14.
Click to expand...

I'm on the fence and in the same spot as the OP. I feel like it would be neat to add a 556 and would like something NR. I keep going back to the Mini-14. The Benelli MR1 also seems interesting, but I never see much talk about it (good or bad).

Apparently I don't have anything to add to the thread except :agree:

Also, I think there would be a fantastic market (with X million practitioners here in Canada) for options that are NR and 556/223. And made from metal.

WS
 
mbonner said:
Non restricted and half the cost of an AR.
Click to expand...

Half the cost of a really good brand AR
Costs more then a norc AR
Get the norc ar if money is an issue.
If being restricted is an issue, get a mini14 or a Benelli MR1(never owned one, but told accuracy is superb)

If you get an SU16, the ar style stock adapter makes it feel and fit the shoulder a whole lot better.
I never had any issues with mine, but it feels like your shooting a toy that may break.
 
I really hope Kel-Tec figures out the cracking stock problem! I'm thinking I'd like one because of how that they are NR, fit ARmags and they are so light they feel more like a toy.
 
Hmm, I wonder if it would be possible to get someone to make an aluminum/steel SU16. Some sort of limited edition maybe. The design has some real potential.
 
A friend bought one and it cracked the same way as above. Its a design issue. It has no real buffer system for the bolt assembley. He sent it back and the guy on the phone at Keltec slipped up and told him he had five more just like it on his table. Keltec did him right and sent a new reciever.

I would love one of these guns but now...

Lopez
 
Hey Lopez...just out of curiousity, did your friend deal with Kel Tec directly or was he on the phone with Vault in BC? Thanks.
 
Non restricted and half the cost of an AR.
Click to expand...

Two days ago I ordered a DPMS AR-15 from JoBrook firearms for $779.

That's 20 bucks less than a Keltec.

Mind you; I am a little jealous of the non-restricted status.
 
Have one, love it. Put over a thousand mixed rounds through it. Hitting clay pigeon sized targets at 200yrds with a redfield scope with everything else stock is pretty decent in my opinion.
 
Had one, loved it...then it broke in the same manner as above. Thread here:

http://www.thektog.org/forum/f88/another-cracked-su-16-a-253412/

And here:

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?871788-Kel-Tec-warranty-in-Canada


It was a lengthy and annoying process to have the rifle sent away, replaced, and sent back...but even after all that, I still love my SU-16. Of all the firearms I've played with over the years, it's still easily one of my favorites to shoot.

If you go searching for Kel-Tec failures, you're bound to find them. Same goes for most manufacturers. But for every one failure you find, you'll see a handful of threads/posts praising them for being affordable and fun to shoot. From what my research has turned up, the cracking seems to be an early batch issue. That said, they're still plastic guns, and "you get what you pay for" can certainly ring true if you're one of the unlucky ones!



Here's mine...just 'cuz...

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