I have been provided the materials needed for this review. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.
Kel-Tec SU-16CA a follow-up
One of the first guns we ever reviewed was the Kel Tec SU-16CA rifle. When we first tested it, we ran about 2000 rounds of Russian and Lake City ammo through this rifle, before we cleaned and oiled it. It was wonderful and if you want to read the first review you can find it HERE
I now own the rifle and typically it is always taken to the range with me no matter what. Really, to me, that is what we are looking for when it comes to rifles… a rifle that is so reliable that no matter what we are doing we have to bring it out. Now I know I am opening a can of worms by saying that, because of the whole AR VS. AK battle that has been going on forever. It will still be the big argument even when we are carving our thanksgiving turkeys with lightsabers.
Mag Dumps and Testing
My SU-16CA has been used for (non-full auto) mag dumps to ringing the gong at 300yd with iron sights to teaching someone how to use a gun. I also use it for ammo/magazine/optic reviews. In the last two years, this rifle has shot at least 6000 rounds and I have not had any misfires. This rifle is not the most aesthetically pleasing rifle nor should it be. Kel-tec didn’t sit with the designers saying this rifle needs to be a fashion statement. The rifle is just that, a rifle.
My personal favorite place to take this rifle is a public range where we are shooting in a “building”. Kel-Tec doesn’t ship this rifle with a muzzle device. I have yet to find one I liked enough to change the look of the rifle. That being said, when we are shooting inside it sounds like a .308 or .30-06 going off, making it one of my favorite conversation starters. People are always walking over and telling me about their .308 semi-auto or .30-06. I love watching their mouth drop when I tell them it is only a .223. The sound isn’t the only thing I love about this rifle and here are my top ten reasons.
Top Ten Reasons I love this rifle
- Piston driven. – This makes the rifle run very clean.
- Uses standard AR-style mags – this is nice because I can run an X-Products X-15 drum with it or p-mags or the Surefire 60 and 100 round casket mags
- Easy to fold and store – since this rifle splits the stock and frame and hinges together, it makes it nice to carry when backpacking and on hunts (when you don’t need heavier calibers to take down game).
- It sounds like a cannon.
- Easy to clean
- Lightweight
- User-friendly – put this rifle in most people’s hands and they can figure it out with no problem.
- Comes in five .223 models and one .22LR
- Carries two 10 round mags in the stock
- Fun to shoot
While my ARs and AKs are great guns and are the equivalent of Legos for men, they aren’t always as reliable.
My 25yd to 300yd rifle is my Kel Tec SU-16CA for the simple fact that it has been tested time and time again and it just works.