SU 16

Discussion in 'Firearms' started by jim, Sep 4, 2006.


  1. jim

    jim Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Does anyone know the quality of these rifles? Are they worth getting? Opinions/experiences?

    jim
     
  2. ColtCarbine

    ColtCarbine Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Never shot one or heard any feedback, I'm sure somebody here would know something about them. Good luck :cool:
     
  3. Quigley_Sharps

    Quigley_Sharps The Badministrator Administrator Founding Member

    someone here was shooting one of those Kel-Tec 16's just dont remeber who right now, Ive heard good things about them.
     
  4. ColtCarbine

    ColtCarbine Monkey+++ Founding Member

  5. NY PRO

    NY PRO Monkey+++

    You get what you pay for. If you think that buying one of these plastic rifles to defend yourself with in a survival situation and expecting it to hold up to the constant practice you'll need to keep your skills up or the rigors of combat like dragging it through the mud or dropping it and expecting it to work......then you really need to buy one.......and this bridge in Brooklyn that I also have for sale!


    Kel-Tecs are just cheap guns made for people who want to bang off rounds and make noise and are not serious about learning combat rifleman skills. I wouldn't want to be shot with one,but I wouldn't waste my hard earned FRN's on one either.


    First you have to ask yourself what is the weapon for? (Urban? Rural? Self defense? Hunting? or both? Your skills and physical limitations, and your budget.)

    Then ask your self(and your financial planner(wife) how much can you afford to spend on something that will need to do the impossible and hold up through it all. When you figure out how much you can spend.....divide it in half!!

    Than buy the best rifle you can afford,all the accessories you'll need for it,and several cases of ammo to practice with, and get some proper instruction on its use. This is the most important of all and it's something that most people never do.(Ask me how I know this). They just go down to the gun store and have a gleam in their eyes and let their emotions and gunstore commandos sway their purchases. (ask me How I know this)


    Then once you do that.....you'll see that the Kel-tecs and High points, and Romainian AK's, Mini-14's,Ar-180b's,and cheap AR-15 knock offs, (and other cheap junk)are just a waste of your time and and hard earned money.


    Remember only hits count and only a rifle that has been battle proven is worth your time and effort. All others are just a waste of your unrecoverable time!
     
  6. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    I have a range friend who has the SU-16, and I have shot it a few times. Here's my personal views, worth every penny you paid . . .

    The synthetic stock and folding fore end/bipod are stouter than expected, not that flimsy compared to many.
    Accuracy is okay, but it does seem to begin wondering once it gets hot. Similar to what many see the Ruger Mini-14 do. Thin barrels, maybe.
    Trigger is surprisingly good for a 'cheap' rifle. Better than some mid-range AR-15s I've handled.
    Takes any AR-15 magazine - a definite plus!
    I'd steer clear of the folding buttstock model myself. All I have ever used get sloppy after shooting a bit. Hinges don't like recoil!
    Sights need work. Better than those of that little abomination called the Sub2000. At least these ARE adjustable without breaking, but still made of plastic. My buddy had trouble getting the windage adjusted far enough. He finally replaced both front and rear with Kel-Tec's better metal units.
    It is reliable, and eats any commercial or surplus ammo we feed it. Once the sight issue was fixed, it'll hold a one-inch group at fifty yards, til it gets hot.
    So, it's a fun little carbine for light pleasure shooting, though you can build a decent AR-15 for not a lot more money if you shop right. I wouldn't depend on it for a SHTF gun.
     
  7. Wild Trapper

    Wild Trapper Pirate Biker

    What NY Pro said!

    I think if you just want to play around with a Kal-Tec, go ahead and get one. But, if you are serious about shooting get something with some backbone. I'm a big fan of the M1 Garand for a lot of reasons, but if my financial adviser would approve, I'd have the best M14 style rifle I could cough up the money for. I say that because I could mount a scope on it that wasn't off to the side as has to be done with the M1. After all my 60 year old eyes just don't work like they used to, but I can still handle the recoil of the 30 caliber rifle. Maybe, I'll just have to become the shotgun guy.
     
  8. KHAN

    KHAN Monkey+++

    I have been extremely pleased with my Sub2000 chambered in .40 S&W. It makes the perfect trunk gun and is very accurate out to 100yds. Takes Glock mags and that is nice too. It folds down to a little over a foot in length making it very concealable and is lightweight, so I believe it does have it's place in one's armory.
     
  9. gillman7

    gillman7 Monkey+++

    My son had one, it shot OK, but seemed kind of gimmicky. The forestock looked to flimsy to hold up in stress situations. It shot fine, accuracy with open sights at 100 yards was about 4-5" group, which was pretty good. He only kept it for about 2 months, traded it in on a DPMS AR 15, and is much happier. If it was me, I would save a little bit more money up, and buy the AR. More aftermarket support, and battle proven.
     
  10. poacher

    poacher Monkey+++ Founding Member

    I had the Hi Point 9 for a bit. fun lil plinkin gun, but I never had the chance to really consider it for more since whilst I was out shooting it I had a offer that I didn't pass up. As far as a AR I've had the carbon, Bushy, Dpms etc. It all comes down to what you want, can afford, and what you are planning on using it for. Everything has a use just remember that it's a tool and you select the right tool for the right job.
    Take care Be safe Poacher.
     
  11. grizz

    grizz Monkey+++

    I had one for about 2 mo. ,I did not like the plastic rec.
     
  12. prepareordie

    prepareordie Monkey+++

    SU-16

    I am a little late to this discussion but here is my 2 cents. I have owned a KelTec SU-16B for a couple of years. Its been a reliable, study rifle. I have put lots of rounds through it and used it at as my primary rifle in a two day training course. I have had no functional problems with it since I owned it. It does tend to open up as the barrel gets hot but still accurate on a man size target. I bought it specifically as an extra rifle that I could fold and stow in my rig or carry in my backpack when hiking. I would buy one again. But would not recommend this as your first purchase or your only rifle.

    regards Prepareordie
     
  13. BigO01

    BigO01 Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Well I have handled a few of the SU16's and they seem like the could do in a pinch and perhaps in an all out battle if need be or at least as well as any AR variant .

    When it come to all of these discussions of so called cheap knock off guns and their inability to stand up to "The true rigors of Combat" I can't help but thinking of the letters my father sent home while serving under Patton in WW II .

    It seems his parents would send him money when he needed it and perhaps 2/3 of his letters had the sentence "Don't send send money Hit Crap Game last night" now it would seem to me that if a guy who served under Patton in a Tank spent so much time playing craps , Real combat must truly be a short lived sort of deal with limited engagements being the rule rather than the exception , and after all this was a World War not a SHTF with the enemy being a bunch of crack and Meth addicts who will probably run away just as soon as you pop one of them with anything even a 22 rimfire .

    I also find it extremely funny how the SU-16's are being unfavorable compared to the AR-15's as it seem to me that the AR's in real life didn't and still doesn't get a great deal of praise from the man behind the gun in actual combat . If what I have heard from the Nam Vets I have had the honor to meet is correct the first thing most did when the opportunity arose was to drop their M16 and pick up a nice AK that could be depended on the actually work under extreme conditions . Today our troops have so much faith in the M16 and it's poodle caliber that there is a big push for the 6.8 Remington among the rank and file .

    Quite frankly if we Americans woke up and found ourselves in a Nation Wide war I think everyone with a .223 in their hands would quickly find themselves seriously wanting something a little more significant . In a temporary SHTF for a few days or weeks I doubt your custom made $1,500 AR would do any better than the cheap SU-16's and perhaps not as well as the sub $200 SKS's .
     
  14. g27_mengi

    g27_mengi Monkey+++

    I've owned one. And liked it. Fun to shoot, and more accurate than I expected. As someone said here, you get what you pay for—it's not the archival rifle for your collection. But for the price, it's a well-made, accurate .223 that folds up and fits under the seat of a truck. Or hides inside a tall BOB when folded.

    So why did I sell it? I try to stick to a plan of not owning more weapons than I can carry (key word: try). So I sold it and am in the process of finding the right .308 (DPMS? SOCOM?).

    In short, if your funds are low and you need a reliable .223 to stow somewhere, I'd recommend the SU-16C (folding stock model).
     
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