There are so many AR 15 rifles that there seems to be one for every shooter and situation. Can you imagine the effort it takes to design something different? But then Kel Tec Weapons marches to the beat of a different drummer. The SU 16 is a modern rifle with many good features. It is more modern in appearance than say the Ruger Ranch Rifle, which is a fine rifle in its own niche, but it offers most of the effectiveness of the AR 15 in a lighter package. Like all Kel Tec firearms the SU 16 is rugged and it works.
Kel Tec rifles are designed with a balance of effective cost saving measures and accuracy and reliability. The SU 16 is a go anywhere do anything firearm. It seems most useful for home and area defense, as a companion on long treks, for ridding the property of pests, and for taking on varmints within its range. The .223/5.56mm will take deer size game cleanly within its range with good shot placement. The SU 16 accomplishes these chores with a minimum of cash outlay and a nice mix of individuality. The SU 16 has been called a featureless rifle by the company. I prefer low key and minimalist. The SU 16 will get you a good rifle in places where AR types are banned. I would prefer not to live in a people’s republic but there are good freedom loving folks in every such place. The SU 16 gets you in business and in the end for most all you will do with a light rifle the SU 16 compares well to the AR 15.
Our younger shooters will not remember the 1990’s Crime Bill. There were many attempts to manufacture a rifle that was legal in the face of this terrible crime bill. (The bill promised more cops on the street- now the same bunch wishes to defund police. Funny how the wind changes.) The rifle was built without a telescoping stock or a pistol grip. There are other versions today including a folding stock and rifles with a great number of features but the original SU 16 is still a great rifle that offers an in for our brothers and sisters wishing to own the best protection possible. And it takes AR 15 magazines. The forend unfolds into a firing rest. This bipod offers greater accuracy for long range varmints. It isn’t as accurate as a heavy barrel bolt action rifle but plenty accurate inside of 200 yards. Another bonus in my personal rifle is that the butt stock deploys a pair of ten round magazines- not included with the rifle.
Simplicity in Action
The rifle is easily loaded and made ready. Slap the magazine home and rack the bolt and you are good to go. The rifle features a push button safety set in the receiver near the trigger guard. If an optical sight or red dot sight is desired the rifle features a picatinny rail. The SU 16 is supplied with an aperture sight and a post front sight with good adjustment. The 1 in 7 inch barrel twist handles most bullet weights well. The barrel is a 16 inch carbine length. A neat trick is that the Kel Tec SU 16 weighs only 5 pounds. That’s light and recoil isn’t a problem with the .223 cartridge. The rifle handles quickly and it is easy enough to address multiple targets and even moving targets. Range work is a joy with this rifle.
Particulars
The supplied sights have plenty of adjustment, allowing a shooter to sight the rifle in for typical home defense range way out past 100 yards. The aperture sight fades away and the eye centers on the front post. The rifle is a good match with a quality optic, but then there are shooters who like a light fast handling rifle with iron sights. There isn’t much commonality with the AR 15. The cocking handle is easier to operate, the cross bolt safety works well, and the magazine catch is secure and easily worked. If you are in a restrictive state the rifle without muzzle brake and deploying a ten round magazine is still a formidable defensive firearm. For the rest of the country all AR magazines work well. I live in a free state but just the same often enough I stick the rifle behind the truck seat with a ten round magazine in place. It is almost as flat and easy to store as a lever action .30-30.
There are differences in design and handling. This isn’t a gas impingement design but a rifle using a gas piston- just like some very expensive AR rifles. The trigger is decent, breaking at 5.5 pounds compression in my well used example. I have found the rifle reliable with a wide range of bullet weights from 36 to 77 grains. It just keeps shooting. I have fired the majority of cartridges in this rifle in fast shooting and informal practice on the open range. You may bust dirt clods on the berm at a long 100 yards with concentration and proper trigger squeeze- as long as the clods aren’t too small. This isn’t a rifle I bench rest often but I have fired it over a padded gun bag from a rest at 50 yards. Accuracy is easy to come by and seems good for an iron sighted rifle. If you want something different that fits into many scenarios the SU 16 is a good choice. This is a useful rifle firing a great cartridge.
50 yards off a solid rest 3 shot groups in inches
Remington 55 grain FMJ 2999 fps 2.0 in.
Federal 62 grain Fusion 3133 fps 1.75 in.
Hornady 75 grain 2620 fps 1.8 in.
Rifle Specs:
- Caliber: 5.56mm/.223
- Weight Unloaded: 4.7 lbs.
- Magazine Capacity: 5, 10, 20, 30
- Overall Length: 35.5″
- Length: Stock Folded: 25.5″ with folding stock
- Length: Folded in Half: 23.5″
- Barrel Length: 16”
- Twist Rate: 1:7″
- Trigger Pull: 5.5 lbs.
For dealer purchases visit www.davidsonsinc.com
For consumer purchases visit www.galleryofguns.com
