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Posted: 3/1/2009 10:42:11 AM EDT
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i know its not an AR but it is similar. and does use ar mags. i am looking into these guns and was curious about their reliability and accuracy.
i was concidering the su-16ca with the med weight barrel. and fixed stock. i like the idea that they dont share the features of the ar that draw so much attention from the law. i am not looking for a super custom, just something fun to shoot, with good reliability, and low cost. listed at $770. |
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sorry, i also forgot to add that i like the gas piston operation of the kel tec.
finding a relatively inexpencive ar with a gas piston, i have found, is a bit of a challenge. also i plan to use it in cali, so i kinda like that it doesnt have the assault rifle image attached to it. |
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not a big fan of kel-tec i purchased a plr-16 last year took it to the range fresh out of the box with a good pre cleaning and well oiled. failed to eject , failed to cycle. put 50 round (single action through it thinking that it would work in. NOPE !!!! sent it back to kel- tec they advised me 12 wks before my weapon would be returned. After 15 calls and countless promises to call me back with an update. I received my weapon back in 10 weeks! 10 weeks for what . they buffed the feed ramp and shipped it back.
long story short gun fired good once i got it back but once a gun fails on me i have no use for it anymore. not to mention a 9 1/2 barrell . suposed to be accurate but hey its a pistol its a spray and pray lol no use for it anymore lost all faith in kel tec..... |
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thanks for the info, i really want to hear more experience (good and bad) based input.
i dont want to hear a bunch of people bashing them. i have a friend that loves his, claiming good accuracy and reliability. anyone else own one? how do they last? how many rounds? when worn out, what part(s) need repair or replace? what ammo used? |
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thanks for the info, i really want to hear more experience (good and bad) based input. i dont want to hear a bunch of people bashing them. i have a friend that loves his, claiming good accuracy and reliability. anyone else own one? how do they last? how many rounds? when worn out, what part(s) need repair or replace? what ammo used? Sounds like you only want to hear good stuff about this gun. If so, buy one yourself and tout how wonderful it is. A guy gives you his experience that he had problems and you balk. More of the same. Folks that get on here with a preconcieved notion looking for confirmation. Either look at both sides or quit wasting our time. Sounds to me like you already made up your mind. If you want a fairly solid gas-piston 223, go with Armalite's AR-180B. It takes AR mags and most folks say the run pretty well. -David Edgewood, NM |
| They are reliable and accurate. I have an SU-16C and enjoy it. You should check into their forum. They can answer all your questions. It does seem to be a weapon that CA leaves alone. Good luck. |
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I always thought they were priced a bit steep. The operating mechanism is sound and I've been told that they're reliable. Not as accurate as an AR, but not bad either. The only consistent complaint I hear about them is that the stock is too flimsy for any kind of hard use. Might not make a good patrol rifle for law enforcement. But a great plinker and coyote zapper.
That said, I probably wouldn't plunk down more than $550 or $600 for one. That's just what they're worth to me. I was willing and did pay a bit more than that for a Mini-14, but Minis will tolerate *much* harder use, as will ARs. If I had to trust my life to a rifle, I'd feel good about my Mini or my AR. I would not feel good about an SU-16. |
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A friend of mine has one. He's happy with it, but there have been a couple of hiccups.
The firing pin became burred and didn't want to come out of the bolt carrier. Kel-Tec SOLD him the "new version" when he called to see what could be done about it. This never affected function, just cleaning. It had several failures to extract. Bought some better extractor springs (they are the same as an AR) and cured that. The owner is, shall we say, frugal? Now that the extractor thing is taken care of, it's eaten anything he's fed it. No problems with Wolf, for example. He's such a miserable shot I cannot even say if it's an accurate gun or not. 
And that is it. I don't like the way it feels, but that's OK, it's not my gun. I don't like how it field strips, but that's OK, it's not my gun. I think the SU-16 fills the niche the Mini-14 used to occupy very well, an affordable .223 semi-auto. It does the Mini one better by taking AR mags. I think I would rather see someone who's short of funds buying something like this and joining the shooting community than buying nothing because they can't seem to save enough for an AR. |
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+1 I have an SU-16C and have a just a couple hundred rounds through it, but no problems at all. If you go to the forum, you can get advice on how to customize it, and, while not nearly as customizable as an AR-15, you can still do a few things with it. One easy thing for reliability I would suggest is to polish the bottom of the bolt carrier. Overall, I like it for a plinker - light, reliable enough for range shooting, and it's just plain fun. |
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What I would like to know, since it uses the same ammo and magazines as an AR, why several commenters on their forum think the SU16 will be cheaper to shoot. Not cheaper to shoot, just cheaper to buy in the first place... And since you can't add as many mods, cheaper in the long run.
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ssierra,
I would second the notion that you should consider the Armalite AR-180b. It is a gas piston operating system, reliable, well made, and reasonably accurate; best of all it takes AR-15 magazines. In the last week I have seen 2 of these for about $850 on gunbroker. The ar-180b is not modular or customizable to any extent like the AR series, but is light-years ahead of Kel-Tec in quality. I wouldn't even consider a Kel-Tec for that price. -JD |
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