Keltec RDB Range Review:



I know that I am not wearing glasses here but I can't use a scope and wear glasses, sorry guys.

Please consider this part 2 of my ongoing RDB review. Part 3 will be coming in some time but will be focused on the continued reliability of the rifle, durability and ability to handle the things I put my rifles through (nothing to arduous but just through the woods use).

Testing Criteria:
Ergonomics
Reliability
Accuracy
Disassembly
Safety/Chamber Checks



Ergonomics:
Pros:
The RDB looks and feels like a good rifle. The fit and finish of my particular RDB is good if not excellent. It did come with some minor handling marks from the factory and the large plastic handguard does look and feel a little cheap. Having said that the rifle is exceptionally light at 7lbs compared to my Tavor (right around 8lbs).

The rifle shoulders nicely and has an fantastically smooth recoil impulse, perhaps due to the very long bolt travel in order to extract the case downwards. The trigger is very clean and crisp with a good break. Trigger pull on the rifle is 6lbs consistently when measured. I will also say that this is the best factory bullpup trigger i've felt. While definitely not a match trigger it more than does the job and shooting the RDB in general is a joy.

The mag and bolt release are also sensibly located, even if the bolt release can be a little stiff at times. While we are on the subject of magazines the rifle functioned flawlessly with everything I threw at it, from pmags to lancers, GI's and beyond. It will also accept drum magazines as the gentleman shooting next to me insisted on finding out with his X-Products drum.



Cons (BE AWARE NON OF THESE ARE DEAL BREAKERS)
As I and others have mentioned the mag release will cause GI mags to drop free if bumped but seems solid with all kinds of other mags. During my range day today I did not have an issue with GI mags but I could see this being a problem for those running and gunning with this rifle.

The safety selector is a nice touch in that when the rifle is on fire it does not interfere with your firing hand. However because the “fire” position is essentially where your regular “safe” position would be on many other firearms this may cause you to have some odd muscle memory moments (this is nothing that can't be overcome with training).

The handguard is also functional but could use some improvement. I am hoping that Manticore or Midwest step up to the plate on this one but I will issue a word of warning about the handguard for those that shoot gloveless. I put 1000 rounds of 5.56 through the rifle today and while the plastic handled the heat just fine the take down pin to remove the handguard became so hot it caused burns to my support hand. You will notice I am wearing a glove on my left hand in some of the pics and this is why. It is not a disastrous issue but you will certainly notice the first time you grab the handguard firmly after only a couple of hundred rounds. Please also note I was not rapid firing to make this happen.


Caution!!! THIS GETS HOT

The lack of QD mounts will cause some, me included, to have heartburn but the rifle does come equipped with several places to attach a standard hook sling.

Finally the HK style charging handle is actually really good but if you run an eotech or similar short “fat” optic be aware that there might be some clearence issues while trying to charge the weapon.

Reliability:
Pros:
As I mentioned earlier I put well over 1000 rounds of PMC X-TAC 55gr 5.56 FMJ through the rifle today without a single jam, ftf, fte or other malfunction. The rifle ran flawlessly out of the box and absolutely ate through every round. I tried to find some steel ammo to feed it today but I actually couldn't find any at the local stores. As soon as I have a chance to try it with steel cased ammo I will let you know.

The downwards ejection also works very well with cases being deposited in a nice clump under your rifle. A word to the wise however, if you plan to bench shoot this rifle wear long sleeves as I had hot brass roll across the table and brush up against my elbows several times. This is not a design flaw in the rifle by any means and I am sure manlier men could have handled it but it definitely made me jump with I was on target and a hot case rolled up against my arm.

Cons:
None whatsoever. It ran like a top, couldn't be more impressed.

Accuracy:
Let me start this section with a caveat, it was raining sideways in NE Florida today so you will have to trust my range results as I was unable to take good pics of my target (will update next range day). I put a Nikon Prostaff P-223 on this rifle in order to do this review. The RDB ships with a 1/9” twist barrel, unlike the 1/7 that was insinuated by earlier info. After an initial 25 yard sight in I moved to the 100 yard range. I will say again that while not a match trigger the factory trigger is pleasant to use and was not a hindrance to accuracy in anyway. I was bench shooting unsupported using a 30 round mag as a monopod of sorts.

PLEASE CHECK THE UPDATED 11/22/2015 POST BELOW FOR BETTER ACCURACY INFO

I'll also mention that I had no problem getting a good cheekweld with medium height scope rings but I am aware that some others have had problems on bullpups. If you have had to buy risers for your Tavor in order to get a good sight picture then I would recommend doing the same for the RDB.

Disassembly:
Pros:
The rifle is easy to disassemble and the parts are large, few and idiot proof to learn. The take down pins are captive (unlike the prototypes seen in some youtube videos) and only the middle two need to be taken out to field strip the rifle. Once this is done the rifle pulls into two halves and the bolt and carrier can be removed. Overall it is an excellent system of disassembly if not quite as good as some other military rifles. The pins in my rifle were incredibly stiff when and still require me to use a punch and small hammer to tap them out but they may loosen with continued use.

The other two pins allow disassembly of the upper and lower receivers and removal of the plastic handguard.

Cons:
There is really nothing negative about how the rifle comes apart of goes back together. It requires a little practice but once you have done it 2 or 3 times it should become second nature.

Safety/Chamber Checks:
I wanted to make this a separate section as several people have asked about this one feature. The rifle comes with it's own chamber flag which is useful for use on the range. In order to do a chamber check the bolt must be locked back and the rifle rotated upside down. This is not difficult to do but it should be noted as it is definitely a different manual of arms than most of us are used to. As I have not had any malfunctions yet I cannot state how this will impact clearance drills but I do not think that the rifle is unsafe in the slightest or that the chamber cannot be visually inspected.



Conclusion:
Overall I am thoroughly impressed with the RDB. I have tried to judge the rifle objectively and I have, where possible, compared it to the Tavor, a rifle that has become my primary shooter. It is a lightweight bullpup that shoulders nicely and feels very natural to fire. While it does have some quirks I would still recommend picking one of these up if you like bullpup rifles or if you want to buy something that is a little different.

If any of you have any comments, questions or other things you would like to talk about please let me know.

Aeneas2020

p.s. If these rifles get down as low as $1k or below then I would also jump on one without hesitatation. At $1500 they are a good buy at $1k they are a steal!

OP UPDATE ALSO


11/22/2015 Update:


Ok so I took the RDB out to the range again today. I've lost count of how many rounds I have through it at this point but just a few more thoughts:

Fit and Finish: The rifle is holding up well although I did notice that the finish on the mag release lever is beginning to wear a little. Not a major issue but still something to note.

Steel Cased Ammo: This one may be a biggy for some of you. Using TulAmmo .223 steel cased ammo I could not get the rifle to reliably function, or indeed function at all without adjusting the gas settings. It should be noted the rifle ships from the factory set to work with 5.56 M855 spec brass cased ammo but it is a pain that if i wanted to shoot steel I have to change the settings. This is easy enough to do but still...it's somewhat annoying.

Reliability: Other than the aforementioned steel cased .223 issue I have still not encountered a single malfunction of any kind with the RDB.


(please discount the furthest right group) this is not a sub MOA rifle I was working on something else at the time.

Accuracy: I shot the same 55gr PMC 5.56 XTAC today along with some 69gr Blackhill's Matchking ammo. I am pleased to say that the rifle is capable of 1" groups at 100 yards. I was routinely getting 1.5" groups but then again i'm not the best shot in the world. It also helped that I put a Harris bipod on the rifle instead of trying to shoot without any support. You will have to forgive my 4 shot groups on some of the pics. My scope mount came loose when I started shooting the matchking ammo and I wasted most of it chasing my zero until I rechecked my scope mount. Stupid I know but I had to work with what ammo I had after that.

My opinions of the rifle are still that it's a good reliable rifle. The steel case issue is a slight knock but I did get it working and i'll continue to test it with steel as I move forward.

Thanks for taking the time to post your intial impressions and pictures.  That EO Tech 512 looks huge on that bullpup, I think I understand why people were testing the RDB with Aimpoint T-1's or similar sized optics.   A Strike Eagle or similar optic might work very well on the RDB with right mount.

Is it possible to swap the charging handle to the other side, as you can with the RFB?  The high degree of lefty friendliness was one of the things that drew me to the RFB, and given how good the initial reviews for the RDB are I may have to pick up one of those as well.

So a Trijicon 4x32 would fair well for the user? What are your impressions of the oversized forearm?

Good post!  I have been debating whether to get one or not.  I have a Tavor, KSG and PS90, so this would be a great addition to my bullpup collection.

It's actually not bad but to be honest Im hoping Manticore or someone comes out with something aftermarket. It does the job but it does look and feel a little cheap. I'll be interested to see how it holds up under heavy use.

Also for whoever asked I haven't done it yet but when I field stripped it, it seems as though swapping the ch to lefty would be very easy.


Sorry one last thing I'll add to the cons and update in the op is I don't like the sling attachment points. In this day and age they should be qd.

Thanks for the info, I'm very interested in their M43.

Curious to see how the RDB works out over time.  Subbed.

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Thumbs up on mine also, suppressed and unsuppressed. Only tested it out for function so far... no accuracy testing as it was raining in my area. So far though i can say i prefer it over the AUG or the Tavor, this gun is lighter, better trigger, suppresses better. The only thing I dont like so far is the short upper rail. Wish it extended about 2 or three inched further back for back up Irons.

Could you check and see how a chamber flag looks in the gun?
A local range insists that all guns have an empty chamber indicator when the range is cold. The RDB may have an issue here, as there's no way to see the chamber unless you look through the magazine well, correct?
If the flag isn't visible, ROs may have an issue.

It comes with a chamber flag I'll try to post pics later

Edit: here you go

Would either of you guys say this rifle could
be good to go for professional use?  Law enforcement/military?

Do you think it would hold up in a tough situation for extended periods of time?

Too soon to tell for me. It seems solid but less so than my Tavor but it's also much lighter. You probably want to keep checking this thread or one someone else makes and then see in a couple of months once we have had a chance to run them hard.

Agreed, compared to my AUG, the RDB is very light, I don't find that it feels frail at all though...unless you think that weight is an indicator of durability. The RDB has absolutely no rattles or squeaks. About the only direct comparison I can make with a gun of similar construction ( bolted together halves) is the F.S2000 from FN and although i am not a fan of the FS2000 it has not been prone to fall apart as such, i dont think that will be a problem with the RDB.

What i will be watching with this gun is throat wear in the barrel and the muzzle, bolt damage/durability. The rail  is mounted on the barrel via press fit and pinned fixtures so i highly doubt that zero retention from sights or optics is going to be a problem

I'm curious if the top rail on the RDB gives the same height to cheek weld as an AR-15 or height over bore for an optic.  This determines which mount is required for a particular optic.  I could not use my EO Tech on my Tavor with out a riser to essentially giving me a lower 1/3 co-witness on an AR-15 but the same mount gives exact co-witnees on the Tavor.

Really really want this to succeed.  Thanks to all that have chimed in so far.

It didnt take much adjustment to get my RDS adjusted from my AR settings, seemed like about 8 clicks down. The cheek weld works better for me wirh an absolute co-witness height. My 3/4  zero height mounts work but i get a more solid cheek weld from my  absolute co witness  mounts

Thanks for the info, I prefer absolute co-witness with my iron sights,  looks like typical AR mounts will work with the RDB.

yep glad to help .  My adm scout scope mount is perfect on the cheek weld with the RDB in case you are going to mount a scope

Thanks for the info.

If it isn't too much trouble, could you post pictures of the chamber area, and perhaps of the stripped bolt in the chamber?

It doesn't come with fold away sight like the tavor no but you could put some irons on there if you wanted. The sight radius wouldn't be great but if you want BUIS it's not impossible to put them on.

Anybody have any specifications on what the bolt is made of as well as the barrel?

The barrel and extension are made of 4140 nitride finish steel. Dont know for certain what steel the bolt is made of but on the RFB (which is KT's .308 bullpup) the bolt and barrel are both made from 4140 steel. I would imagine the same holds true for the RDB.

any optic recomendations for the RDB ?

Any optic will be great on it IMO since it excels in ultra short range all the way out to the effective range of 5.56. I have tried an RDS, a TA33 acog and a 1-5 vara be scope.   It all depends on what you like to do most.  I liked the scope best...... but by a slim margin to the RDS.it really has more to do with what kind of shooting I'm doing

Keltec RDB Range Review:




Please consider this part 2 of my ongoing RDB review. Part 3 will be coming in some time but will be focused on the continued reliability of the rifle, durability and ability to handle the things I put my rifles through (nothing to arduous but just through the woods use).

Testing Criteria:
Ergonomics
Reliability
Accuracy
Disassembly
Safety/Chamber Checks



Ergonomics:
Pros:
The RDB looks and feels like a good rifle. The fit and finish of my particular RDB is good if not excellent. It did come with some minor handling marks from the factory and the large plastic handguard does look and feel a little cheap. Having said that the rifle is exceptionally light at 7lbs compared to my Tavor (right around 8lbs).

The rifle shoulders nicely and has an fantastically smooth recoil impulse, perhaps due to the very long bolt travel in order to extract the case downwards. The trigger is very clean and crisp with a good break. Trigger pull on the rifle is 6lbs consistently when measured. I will also say that this is the best factory bullpup trigger i've felt. While definitely not a match trigger it more than does the job and shooting the RDB in general is a joy.


The mag and bolt release are also sensibly located, even if the bolt release can be a little stiff at times. While we are on the subject of magazines the rifle functioned flawlessly with everything I threw at it, from pmags to lancers, GI's and beyond. It will also accept drum magazines as the gentleman shooting next to me insisted on finding out with his X-Products drum.



Cons (BE AWARE NON OF THESE ARE DEAL BREAKERS)
As I and others have mentioned the mag release will cause GI mags to drop free if bumped but seems solid with all kinds of other mags. During my range day today I did not have an issue with GI mags but I could see this being a problem for those running and gunning with this rifle.

The safety selector is a nice touch in that when the rifle is on fire it does not interfere with your firing hand. However because the “fire” position is essentially where your regular “safe” position would be on many other firearms this may cause you to have some odd muscle memory moments (this is nothing that can't be overcome with training).

The handguard is also functional but could use some improvement. I am hoping that Manticore or Midwest step up to the plate on this one but I will issue a word of warning about the handguard for those that shoot gloveless. I put 1000 rounds of 5.56 through the rifle today and while the plastic handled the heat just fine the take down pin to remove the handguard became so hot it caused burns to my support hand. You will notice I am wearing a glove on my left hand in some of the pics and this is why. It is not a disastrous issue but you will certainly notice the first time you grab the handguard firmly after only a couple of hundred rounds. Please also note I was not rapid firing to make this happen.


Caution!!! THIS GETS HOT

The lack of QD mounts will cause some, me included, to have heartburn but the rifle does come equipped with several places to attach a standard hook sling.

Finally the HK style charging handle is actually really good but if you run an eotech or similar short “fat” optic be aware that there might be some clearence issues while trying to charge the weapon.

Reliability:
Pros:
As I mentioned earlier I put well over 1000 rounds of PMC X-TAC 55gr 5.56 FMJ through the rifle today without a single jam, ftf, fte or other malfunction. The rifle ran flawlessly out of the box and absolutely ate through every round. I tried to find some steel ammo to feed it today but I actually couldn't find any at the local stores. As soon as I have a chance to try it with steel cased ammo I will let you know.

The downwards ejection also works very well with cases being deposited in a nice clump under your rifle. A word to the wise however, if you plan to bench shoot this rifle wear long sleeves as I had hot brass roll across the table and brush up against my elbows several times. This is not a design flaw in the rifle by any means and I am sure manlier men could have handled it but it definitely made me jump with I was on target and a hot case rolled up against my arm.

Cons:
None whatsoever. It ran like a top, couldn't be more impressed.

Accuracy:
Let me start this section with a caveat, it was raining sideways in NE Florida today so you will have to trust my range results as I was unable to take good pics of my target (will update next range day). I put a Nikon Prostaff P-223 on this rifle in order to do this review. The RDB ships with a 1/9” twist barrel, unlike the 1/7 that was insinuated by earlier info. After an initial 25 yard sight in I moved to the 100 yard range. I will say again that while not a match trigger the factory trigger is pleasant to use and was not a hindrance to accuracy in anyway. I was bench shooting unsupported using a 30 round mag as a monopod of sorts.

At 100 yards I was consistently printing 4” groups. On two of the targets I shot at 100 yards I did have 1 flier in each 5 shot group. I am sure this was shooter error and not the rifle. I actually think with a better shooter, ammo and more time that the rifle could do better, so once I get some more experience and match grade ammo I will post back.

I'll also mention that I had no problem getting a good cheekweld with medium height scope rings but I am aware that some others have had problems on bullpups. If you have had to buy risers for your Tavor in order to get a good sight picture then I would recommend doing the same for the RDB.

Disassembly:
Pros:
The rifle is easy to disassemble and the parts are large, few and idiot proof to learn. The take down pins are captive (unlike the prototypes seen in some youtube videos) and only the middle two need to be taken out to field strip the rifle. Once this is done the rifle pulls into two halves and the bolt and carrier can be removed. Overall it is an excellent system of disassembly if not quite as good as some other military rifles. The pins in my rifle were incredibly stiff when and still require me to use a punch and small hammer to tap them out but they may loosen with continued use.

The other two pins allow disassembly of the upper and lower receivers and removal of the plastic handguard.

Cons:
There is really nothing negative about how the rifle comes apart of goes back together. It requires a little practice but once you have done it 2 or 3 times it should become second nature.

Safety/Chamber Checks:
I wanted to make this a separate section as several people have asked about this one feature. The rifle comes with it's own chamber flag which is useful for use on the range. In order to do a chamber check the bolt must be locked back and the rifle rotated upside down. This is not difficult to do but it should be noted as it is definitely a different manual of arms than most of us are used to. As I have not had any malfunctions yet I cannot state how this will impact clearance drills but I do not think that the rifle is unsafe in the slightest or that the chamber cannot be visually inspected.



Conclusion:
Overall I am thoroughly impressed with the RDB. I have tried to judge the rifle objectively and I have, where possible, compared it to the Tavor, a rifle that has become my primary shooter. It is a lightweight bullpup that shoulders nicely and feels very natural to fire. While it does have some quirks I would still recommend picking one of these up if you like bullpup rifles or if you want to buy something that is a little different.

If any of you have any comments, questions or other things you would like to talk about please let me know.

Aeneas2020

p.s. If these rifles get down as low as $1k or below then I would also jump on one without hesitatation. At $1500 they are a good buy at $1k they are a steal!

OP UPDATE ALSO

Great review, thanks.  What kind of ammo did you use?

PMC X-TAC 55gr 5.56 FMJ

Ok, my AR'S get around 3 moa with that ammo so it should do much better than 4 moa with some more precisely  made ammo.

Dude you killed it perfectly with that review.  I'm now actively pinching pennies to snatch one up.  I just hope my awesome luck doesn't strike that when I have the coin, the RDB will be, in typical keltec fashion, unobtainable due to production slowness.

Anyone hear if keltec plans to come out with alternate colors?  A FDE one would fit my AO nicely.

I don't see why they would not. I think all of there guns come in at least 3 colors. Now when they will change over and start thats the question :)

Dammit, talking to my dealer of choice for quotes.  Anyone else interested at a certain price point?  Sub $1300?

Great review. Thanks for the chamber flag info.
It looks like you were at Gateway. The ground can get really wet there after a good rain. And we've had a lot of rain here in NE FL.

Biggest problem was the rain was destroying targets. Several of the cardboard backs were so wet the targets literally fell off. When i found a dry one and shot some decent groups I got to measure then another round of rain came in and shredded my targets lol. I'm used to a private range in VA so I could walk up and check my targets whenever. Waiting for a cold range in the driving rain, watching my targets go mushy ,made for a frustrating day,

I would jump one one for $1300..... but I already spent $99 extra.

I was wondering the same since I have seen pictures of FDE & OD Green.

Just updated the review. Trigger pull meter came in. Trigger pulls a consistent 6lbs.

Impressive for a factory bullpup. If they come down to $1200... will be tempting.

Impressive for a factory bullpup. If they come down to $1200... will be tempting. Actually I think I will hold off on building a AR carbine to see if that happens. If it does, screw the carbine I'll take the bullpup.

Is the barrel length also 18"?

Barrel length is 17.4"... I would expect these to end up in the $1k range to be honest with you maybe up to $1200 but I know I over paid for mine but i'd been tracking it for years and I like to buy rifles for review when I can.

If the press remains positive about them, and the demand remains strong I can't see that happening anytime soon. (as much as I would like it to ) Keltec has knack for keeping production down which keeps demand & prices up.(either by issue or design)






If you think about it:



-new Steyr Aug is aprox $1700 ish (with fixed power optic aprox $2300)



-Tavors are selling around $1650 ish (with an MSRP OF $1999)






Even at or around the MSRP of $1540 the RDB "appears" to have pretty nice price advantage. With them being the new "must have" flavor of the month, been watching them since they arrived on GB haven't personally seen one yet sell for retail - Hope your right and we do see them in the $1200 range sooner then later but I am not going to wait for it




 

I know its a shotgun, but look at the KSG it now sells for just a little less then MSRP.

Same ehere, I have been tracking this rifle since  2013 and i couldnt resist at $1399.  I kinda doubt they will sell for much under $1300 for a good year unless Kel Tec puts out unprecedented numbers in under 6 months

Well at this point i really hope people start buying them up because i need some aftermarket support. Either that or i'll have to break out my old 3d modelling skills and design a handguard and have someone custom make one for me . The handguard really isn't that bad but I was looking at the KSG's today and I had 5 or 6 people ask me if i was shooting a KSG yesterday. Something a little different would be nice (and this is from the guy that leaves everything stock!)

I would love to see something with a heatshield and in M-Lok ... Magpul design style would really suit this weapon

This...hopefully Manticore and MI will MLOK the shit outta this bullpup.  Also, who's brave enough to drill into the polymer and add their own QD cups/sockets?

 

Not me, I'm not really stuck on QD sling mounts though... I'm  perfectly ok with HK style hooks on a Vickers sling

HK hooks are fine, as long as the hoops are made of steel...and not aluminum (looking at you FN and your damn loops on your SCAR....that you can only use HK STEEL mash hooks on).  Genius planning on their part (FN's)...lol.

 

at least 2 of the loops are steel. The one on the butt piece and the hand guard are plastic, see how they hold up.