Semi-automatic rifle and .223 Remington don’t always mean AR-15. The Ruger Ranch rifle, some AKs, and a few KelTec rifles are examples, not to mention the Steyr AUG. The modern KelTec SU16 is a good example of a reliable, sturdy piece that will take game, clear out pests, and protect the homestead.
The KelTec SU16 does so with a minimum of expense, a lot of reliability, and a featureless design. Yes, the minimalist SU16 is intentionally featureless to remain legal in many places that ban the AR-15. While I think the bans are terrible, I also like my brothers and sisters in those areas to be as well-armed as possible. The SU16 achieves that goal.
History of the SU16
The rifle dates back to the 1990s and the so-called Crime Bill. (It’s a Crime, Bill.) In short, and don’t take this as legal advice, according to the Crime Bill, a newly-manufactured rifle should not have a detachable magazine, the rifle could not have a folding telescopic stock, pistol grip, or a bayonet lug — although most were grandfathered in. It was the manufacturers and young shooters just starting out that suffered.
Both President Bush and President Clinton were responsible for several gun control laws. After the law was allowed to sunset, several states passed their own versions. Some folks bought in panic, some price gouged in private sales, and the rest of us paid through the nose. There were monstrosities made of the AR-15 to conform to these laws and still manage to sell the rifles.
KelTec could easily have designed another AR-15, but it took the harder route of designing a rifle with good performance that wasn’t an AR. The original design folds up nicely, although there are also non-folding versions. While some rifles may be fired with the stock folded, the SU16 cannot.
KelTec SU16 Features
The SU16 stores away easily in the folded stock configuration. A neat trick is that the handguards unfold and form a bipod. This beats an add-on bipod and is remarkably stable in use. For most of my accuracy testing, I used a modern plastic rifle rest. In the field, this option would be attractive. The bipod adds nothing to the rifle’s weight or bulk.
The rear stock also holds a couple of 10-round magazines. That’s a lot for hunting applications. It helped when I was preparing different loads for testing off the bench. A single 20 or 30-round magazine may be stored. If you must repel borders or are employed in area defense, this is a great concept. Grab the rifle and you don’t need a web belt with spare magazines if the magazines are in place in the stock.
The rifle is really very simple. The sights are an aperture rear and a post front sight. A generous picatinny rail offers more than five inches of mounting surface. The sights are easily adjusted, or if you prefer, a red dot sight is an easy mount.
The safety is fast and intuitive to use a simple cross-bolt type. The 16-inch barrel is cut with a 1-in-7-inch twist. The rifle is light at about five pounds. The SU16 handles quickly, lively in the hand — something we seldom find in a modern rifle. The rifle comes to the shoulder quickly and is very fast in combat drills.
I tried a half-dozen AR-15 magazines — both polymer and metal — and all fit well and locked in place properly. For the most part, I used the Magpul PMAG. The bolt handle was easily racked to make the rifle ready to fire. While the SU16 is different than the AR-15, and there isn’t a lot of crossover handling, the magazine release and cocking handle are easily addressed.
While the folding stock model is a neat trick, my personal KelTec SU16 is a fixed stock model. There are more than a half-dozen variations including a telescopic stock version with a muzzle brake. Yeah, it’s not street-legal everywhere. I would not feel particularly under gunned with a 10-round magazine and fixed stock. I simply prefer to have more options.
A word to the wise… the folding option is for storage and transport. It isn’t a smooth package when folded and will snag. This isn’t the mode for quick access.
Loading and firing the rifle is simple. Insert a loaded magazine and rack the bolt. The action, by the way, isn’t gas impingement, but a standard, gas-operated piston action. The bipod isn’t difficult to unfold. Simply release the tabs on the side of the bipod and release the two pieces to fold down. I find the rifle to be fast into action and quickly deployed. Firing the rifle is a pleasant experience.
I cannot say the .223 Remington is a hard kicker — not at all — but the recoil present was more noticeable than the AR-15 due to the SU16’s lighter weight.
The rifle was easily sighted for 50 yards. Using affordable 55-grain FMJ Frontier ammunition, I hammered the target at 25 and 50 yards. The rifle is accurate enough for most any threat. The trigger breaks at a clean 5.5 pounds. I liked the trigger action and feel that the clean break is one of the reasons for the rifle’s good practical accuracy.
Specifications
- Caliber: 5.56mm/.223 Rem.
- Weight unloaded: 4.7 pounds
- Magazine capacity: 5, 10, 20, 30 rounds
- Overall length: 35.5 inches
- Stock folded: 25.5 inches with folding stock
- Folded in half: 23.5 inches
- Barrel Length: 16 inches
- Twist Rate: 1:7 inches
- Trigger Pull: 5.6 pounds
Range Test
Firing from a solid, benchrest firing position, I fired for accuracy with a half-dozen loads. Firing three-shot groups and taking my time the rifle turned in three-shot groups of 1.5 to 2.2 inches. With a good set of aperture-style sights, I considered these results more than acceptable. I doubt I will add an optic.
The KelTec SU16 is a rough and ready rifle that was built for hard use, recreational outings, and a genuine best buy.
The KelTec SU16 stands on its own as a viable semi-automatic rifle for home defense, hunting, or on the range. It also serves as a worthy modern sporting rifle substitute against draconian lawmakers trying to ban the AR-15s. How would you use the SU16? Share your answer in the comment section.