I’m an unashamed KelTec enjoyer. There is just something about their weirdness that does it for me. Maybe it’s because I’m a fellow Florida man. I can’t precisely say, but I like their guns, specifically their weird guns. The KelTec SU-16 is one of their weird guns that doesn’t get talked about much. It’s an odd, bizarre, interesting gun you rarely see. I’ve long wanted one, but the stars didn’t align til recently.
As weird as KelTec can be, they do have a history of problems with their guns. They’ve improved, but the SU-16 series is an older gun, and their obscurity often meant you were paying a high price. A price I wasn’t willing to pay. Recently, I stumbled across one for $350 and snatched it up, finally satisfying my need for an odd and interesting 5.56 rifle.
The SU-16 – The Odd
KelTec makes seven models of the SU-16 with slight variations. This is the B model. The B model features a lighter, 16-inch barrel with an M16-style front sight. Mine is sadly missing the rear sight, but it’s a part I plan to replace. Like most of the SU-16 family, the B model comes outfitted with some odd and interesting features that make it stand out.
Let’s start from the stock and move our way up. The first interesting feature of the stock is the ability to hold two spare magazines. Specifically, two spare ten-round KelTec-branded magazines. The stock holds both with a spring-loaded design. Sadly, the SU-16 cannot hold standard AR magazines, but the rifle’s magazine well can use standard AR magazines.
The stock is solid but can fold. You remove a pin, and the gun folds in half, and friction fits to the barrel. That pin is interesting. Mine requires a punch to remove, so it doesn’t come out easily, but that’s good. I don’t want the pin to randomly fall out while shooting the gun. Reinserting the pin and returning the gun to a firing position is easy.
The top of the receiver features a polymer rail for attaching optics. The gun uses a reciprocating charging handle that’s part of the bolt. We get a simple cross-bolt safety and a push-button magazine release. The handguard is a simple chunk of polymer without any rails or slots. However, it unfolds and acts as a bipod.
Beyond that, we have a thin, light barrel with a front sight and no trace of barrel threading or a muzzle device.
Inside the SU-16
These days, the world runs on the AR-18 short-stroke gas piston system. Every new rifle uses some form of AR-18-derived short-stroke gas piston, and as a fan of doing things differently, the SU-16 uses a long-stroke gas piston. The two most famous guns that use a long-stroke gas piston system are the AK series of rifles and the finest battle implement ever devised, the M1 Garand.
Interestingly, the gun uses an AR-style bolt connected to the piston in a very AK-like fashion. I’m comfortable calling the SU-16 a mutt of various guns. They’ve taken multiple features, mixed in a bit of polymer, and let the weapon loose on the world.
The rifle series fires .223/5.56, but there is a .22LR variant of the gun. Other than that, KelTec never adopted any other calibers. The SU-16 series stopped any forward progress, so KelTec could dive into other endeavors.
Getting a Handle On The SU-16
The SU-16 ergonomics are nice for a budget rifle. This is probably the best folding stock ever designed. I say that jokingly, but it’s supportive and comfortable. The length of pull is 13 â…œ inches. It’s not too long, but it’s not super short either. It feels fine for me.
The charging handle sits on the right side and reciprocates. It’s not how I’d set up a rifle, but it works for the most part. The magazine release and safety are easy to find. The safety can be engaged with the hammer down or up.
The gun does have a last-round bolt hold-open device, but manually locking the bolt open is tricky. The manual doesn’t adequately instruct you on how to do so. In front of the trigger, at the base of the magazine well, sits a small button. Pull the bolt back and press this button up to lock your bolt to the rear.
The bipod/handguard is nice and long, with a smooth nature. It’s not exceptional, but it’s workable. I’m impressed by the rifle’s weight. At 4.5 pounds unloaded, you get a very light and handy rifle that’s easy to tote and well-suited as a working gun.
To The Range
I tested the gun with two optics. First, I used the Burris 2-8X Fullfield to check its accuracy. I zeroed fairly quickly and hit the 100-yard line with some 55-grain .223 Rem. Nothing fancy, but this isn’t a fancy rifle. I wanted to check the zero before I did too much shooting because these rifles are somewhat famous for getting hot and losing precision.
At 100 yards, with a mostly cool barrel, I set up on a bag and bench. I didn’t use the bipod; we’ll discuss why in another section. With the magnification maxed out and the gun zeroed, I fired a few groups at some Sage Dynamics headshot targets.
My best group was 2.2 inches, but the gun hovered closer to 2.5 to 2.7 inches. Once the barrel got hot, it opened up to 3 inches, and I called it a day. The accuracy is fine enough for most applications, and I don’t expect a 1 MOA gun.
Interestingly, the trigger has a two-stage design, which is quite nice. It’s got a little bit of creep and is kind of of spongy.
More Than Meets the Eye
I removed the Burris from the gun and replaced it with a simple Bushnell TRS-25. I plan to keep the TRS-25 as the rifle’s optic. The red dot works better for my needs, and I have other plans for the Burris. The TRS-25 provides a simple but surprisingly rugged red dot.
I hit the ground running after a quick zero. The SU-16 might weigh only 4.5 pounds, but the gun doesn’t have much recoil to speak of. Most 5.56 rifles are easy recoiling, but the SU-16 has AR-like recoil in a lighter overall platform. The long-stroke gas piston does have a unique recoil impulse.
You can feel the piston racing forward as the gun completes its operations. This type of movement makes longer-range, rapidly fired, accurate shots more difficult.
A gun recoils rearward, with the muzzle rise pushing it upward. With the SU-16, we get that same impulse, followed by a slight forward-pushing impulse—back and up, the forward, and then we recover and get back on target.
It surprised me slightly as a shooter spoiled by the AR’s recoil and impulse. It’s not terrible, and it won’t make you a worse shooter, but it’s noticeable. What is evident is the lack of a muzzle device; the little 5.56 can create some flash.
The Cheap Gun Runs
The SU-16 uses AR-type magazines and comes with two. Unsurprisingly, the KelTec magazines feel very cheap, but they were problem-free. I tested the gun with Magpul P-Mags, Lancers, and ETS magazines and had no consistent malfunctions. Loading a full magazine, regardless of its capacity, on a closed bolt takes a sharp slap to seat the magazine.
Most of the ammo fired has been brass-cased 55-grain, but for fun, I shot a classic Tula .223 steel case, and then some standard M855. The gun seems to shoot whatever you put through it, with the Tula creating the only malfunction.
We had two failures to feed from a Lancer magazine. They were the top two rounds in the magazine, and the rest had no further failures.
Let’s talk about the handguard bipod. It works, but it works on the ground. It slips and slides around a table. If you give it a little oomph so it digs into the ground, it’s fine, but it will collapse easily. I wish it could lock in the forward position, and it would be a little more useful overall. It’s not suited for bench rest use.
Live Inventory Price Checker
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KelTec P17 .22lr Pistol, Blk - P17BLK | Palmetto State Armory | $ 299.99 $ 199.99 |
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KelTec P17 .22lr Pistol, Blk - P17BLK | Palmetto State Armory | $ 299.99 $ 199.99 |
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The Point
The SU-16 feels like it could be a solid ranch-type rifle. It’s a working gun that folds up and out of the way in a bag. It’s light, too, which makes it easy to carry and sling on your back. It’s suited for the truck, ATV, or side-by-side. The caliber and design make it well suited for dealing with coyotes, hogs, and critters like whistle pigs.
It’s an AR replacement, but a rifle that can do something significantly different than the AR. That’s where its value comes from, to me. I think it’s a great rifle and could be a great option if you can get it for under or at least near MSRP. I wouldn’t pay the $750 price tag I see bouncing around, but for $350 it’s a handy rifle.
About Travis Pike
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine Gunner, a lifelong firearms enthusiast, and now a regular guy who likes to shoot, write, and find ways to combine the two. He holds an NRA certification as a Basic Pistol Instructor and is the world’s Okayest firearms instructor.
The SU 16C is a better version. It has the option to fold behind the grip and the open top stock will fit over a 20 round metal mag. and can be fired folded. I also prefer the AR style forend.
the mere fact I have heard too many blow out the rear of the polymer receiver and render it not working with the rear of the bolt stuck out the gun. made me say,
“nope, not that interested, I’ll just stick with my AR’s or possibly a mini-14. those I know the failure points on those and it is not normally a severe receiver failure from polymer fatigue.”
The part about the magazines indeed is not very clearly written. The SU-16 will use virtually any AR-15 patterned magazine, and can indeed store a single, 30-round aluminum magazine in the stock.
Aside from its light weight, there is nothing positive to say about the Kel-Tec’s ergonomics and construction. It is held together by a lot of screws, so when one of my SU16s kept malfunctioning (failure to fire), I had to completely strip it down, which is much more involved than with an AR. I found round metal shavings in the gas tube and around the firing pin which were causing light primer strikes after only 50 rounds through the gun. I suspect they may have been copper shavings from the bullets when they passed under the gas hole. My theory is some of… Read more »
The part about the magazines is not very clearly written. But if I’m understanding this correctly, you can shoot it with a standard AR magazine, you just can’t store standard AR magazines in the stock. Is this correct?
Any gun that fires is better then no gun.
The groups out of this one seems exceptional compared to others I have shot.
It’s a concept gun that does things but none of them exceptionally well. That’s pretty much Keltec in a nutshell.
The stock hand guard that makes a bipod reminds me of the Jeff Cooper scout rifle concept that had a bipod built in the stock.
I often wondered if I could mod AR mags to fit in the buttstock but never got around to getting my hands on one. There are so many AR options these days it makes it a moot point to even mess with this.