I'm looking for a ~$500 plinker. Anyone care to share their experiences. I'm aware of the Keltec reputation. But I'm also happy PF9 owner. Cheers!
I've put over 10,000 rounds though my Charlie model, mostly green tip .556. No misfires or jams, never cleaned the action. Just the bore. Been great rifle.
I have mixed feelings about AR's in general. Spent a small fortune on them and I do love the look and feel but they do have their drawbacks. My Rock River Predator Pursuit, Bushmaster A3 and Palmetto AR's all need a good cleaning every 500 rounds or they start to get finicky. Grit free internally and lightly oiled they sing. Crusty they croak. Sub zero temperatures seem to make it worse. Cleaning every 150-200 rounds to keep em going reliably. The little SU16C simply never needs cleaning. Might be ugly (to some) but's very reliable in all temperatures. 2 drops of oil on the bolt face before you put it back in the safe is about it. I clean the bore every couple thousand rounds but never need to take the action apart or clean it. If you do get one buy yourself a factory short fore end grip, it's rock solid unlike than that weird fold out bipod thing. Not the rife to build a 200 yd tack driver out of but for plinking and fun it's fantastic.
I like the way this guy modified his. Before I got my mini 14 (which I'm very pleased with) I was looking seriously at the SU16.
Yeah that's the fore grip I was suggesting. Comfortable and solid. Has a rail on the bottom too. The angled deflector charging handle will keep hot brass from pelting the guy next to you on the range. The collapsible AR style stock is a factory Kel Tec part but eliminates the fold down feature of the Charlie model which I personally like. One complaint albeit minor is some of the polymer magazines like Mag Pul don't fit through the opening in the folding stock. The base is too wide. As a result so you have to remove the mag before folding or deploying the stock. All the standard AR 20 and 30 rd steel mags fold just fine. The surefire 80 round doesn't allow folding with the mag in place but it's still fun. Especially if you've got a bunch of cheapo wolf ammo to burn off! These guns just devour steel case ammo.
No - but now I know I can strike if the right deal comes along. One of the things that appeals to me also is the packabilty. Im a little curious about the "not a 200 yd tack driver"statement. What kind group size @ 200 yd can one expect if I do my part?
I can hit 12" steel gongs at 200 yds fairly easily with the SU-16C but 3" clays at that range are difficult. For a lightweight compact rifle is does just fine with an entry level scope and generic rings. If you want to shoot 200 yds or more accurately a heavyweight bull barrel rifle with fixed stock, good optics and bipod would perform better. Downside is heavy weight, length and 4x the cost with quality optics.
