KEL TEC SUB-2000 GEN 2 REVIEWED

While the Kel-Tec name may be controversial in many circles, there’s one thing that no one will dispute: They are amongst the most innovative gun manufacturers on the planet. From their double-stacked PMR pistol that, in the USA, packs 31 rounds of .22 Magnum power in a svelte handgun frame to the new RDB, a downward-ejecting bullpup rifle that runs 5.56mm NATO and is entirely ambidextrous, Kel-Tec’s lineup is undeniably avante garde. Unfortunately, that has led to some issues in the past, as creating brand new firearm designs while working with new materials and assembly techniques can lead to a sort of “innovation overload” that more evolutionary companies never encounter. But nonetheless it’s hard to fault a company for preferring revolutionary designs over evolutionary ones, and one of Kel-Tec’s most appreciated designs was this: The Sub 2000.

Why do we say was? Because this isn’t the same Sub 2000 people have to know, love, and fold in half. No, this is the all-new second generation Sub 2000, which benefits from a few significant design changes. The most obvious of these changes is the revised handguard and receiver assemblies. Long gone is the old gun’s chunky 80’s-style box forend that would have looked at home in a Robocop movie, replaced by a much slimmer handguard that now boasts railed top and bottom sections,  as well as five M-Lok compatible slots on each side. The receiver has been made more ergonomic as well. The pistol grip is thinner, the backstrap features a pair of bevels around the thumb area, and the ejection port is 40% to aid in reliability. Furthermore, the stock and receiver both feature more sling attachment points, and the stock itself is now adjustable with three different length of pull settings. And of course, the texturing has been altered from its old checkering to the raised blocks pattern found on the KSG and RFB… and probably all future Kel-Tec guns.

Mechanically, the function of the gun remains unchanged; it is still a blowback-operated pistol calibre carbine. However, there have been some functional changes beyond that larger ejection port, including a much-needed adjustment to the front sight assembly. Long gone is the ridiculously overwrought hooded sight, replaced by a much slicker (and simpler) piece that features an AR-15 front sight post that is adjustable for elevation and windage, and when folded the rifle no longer uses the front sight as a component in the latching mechanism. Now, when folded, the latch on the buttstock assembly grabs onto the front of the handguard. That makes it a lot stronger when folded and keeps the front sight from getting knocked about in transport. In fact, the US version of the Sub 2000 actually folds in such a manner that the front sight falls into a nice little protective pocket within the stock assembly when the stock is fully extended. However, as the US rifle features a 16.25” barrel that would prevent the rifle from earning a non-restricted status north of the border, our Canadian rifles’ front sights fall a couple inches aft of that pocket when folded, unfortunately. Finally, the barrel features 1/2x28 threading at the muzzle, protected by a factory-issued thread protector. Obviously in the USA this would help with suppressor fitment, but up here it’s more of a convenience for anyone looking to attack a muzzle device of some sort.

In terms of models, all of the first Sub 2000s available are Glock-fed versions in 9mm, however Kel Tec has big plans for this rifle. Due to its forebear’s massive popularity, Kel Tec has prioritized the Sub 2000’s production, so more Sub 2000s are being made now than ever before (which is how Canada’s shipment managed to roll out to retailers almost simultaneously with American retailers’ shipments) and future plans include up to 10 different models of the Sub 2000. Kel-Tec is remaining tight-lipped about specifics, but it is expected that at least some of those models will come from Sig-, Beretta-, and Smith & Wesson M&P-magazine fed models in both 9mm and .40 S&W. We also expect to see at least a couple different colours roll out eventually as well, as is Kel-Tec’s custom.

To break the rifle down, one follows a process similar to that of the old Sub 2000; confirm the gun is empty, rack the bolt, and place the gun on safe. Then, placing slight forward pressure on the buttstock, the pin affixing the stock to the receiver tube is pushed out. The stock is then slid off the rear of the rifle, followed by the captive action spring that resides inside the bolt. To complete disassembly, the bolt handle is pulled out of the bolt body, and the bolt and buffer can be slid out of the receiver. The buffer simply dovetails into the tail of the bolt, and the entire assembly can be cleaned and reassembled in just a few short minutes due to the overall simplicity of the action.

Overall, blowback-operated firearms are at once reliable, and unreliable. Reliable, because they have so few moving parts that there’s not much inside to break, but unreliable because the window of pressure in which they work is oftentimes quite small. Think of a blowback-operated rimfire rifle. There are hotter rounds that’ll beat it up internally, just-right rounds that will cycle reliably, and too-slow rounds that won’t cycle at all. Thankfully, upgrading to a centrefire round like this broadens the window of pressures within which the rifle operates properly, but does add one particular downside in the form of an action that open faster than a conventional locking-type action. In fact, the bolt in a Sub 2000 will have moved five millimetres rearward by the time the bullet exits the barrel, meaning that while pressures in the chamber will have dropped to safe level before the bolt properly opens, it still opens fast enough to coat a left-handed shooter with unburned (but bloody hot) powder.

Barring that relatively unpleasant experience the Sub 2000 impressed on the range. Coming out of the box and getting little more than a quick wipe-down and lubing with RemOil, it sent about a thousand rounds of mixed FMJ 9mm ammunition downrange with no serious changes in accuracy or point of impact regardless of how many times we folded and unfolded it. Admittedly, we didn’t bother putting any sort of sighting apparatus on the Sub 2000’s new railed handguard, so chances are any changes in point of impact or group size were masked by the rifle’s relatively basic sight arrangement. However much as that could have helped us in our testing, we weren’t keen to stick any sort of optic on the rifle as we suspect most users won’t as it prevents the rifle from being folded in half. We did, however, attempt to mount a Shield Minisight on a 45 degree offset mount in an effort to create an optic-equipped Sub 2000 that could still fold in half, but back-ordered mounts proved that plan’s undoing. Nonetheless, we soldiered on and threw a few rounds at paper, and found the gun averaged between two and three inches at 50 yards. With an optic, ammunition tailored to the gun, and some slight trigger work to clean up the heavy 7.5-pound pull, we’d expect to see those groups cut in half.

But, we expect this gun will see a lot more use as a plinking gun than a tack driver, so we loaded up a few spare G17 mags with a mix of Federal, Remington, and Barnaul 9mm ammunition, and used the Sub 2000 in that aforementioned role as a plinker. And in that role, it excels. The 18.5” barrel throws 9mm rounds downrange at seriously high velocities (right around 1500 feet per second) which in turn means some pretty stout muzzle energies that actually approach those of a .357 Magnum, sitting right around 550-600 foot-pounds. So, when you laser a pop can with a 9mm out of the Sub 2000, you get some pretty good theatrics, and whacking a steel plate even out to 100 yards rewards with a very audible ringing noise. However, for all the power it commands (which is definitely no laughing matter), it has little to no recoil and the length of the barrel works wonders are quieting down the normal crack of the little 9mm round. If only we could thread a suppressor onto that threaded muzzle, we’d have one seriously fun, no hearing-protection-required camping rifle.

We should also note that beyond that relative lack of recoil, the Sub 2000’s recent changes make it an excellent rifle for newer or smaller shooters, as the controls are easy to manipulate with a light touch (the safety specifically requires very little effort and snaps on and off with authority) and the smaller profile of the handguard and pistol grip make it easy for small hands to grasp. Also, it weighs just over four pounds, making it easily carried and shouldered by the smallest of shooters. The only problem is the effort required to rack the bolt. Being a blowback design the Sub 2000 has a seriously stout action spring and is difficult to rack as a result. Even the larger of Calibre’s staff found the combination of the stout spring and charging handle’s awkward location to be a real pain to operate.

Throughout testing, we did little more than squirt a bit of G96 into the action, but were rewarded with 100% reliability. And if we’re honest, reliability has always been the bugaboo with Kel-Tec products. Searching around and contacting other individuals that have tested or procured their own Sub 2000 Gen 2, we’ve learned that our experience is not isolated either, but is the norm for this particular rifle. Furthermore, due to the new design of the handguard, we’ve learned that Kel-Tec can now produce up to 700 of these rifles every week; a massive improvement over the 300-per-week they were capable of making of the first generation design. That change is the result of a cleaner and simpler handguard that is more easily molded, and requires no hand fitting, unlike the old molded piece that required the finished piece be cleaned up by hand. Overall, this rifle takes the revolutionary design of the last generation Sub 2000, and applies the lessons of conventional firearm evolution to it. Its slicker, easier to manufacture and use, and more reliable as a result.

And now for the golden question: Is this new Sub 2000 worth the $600ish asking price? If you’re right handed, and put a premium on rifles that can be brought along without occupying too much space, absolutely. With a 45 degree mount affixed to the top rail mountaing a lightweight red dot like our Shield Minisight, and maybe a light and/or laser on the bottom rail, this would make a campground pinker of almost unparalleled awesomeness. Lightweight, compact, but still commanding some pretty serious power, it should make for the ultimate backpack gun, and its user-friendly nature and unassuming stature should make it a great gun for first-time shooters to graduate to once they’ve cut their teeth on rimfire rifles. Which is precisely why we’re buying this one!