[LowKey]

I’m an AK guy in CA that wanted a featureless semi-auto .223/5.56 . I thoroughly enjoy the versatility of my 7615P, however wanted to venture into the semi-auto arena without getting caught up in the AR hype. I decided on a SU16-CA. Staying true to the light and nimble design, the only mods so far have been the MCARBO complete bundle and an Aimpoint T-1. Admittedly, I was a little concerned about the accuracy (lack thereof) reported on this forum. After 3 trips to an indoor range to dial it in, I’m very impressed. Final 3 shot group at 50 yards.

 

[urbanjeeper]

I was also very impressed with my CA after some modifications. I put the Red Lion Precision forend on, replaced the rear sight, front pin, and trigger. With 75gr ammo I was stacking rounds on eachother at 100 yards.

 

[fortti51]

See how you think about this firearm once your receiver cracks after a few hundred rounds.
Plastic is as plastic does.

 

[LowKey]

Very unfortunate indeed.

See how you think about this firearm once your receiver cracks after a few hundred rounds.
Plastic is as plastic does.

Very unfortunate indeed. What ammo were you shooting?
Thanks.

 

[fortti51]

Very unfortunate indeed.

Very unfortunate indeed. What ammo were you shooting?
Thanks.

American Eagle .223 50gr. Jacketed Hollow Points. Keltec did the right thing and sent me a new receiver and barrel. So I basically got a new rifle from them. I have only shot about 100 rounds thru this one with no issues. Unfortunately there are several old posts about receivers failing which makes my SU 16 my least favorite rifle. I live in NYS which severely limits my options regarding AR platforms as well as them costing about 50% more than in the rest of the country. Good luck with your firearm.

 

[urbanjeeper]

The receiver is made from Zytel, which is the same polymer used in many other firearm frames. To discredit it because it is a "plastic gun" is basically discrediting the modern firearms industry. Sorry you got a lemon, it can happen, but the SU-16 is an excellent rifle.

Out of the box mine needed a replacement screw and a few of them needed tightening. Makes me wonder of yours did too and maybe you missed it, because loose parts can and will break themselves. Yeah, sucks that you have to pay attention to those things, but that's on quality control, and doesn't have much to do with the material chosen.

 

[nimbly]

IWI Tavor or X95, and Styer AUGs are plastic. From what I understand a lot of people have owned a lot of SU16s and didn't have this happen. Kinda like a lot of people owned Toyotas that didn't drive away on their own.

 

[fortti51]

Lots of different plastics out there. Sorry if I offended any KT fanboys but if your receiver cracked you would be a tad disappointed with the product and the company.
Yup, lots of Toyota's didn't drive away on their own but some did and Toyota knew about the problem months before disclosing it. Per ABC news 3/19/2014, "Car manufacturer Toyota has agreed to pay a staggering $1.2 billion to avoid prosecution for covering up severe safety problems with “unintended acceleration,” according to court documents, and continuing to make cars with parts the FBI said Toyota "knew were deadly"."
Do I suspect KT knew they had a problem with some receivers? Yes because when I called them and explained that my receiver had broken the customer service employee did not seem a bit surprised. It was as if she had heard this story many times before. You can also Google problems with KelTec products and see the many threads that appear. Not so with other manufacturers of firearms. I would thus propose that they are a bit slack with their QC.
Their rushing of products to market combined with meager quality control means that they are not considered by most gun enthusiasts as a viable source of product.

 

[urbanjeeper]

Sales numbers say otherwise. You got a lemon and jumped on the internet hate-train. Makes sense. I would, however, encourage you to stress test your replacement from Kel-Tec. Doesn't matter how many yankee youtubers say "Kel-Tec is junk", they are one of the largest manufacturers with top sales numbers, and that's not because they sell junk products.

 

[LowKey]

In the spirit of maintaining light weight simplicity, completed the bipod hack and polished the bolt carrier over the weekend. Also started to assemble a spare parts and cleaning kit to store in one of the OEM mags. My AK's are a bit jealous.

 

[nimbly]

I suppose Toyota was a pretty bad analogy. That recall issue had killed 89 people. As far as I can find, no Kel-Tec has ever killed or injured someone due to a failure. I entirely agree that the broken receivers are worrying. But I imagine if the numbers of rifles sold versus the number that failed like this were published the number would be pretty insignificant. People are 10 times more likely to complain than to complement. I don't take customer service seemingly knowing about the issue as evidence that it is wide spread. The 99,999 people that have the rifle and never have an issue aren't going to call them. It is the 1 in 100,000 that calls. And they fix them. The In the FAQ the moderator had emailed KT and asked about the issue. They replied to him (early 2012) that the rear of the receiver had been reinforced. Kel-Tec, like any company bringing out new products are bound to have issues. Remington comes to mind. But if you google it, practically every company has had recalls.

I have an SU16C on layaway and I have had several pistols through the years. I carry an SD9 Smith and Wesson. Not in any way because I don't trust Kel-Tec 100%, I have just got fat enough to hide a bigger gun.

 

[LowKey]

After 300 rounds I decided to break down the rifle for a thorough cleaning, and polishing of the bottom of the bolt carrier. I’m amazed at how simple a field and detailed strip are for this rifle. Re-assembly was a breeze. Just ordered a Tech-Sights rear site for backup to the Aimpoint.

 

[nimbly]

Tech Sights look great. That is totally the way to go with the SU. No sense in buying a sub 5lb rifle then loading it down with stuff. You should let us know your impressions of the sights. Install, zero, quality.

 

[LowKey]

Tech Sights look great. That is totally the way to go with the SU. No sense in buying a sub 5lb rifle then loading it down with stuff. You should let us know your impressions of the sights. Install, zero, quality.

Any recommendations on sighting in the Techs?

 

[nimbly]

Order a cheap .223 bore laser off ebay. That should get you pretty close. Of course you will probably have to make minor adjustments for what ammo you use and what range and such.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-CAL-223...298415&hash=item2ee7618a7c:g:XSAAAOSwYIxX9xRz

 

[nimbly]

See how you think about this firearm once your receiver cracks after a few hundred rounds.
Plastic is as plastic does.

KT has made the gun for 20 years and how many have broken? Literally like a handful? They supposedly had an issue with their molding process in a batch of rifles. Statistically speaking, the chances of your rifle being defective are pretty slim. You were just unlucky.

 

[joc1212]

Lots of different plastics out there. Sorry if I offended any KT fanboys but if your receiver cracked you would be a tad disappointed with the product and the company.
Yup, lots of Toyota's didn't drive away on their own but some did and Toyota knew about the problem months before disclosing it. Per ABC news 3/19/2014, "Car manufacturer Toyota has agreed to pay a staggering $1.2 billion to avoid prosecution for covering up severe safety problems with “unintended acceleration,” according to court documents, and continuing to make cars with parts the FBI said Toyota "knew were deadly"."
Do I suspect KT knew they had a problem with some receivers? Yes because when I called them and explained that my receiver had broken the customer service employee did not seem a bit surprised. It was as if she had heard this story many times before. You can also Google problems with KelTec products and see the many threads that appear. Not so with other manufacturers of firearms. I would thus propose that they are a bit slack with their QC.
Their rushing of products to market combined with meager quality control means that they are not considered by most gun enthusiasts as a viable source of product.

then you should consider purchasing some other manufacturers product/

 

[joc1212]

I was also very impressed with my CA after some modifications. I put the Red Lion Precision forend on, replaced the rear sight, front pin, and trigger. With 75gr ammo I was stacking rounds on eachother at 100 yards.

WHAT BRAND 75 GRAIN AMMO WERE YOU USING TO BET SUCH GREAT GROUPS??