# My Kel-Tec Sub2000 review



## Grenadier (Oct 25, 2006)

Borrowed a Kel-Tec Sub2000 from a friend last week, and had some fun plinking with it.  This folding carbine easily fits in a briefcase, and takes the same magazines that the Glock 17 uses (9 mm).  

While it may look cheap, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg, it's still a very well-made carbine.  I've used the following loads with it, without having any problems:

My standard fun shooting load, NATO-spec: 124 grain FMJ, 1200 fps (Alliant Power Pistol powder)

My light plinking load: 115 grain Rainier TCJ round nosed plated bullet, 1075 fps (VV N320 powder)

My 9 mm major load: 147 grain FMJ, 1200 fps (no joking, VV 3N38 powder)

The carbine was able to function with perfect reliability with all of the above loads, and especially seemed to enjoy my 9 mm major load.  All loads were fired using slowfire method.  I didn't do any rapid-fire or "spraying." 

Recoil is extremely mild, as expected.  

Accuracy was a neat, ragged hole (using a benchrest) at 25 yards, and I was actually getting pretty good accuracy up to 100 yards, just as the manual claimed.  No, it wasn't MOA accuracy, but was still reasonably good, and for combat purposes, more than "good enough."  While Kel-Tec claims that 200 yards is doable, I didn't try it, since at that range, rest assured, I'm grabbing the Bushmaster XM-15 or Remington 700.  

The sights were cheap-looking, but surprisingly easy to adjust, using an ordinary quarter.  

The manual was very well-written, and the illustrations were very well done.  

Looks like I may just very well pick up one for myself in the future, after tax returns.  While it's not my ideal home defense firearm, I wouldn't mind having one in the trunk of my car, since I do have several factory Glock 31 round 9 mm magazines.  

Like I said, it's not a true long-range gun, but for those situations where you don't have your long guns available, and you need some decent mid-range firepower, this could very well be a nice choice.  

After I had watched "Dawn of the Dead (2004)" on television recently, I got a good chuckle out of it, wondering why "Andy" (the gun store owner that was having fun picking off zombies with a beautiful Sig-Sauer rifle) wasn't using one of these for his plinking fun...


----------



## SFC JeffJ (Oct 25, 2006)

Any idea how it does with JHPs?

Jeff


----------



## Grenadier (Oct 25, 2006)

JeffJ said:


> Any idea how it does with JHPs?
> 
> Jeff


 

I did feed two magazines of hollowpoints through it.  One was a magazine of some old Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P JHP, and the other was a magazine of old Winchester 147 grain SXT JHP.  

Both functioned just fine in the carbine, but all of the shots were fired from 25 yards away with those loads.  From that distance, using a benchrest, accuracy was one "somewhat less ragged" hole, since the hollowpoints made neater circles.


----------



## SFC JeffJ (Oct 25, 2006)

Thanks!

I've been looking at those a little bit.  Looks like a fun and useful little gun.

Jeff


----------



## Grenadier (Oct 25, 2006)

Interesting find...  Now they say that you shouldn't use aluminum cased ammo in the Sub2000 carbine.  No big deal, since I always load my own plinking ammo, and if I ever need factory new ammo (fresh supply of cases), I'll buy Winchester USA from Wal Mart.  

It could, however, pose a problem for those who like to use CCI Blazer ammo for their plinking fun.


----------



## arnisandyz (Oct 25, 2006)

Thanks for the review.

I've been thinking about a cheap carbine to throw in the trunk. I was also looking a the ugly as sin HiPoint.


----------



## KenpoTex (Oct 25, 2006)

thanks for the info, I've toyed with the idea of getting one of those ever since they came out.  The idea of being able to use my glock mags is appealing.


----------



## SFC JeffJ (Oct 25, 2006)

arnisandyz said:


> Thanks for the review.
> 
> I've been thinking about a cheap carbine to throw in the trunk. I was also looking a the ugly as sin HiPoint.


Don't get the Hi-Point.  I know 3 people with em, and all of them have extraction problems that keep coming back.

Jeff


----------



## Grenadier (Oct 25, 2006)

kenpotex said:


> thanks for the info, I've toyed with the idea of getting one of those ever since they came out. The idea of being able to use my glock mags is appealing.


 
Just make sure that you get the model that will accept Glock magazines.  They actually make several different models.  Some accept Beretta magazines, some accept Sig magazines, some S&W, etc.


----------

