Kel-Tec Sub 2000 , anyone have one?

Joined
Feb 12, 2011
Messages
919
Likes
36
Location
Western MA
Feedback: 20 / 0 / 0
I am fairly sure this had to have been asked before but couldn't find it, anyway, I was considering one of the Kel-Tec Sub 2000's in 9mm and was curious if anyone has one and what they thought of it? It LOOKS neat, but as we all know looks can be deceiving so before I go out and get one, I wanted to do this little bit of "homework" on itsince so far I have never been steered wrong on NES! [grin]
 
I bought an early one, shot it twice and sold it. The front sight is a joke and it was too light and felt like a toy. YMMV
 
I have one and love it. I actually shoot it in a local carbine class once a month. The sights are plastic but the sight picture is great. Folded, it fits in a large handgun rug. It's a fantastic car gun for trips where possession of a handgun is a problem.

Finally, thirty round Glock 18 mags Are cheap and run great.

Don.

Oh yeah because of the bbl length 9mm rounds end up running 300 FPS faster, well into .357 mag territory.
 
I have one and like it. You have to know what your buying it for. Its a inexpensive folding carbine for 300 dollars. I have a cx4 that's leaps and bounds better, but at twice the cost. I'd buy the keltec again. It shares mags with my 92 inox and cx4. The front sight is kinda junky but if you like the gun there are different front sights you can put on. I like the fact it fits in my laptop bag. The barrels very easy to clean cause it folds in half! On the bad its got alot of plastic on the gun
 
That was my biggest "issue" with the Sub 2000, the amount of plastic on it, that front sight is seeming to be it biggest issue though. I was thinking about it as an inexpensive "plinker" but am still undecided. Hmmmm
 
Warning, there is no "granular adjustability" of that front sight. Loosen it and it "falls down", so no way to "tweak it" to where you want it. It's by pure dumb luck if you ever try to change the height.

Someone made/sold a machined front sight for it, but at $80 for a $300 gun there is no way that I felt it was worth the money.

I don't "backpack" and can always carry a handgun, so it didn't fit any need. I bought it because it looked cool but was very disappointed with it, so I listed it on NES and sold it to someone on the North Shore with no regrets a number of years ago.
 
I have one, absolutely love it. I consider the lightness to be a plus. Cleaning is fairly easy although getting the bolt back it hasn't been as easy as they say.

I just need to get a fun stick for it...
 
It's Kel-tec quality for sure. It feels like a plastic POS, but it works, folds up, and takes Glock mags.

If you can find one for under $300 with some mags, it's a fun range toy. Nothing more.
 
Warning, there is no "granular adjustability" of that front sight. Loosen it and it "falls down", so no way to "tweak it" to where you want it. It's by pure dumb luck if you ever try to change the height.

Someone made/sold a machined front sight for it, but at $80 for a $300 gun there is no way that I felt it was worth the money.

I don't "backpack" and can always carry a handgun, so it didn't fit any need. I bought it because it looked cool but was very disappointed with it, so I listed it on NES and sold it to someone on the North Shore with no regrets a number of years ago.

I disagree. If you loosen it a lot it falls down. But if you just loosen it a bit, you can bump it up or down with the edge of a set of needle nose pliers. It took me about 10 minutes to get it sighted in.

I love this gun because it folds up as small as a large handgun but when open is a carbine. Even highly skilled pistol shooters can shoot a carbine much faster and with much greater accuracy. Its a great little defensive gun.

It is what it is. The KelTek of carbines. That means its a little untraditional with some obvious cost cutting measures visible where they don't really affect performance. And if it doesn't run right KelTek's excellent customer service will make it right.

I called KelTek recently because with the gun sighted in the front sight blade was not perfectly centered in the mount. The gentleman was very helpful and confirmed that it would be fixed at no cost to me despite the fact that I'm the third owner of the gun. I mentioned to him that the gun shot better than my MP5. I told him that with my Bill Springfield modified MP5 trigger, the KelTek was heavy by comparison. He offered to have the gunsmith bring the trigger down to the minimum standard pull for that gun.

I haven't sent it in yet, but am very happy with the help I received on the phone.

Don

p.s. as a point of reference here are trigger pulls as measured on my digital lyman gauge

unmodified MP5 10 1/2 lbs
unmodified KelTek 6.5 lbs

bill springfield modified HK trigger 5.0 lbs
 
I have one in .40, takes mags from my G22. I love it. Nothing compares to it even at twice the price. and with enegy of a .41 mag, it will take care of any 2 or 4 legged predators around here.
 
Sometimes a company figures out a way to make something inexpensively and not compromise on functionality. I truly believe the Sub2000 is one of those kinds of guns. Sure you can SEE that its a cheap gun. But once you start shooting it, it doesn't shoot like a cheap gun.

I strongly suggest the slip on stock pad. Not that there's much recoil, but it just feels nicer and also lengthens the length of pull a bit.
 
I admit I am still interested in the Sub 2000, only other thing out there slightly like it would be another KelTec, the SU16A in 5.56/223, but again, it is double the price. I think I am still leaning toward the Sub2000 though.
 
one of my favorite to shoot. i have turned down multiple offers to sell it. for a carbine it keeps impressive groups. it does look stupid but it fold in half and i keep it in a pistol case and thats just cool.
 
To me the big difference is the caliber. I can reload 9mm for $6/box.

If you don't reload, .223 wolf is not any more than 9mm wolf. At least not by much.

Also, I can shoot a 9mm carbine at ranges that are only set up to handle pistol rounds, which includes most indoor ranges near me.

Don

p.s. Business - I keep mine in a rug I bought for my 629 revolver. Thats part of the reason i think its such a great car/truck gun.
 
p.s. Business - I keep mine in a rug I bought for my 629 revolver. Thats part of the reason i think its such a great car/truck gun.

Its very versatile in a SHTF scenario grab that and a glock and a box of ammo and your still just humping your bug out bag. I'd be apt to buy another one if it crossed my path for a reasonable price
 
Its crazy. I was going to offer the group a deal if I could get 4 or 5 people who wanted one. I was thinking $320 shipped to ffl of your choice, but I just checked my 2 suppliers. Neither has any in stock and all the ones that use Glock mags are on Allocation.

This is crazy. I don't think of this as a popular gun. I really don't get it. I think a second Obama gun buying panic is starting to set in. I'm seeing guns that are generally commonly available, like the Ruger LC9 becoming hard to get. (I bought a bunch of them on special last month and mentioned it on an FFL only web site. This morning I had a dealer from Tennessee call me and offer to buy them for more than I was selling them for at retail a month ago!!)

Obama is going to be named gun salesman of the year again in 2012.
 
Its crazy. I was going to offer the group a deal if I could get 4 or 5 people who wanted one. I was thinking $320 shipped to ffl of your choice, but I just checked my 2 suppliers. Neither has any in stock and all the ones that use Glock mags are on Allocation.

This is crazy. I don't think of this as a popular gun. I really don't get it. I think a second Obama gun buying panic is starting to set in. I'm seeing guns that are generally commonly available, like the Ruger LC9 becoming hard to get. (I bought a bunch of them on special last month and mentioned it on an FFL only web site. This morning I had a dealer from Tennessee call me and offer to buy them for more than I was selling them for at retail a month ago!!)

Obama is going to be named gun salesman of the year again in 2012.

Kel-Tec isn't known for their ability to keep up with demand. On top of that, the North-East distributors are last on the list for inventory from what I hear.
 
I don't use any Northeast distributors.

Davidsons is in Prescott AZ and RSR is national, with locations in TX, NV, FL, and NY.
All Sub2Ks are out of stock. Some are on allocation.

I would actually also disagree with KTs ability to keep up with demand. They typically have a hard time when they roll out new product. But once things settle down, do a reasonable job keeping the funnel full.

Don
 
hey Kirk...

Yep, got one in 9mm, I like it, just like the others have said, fun at the range and very easy to pack and conseal. Another cheap carbine that is an absolute homerun for the money is the Hi Point carbine
 
hey Kirk...

Yep, got one in 9mm, I like it, just like the others have said, fun at the range and very easy to pack and conseal. Another cheap carbine that is an absolute homerun for the money is the Hi Point carbine

Thanks for that Jack, it isn't like I plan on hunting with it anyway, just as a range plinker really.
 
i wish the butt stock wasn't so short on the sub2k's

Im trying to find a cheap Kel-Tec SU16 CA model (the California variant) cause it folds up just like the sub2k but its the 5.56 .
 
The only issue I have ever seen was one or two reports of some of the guns cracking right by the hinge. I believe one had a serious crack, and the other ended up in two pieces. Only saw it mentioned twice, everyone else seems happy.
 
hey Kirk...

Yep, got one in 9mm, I like it, just like the others have said, fun at the range and very easy to pack and conseal. Another cheap carbine that is an absolute homerun for the money is the Hi Point carbine

Agreed, a friend of mine owns an indoor range in Guilford, CT. After using a couple of hi-points as rentals for several years, they started to act up. Each had tens of thousands of rounds down it. He sent them back to HP with a request for them to quote him a price to make them work. After a couple of weeks he got them back. Total charge $0 On inspection, it looked liek they throughthly cleaned the bbl and replaced all the fire control parts.

But the hi-point doesn't fold. Thats the only way the keltek is far superior.
 
I've put probably close to a thousand rounds through mine in 9mm and I still enjoy shooting it. Its light, easy to use, and has a good enough sight picture to be very effective at distances of 50 yards or less. For some reason though not everyone can get the hang of shooting this gun. If you have trouble getting a good sight picture and cheek weld on sub guns, then this isn't the gun for you because its not designed to be ergonomic but instead handy. If I handed mine to 10 experienced shooters I'm betting only around 4 would be able to effectively shoot it.

My advice is try one before you buy one. You'll either love it or hate it.
 
I find it a fun little carbine.

Minuses : It's a cheap gun. It's a Keltec. Thin plastic paradise, with sharp edges all around the magwel area.
Pluses: It's a cheap gun. You can find some nifty upgrade parts for the charge handle, buffer tube, trigger, recoil assembly, and front sight for short money. Interchangeable Glock magazines.

I never bothered messing with my front sight, I just "know" it shoots a hair low and to the right. Standing and plinking from the line I can put 10 rounds all into the black (about 5-6" group at 100 yards) w/ 115gr Winchester white box.
 
I finally got to try out the KelTec sub2000 , I am not so sure it IS for me, couldn't get a cheek weld to save my life with it, for some reason I just couldn't get a sight picture that I am used to, if that makes any sense at all. I will say that it is light, and that it would be nice for that bug out bag. just don't think I'll be grabbing a new one any time soon, but might grab a used one if the price was low enough just to play with. Thanks for all the input folks, it was VERY much appreciated and helpful! [grin]
 
I finally got to try out the KelTec sub2000 , I am not so sure it IS for me, couldn't get a cheek weld to save my life with it, for some reason I just couldn't get a sight picture that I am used to, if that makes any sense at all. I will say that it is light, and that it would be nice for that bug out bag. just don't think I'll be grabbing a new one any time soon, but might grab a used one if the price was low enough just to play with. Thanks for all the input folks, it was VERY much appreciated and helpful! [grin]

Did anyone mention High Point 9mm carbine......[grin]
 
Yeah they did Jack, [wink] I may see if I can try one out sometime soon and see what it is like.

Same here. Wasnt a big fan of the sub2000. I could get a decent cheek weld and sight picture and my groups werent too bad, but it just wasnt for me. Been wanting to try out a 995 for a while tho
 
Back
Top Bottom