Kel Tec continues to introduce more and more new SKUs to its catalog without ever seeming to devote any resources to actually manufacturing the boatload of products they already claim to supply. The newest unicorn in their lineup is the RDB bullpup rifle, shown here in its steel-and-wood M43 variant. Feast your eyes on it here (if you need to) because odds are you’ll never see one on the shelf of your LGS . . .
In addition to sporting the ugliest spot welds I’ve seen since my own 8th grade Metal Shop class, the M43 also ‘features’ an AK muzzle device and bayonet, along with a flimsy sheet-metal front sight post that probably can’t survive contact with the inside of a gun safe, much less contact with the enemy.
All of this chintziness won’t matter unless Kel Tec actually starts manufacturing the vaporware it designs. Since this would actually be a good thing (many other Kel Tec designs are quite clever) I’m going to hope they prove me wrong. Judging by the perpetual scarcity of the KSG and PMR-30 and RFB and SUB-2000, however, I’m not holding my breath.
In all fairness (and unlike Remington, *cough, cough*) Kel Tec did have several guns running at Media Day At The Range on Monday, and they survived hordes of press people burning through thousands of rounds of ammo without any problems that we noticed.
Even if he were right about the essence of the right, limits and all that…he is dead wrong about political reality.
Chances are we will never have completely libertarian gun laws. But say the anti-gunners want F, and you only want B, you may well have to settle for D, in between. But if you push for A, even if you only want B, you might get C.
The thing is you always start off asking for more than you actually are trying to get. By letting the other guy have room to negotiate, you make him feel like he has accomplished something too. But you also obtain something closer to what you want.
It’s so ugly that I love it. I want one.
It kinda reminds me of the British rifle, the L85 I believe? Not sure on the name.
I was really hoping for the headline “Keltec uses 3D printing to increase production 100 fold!”
…And then I returned to reality and bought something else.
Did Dick receive a blow to the head? The boy’s not thinking right.
I kind of like the barebones simplicity of it. Needs an aftermarket replacement for that front sight though.
Why are they introducing new products when you can’t find any of their current offerings? Most companies introduce new products to keep consumers interested. Kel-Tec has the interest, they just don’t have the quantity.
Agreed on the sightpost thing – otherwise the utilitarian aesthetic is pretty cool. I wish it was 7.62X39 and not 5.56NATO though.
I think Kel-Tec could make an absolute killing if they just operated as a design house and just outsourced/licensed their production.
There’s a market here to be exploited. If Ruger backs out, someone will step into the gap and take advantage of a market that’s now free of a major competitor.
If I were rich beyond imagination, I’d tool up tomorrow to start making and selling CA compliant guns.
This is the best update and seriously summarizes my views on Kel-Tec. Oh word, you’ve got a cool design? I can’t wait till a competent company produces something similar!
If Kel-Tec were smart, they’d use this new appreciation for folded sheet metal and make modernized AK knockoffs 😛
I blame Obamacare – they need to stay below the 50 employee cap so they can’t hire additional help to manufacture. That’s my theory I’m sticking to it.
I have the Viridian and while it performs like it should it has active circuitry so it eats up the battery even when its not in use. For a nightstand gun its best to just have the flashlight on your accessory rail.
Call me lewd, but I want to see this thing’s insides.
I’ve always wondered why no one had a downward ejecting bullpup…
Because normally the magazine is in the way. The P90 got around that by putting the magazine on the top of the gun. This Kel-Tec gets around it by having a super long bolt travel to drop the case behind the mag. But if you look at basically any semi auto firearm, the ejection port is aligned (in terms of front to back placement on the gun) with the magazine and obviously they can’t occupy the same space.
The main appeal here is that because it’s a rimfire it’s still legal in CT, though you can’t buy the full capacity magazines for it.
At a gunstore stocked with Kel Tec products, a unicorn could come down from the clouds and rap The Gettysburg Address, and no one would notice.
I bought my Sig P220 new back in 1997. At the time, I made about $10 an hour and could hardly go out and spend $800 (at the time) like it was nothing. Still, rather than buy an “almost as good” pistol for less, I put it on layaway. After a few months, I finally had it in my hands. The accuracy out of the box was awesome. It still points and shoots like a dream, and it feeds everything perfectly. I would say that now, I have probably just shy of 18,000 rounds through it. It’s dinged in places and shows holster wear. You can tell that it has been carried daily and used almost weekly for over a decade by looking at it. But she’s still sexy and works perfectly. As far as sidearms go, I trust this one with my life and my family’s lives. If you can purchase only one pistol for defense, you have to ask yourself what your life is worth. To me, the decision was easy; pay more to get more. To me, nothing but the best would do. I’m glad I saved and made the right decision to get the one right tool. The Sig P220 is the best.
I just cant see why people shoot these animals!! Im a hunter and have been for YEARS. But I shoot a duck, deer, pheasant ect and I eat them. That is what hunting is about, to put food on the table! To see people kill a Lion, elephant ect sickens me! These are really beautiful animals and are rare and people kill them for sport! I cant wrap my head around it, I have seen videos of “hunts” and really they are rich assholes that get on a jeep in africa, drive up to the game, shoot it and stuff it. Really?!?!?! killing something for a trophy.
I’ve got the MVP Predator in .223. Lovely weapon and very accurate. No complaints though I’d have loved to have iron sights also. I’d seriously look at one of these in .308.
Ugh! A site I follow through Twitter quoted a Kel-Tec representative that claimed that this rifle will be $2K to $3k! I REALLY hope that guy was wrong as I really would like one of these rifles… but hell… for that money I’ll just buy a Tavor.
And looks to be “available” in silver and red….
It looks like a very good design and it’s actually something “new” in the firearm world. The locking mechanism is like nothing before it. (at least that I am aware of) I’m willing to be patient for a little longer. There is a very good chance it will be worth the wait.
You don’t need us, Dick. You’ve done plenty of damage to the Second Amendment on your own.
so, we don’t know what country manufactured them, then it’s “whoever manufactured them” and finally in the part 2 it’s “The DTO purposefully cloned the weapons”
another ATF operation to feed their domestic story lines, can’t trust any of them….complete with the “DO NOT DISSEMINATE”…everything is released eventually and with FOIA.
the cobray 37mm FL has no rifling = worthless, I’d like to see if the 40mm clone does: an inaccurate GL is a worthless GL.
“The first is that whoever manufact
ured the firearms was attempting to maximize
profits by cloning a true military grade Colt firearm. Actual military weapons are extremely
difficult for the DTOs to acquire, and they are
willing to pay top dollar for them. A second
possible reason is that the DT
O purposely cloned the weapons
as Colt M16A2 rifles because
these weapons are issued to the Mexican Armed Fo
rces and some law enforcement units.
An Aimpoint reticle washed out by some petty thing like this “sun” you speak of? We’ll all be dead due to supernova before my PRO battery dies, and it would take the power of ten suns (and 75 virgins) to wash out my red dot!
edit above for the math. 54 total rounds of .45 Winchester 230 grain.
They’re waiting on the ATF, not an importer. Confirmed at the booth yesterday.
I like it, especially like the ability to break it down for carry.
Attero Arms Alpha mount is a better solution for red dot optics for the AK IMO. Also allows co-witness and dust cover removal without optic removal.
I have a 50-110 express model 86 deluxe Winchester lever and I’ve always wanted a Shloh 77 large caliber rifle as they are a real rifle and very historic!
I’m not into 1911s, but this one is nice enough and “different” enough and not too terribly expensive (as they go) that I’m fairly interested.
the officer never mentioned the CWL, he probably has some back door access to the background check records. Even in florida , if he bought the gun new, he went through the background check.
Honestly, does anybody think that hey don’t have/keep those records?
I think the gentleman assumed that they knew because of the CWL .
Get an old Garrand and haul it all over Montanna hillsides for a week or so, and you will know exactly why you should get one of these. That and saving the end of your load thumb every time you get low on ammo ..
Robert Seddon