Kel-Tec
| Kel-Tec Logo | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Firearms |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Headquarters | Cocoa, Florida |
Key people | George Kellgren, Owner & Chief Engineer |
| Website | www.keltecweapons.com |
Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc. is a United States manufacturer of firearms. Founded in 1991 and based in Cocoa, Florida, the company has manufactured firearms since 1995, starting with small, affordable semi-automatic pistols[1] and expanding to rifles and then shotguns. Kel-Tec is a privately-owned Florida corporation. George Kellgren is an owner and Chief Engineer. He is the Swedish designer who also designed many earlier Husqvarna (in Sweden), Swedish Interdynamics AB (in Sweden), Intratec, and Grendel brand firearms. According to the ATF[2], Kel-Tec is the third largest handgun maker in the U.S.
Product line
Weapons manufactured by Kel-Tec include the P-11 pistol (caliber 9 mm); the P-32 pistol (Caliber 32 ACP); the P-3AT pistol (Caliber .380 ACP); the P-40 (Caliber .40 S&W)(discontinued); the SUB-9 and the later SUB-2000, both semi-automatic pistol caliber carbines that fold for storage. In addition, the company offers a family of 5.56mm caliber rifles known as the SU-16 series.
November 2005 saw the introduction of the PLR-16, a long-range pistol design based on key design elements copied from the earlier SU-16 rifle design.
A new pistol design from Kel Tec in 2010, is a light weight, full-size, .22 Magnum 30 shot semiautomatic pistol, the PMR30.[3]
"High-Efficiency Rifles"
At the 2007 SHOT Show held in Orlando, Florida, Kel-Tec introduced a series of new "High-Efficiency Rifles" called the RFB, standing for "Rifle, Forward-ejection, Bull-pup."[4] The RFB is a gas-operated semi-automatic rifle with tilting breech block locking mechanism, loads the 7.62×51 NATO cartridge and uses metric FAL magazines; the RFB "family" consists in a series of Bullpup rifles with three barrel lengths (18" barrel carbine, 24" sporter and 32" target versions), and a patented forward-ejection system via a tube placed over the barrel that ejects the spent case forwards, over the handguard of the rifle. This eliminates a major drawback of Bull-pup rifles, which is that they may not be readily usable by left-handed shooters.[5] Distribution of the RFB rifles in the USA was scheduled for February 2009.
See also
- Kel-Tec P-11 (9 mm Parabellum) Pistol
- Kel-Tec P-32 (.32 ACP) Pistol
- Kel-Tec P-3AT (.380 ACP) Pistol
- Kel-Tec PF-9 (9 mm Parabellum) Pistol
- Kel-Tec PLR-16 (5.56 mm) Pistol, Long Range
- Kel-Tec PMR-30 (.22 WMR) Pistol
- Kel-Tec RFB (7.62 NATO) Bullpup Rifle
- Kel-Tec SUB-2000 (9 mm Parabellum, .40 S&W) Pistol Cartridge Carbine Rifle
- Kel-Tec SU-16 (5.56 mm) Series of rifles and carbines
- Kel-Tec KSG (12 Gauge) Bullpup dual magazine pump action shotgun
Gallery
-
P-11 9 mm with loaded magazine -
P-32 .32 ACP -
P-3AT .380 ACP -
PF-9 9mm blued finish with gray grip -
SUB-2000 9 mm with 15 round Beretta magazine -
SUB-2000 9 mm, folded -
PLR-16 5.56 mm with compact forend and Levang linear recoil compensator -
SU-16A 5.56 mm -
SU-16C 5.56 mm, with stock in fixed position -
SU-16C 5.56 mm, with stock in folded position -
SU-16C 5.56 mm, with after-market collapsible stock, pistol grip, and telescopic sight -
RFB 7.62 x 51 mm, with holographic weapon sight and sling -
KSG 12 Gauge
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Notes
- ^ Johnston, Phil W. "Little Kel-Tec P-11 Pistol Features New, Practical Design." GunWeek. 2001. [1]
- ^ ANNUAL FIREARMS MANUFACTURING AND EXPORT REPORT (PDF) [2]
- ^ "Products." Kel-Tec. Kel-Tec-CNC.com. [3]
- ^ "News." Kel-Tec. Kel-Tec-CNC.com. [4]
- ^ "Brochure: Kel-Tec RFB High-Efficiency Rifle." Kel-Tec. SHOT Show 2007. [5]
External links
- Kel-Tec CNC corporate site
- Official Kel-Tec firearms site
- Hi-res photos of Keltec firearms
- Kel-Tec RFB forward-ejection bull-pup rifles flyer as seen at the 2007 SHOT Show
- Kel-Tec Owner's Group on Yahoo! Groups
- KTOG – The Kel-Tec Owners Group and forum
- PF-9 Review and Photos
- Urban Survival Range – A Kel-Tec discussion and general discussion forum