Kel-Tec Sub 2000 Gen 2 Review 2022 [Features & Performance]

The Kel-Tec company is a gun manufacturer, created by George Kellgren, that offers a huge variety of versatile guns. Their series of interesting firearms includes bullpup rifles in .308 and 5.56 caliber, as well as SU 16 5.56 semi-auto rifle and their most affordable piece – the Kel-Tec Sub 2000 Gen 2 review.

In this article, we’re going to review their latest Kel-Tec Sub 2000 Generation 2, which is a pistol caliber carbine available in .40 S&W and 9 mm. Today, we’ll be reviewing their 9 mm model, which offers a basic tube design similar to the early SMGs.

The Sub 2000 has a 16.1-inch barrel and weighs only 4 pounds unloaded. Its overall length is 29.5 inches, whereas the stock can be easily adjusted in three positions.

It offers a polymer-based construction, which reduces the weight considerably, making it easy to carry and operate. The magazine is located in the grip and the capacity varies according to the caliber you choose.

What’s the Purpose of this gun?

The first question that pops in mind is why would you choose a pistol carbine and not a rifle. Well, there are a couple of factors why they’re preferred by buyers.

First of all, they’re far more inexpensive to operate with and they can be used at indoor rangers. Secondly, they offer very slight recoil and are easier to suppress.

Last, but not at least, the Sub 2000 can be folded, which is a feature largely available for more expensive firearms. Not only that it can be easily carried and stored, but it is also affordable and offers a greater range than a handgun.

Customization

Surprisingly, the gun has a great aftermarket that addresses most issues of the weapon. It allows you to increase the overall quality and remove the issues from the manufacturer.

If you’re into customizations, then you should check Mcarbo. It is a third-party company that provides a Sub 2K upgrade package. The package offers some significant improvements such as a trigger guard, trigger, rear sight, extended charging handle, extended magazine, muzzle brakes and much more.

Moreover, the Kel-Tec has rails for the seamless implementation of accessories. Note that, add-ons could increase the total weight of the firearm.

Notable Features

As we’ve already mentioned above, the most prominent feature is folding. You can easily fold the barrel in half, reducing the size to 16.25 inches. This makes it significantly more compact, making it suitable for concealed carry.

In order to fold the gun, you have to pull forward the trigger guard to unlock the mechanism. Then, you fold the barrel over the receiver and stock, until it locks. To reverse this, open the barrel through the small push lever

Furthermore, Sub 2K comes in various models with different magazines. You can have a firearm that takes Glock 17 models, Glock 22 magazines and for more compact grip – Glock 19 & 23 mags. If you’re not delighted with these, then you can opt for the S&W M&P, Sig Sauer P226, or Beretta’s 92 & 96 magazines.

Variability doesn’t stop here, because Kel-Tec offers mag catches that allow you to swap your magazine compatibility. If you have a Glock model Sub 2000, you can purchase a mag catch kit for Sig P226 and use their magazines.

A significant improvement from the previous generation is modularity. The new Gen 2 comes with an M-LOCK handguard and a barrel that accepts 1/2×28 thread types for muzzle devices or suppressors.

As you might already know, the stock is adjustable in three positions. To do this, you have to remove the pin, move the stock and insert the pin again.

Disassembly

Disassembling the firearm is a seamless task, that requires the weapon to be unloaded. To do this, the rifle needs to be in a firing position and the bolt must be forward.

There’s a stock pin, located at the rear of the gun that must be removed by pressing the buffer assembly. Once it is pressed, you can remove the pin by pulling it out with a small tool.

Once you put the pin down, pull the buffer assembly rearward to remove it. After that, pull the bolt assembly with the charging handle and remove the recoil spring. Pull down the charging handle and it will come out easily.

Then, the bolt assembly will slide out of the rear and then the head can be removed by pressing upwards. To assemble the gun, follow the instructions backward.

Ergonomics

When it comes to compact rifles like this one, you have to make certain sacrifices. The Kel-Tec has some significant losses on ergonomics. The charging handle is located in a metal tube at the stock. It has a heavy spring due to the fact that it’s a blowback gun, so racking the weapon is difficult.

The safety is placed above the firing hand, making it harder to press. On the other hand, the magazine release is right behind the trigger and it is very comfortable to use. It also features a thin handguard that hardly gets hotter even after a few hundred rounds fired.

A small disadvantage of this firearm is the trigger that weighs around 9 pounds, which is quite heavy.

Field Performance

We took the Sub 2000 to the range with a 15-round & 21-round Magpul magazines. We loaded it with 9 mm ammo and we ran some serious tests.

As we’ve already noticed, the compact design takes a lot from the gun. The ergonomics have been sacrificed to make the gun foldable, but overall shooting with it is a fun experience.

Apart from ergonomics and the trigger, the recoil can surprise you, but it is normal for a blowback firearm. Moreover, there’s no muzzle rise, making it suitable for smaller shooters.

The Kel-Tec offers a standard AR-15 front sight and a rear peep sight, which is rather small than what we’re used to. Overall, the lightweight and compact design, as well as the minimal recoil, makes this piece of equipment very pleasant to operate.

Furthermore, we can say that it’s fairly accurate for this type of rifle, as we hit targets out to 50 yards without any hesitation. In fact, you could easily hit a man-sized target at 150 yards.

Throughout our tests, the gun was fed with everything from cheap steel ammo, to the best rounds we had in our arsenal. The verdict is that the Sub 2000 hardly ever malfunctions.

Kel-Tec Sub 2000 Gen 2 Review – Final Words

All in all, we can say that we have an excellent gun that provides joy when handled. It is one of the few foldable guns on the market at this price range as far as we’re concerned.

Given that you’re looking for a concealable and reliable firearm, then the Kel-Tec Sub 2000 is a good option to consider. It is easy to disassemble, has low recoil, it is lightweight and there’s barely any muzzle rise.

Petko Minchev

A Bulgarian native law student, and a gun aficionado. I’ve graduated from a British International school and have successfully taken a number of Cambridge certificates such as PET, FCE, CAE, GSCE, IGCSE & IELTS. I found love in firearms early on in life when my father took me hunting for the first time. A few years later and an unknown number of rounds fired, I have the opportunity to combine my home defense & firearms expertise with the public.