The Kel-Tec Sub2000

I recently completed (well, almost) a project to set up a compact carbine that I could keep handy and carry discreetly in an emergency situation, if I wanted something with a longer effective range than a pistol.  There are many variables and endless possible choices for such a carbine.  I ended up with a Kel-Tec Sub2000 in 9mm.

Although I considered a collapsible AR-15 or an M1 Carbine with a folding stock, I decided on a pistol-caliber carbine (PCC), primarily for compatibility of ammunition with my pistol.  There are a number of PCC platforms (including the AR), but I had been intrigued by the Sub2000 for some time.  Although it looks a bit odd at first glance, the fact that it folds in half for storage makes it extremely compact despite the fact that it has a 16 inch barrel.  An article I read about Kel-Tec clinched it for me:

Kel-Tec donates carbines to Ukraine

As soon as I read that, I decided that I wanted this company to have my money, and started looking into the Sub2000 more seriously.   I learned that the standard model takes Glock Magazines, but the "Multi-Mag" version can take a variety of different pistol magazines, just by changing out the magazine catch. There is a long list of available options, including SIG-Sauer, Smith & Wesson, Beretta, CZ-75, and several others.  I normally carry a 9mm pistol, and the CZ-75 is one of my favorites.  Since I already have several 15-round CZ-75 magazines, the Sub2000 Multi-Mag in 9mm with a CZ-75 magazine catch installed was the hands-down choice for me.

Kel-Tec Sub2000

Once I had the carbine and had changed out the magazine catch (it came standard with a Smith & Wesson catch, and was listed by the distributor as a Smith & Wesson version rather than as "Multi-Mag"), I zeroed it in using the iron sights.  After shooting it, I decided that I needed a few more things to fit it out properly.  I did some research and came up with a variety of options for accessories.  YouTube videos of people showing off their various setups were very useful in deciding what I wanted.

I knew I wanted an optic, but wasn't sure how I could mount one, since the carbine folds over so that the stock is flush with the Picatinny rail on top of handguard.  There were three possible solutions:

    1. A quick-detach mount, such as I have on one of my AR-15's.

    2. An offset (e.g. 45 degree) mount, of which I already had a couple in my parts bin.

    3. An innovative purpose-designed optic mount by Midwest Industries: MI Sub2000 Products

This mount is designed specifically for the Sub2000.  It is very cool, as it rotates 180 degrees out of the way to open and close the carbine, then back into place once the carbine is unfolded into shooting position.  It is thus very quick to deploy, always attached, and allows a normal hold rather than the canted hold required with an offset mount.  I didn't know for sure what optic I would use, so I decided on the Picatinny rail mount in order to retain maximum flexibility.  

As it turned out, I decided this was finally the right application for the Leupold Deltapoint Pro that I had bought several years ago, with the idea that I would put it on a pistol.  I never used it, and the optic as well as a variety of mounting hardware were all just sitting in a box, still in the shrink wrap.  So I got it out and installed it on the Midwest Industries mount.

I also outfitted the carbine with a recoil buffer and buttstock recoil pad from Missouri Tactical.  While the 9mm cartridge does not have excessive recoil, this is a light little carbine, and all of the recoil was transmitted through the hard plastic butt.  The buffer and pad mitigate this and make it much more comfortable to shoot.

This is what the carbine looks like when it's folded.  To deploy it, you swing the optic 180 degrees, unfold the carbine, and swing it back.  The nylon cord came with the optic mount, and holds the bolt partially retracted so it doesn't slam into the optic.  It drops out of the way when you cock the bolt.

Once the Deltapoint was mounted, I took the carbine to the range to zero it in and give the carbine a workout.  It was fun and instructive.  I did everything for this initial session at 25 meters for convenience.   I zeroed it in using commercial 115 gr. FMJ ammunition (some of the last of my Winchester White Box headstamped WCC 1987).  Here's what it looked like at the range:

No sling yet, but I wanted to shoot it and get the red dot zeroed in.  I  zeroed it using a rest, and then went to offhand shooting.

This is the defensive ammunition I currently carry.  Speer Gold Dot LE Duty Ammunition, with a 124 gr. JHP bullet at 1150 fps (measured from a pistol barrel).  At some point it will be interesting to measure the velocity from the carbine. I would expect some gain in velocity due to the longer barrel, but we'll see.

This is a half-size steel silhouette at 25m.  I fired standing offhand, this time with no sling.  I used a shot timer to give me a starting beep and measure elapsed time for my shots.

First magazine, 15 rounds of 115 gr. FMJ: 15 hits, 16.38 seconds.  
Second magazine, 10 rounds of 124 gr. JHP: 10 hits, 11.26 seconds.   
Not difficult at all with the red dot sight. The trigger has a pretty long takeup, but the Appleseed trigger reset drill helped me to minimize the effect and get my shots on target quickly.

On the next trip, I'll zero it in at 100 yards on the rifle range.  With the cartridge I'm using (124 gr. JHP at 1150 fps), that should give the best "battle sight zero" according to my ballistics charts: 2.2" high at 25 yards, 3.5" high at 50 yards, 4.9" low at 125 yards, and 12.7" low at 150 yards.  I don't expect I'd ever shoot it further than that, as this is intended as an emergency getaway carbine, not a battle rifle.

The (almost) last step was a sling.  There's a slot for a sling on the butt of the rifle, but nothing up front.  Since it has a Picatinny rail on the bottom of the handguard as well, I went looking for a sling swivel to put there.  All I could find locally was a MagPul quick-detach mount, which is bulky and did not include the sling swivel itself.   Fortunately an employee at North 40 in CDA was on the ball, and pointed me to a Grov-Tec mount that was perfect for me.  It's actually intended for mounting a bipod, but the attachment point is identical to the standard sling stud on a civilian rifle, so I mounted it and attached one of the 1 1/4" sling swivels that I use as loaners for Project Appleseed.

I pulled my last new-in-the-package Condor 2-point sling out of my "rifle slings and accessories" box, attached it to the carbine, and now I'm almost finished!

The current and (I think) final configuration with sling attached.

Deploying the carbine from the folded storage configuration to the ready position involves the following steps, assuming it is stored with a full magazine in the grip, the barrel end of the sling hanging to the trigger side of the carbine, and the safety engaged ("on safe"):  

    1. With the trigger side hand, grasp the forearm and remove the carbine from storage/concealment with the pistol grip pointing downward and oriented forward.

    2. With the support side hand, rotate the optic mount 180 degrees out of the way.    

    3. With the support side hand, reach under your trigger side arm and grasp the barrel retaining latch.

    4. With the trigger side hand, reach through the suspended sling to grasp the pistol grip, keeping the butt end of the sling to the inside toward the body and the barrel end of the sling to the outside away from the body.

    5. With the support side hand, release the retaining latch and rotate the barrel forward until it is securely engaged with the receiver latch.

    6. With the support hand, rotate the optic mount 180 degrees back into position.

    7. With the support hand, place the sling over your head behind your neck with the butt end over your trigger side shoulder (unnecessary if the carbine was carried slung in the folded position).

    8.  With the support side hand, reach over the sling and grasp the forearm. 

    9.  With the trigger side hand, pull the bolt back, engage the handle in the retaining notch, and flip down the retaining loop of nylon cord.  Either leave the bolt locked to the rear or let it fly forward to load a round from the magazine, as desired.

    8. Grasp the pistol grip with the trigger side hand and check the position of the safety. Engage or disengage, as appropriate.

    10. Seat the butt of the carbine firmly in the pocket of the trigger side shoulder, acquire proper head position, and check the sight. If the optic is not functioning, rotate it back out of the way and use the iron sights.

    11. With the support side hand, grasp the tab on the 2-point sling and pull it forward until the sling is snug enough to provide support.

    12. With the support side hand, reach over the sling, grasp the forearm, and take up a "ready" position or acquire a target and fire, as necessary.

(Hmm - I notice it's a twelve step process.   "My name is Brad and I'm addicted to guns"..."Hi, Brad".)  😂

Writing out those steps was instructive in itself, figuring out the fastest and most efficient way to get the carbine into action.  I practiced deploying it from the case as a dry fire drill using the shot timer, with the timer set to maximum sensitivity and yelling "BANG!" as loudly as I could to simulate a shot fired.  The best I could do was between 18 and 19 seconds.  Eliminating steps 7 and 11 (the sling) got me down to 12-13 seconds.  It will be interesting to do this drill with live ammunition and see how fast I can get it with practice. 

There is a faster way to carry the carbine discreetly if the situation requires it - slung under a concealing garment, either folded or extended:

Although close examination might reveal some unusual bulges, the carbine is essentially invisible. The idea is to be able to walk away from an emergency situation discreetly without attracting attention. 

The carbine is slung in the folded position, tucked under my right arm.

Opened up and ready to use, without removing the jacket.  It only takes a few seconds to deploy, but I'll have to work on this as a speed drill, along with the drill for getting it out of a case or backpack.

My last step in this project is to find a better case to carry the carbine and extra magazines.  I bought the case from Kel-Tec, but it is a disappointment.  It's a very plain vanilla padded nylon case, with no pockets or attachment points of any kind.  Ideally I want a case that looks plain on the outside, but has pockets or attachments inside for extra magazines and any tools or other small items I might want to keep there.  And I need to figure out how I'd carry those magazines in the kind of emergency situation I intend the carbine for.  Probably a magazine pouch that will quickly attach to my belt under the jacket, or can be carried in the case with the carbine if it's not practical to carry it slung.

This has been a fun project - now to decide where to keep it to maximize its possible utility. 

Mood: Happy

Music: Kelsey Waldon, "Anyhow"