Kel-Tec

Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc., commonly referred to as Kel-Tec, is an American developer and manufacturer of firearms. Founded by George Kellgren in 1991 and based in Cocoa, Florida, the company has manufactured firearms since 1995, starting with semi-automatic pistols[1] and expanding to rifles and then shotguns. Kel-Tec is a privately owned Florida corporation. George Kellgren, Kel-Tec owner and chief engineer, is a Swedish designer who also designed many earlier Husqvarna, Swedish Interdynamics AB (in Sweden), Intratec and Grendel brand firearms. The company has been developing and manufacturing a wide variety of firearms, ranging from semi-automatic handguns, i.e. pistols, to semi-automatic rifles and shotguns.

Kel-Tec CNC Industries Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryFirearms
Founded1991 (1991)
FounderGeorge Kellgren
Headquarters
Cocoa, Florida
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
George Kellgren (President)
ProductsPistols, Rifles, Shotguns
Websitewww.keltecweapons.com

History

Weapons manufactured by Kel-Tec include the P-11 pistol (9 mm); the P-32 pistol (32 ACP); the P-3AT pistol (.380 ACP); the P-40 (.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 5.56×45mm 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.[2] In 2016, Kel-Tec introduced the CMR-30 carbine, based on the PMR30.[3]

Lightest, thinnest semi-automatic 9 mm pistol
Kel-Tec PF-9

The PF-9, a flat 9×19mm single-column magazine semi-automatic pistol based on the earlier P-11 and P-3AT designs, was upon its release touted as the thinnest and lightest 9 mm pistol ever mass-produced.[4] It was launched in 2006. The PF-9 was retired in 2022 and replaced with the P15.[5]

"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."[6] 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.[7] Distribution of the RFB rifles in the USA was scheduled for February 2009; as of 2013, it has been publicly released for sale. As a further Revolution of the Bullpup, the RDB (Rifle Downward-ejecting Bullpup) was released in late 2015.[8]

Products

Kel-Tec breaks down their product line into three main categories: pistols, shotguns and rifles.[9]

Pistols

Shotguns

Rifles
  • P-11 9 mm with loaded magazine
    P-11 9 mm with loaded magazine
  • P-32 .32 ACP
    P-32 .32 ACP
  • P-3AT .380 ACP
    P-3AT .380 ACP
  • PF-9 9mm blued finish with gray grip
    PF-9 9mm blued finish with gray grip
  • SUB-2000 9 mm with 15-round Beretta magazine
    SUB-2000 9 mm with 15-round Beretta magazine
  • SUB-2000 9 mm, folded
    SUB-2000 9 mm, folded
  • PLR-16 5.56×45mm with compact forend and Levang linear recoil compensator
    PLR-16 5.56×45mm with compact forend and Levang linear recoil compensator
  • SU-16A 5.56×45mm
    SU-16A 5.56×45mm
  • SU-16C 5.56×45mm, with stock in fixed position
    SU-16C 5.56×45mm, with stock in fixed position
  • SU-16C 5.56×45mm, with stock in folded position
    SU-16C 5.56×45mm, with stock in folded position
  • SU-16C 5.56×45mm, with after-market collapsible stock, pistol grip, and telescopic sight
    SU-16C 5.56×45mm, with after-market collapsible stock, pistol grip, and telescopic sight
  • RFB 7.62×51mm, with holographic weapon sight and sling
    RFB 7.62×51mm, with holographic weapon sight and sling
  • KSG 12 Gauge
    KSG 12 Gauge

References
  1. Johnston, Phil W. "Little Kel-Tec P-11 Pistol Features New, Practical Design." GunWeek. 2001. Archived 2012-03-18 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Pistols" Kel-Tec. keltecweapons.com
  3. Horman, B. Gil (January 11, 2016). "Tested: Kel-Tec CMR-30 .22 Magnum Rifle". American Rifleman. Retrieved April 9, 2016 – via NRA.
  4. "PF-9." Kel-Tec. Kel-Tec-CNC.com
  5. "P15 Press" Kel-Tec. keltecweapons.com
  6. "News." Kel-Tec. Kel-Tec-CNC.com
  7. "Brochure: Kel-Tec RFB High-Efficiency Rifle." Kel-Tec. SHOT Show 2007
  8. "RDB". Archived from the original on 2016-08-24. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
  9. "Our Guns". Kel-Tec. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  10. "RDB". Archived from the original on 2016-08-24. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
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