Kel Tec SU 16 Review Part 3: Disassembly and reassembly for cleaning

Showing the disassembly and reassembly of the Kel-Tec SU-16 for cleaning and maintenance.
Kel-Tec SU-16
.223/5.56 semi-auto
Weight: 5lbs
Barrel: 18.5" with 1-9" twist
Overall Length: 37.5"
Folded Length: 26.5"
Retails new for $799.00 can

[@mitchellsroufe3344]

Thanks for helping me prove to my friends that my Kel Tec is reliable so long as I take good care of it

[@tkid122115]

Thank you for this. I picked up a su-16. I had no instructions on take down. Very helpfull

[@ScaredStupid]

You're quite welcome and I'm glad you found the video useful! To be perfectly honest it took me a quite a bit of fiddling around to figure out I needed to keep the floating bolt head pushed forwards...

[@obviousfakename5828]

Kel-Tec on a sail boat FTW. Just ordered my second SU-16 (a C to go with my A). Will probably sell off a Mini-14 to fund it. Love the Minis, but love these more. And love George Kellgren, the greatest living gun designer IMO. Thanks for the video.

[@donaldcampbell6398]

Have owned a SU-16CA for 6 or 7 years. At first had a real problem with failures to extract spent cases. KelTec support was not very helpful. Found an online discussion forum that suggested replacing the extractor with one designed for an AR-15. Did that and it fixed the problem. Have been enjoying the little Kel Tec ever since.

[@somwrtlftur2367]

Very helpful video. Just picked up a new SU-16C and this helped me a lot. Thanks for making.

[@ScaredStupid]

Somwrt Lftur You're welcome and I'm glad the video was helpful. I hope you enjoy your SU-16 as much as I've enjoyed mine!

[@jeffreyeubanks5979]

I just bought one of these second hand and had no idea how to disassemble it. Your video was very helpful. Thank you

[@ScaredStupid]

Jeffrey Eubanks You are quite welcome and I'm glad the video was useful, cheers!

[@stoicodysseys6352]

Thank you. Best Su16 disassemble video. I took apart my Su16C following your instructions

[@Waboche]

Because of you i have been able to disassemble it completely. Thank you very much !!!

[@ScaredStupid]

+Waboche You`re quite welcome and I`m glad you found the video useful!

[@TexasRigged]

Thanks mate this was an extremely helpful video for me, I'm very glad I stumbled across your videos. Cheers from Tx!

[@stevesouza8349]

Very helpful video. Good direction and good video quality. Sailing: stay safe and happy travels from another Sailor here in Bellingham WA.

[@wrxs1781]

Hi there, just purchased this rifle and waiting to receive it. Your video was a good heads up for routine maintenance. Hope I enjoy it. WRXS

[@AFPaul12590]

This this video help

[@AJ-tn3uu]

Extremely clear and helpful. Thank you!

[@SentienceGeneration]

Thanks love the video very educational. I love my SU16CA

[@manuelyidonoy1802]

Great instructional video! Just a suggestion that you improve your lighting for video recording. You will need way more than garage overhead lighting or table lamps to get what you need. Your instructional videos will really pop!

[@njiseidou3197]

thank you so much for this video made it real simple to maintain my su 16 great gun very cool video

[@marksmith351]

Great video (the best one in fact.) Thank you!

[@jagpanzer8246]

great vid , " hold the bolt forward " great help , can do everything time now EASE ty

[@jeffa1961]

Excellent video, curious if you have thought of doing a video on the cleaning and lubrication of the certain parts.

[@ScaredStupid]

+jeffa1961 No, honestly speaking I hadn't. Next time I get a sunny day when I'm out with it I'll do just that. I need to get better footage of the tab I mention in the disassembly video in any case. It's a fairly simple rifle that's a cross between an AR and an AK with a chrome lined barrel so I'm of the mind that if I oiled it and ran a swab down the barrel once in a while it would probably outlive me.

[@jeffa1961]

+Van Isle Gunnut That would be awesome. It is a great video and seeing you clean it and lub it will be a favorite for many people who are new to rifles. Thank you and have a great weekend.

[@Chieflywaze]

Thanks! Was very helpful. A little better lighting would've helped me see the tab and position and piston spring alignment part. Anyway, took it right out of the box, disassembled watching your video (had to rewind a few times). Got it apart, cleaned/rel-ubed using my favorite AR bolt lube (5/30W synthetic motor oil), and frog lube in a choice few places. Certainly going to get an extra assembly pin and better rear sight or an optic. Love the way it takes P-mags!

[@ScaredStupid]

+Ro Gal Ya, sorry about the video quality; I shot the video while I was living on my boat and my lighting options were limited, not to mention a poor quality video camera.Someday I might reshoot the video as I can't even see the little tab that is one of the important objects in the video. In any case I'm glad you found the video useful, cheers!

[@Chieflywaze]

Wow! You live on a boat? That must be great! I'm not a sailor but the idea of living on a boat seems appealing for many reasons! Good luck you!

[@juliogonzo2718]

Great video! I do it opposite, I take bolt apart and use firing pin to push piston retainer pin out. Brass brush works good to de-carbon the piston. Btw it sounds like alien is running through your ducts. (Ok just heard the sailboat part lol)

[@ScaredStupid]

Whoa, talk about bad timing! I think the last thing I'd want to hear while having my rifle disassembled in front of me is the sound of an alien face-huger skittering in the duct work above me!

[@joem7272]

Excellent Job Thank You

[@michaelpollard341]

Thank you soooo much for this video. Was awsome and taught me everything I needed to know.

[@Steve-uq7np]

Thank you, thank you. Good job You make the difference. Keep your power dry.

[@ScaredStupid]

+Steven Essert You're welcome! Cheers, and have a great day!

[@creigaday3671]

Excellent instructions. Thanks!

[@ScaredStupid]

+Creig Aday You're quite welcome and I'm glad you found the video useful!

[@kennyfaria7693]

Thanks, very simple and to the point!

[@AcButeo]

Thank you for the excellent review series, helped immensely in helping me decide to pick up my own SU-16. Out of curiosity, what's a good way of removing the front sight? I'm a little weary of marking the barrel with a dremel.

[@ScaredStupid]

+NightOwl My front sight assembly was made of steel so I just had to loosen an allen screw and slide off the assembly.

[@AnonYmous-wm6wq]

I dont always clean my weapon, but when i do my punch is live ammunition

[@scionofliberty1159]

Heya, this was super helpful. Thank you!

[@ScaredStupid]

You're quite welcome and I'm glad it was helpful!

[@77MRVIC]

how many rounds before i have to clean it? great vid thanx a million

[@ScaredStupid]

You're quite welcome! I clean all my rifles at the soonest oppourtunity after use, but it's something I enjoy doing in a strange sort of zen way. In all honesty, the SU-16 could probably go ten k rounds without disassembly and cleaning; the SU-16 is quite similar to the SKS or AK-47 in function and simplicity so I suspect it would just keep running as long as no obstructions got into the "gears".

[@77MRVIC]

@@ScaredStupid thanks a million

[@ag2158]

The spring squeaks a lot now after cleaning. Do recommend a lot of oil?

[@CRAZYCANAD1AN]

Thanks .This helps a lot

[@77MRVIC]

thanks a million I just cleaned mine

[@nopro5433]

Great Go to Vid Thanks👍

[@TruthSeeker9038]

How do you clean your star chamber? With an m4 or AR it’s easy to get in there but with this the opening is way too small to get in there

[@rafihussain]

Thank you sir. Very helpful

[@marksman85]

Hi there, thanks for the very helpful video! what's the model of the scope you are showing in the video? thanks

[@ScaredStupid]

I'm pretty sure it was my Vortex Diamondback 4-12 x 40. I now use a Bushnell AR 223 4.5-18x40 on the rifle.

[@rightonrideon1454]

you probably would of been the first to clean the whole thing on camera, especially to show how to clean your bore.

[@tkarlmann]

Are you filming this from a sailboat? It's kind of off-putting to see you put the gun together dirty. Great video, though! Can I clean the bore from the rear?

[@ScaredStupid]

Yes, I was living on my sailboat at the time. As I was living in a saltwater marine environment, not thoroughly cleaning and oiling a firearm after handling is simply not an option; needless to say the rifle got cleaned up after I got done doing the series of videos with the rifle that day. My method of cleaning bores is using a cable to pull patches through the barrel, so I can't say for sure if you can use a cleaning rod to push patches through the bore from the rear, but I suspect not as the way the receiver is designed would prevent it. Cheers!

[@greencable2222]

how do you replace the extractor spring?

[@deathfromasian]

so you cant take the bolt apart? i've gotten it that far but i was hoping to take it further so i can clean like the inside of the bolt

[@ScaredStupid]

It sounds like you are just as obsessive about cleaning firearms as I am. (Pro tip: don't buy a Browning BLR, the parts you can't get at to clean will drive you insane.) Unless you are replacing the extractor there's no need to break the bolt down further. Just hose the bolt with gun oil, wipe it down and you're good. To be honest this rifle can be run very dirty and still be 100% reliable.

[@deathfromasian]

Van Isle Gunnut hahahaha yeah when I get to cleaning my rifles it usually takes me a good hour or two before I'm satisfied

[@connordoucette4775]

Cant pull my firing pin out any idea why?

[@ScaredStupid]

No idea, once you push out the cross pin it should drop free.

[@juliogonzo2718]

Mine is a little sticky coming out. Did you get it out?

[@oneangryguy]

Great use of the word atrocious!

[@seoulkidd1]

I can't find one of these used so it must be a good weappn. Looks like its a new one then LMAO plus theres a pistol grip version

[@ScaredStupid]

They're kind of handy to have around and not terribly expensive so no, I don't see them for sale used all that often.

[@mohammedcohen]

...looks more like the AR180 rather than the AR15...

[@inspectyerbooty]

seems like a kool interesting weapon, .... sure seems like a sloppy fit of the gas-tube over the gas block neck..... .lots of blow-by fouling all over the top of the barrel...yuk!!!!!!!!

[@ScaredStupid]

inspectyerbooty Yes, it's actually a lot of fun. The MFS ammo I shot before doing the video is particularly dirty so it's normally not that bad, and at least it's not a direct impingement gas system like an AR that dumps it all over the bolt and inside the receiver: one of the reasons I prefer the SU-16 and XCR designs over the traditional AR design.

[@AnonYmous-wm6wq]

The only SU-16 worth buying is the E model btw. The rest are flimsy pieces of junk. Sad, but true

[@ScaredStupid]

Shorter barrel, shorter sight radius, and the stock doesn't fold? No thanks. I like my A model just fine for what I use it for.

[@AG-LB209]

Love my su-16ca

[@AnonYmous-wm6wq]

aramis gutierrez sorry to here that. Hopefully doesn’t fall apart while shooting it. All plastic internals

[@AnonYmous-wm6wq]

Except for the metal bolt slamming into it

[@AG-LB209]

Ok...