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Kel-Tec R50 Defender 5.7x28

OK Corgi Rancher

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Not only do I like MIni-14 rifles, I like Kel-Tec rifles (and handguns). I've been a KT fan since they came out with the P3AT. They may not be the best looking guns, but Kel-Tec is innovative if nothing else.

I recently picked up a KT R50 carbine and it's a cool little gun. The only complaint is with the magazines (2 of them) that are supplied with it. They're FN PS90-pattern mags made by ProMag and...well, they're ProMag magazines. They seem to work OK but, holy shit, are they a PITA to load. I really don't want to pay $50 for FN mags so I have a few AR57 mags on order. I've read they're as good as the FN originals. We'll see.

So this little rifle gives you 50 rounds of 5.7 in a tiny package that only weighs 5 lbs 5 oz fully loaded. The stock folds to either side and it'll shoot from the stock-folded position. It folds easily and it's held in the folded position by friction only. That means there's no fumbling to unfold...just grab it and swing it around. Once locked in place it's quite solid with only the slightest perceptible up/down movement. Side to side there is none...solid as a rock.

The trigger is decent and averages just over 7 lbs...but it doesn't really feel that heavy. On the initial shot there's some takeup before it breaks...but not a lot. Reset is decent and positive and catching the reset makes subsequent shots feel like about a 5 lb trigger. There is virtually no recoil.

It's got really crappy sights. There's a channel in the top rail with a crude rear notch and a little AR-style post up front. The sights are useless if using the stock because you just can't get your eye that low. I put a Burris FastFire 3 on it and that seems like it might work well...but I haven't actually tried it yet.

The barrel is threaded and is suppressor ready with standard 1/2x28 threads.

The Burris wasn't mounted when I shot it the first time so I ran a couple of mags thru it just for function checking. It sounds eerily quiet when shooting with hearing protection on...almost like it's suppressed. I've heard others comment on how quiet it is. Reliability was perfect over the two mags.

When it's folded it's really small and easy to tuck away somewhere. I can see where this could be a handy rig to take with you just about anywhere.


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I got the AR57 mags for this gun. They seem to be every bit the quality of the FN mags and they're really EASY to load.

Just because, I took one of the ProMags and an AR57 mag apart. I didn't notice anything wrong with the ProMag but I really wasn't paying attention to how the parts came out. I used the AR57 mag as a pattern to put the ProMag back together. Fuckin' thing works perfectly now and I have no idea what I did. Did the same with the other and it works perfectly now, too. I have no idea what was wrong with them other than maybe the followers were installed wrong. So...I can now say the ProMags still generally suck but they work OK now after I "fixed" them (without knowing what the "fix" was).
 
Man, that thing looks sooo 1982. But fiddy rounds is fiddy rounds right? Do they make it in a braced pistol yet?
 
The pistol is the P50. It came out before the rifle. Plenty of brace options for it.
 
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