Although he rarely gets the credit he deserves, George Kellgren has been an important fixture in the American gun-making community for over forty-five years. Never a man to shy away from innovation or doing things that hadn’t previously been done, Mr. Kellgren, founder of Grendel Inc. and KelTec, Inc. has designed some of the most unique firearms in existence.
Kellgren designed the Intratec Tec-9, the Grendel P12 and P30, along with the KelTec P10, the KSG shotgun, and, of course, the SUB2000 9mm pistol caliber carbine that we’re going to discuss here. In today’s market, the idea of a folding carbine seems rather commonplace, however, when Kellgren created the SUB2000, released in 2001, an off-the-shelf folding carbine was a rarity.
KelTec SUB2000
KelTec is currently on their third generation of the SUB2000, or Sub2K as the cool kids call it, but the gun featured here is an OG, first generation model. During the last twenty-five years of production of the SUB2000 pistol caliber carbines, there have been numerous calibers and configurations offered.
The original SUB2000 guns were meant to be paired with pistols using the same pattern magazines. In 2001, the most popular 9mm duty pistols were the GLOCK 17, SIG 226, the Beretta 92/M9, and the S&W 5900 series. KelTec made SUB2000s to mate with the magazines for each of those four patterns. Keep in mind, 2001 was in the middle of our experimentation with the .40 S&W cartridge. There were Sub 2000s made in .40 S&W to mate with theGLOCK, SIG, Beretta, and S&W duty pistols chambering that round.
Today, the GLOCK pattern magazine is the preferred choice for the SUB2000. KelTec has a 9mm version that takes G19/G17 magazines, a 10mm version that uses G20 mags and a 5.7x28mm version that uses the FN “Five-seveN” pattern magazine.
However, let’s get back to the OG, the first generation SUB2000 featured here. Back in the day, KelTec made versions that would fit the G19 (15 rd mags) as well as a separate unit that would take the G17 (17 rd mags).
The gun featured here is the GLOCK 17 compatible model. Given all of the handgun magazines out there on the market today, it is a safe bet that there are more G17 versions than any other. Naturally, in addition to the factory standard 17 round version, there are numerous extended capacity versions. Magpul has 17, 21, and 27 round versions of the G17 magazines. XTech has a G17 version with +Power spring. I’ve been testing the XTech GLOCK mags for a year or so with zero problems. Of course, there is the GLOCK factory version of their G18 magazine that holds 33 rounds of 9mm. Long story short, with the G17 SUB2000, you should never have to worry about finding magazines.
Yes, this SUB2000 is a 9mm carbine. Overall length is a scant 29.5 inches with a 16.1 inch barrel The semi-automatic action has a crossbolt safety button. Push it to the left for “safe” and to the right for “fire.” As you’d expect, KelTec uses a good bit of polymer for the frame and forend. This brings the gun’s weight down considerably to only four pounds empty.
Atop the carbine you will find a peep and blade sight configuration. The rear sight is a simple peep and the front sight is hooded with the blade being made of a red/orange light gathering material.
The buttstock is attached to what amounts to a steel tube. Inside the stock tube the recoil spring, bolt and charging handle are housed. The position of the charging handle makes it both ambidextrous and allows the shooter to keep their shooting hand on the pistol grip while charging the weapon with the support hand. To lock the bolt in the open position, the user simply draws it back all the way and rotates it up into a slot/notch.
The unique folding feature of the SUB2000 is accomplished by pulling down on the trigger guard. That motion releases the locking mechanism and allows the barrel assembly to be folded up and over onto the stock. A locking latch holds the two pieces together. In the folded position the gun is only 16 inches long and 7 inches high. As the barrel is rotated away from the bolt, the carbine cannot fire in the folded position.
On the Range
For our range sessions I wanted to try out the variety pack of G17 pattern magazines from standard 17-round versions all the way up to 33. As mentioned, the magazines include GLOCK factory versions as well as those from XTech and Magpul. Also, I would test the gun’s appetite by feeding it a variety of controlled-expansion 9x19mm ammunition from Black Hills and Double Tap.
On the original SUB2000, the sights are, shall we say, basic or rudimentary. They were zeroed well enough to hit a steel silhouette in the center from a distance of 25 yards. In the role of a backpack gun or a truck gun, with the anticipated target being either two or four-legged predators, the sight set up should be just fine. Picking off prairie dogs at a hundred yards would be a challenge. As far as reliability, the first generation SUB2000 consumed all of the controlled expansion ammunition without a problem, regardless of the magazine from which it was fed.
While some folks would offer that a pistol caliber belongs in a handgun, there is something to be said about the four points of contact you get from a long gun, regardless of the caliber. While I would not go deliberately into a fight with a pistol caliber anything, the KelTec SUB2000 is a just-in-case gun that only weighs only four pounds and stores for convenient carry so you are likely to have it with you.
The current third generation models are slick and come with many more options than the original. Probably the most useful is the rotating forend that lets you mount an optic and still fold the gun. The OG model, however, still works really well all these years later. It’s one of George Kellgren’s most ingenious designs.
Specifications: KelTec SUB2000
Caliber: 9x19mm
Action: Recoil Operated Semi-Automatic
Capacity: 10, 17, 21, 27, 33
Barrel Length: 16.1 inches
Overall Length: 29.5 inches
Weight: 4.2 pounds (empty)
MSRP: $499
Paul G. Markel is a combat decorated United States Marine veteran. He is also the founder of Student the Gun University and has been teaching Small Arms & Tactics to military personnel, police officers, and citizens for over three decades.