New Kel-Tec RDB Survival and KSG-25 | SHOT 2017

    With the Kel-Tec RDB’s arriving on store shelves and a healthy supply of RFB’s across the market, Kel-Tec has expanded the RDB-C line to include their new survival model.

    Built with a 16″ barrel, and 26.1 inch over-all length, it’s designed an ultra-compact backpackers .223 bullpup. They’re using the same pistol-grip-less stock from the RDB-C last year, with a new compact for-end and the shorter barrel. New to the family is the two position collapsible stock, which can be fit on any of the RDB variants.

    That collapsible stock adjust by an inch-and-a-half from extended to collapsed position. It deploys with a pull and locks in the open position.

    MSRP on the Survival model will be in the same ball-park as the current RDB, but we won’t likely see them in the wild until the start of 2018.

    The RDB Survival still has the high folding sights of the original RDB/M43 design, and I think it would be well suited to a micro red-dot or a low sitting low power optic.

    A 10 round magazine sits flush in the magwell, but of course any Stanag magazine will fit. Kel-Tec says they’re intention is to build the RDB line into a fully customizable setup, and will retail various components directly from their online store. The idea being that an owner of a conventional RDB could build themselves a copy of the Survival rifle, or vice versa if desired.

    Also on display at the booth and at Industry Range Day was the KSG-25 shotgun.

    What began as a design for European over-all-length compliance requirements (38″) ballooned into a “we did it because we could” kind of creation. The KSG-25 features a 30 inch barrel and carries a full box of twelve gauge shells inside:

    That is 21 rounds of 3″ shells, 25 rounds of standard 2.75″ shells, or 41 Aguila mini-shells if you really want tone your pumping muscles.

    The weight when loaded is officially 11.5 lbs, and you can bet that a fair chunk of that weight is forward of the grip. Kel-Tec is doing a test run of 5000 guns that will ship with Magpul MBUS and an RVG vertical grip on the pump.

    Personally I think they should have named it the KSG-XL or “The Creature from the Black Lagoon.” MSRP is nailed down at $1400, and the first run is expected to arrive on shelves in 3rd quarter 2017.

    Edward O

    Edward is a Canadian gun owner and target shooter with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. Crawling over mountains with tactical gear is his idea of fun. He blogs at TV-Presspass and tweets @TV_PressPass.


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