Kel-Tec’s Radical RFB Is Loaded with Power, Accuracy

Kel-Tec is not your normal gun manufacturer.

If anything, they are the polar opposite, with some of the most creative and singular designs in the marketplace. I had a chance to field test and review one of their most creative, “out-of-the-box-thinking” designs to date: the RFB, or “Rifle, Forward ejecting, Bullpup.” This extremely portable 7.62x51mm NATO rifle is one of the most interesting and intriguing weapons I have ever taken to the range or afield. Let’s lock and load and take a closer look at what makes the RFB such a show stopper!

History Lesson

Kel-Tec’s owner and founder George Kellgren is no stranger to the bullpup design. The RFB traces its roots back to the late 70’s at Interdynamic AB of Stockholm, Sweden, where George was involved with the design of two MKR bullpup rifles. Although neither MKR rifle ever reached the production stage, the “spine” concept, where all components were mounted around a long and rigid barrel, eventually carried over to the RFB.

Kellgren’s work on a bullpup design resumed in the early ‘90s after he founded Kel-Tec. His next bullpup design was the SUB-16, which used 5.56x45mm NATO ammo and standard M-16 magazines. The SUB-16 had dual pivoting extractors actuated by cam surfaces in the receiver and a forward eject feature. The project was suspended with the adoption of the Assault Weapons Ban in 1994.

Kel-Tec’s bullpup work resumed in 2003 with the SRT-6, a dedicated sniper rifle firing a special 5.56x45mm load. In mid-2005, they decided to have another try at the “Holy Grail” of bullpup rifle design, with forward ejecting operation, so the SRT-8 began development in the larger 7.62x51mm NATO caliber. Metric FAL magazines were chosen for the new rifle because of their availability. The design also featured a unique tilting bolt design. A stationary, curved sheet metal forward-chute solved some of the earlier expended case ejection problems and the early prototypes had 18” barrels for convenience of handling.

After the sunset of the assault weapons ban in 2004, they decided to rename the SRT to Rifle Forward ejection Bullpup and the RFB was born. Consequently, the names of the three main models were changed from Sniper (32” barrel), Hunter (24” barrel), and Battle (18” barrel), to the less menacing names Target, Sporter, and Carbine. The RFB was perfected during pre-production trial runs in 2008; Gen2 models were introduced in 2012, and include this RFB I’m reviewing.

Style Points

 The Kel-Tec RFB is unlike anything that you have ever pulled out of a case. The cool-factor is totally off the charts.

 The barrel of the RFB is made from 4140 Chrome-Molybdenum ordnance-grade steel. Recent models (mid-2012 production and later) employ a Salt Bath Nitride-QPQ (quench, polish, quench) finish. According to Kel-Tec engineer Ryan Williams, this process is superior to chrome-plating with a better overall (black) finish that offers superior corrosion and heat resistance and lasts longer.

The bolt, receiver and gas system are also made of 4140 steel, with the bolt receiving a special Titanium Nitride (yellow) finish that was chosen for its protective ability and its resistance to wear and flaking. Ryan also mentioned that the RFB was recently upgraded with a thicker CNC-machined piston plate that is welded onto the front side of the carrier that comes into contact with the gas piston during operation. The gas system was also redesigned to keep the parts simpler and to provide a larger adjustable gas setting range to accommodate different types of ammunition. Additionally, the new gas piston is a ring-less design and can be easily removed for cleaning. Lastly, the carrier channel has a longer internal spring that keeps some tension on the piston post for more reliable functioning.

Both the bolt carrier and upper cover are manufactured from stamped 4130 grade sheet steel that overlaps to offer excellent user protection in case of a catastrophic failure in the breech. A durable parkerized finish coats all external metal parts. The pistol grip and forward handguard are made from a high-tech polymer material. Each is textured to provide operators with positive purchase, plus the handguard features an integral slope or bump at the lower front end to prevent the user’s support hand from sliding forward and coming in contact with a potentially hot barrel.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This was excerpted from the January 2013 issue.

Gun World - POINT OF AIM

Tackling the Challenges of Summertime Carry

Some like it hot, but I’m not one of them.

Every season introduces a whole new set of pluses and minuses, whether it is the end of a particular hunting season, the beginning of football season, Spring Break for those of us with kids in school, etc. When I was younger, I welcomed summer each year, because it meant vacation time, but as I’ve gotten older, it’s become, perhaps, my least favorite time of year due to the heat factor. At the same time, I must admit, some of my favorite activities can only be enjoyed during the summer. So, we take the good with the bad.

Summertime also poses challenges to those of us who carry concealed. We must dress in lighter clothes, for starters, and that can place limitations, not only on what gun we carry, but also where we carry it and what we wear. With that in mind, we devoted a considerable amount of editorial coverage to the subject of summer concealed carry in this issue.

Two of the gun tests featured in this issue are superb for summertime carry. Kimber’s new Ultra Crimson Carry II is a compact 1911 with some serious stopping power. It holds seven rounds of .45 ACP in the magazine and features rosewood Crimson Trace Lasergrips. Field Editor Dave Workman reviews this gun (see page 56), which happens to be the same gun we recently awarded in our sweepstakes gun giveaway.

Another gun we tested for this issue is Ruger’s LCP, which was first introduced in late 2011. But the feedback I received from Field Editor Dr. Martin Topper, who lives in Daytona Beach, Florida (where it’s summertime year round), was that the LC9 is not only light and compact, but it is also virtually absent of any edges that would allow it to print—even under very light clothing. It also packs eight rounds of 9mm standard-pressure or +P ammunition. These factors combine to make the LC9 an excellent choice for deep concealment in summer, which is why I decided to run Topper’s test in this issue. Check it out on page 82.

Field Editor Jerry Ahern, who pens the “Concealed Carry” department (page 26) devotes his column this month to concealed carry in the summer months. Ahern addresses gun models and the materials from which they are constructed, along with cover clothing, weight and size considerations, holsters, and dos and don’ts of summer carry. It’s a great article.

Summer does present some challenges for concealed carry, which is why we made it a central theme in this issue. Hopefully, the aforementioned articles will nullify those challenges.

PULL QUOTE:

“ … we devoted a considerable amount of editorial coverage to the subject of summer carry in this issue.”