Gun Review: KelTec Sub 2000 9-mm Carbine

Who: Jon [redacted]
What: KelTec Sub 2000 9mm carbine (Glock version)
When: 1300-1430 hrs, 20 July 2005 [Jon hasn't lost his military vernacular yet, ed.]
Where: Ben Avery shooting range, Phoenix, Arizona
Why: Because

Cowboy Blob asked me to do a guest blog and review my new toy. Being as he is a devious soul, he asked me said question after a few drinks and I replied, “ShurIdloveta.” At least that’s what he told me I said. Anyhoo, it’s either write a few paragraphs or pay him to suppress the damn pictures.

Short Review: Buy it! It’s a great gun for $300.

Long Review: I bought the Sub 2000 ($325) and two factory Glock 18 mags, (33 rounders @ $36 each) on Monday. It comes with one ten-round magazine. I guess they have to find something to do with them now. Who the hell is going to buy a ten-rounder anymore? The firearm can be had for around $300, but is hard to find so I paid the extra $$$ to get the bird-in-hand.

Here it is in the ready condition (on my ugly carpet).











Here it is in the folded configuration with the two 33-rd mags and a standard Glock 17 magazine for size reference.










The carbine is very compact in the folded configuration. I was impressed with the ease of folding/unfolding the carbine. I can store it on a shelf in my safe, and as the following picture shows, it fits so well in my Dillon range bag that I didn’t feel the need to buy another gunbag for it.


Weather conditions were decent today and I only had to share the range with a few people. It was sunny with hardly any wind, though a little chilly at 41 degrees. Oh wait, that’s in Centigrade. It was 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Maybe that’s why there weren’t many people at the range! It’s all relative. The last few days it got up to 116 F, so it seemed cool today. Here is a picture of the range. My target stand is at 25 yards. The white targets are paper plates I used to get familiar with the carbine and the black center target is one of the Shoot-N-C targets I used to record my “official” results.

Here is a picture of my range table with my gear. Note the high-tech notepad and pen to record results and impressions. I used my rangebag as a rest.


The only ammo I used was 115 grain Winchester target ammo. It is reliable and economic at about $10 per box of 100 rounds (Wal Mart). The KelTec instruction manual stated the best accuracy came from premium hollow-point 9mm ammo, but since this is what I plan on using for the monthly Cactus Match competitions then I figured I should see how it performed with said ammo.

I fired a total of 200 rounds through the carbine and it performed flawlessly. Can’t get much better then that. Here are my impressions of my Sub 2000 shooting experience:

Sights: Rear peep with enclosed high-visibility (red) front post sight. The mechanism to adjust the sight is a little clunky but works. My carbine shot high and left out of the box. It took me a little while to dial the rifle in to an acceptable point of aim, but I also did it without the instruction manual (dummy!). A dime worked great as a sight adjustment tool. Bottom line, the sights seem a little cheap but they work and are sturdy.

Trigger: A little heavy but I was surprised at the consistency. Frankly, the trigger pull is much better than I expected from a $300 rifle. It seemed similar to a Glock trigger without the two stages. When the safety is engaged, the trigger can be pulled to the rear, so the mechanism is not a blocking mechanism.

Ergonomics: Overall, I was pleased with the ergonomics. The carbine is a little small for me, but that is a good thing. I am 6’ 2” and about 205 lbs. This means kids or average-sized females can comfortably shoot the Sub 2000. In fact, they will probably find it so much fun that they won’t want to hand it back to you!

I felt most of the controls were well placed and easily manipulated. I had to adjust my grip slightly when I disengaged the safety, but it wasn’t too extreme. The carbine pointed quite naturally. I would hold it at the normal ready position (port arms), and it was easy and smooth to transition to the firing position.

Accuracy: The carbine is easy to shoot and gave decent accuracy for the price. Here my “official” 25-yard, 5-rd group. The left most shot was my last and I distinctly remember pulling it a little. For size reference, the black target is 8” wide.

Although the rifle was still shooting a little left, I was tired of messing with the sights and wanted to check the accuracy at 100 yards. After firing a couple of rounds with no visible effect, I shot at a bush and realized the carbine shot high at 100 yards. I then lowered my point of aim to just below the bottom of the black. I fired 5 rounds and remember jerking the trigger on the third shot. That is why there are only four holes; my fault not the carbine's.

Cleaning: I gave the disassembly instructions the once over and went to it. The carbine is easy to disassemble and clean. It took me exactly twenty minutes to disassemble, clean, and reassemble. Now that I know how it works, next time will take less time. The bolt is a simple two-piece affair.


Summary: I’d like to have a 9mm AR-15 to go with my Bushmaster but the KelTec Sub 2000 is a fun, well-designed firearm that gives decent accuracy and does so at 1/3 of the price. My kids and I will feel confident we can compete with it effectively in the Cactus Combat pistol caliber carbine matches, and I feel confident in depending on it for more serious matters. It is nice knowing that if a shitty situation cropped up and I felt the need to carry my Glock 34 with M3 flashlight, Glock 26 backup, and KelTec Sub 2000 carbine, I would only need to bring along one caliber of ammo and all my larger magazines could fit in all my smaller firearms. If you’ve been wondering about this firearm…buy it!

Speaking of 9-mm carbines, Mr. Completely reviews the Hi Point!.