The KelTec RDB is an American-made, semi-automatic, bullpup, downward ejecting, 223/556 rifle. Like many of KelTec’s designs, it’s pretty wild, doing something very novel (ejecting empties straight down). At around $1500, they’re pretty price competitive for the quality.
Features
- Very adjustable gas block
- Full ambi controls
- Downward case ejection
- Non-reciprocating charging handle
- 5lb trigger pull
- Easy disassembly
- They make em with 20″ barrels for Canada
Shooting the KelTec RDB
There are a couple things that are a bit different when using the RDB.
- Dropping mags
Dropping mags requires you to take your trigger hand off the grip and hit rearwards with the back of your thumb to engage the paddle. You can do it quickly, but if you drop your support hand to grab a mag at the same time, you don’t have fantastic control of the gun.
2. Locking the bolt back
There are 2 options to lock the bolt back. You can pull back the charging handle and then pull it up to lock it in place, or you can use the bolt hold open tabs on both sides of the gun. The charging handle option would be really handy if you got a double feed during a match.
3. Dropping the bolt
To let the bolt forward, again there are 2 options. You can either pull the handle all the way to the rear and then let go, or you can push down on the bolt hold open tabs. For go-fast, I just slap at the bolt hold open tabs just like I’d hit the ping pong paddle on an AR15 and that seems to work just fine.
The safety is in an intuitive spot and has a nice, tight angle of throw on it.
4. Gas Adjustment
Depending on the kind of shooting and kind of person you are, the adjustable gas block may be a blessing or a curse. It’s VERY adjustable so you can tune it to just barely cycle your rounds to get a soft shooting gun, or you can give it a bit more gas for reliability in all conditions with more types of ammo.
5. Trigger
It’s better than most factory bullpup triggers, but it’s not as good as a drop-in. That’s a good thing considering the price. It was pretty easy to print 2-3 inch groups at 100 using basic bitch ammo.
RDB Issues
Here are some of the issues I’ve heard about or seen:
- Shit accuracy when hot (I’ve heard that some better forends can help this)
- If you shoot prone, it’ll put hot brass right where your elbows are
- Issues with some mags locking in
- Broken firing pins (though there are spots where it can break and still work)
- Stubborn break down pins
- Mag release might be too easy to bump and drop a mag when you don’t mean to
Conclusion
Compared to some past KelTec products like the SU16, the RDB is MUCH better designed and doesn’t seem to have any super obvious flaws. At $1500, it’s pretty competitive with the more buggy 180 clones or the much less ergonomic Type 97. For go-fast sports like 3 gun, I’ll still go to the more traditional layout 180 clones rather than a bullpup, but maybe some lefties out there would prefer not having brass ejecting past their face.
But what about coyote hunting? Well, it’s heavier than a traditional bolt action rifle but it’s very compact, has the capability to take multiple coyotes if you have a couple show up at once, and is accurate enough for short range (200 and in) shots. I really like how compact bullpups are for hunting, they’re great while slung or inside tight blinds. With an LVPO (low variable power optic, think 1-4 or 1-6), I think it’d be a nice tight little coyote rifle for states or provinces when you’re not doing long bombs on a wide open field.
