Mounting a Sling on the Kel-Tec SU-16 RifleBack to Kel-Tec stuffOrigonally written by Ray on Anglefire After scouring the web (unsuccessfully) for a good way to mount a sling on my Kel-Tec SU-16 rifle, I decided to wing it. Kel-Tec has been promising a custom sling since this spring, but hasn't posted one as of the time of this article. There are some obvious flaws to the Colt versions. For one thing, the stock sling mount is attached to the bottom edge of the stock. As an Army Veteran I had to lug around an M-16 a lot. Unless it was carried correctly the magazine well, charging handle or forward assist dug into our backs. It made the weapon obscenely uncomfortable to carry! There was a lot of talk about possible improvements to the design while we were nursing the various divots in our backs... Naturally, I went for the least expensive solution but I wanted the sling to be mounted very securely - and look good on the rifle. That isn't too much to ask, is it? If you're a do-it-yourselfer like me, it can be a daunting task to have the right information handy! I had my SU-16 owner's manual with me when I did this. First, I chose "Uncle Mike's" model # QD-115-CFL sling mount package for Magnum Bands. The SU-16 barrel is tapered from 5/8" to 3/4" from muzzle to hand guards. The package contained a split band that mounted snugly on the barrel and could be slid up or down to suit my tastes before tightening the set screw firmly to secure it in place.
I mounted the band about 3" in front of the hand guards. That gave the hand guards plenty of room to swing into bipod configuration and still allowed the stock to lock into place when folded.
As an added bonus, the sling was something substantial to hold onto when firing the weapon with the bipod deployed! That barrel got hot in a hurry! It was very handy to help keep the weapon steady while firing it. The SU-16 is lighter than most rifles, weighing in at less than 6 lbs. from the factory.
I took one of the bolts that holds the stock together (they're all the same size) and used it to find a comparable machine screw sling mount. I finally found one that fit pretty well in this package from "Uncle Mike's" - model # QD-115 MCS
I mounted the stock sling swivel close to the hand grip. It kept the left side of the rifle flat against my back when it was slung on my shoulder and stayed conveniently out of the way when firing. It's mounted on the left side because the protruding bolt handle is on the right. Drilling a hole in the bottom of the stock wasn't really an option with this rifle. It's hollow and designed to hold either two 10-round factory magazines or one 30-round after-market magazine. I found both kits locally. Both of them totaled about $34, but the results were well worth it. Best of all, the weapon can easily be restored to factory configuration if necessary. There were a lot of spare parts but they should come in handy someday. If not, they'll look good in the parts drawer... Happy hunting, everyone! |
