A lot of people need to read this post a couple times. The VHS-2 looks cool, but that LOP is going to be a stone cold bitch in actual usage (albeit it does get you over the OAL floor...). It also doesn't have the cool AR-style mag release that the X95 has. I'm not going to say it's a bad rifle, because I don't think that's the case, but I certainly think it's a bit behind the power curve compared to other options. They'll still sell a million of them, I imagine.
Incidentally, I saw the RDB Defender at SHOT, and I've got to say that's a pretty clever-looking rifle. Unsure if Kel-Tec's fixed the functional aspects or whatever, but the premise looked solid.
How far does the adjustable stock on the RDB extend? Will it get the 27" long RDB defender (16.1" bbl) to MD legal length when extended?
I have the rdb 20. It’s a decent bullpup. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it won’t work with usgi mags.
With all due respect, those irons crack me up....
Me too. Lol
I can’t see anything with that pesky thermal sight. It’s takes too long to focus and get set up. Besides , iron with an extremely short sight radius beats shooting from the hip.
Solution: Practice your hip shooting….
Rifle showed up today. I took a few pictures of it pre-cleaning, so you're seeing it as it came out of the box. It's oiled but it's storage oil, not operating oil. What all the reviews don't mention is just how much steel is in it. Sure, there's a boatload of polymer but many of the holdy bits are steel. it's clearly a well built, military grade product. The machining is very nice and mating surfaces in the bolt/carrier are highly polished and very slick in operation. My first impression is VERY positive. It's clearly a well built, military grade product, not a Kel-Tec. If I enjoy it, I might do an in depth look at it but for now, here are a few prelinaries.
Left side, stock collapsed. Length, 28.25":
I'm 6'2" and it fits me just fine this way. It has a rubber butt pad too, which is a nice touch.
Right side, stock full extended. Length, 29.75":
If you have slightly longer arms, this'll be for you. It's not quite awkward for me at this length but almost.
Length compared to a Tavor with elongated flash hider and a Colt 16" A3 Carbine:
Even though it's still covered in storage oil, note how nicely finished the details are on the bolt face and locking lugs. This is indicative of the machining found elsewhere on the rifle. The only exception to this is the barrel. It's not smooth in the slightest but the bore looks nice!
Markings on top the barrel just in front of the chamber:
Again, still covered in storage oil. The number is not the serial. I assume it's a lot number or date code of some sort. The stylized "T" might be a quality control mark of some type? It's also marked with the manufacturer, HS Produkt, located in Karlovac, Croatia.
Short stroke, two position gas system:
While the trigger box is polymer, all the clockwork is steel:
It's a bullpup so it's not a match trigger. Still, it's significantly lighter than my honey's Tavor.
Last picture for now showing it stripped down to its major components:
There's still a ways to go for general cleaning after shooting (e.g. gas system, bolt group) but this is just a quick look so you get the picture.
That's it for now. As I said, my first impression is very positive. It's clearly well thought out and built with an eye for longevity. But it's essentially a proven military rifle so I would expect that. It comes with a lifetime warranty but, of course, that's only good for as long as they are being imported so take that for what it's worth. Still, for the amount of shooting any of us is likely to do with it, I have no doubt it'll stand up to whatever I'm going to use it for. At 2K, it's not inexpensive but if it turns out to be as much fun as it looks like it might be, it'll turn out to be a bargain.
Rifle showed up today. I took a few pictures of it pre-cleaning, so you're seeing it as it came out of the box. It's oiled but it's storage oil, not operating oil. What all the reviews don't mention is just how much steel is in it. Sure, there's a boatload of polymer but many of the holdy bits are steel. it's clearly a well built, military grade product. The machining is very nice and mating surfaces in the bolt/carrier are highly polished and very slick in operation. My first impression is VERY positive. It's clearly a well built, military grade product, not a Kel-Tec. If I enjoy it, I might do an in depth look at it but for now, here are a few prelinaries.
Left side, stock collapsed. Length, 28.25":
I'm 6'2" and it fits me just fine this way. It has a rubber butt pad too, which is a nice touch.
Right side, stock full extended. Length, 29.75":
If you have slightly longer arms, this'll be for you. It's not quite awkward for me at this length but almost.
Length compared to a Tavor with elongated flash hider and a Colt 16" A3 Carbine:
Even though it's still covered in storage oil, note how nicely finished the details are on the bolt face and locking lugs. This is indicative of the machining found elsewhere on the rifle. The only exception to this is the barrel. It's not smooth in the slightest but the bore looks nice!
Markings on top the barrel just in front of the chamber:
Again, still covered in storage oil. The number is not the serial. I assume it's a lot number or date code of some sort. The stylized "T" might be a quality control mark of some type? It's also marked with the manufacturer, HS Produkt, located in Karlovac, Croatia.
Short stroke, two position gas system:
While the trigger box is polymer, all the clockwork is steel:
It's a bullpup so it's not a match trigger. Still, it's significantly lighter than my honey's Tavor.
Last picture for now showing it stripped down to its major components:
There's still a ways to go for general cleaning after shooting (e.g. gas system, bolt group) but this is just a quick look so you get the picture.
That's it for now. As I said, my first impression is very positive. It's clearly well thought out and built with an eye for longevity. But it's essentially a proven military rifle so I would expect that. It comes with a lifetime warranty but, of course, that's only good for as long as they are being imported so take that for what it's worth. Still, for the amount of shooting any of us is likely to do with it, I have no doubt it'll stand up to whatever I'm going to use it for. At 2K, it's not inexpensive but if it turns out to be as much fun as it looks like it might be, it'll turn out to be a bargain.