Review: Kel-Tec RFB Hunter
Ben Ryder 11.23.20
This review is brought to you by Kel-Tec.
The Kel-Tec RFB Hunter is an extremely capable hunting rifle with a number of great features that make it a must have for any hunter looking to go beyond the bolt gun.
I recently had the opportunity to head down to Refugio, TX on a management whitetail hunt at Mellon Creek Outfitters. Mellon Creek is owned by the Braman family, who also host the popular TV show “The Wildlifers”. The crew at Mellon Creek were extremely hospitable and if you are ever looking to hunt in Texas, they should be your first choice.
For anyone who has not hunted in Texas, your trip is not truly complete until you have headed out to hunt hogs after hours. One of the best parts about hog hunting is that you get to use unique gear like thermal scopes and night vision. On this trip, I decided to add to the experience and try out a rifle that I had never set my hands on. That rifle was the Kel-Tec RFB Hunter chambered in .308.
The Kel-Tec RFB Hunter is one of the higher caliber offerings from Kel-tec within their bullpup line of rifles. For those new to this line, RFB stands for “Rifle Forward-ejecting Bullpup”, and it features a number of unique design characteristics. This was my first time shooting this rifle and also my first time shooting a bullpup, so I was really excited to get down to Texas and try this bad boy out.
Overall I was extremely pleased with the Kel-Tec RFB Hunter. Here are a few of my main takeaways after slanging some lead over the course of three nights down in Texas.
Accuracy
If you have used thermal scopes or night vision scopes in a hunting application, you know that accuracy can be an interesting beast to tame. With the Kel-Tec RFB Hunter, I spent some serious time at the range sighting in and getting familiar with this rifle when we arrived at the ranch in Texas. Sighting in the rifle was done at 100 yards and I had this rifle hitting 1 inch groups, using an ATN Thor 4 after just a few shots. I was consistently getting very tight groupings and I ran through roughly 100 rounds, primarily to ensure I was comfortable with the rifle’s functionality.
Once we were out hunting, I was laying down hogs very easily at varying range. Overall, this rifle preformed extremely well in the accuracy department, even though I still need some work with my thermal shooting.
Weight and Maneuverability
This rifle comes in just over 9lbs (9.1 Lbs) and with the added Thor 4, I was pushing more than 10 lbs. Even with that weight, I had a very easy time using this rifle on the move because of how it balances out being a bullpup. I found that I was not noticing the same forearm fatigue that I would normally experience running an AR-10 and that was because of how I was carry this rifle, often times without a sling. This rifle also excelled over an AR-10 in the maneuverability category because of it’s compact design. Had I been running the 18″ barrel, I would have had an even easier time getting in and out of the trucks we were using throughout the night.
Core functionality
Of course the biggest thing you are going to want to know about is how this rifle functions. over the course of 3 days, I experienced near perfect performance from this rifle. I say near perfect, because on the second night I short stroked the action right before taking a shot. That clearly was not the rifles fault, it was a byproduct of needing to spend a bit more time on the range getting familiar with the RFB Hunter.
The Kel-Tec RFB Hunter is a very capable high caliber rifle with some really unique features. If you are in the market for a new rifle, I highly recommend you check out www.keltecweapons.com to see this rifle and all of the other offerings from Kel-Tec.
