KelTec teased a new little pistol last week, and if you know anything about my taste in firearms, you should know I love KelTec. I love weird guns, and KelTec knows how to make stuff weird. Keeping with their weird tradition, they’ve released the SUB-SDP, aka the Nub Sub. It’s a braced pistol version of the SUB-2000 rifle series.
My first KelTec was a SUB-2000 Gen-1. I now own a Gen 2 in 9mm and a Gen 3 in 5.7x28mm. I like them. They are affordable, fun little folding rifles. I’ve always wanted a pistol version because I’ve always wanted to SBR it. That thirst has finally been quenched with the Nub Sub.
The barrel has been trimmed to six inches, with a total folding length of 10 inches. It’s micro-sized and weighs a mere 3.57 pounds. The stock has been removed and is now fitted with a brace. The gun retains the Gen 3 folding handguard, so mounting an optic doesn’t prevent the gun from being folded.
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It looks like KelTec has redesigned the charging handle. It’s a little longer and textured now. As of this writing, the Nub Sub is only available in 9mm and uses Glock magazines. That’s probably the wisest move to guarantee sales, but knowing KelTec, they will likely expand into other calibers.
The Nub Sub comes in two variants. The first is the plain pistol. The second is the Defender. The Defender comes with a Vortex red dot, a compensator, and a forward magazine holder. The Defender model is only available through KelTec Direct, which is a new direct sale program from KelTec.
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The Why Behind the Nub Sub
To me, the Nub Sub will be a fun gun, but there are a lot of people who like bag guns. Most bag guns are traditional pistols with a new chassis and brace. Those types of PDWs are mostly fine, but there are some benefits to a design that’s not a traditional pistol in a chassis. This includes purpose-built ergonomics.
The Nub Sub offers that, and a folding action that’s quick to deploy and even smaller than a lot of other dedicated bag guns. Not just in length, but in overall bulk. The KelTec Sub 2000 series is known for being quite slim, and the Nub Sub is no different.
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At first, I scoffed a bit at the length. The barrel is significantly shorter than the stock. Why not use a little extra barrel? Admittedly, the extra barrel length wouldn’t do anything crazy for the 9mm round, but would offer a longer handguard for more accessories. Then it dawned on me.
It’s 2026. The barrel’s threaded. You can suppress it and then fold the gun with the suppressor attached. The extra room allows you to fold the gun with the suppressor mounted and keep it the same overall length when folded with a suppressor.
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Call Me Excited
I’m excited to see where KelTec takes the Nub Sub. I’d love to see the platform evolve. I think a 10-inch barreled 5.7 model would be slick, but that’s just me. Toss a can on this thing, and it’s gonna be a ton of fun. The Sub 2000 has been a big success for KelTec, so I don’t doubt the Nub Sub will do well.
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