There\u2019s your \u201ccontrol center,\u201d with the bolt stop\/release, mag release and charging handle all within inches of each other.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe mag release sits on the left side of the magwell, just below where it meets the receiver. If you wrap your hand around the Vector\u2019s magwell, you\u2019re in easy position to catch the mag as it drops free. The magazine release button is a little shy, I\u2019d like it to poke out a tiny bit more so there\u2019s more tactile difference with the surrounding area, especially with gloves on.<\/p>\n
Finally, the humble safety. Ambidextrously applied on the Vector, the safety is perfect for me. Easy to hit with my thumb to get it on \u201cfire,\u201d and my trigger finger removed from the trigger well is in perfect position to flick back to \u201csafe,\u201d with its short 45-degree throw.<\/p>\nThe safety is ambidextrously applied on the Vector making it perfect to hit it with your thumb and get it on fire.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhile the SDP-SB (Vector from now on) came with flip-up iron sights that are perfectly serviceable, I\u2019ve been running various red-dot optic\u2019s (RDO) for most of the time I\u2019ve owned this. Currently, a Bushnell TRS-26 is what I use.<\/p>\n
The barrel is threaded for muzzle device\/suppressor use, but Kriss chose the M16x1 LH thread pattern for the .45 ACP version, and I haven\u2019t come across a good deal on an adaptor for my AAC TiRant .45 suppressor. This is one of the few design ideas I feel like Kriss really dropped on the Vector, when there\u2019s so many American suppressor manufacturers making 5\/8\u00d724 mounted cans as their standard for this caliber.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s about it for accessories to the Vector. A forward (6-o\u2019clock) mounted picatinny rail section is there for vertical grips and the like, but using the front of the magwell as a gripping surface is (for once) a sensical choice.<\/p>\n
The recoil assembly of the Vector has the bolt traveling vertically, slamming downwards and opposing the muzzle rise you\u2019d expect. View the photo below to see the vertical recoil element. When combined with a low bore axis, the Vector provides an interesting engineering experiment on how much recoil can be reduced mechanically.<\/p>\nDisassembly is easy, with only four toolless push pins to remove. Reassembly is weird, but only the first time.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhen I shoot pistol caliber carbines (PCC\u2019s), I get a rough zero at 10 yards, then a solid zero at 25 yards. The rest of the gun\u2019s life is shooting steel between 5 and 100 yards.\u00a0 Much like my original review of the Vector, I\u2019m using HSM 230-gr. remanufactured FMJ\u2019s, a large stash left over from when I closed out my gun shop. It\u2019s good ammo for the price, reliable and accurate. Besides my initial range day years ago, the only time I shoot groups with this is when I zero a new optic.<\/p>\nWhen I shoot pistol caliber carbines, I get a rough zero at 10 yards, then a solid zero at 25. The rest of my shooting is at steel between 5 and 100 yards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMost people who haven\u2019t shot a Vector have seen it on a TV show like\u00a0Future Weapons<\/em> or a video game like\u00a0Call of Duty<\/em>. While the show did a good job showing off the unique recoil system, video games are designed to exaggerate systems to highlight their differences (and balance gameplay irrespective of reality). So, what\u2019s shooting the Kriss Vector like?<\/p>\nEasy. This is a fun gun. The questions about ergonomics disappear once you start working the gun, which is exactly what you want. This is the case as long as you don\u2019t have to lock the bolt back manually. It\u2019s a little bit awkward, but the Vector has been reliable and has locked back on an empty mag every time.<\/p>\nRecoil is mild. My 12-year-old loves this gun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nRecoil is really mild, with the muzzle dropping nearly on the same spot it was pre-shot. There\u2019s a small bit of \u201ctorque\u201d during recoil, with the Vector twisting slightly, but again it returns to form on the forward stroke of the bolt. This is a minor curiosity, not a critique.<\/p>\nKriss Vector SDP-SB<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe trigger is better than I expected. I\u2019m more used to Mp5 PCC\u2019s\/subguns than AR-type guns. An average trigger is to be expected on a gun like this, but a good trigger is what we get.\u00a0 Less creep and a lighter pull by far than the average Mp5 trigger, this goes a long way towards the Vector\u2019s accuracy.<\/p>\nMy original Vector zero target. Groups just fine with budget ammo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDropping steel at 25 yards is a rhythmic joy. At 50 yards it is easy enough. At 100 yards though, the .45 ACP is doing its usual nosedive routine, so it\u2019s time to holdover. A lot.<\/p>\n
Muzzle blast is greater in the Vector than you\u2019d think, but maybe that\u2019s just a side effect of having the recoil\/muzzle blast divorced from each other so significantly. All bark, no bite. My 12-year-old absolutely loves shooting this gun.<\/p>\n
Reliable? Yes. In the years I\u2019ve owned this, not one jam, misfeed or malfunction of any sort.<\/p>\n
Bottom line, the Kriss Vector is an innovative design, built into a gun well made to take advantage of its technological advances. It shoots, it scores!<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
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