POTD: Grendel SRT-20F – Kellgren’s Only Bolt Gun

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a rifle from a name most folks know for pocket pistols. This is a Grendel SRT-20F, and it’s the only bolt action George Kellgren ever designed.

Kellgren founded Grendel in 1983. The company’s first product was a ballistic knife, then came the SRT, and then the P10 pistol most people remember. The SRT took a Sako A II short action and dropped it into a Zytel stock with a buttstock that folds underneath. As far as I know, this was the first time Kellgren worked with Zytel, and you can draw a straight line from this rifle to his later SU-16 and SU-22.

When folded, the stock is held in place by a flexible screw shaft threaded up through the pistol grip. Unfortunately the stock molds were cut from 1018 steel and warped on him, which didn’t help production. Douglas supplied the barrels in 16, 20 and 24 inch lengths, with the fluted 20 inch as the standard. Grendel offered 22-250, 243, 308 and 358, and the 9 round magazine was designed to tuck inside the folded stock.

Grendel sold these straight to dealers with hunters in mind, though a few landed with police snipers. Production ran about three years. Kellgren has said a couple thousand were built while others estimate higher, and since Grendel’s records went to the ATF, nobody has a clean number.

Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!

“Sako/Grendel A II SRT-20F Compact Bolt Action Rifle with Scope.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5034/1135/sakogrendel-a-ii-srt20f-compact-bolt-action-rifle-with-scope. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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