[Glock19Fan]

Hello.

Right now I keep a Glock 19 for home defense. The house that I am currently living in has two stories, and although I am downstairs most of the time, I would like to have a gun upstairs, also for self defense.

While I dont want a ultra small gun, conceiabilty does help in keeping it hidden, so I would prefer a lightweight and fairly small handgun.

Becuase money is tight, my budget is only $200-$300.

Anyway, I narrowed my choices down to Keltecs P11 and Bersas 9mm UC. Now, assuming everything else is equal, which one would be the best in reliability and accuracy? Which one would you pick?

Thanks!

[gazpacho]

I hate thee trigger on the P11, never fired the Bersa.

I would recommend a nice .38 snubby. You can get a Taurus new for that price, and a S&W used, if you look real hard. The revolver is cheap to own, easy to use, and surprisingly accurate in single action use. I recommend against .357 in that size, unless you don't like yourself.

[longeyes]

Snubby or Mak. Make sure go bang.

[MICHAEL T]

I would go with the snubby idea to.

[Flashpoint]

I have fired the Bersa and only handled the Keltec at the shop-the Keltec didn't impress me much.

On the otherhand the Bersa did impress me. I put about 60 rounds through one and it didn't hesitate to shuck them out. It was pretty accurate and had a trigger that came real close to my Sig in pull weight and smoothness. The major differences I seen in the triggers was the Bersa's SA pull was a little longer. The gun felt good on my hand and was a natural to draw, thumb back the hammer, and fire.

The only thing that I didn't like about the gun was that the mag had a rattle when loaded and the finish didn't look like it would hold up, but those are minor issues for a house gun.

I would advice-get the Bersa

I thinking of getting one in .45acp

[Onmilo]

Kel-Tec verses Bersa, hmmmm.
Because of the exposed hammer and the option of thumb cocking the hammer for the first shot verses a strictly trigger cocking only action,
I would buy the Bersa but I would buy one marked as a "Firestorm".
The Firestorms have improvements in the internals that make them more reliable and more dependable.
Mainly, the throating is cleaner ensuring more reliable feeding with hollowpoint ammunition, the slide lock has been redesigned and the dual purpose slide sock spring, one of the real faults of the Bersa design, has been eliminated.
This makes the gun more dependable.
The Bersa/Firestorms also feature slightly better sights than those found on the Kel-Tec 9mm pistols.
The only drawback is that Bersa and Firestorm guns only come with one magazine and additional magazines are fairly expensive.
Kel-Tec guns only come with one magazine too but additional magazines are about $15.00 to $20.00 less expensive than the Bersa/Firestorms.

[albanian]

I have not fired either of those models but I have owned a few Bersas and one Kel-Tec (P-32). I am a big fan of the Bersa. I think they are one of the best deals out there for a new gun. My Kel-Tec P-32 was a nightmare. It was not reliable and after two trips back to the factory, it finally broke on me. It seems like it is made of cheap materials in a cheap way. It is hard to believe that it is made in the USA and Bersa is made in Argentina.

I think Kel-Tecs are the most expensive cheap guns you can buy. They have all the preformance of a $50 Jennings but you get the glory of having to pay 4-5 times that amount. :rolleyes: Bersas on the other hand would still be worth the price if they cost twice as much.

Now that I answered your question, I have to say that I wouldn't buy either of them if I were in your boat. There are some really nice used 9mms that you can get for less than $300 that might serve you better. I see police trade ins on Berettas for around $300, if you could score one of those, you would be laughing. The Star BM is a 9mm and I consider it the best but in handguns right now, bar none. You can find these used everywhere and they start at about $129. S&W also has some police trade ins that would be better than the above, I have seen the 3913 and 6906 for very attractive prices lately. Also a used Ruger P-95 would be inexpensive and reliable.

My advice is buy a better gun in used condition and you will get a better gun in the end. You could buy two Star BMs for the price of one Kel-Tec P-11 or Bersa. That is not a bad idea BTW. I bought two at a time and then I bought a third because I love them so much. The Star Firestar is often found for very good prices also. I have one in 9mm and Starvel and it has NEVER jammed and it is very accurate.

[Wilson 17&26]

I have several P-11s and all function flawlessly. My daily carry was a Glock 26 prior to purchasing my first P-11. While the Kel-Tec isn’t as much fun to shoot, it’s far lighter, a bit smaller and with a 12 round (formerly LEO, same exterior detentions as the 10 round) magazine has more firepower than my 26. I keep a couple of P-11s in hollowed-out (velvet lined) books around the house. That said, all my guns are collected and put away or under the bead at night.

[9x19]

The Kel-Tec P-11 is significantly more concealable for me.

Plus, mine have all been reliable and are easy to shoot well with just a little practice. If you can hit what you're aiming at with a DAO revolver, you should be just fine with the Kel-Tec.

Great little guns, IMO.

I own several Bersas in .22, .32 and .380 and they are all good pistols, but the 9mm and .45 are much larger guns.

[PX15]

I've had a KelTec P11 now for over a year. It's reliable and accurate out to about 10yards. Not so out further. I have a Star BM and it is actually more accurate than the KelTec, but considerably heavier. I prefer the KelTec for personal protection and enjoy shooting the Star BM just for pleasure. KelTec's are guaranteed for life, Star BM parts are kinda scarce. I like both... I like my Sig p239 better.. JMO :)

[BlkHawk73]

Father-in-law recently bought a P11. trigger pull is terrible, accuracy is more like a shotgun pattern and well after 81 rounds, the whole thing locked up tight. Can't get it top budge at all. make your own choice however. ;)

[Wilson 17&26]

BlkHawk73, when your Father in-law ships it back to Kel-Tec, remind him to request, in writing, $20 to off set shipping charges, which they will normally do, proving the pistol hasn’t been abused. However, if he is unhappy with the pistol, he might be better off to ask them for the $20 hard chrome slide & barrel exchange instead of a $20 shipping reimbursement. It will dramatically increase the resale value of the pistol.

A Kel-Tec trigger will never compare to a Glock trigger but the addition of a trigger shoe and several of the home improvements listed on the KTOG web site can make substantial improvements.

Kel-Tec’s toll free number is 1-800-515-9983.