$%#!@& Kel tec P11

[BlkHawk73]

Father in law bought a Kel tec P11 a month or so ago. First trip to range it was shooting all over the place. Figured it was just him since he's used to larger sized pistols (1911, etc). Took it out for a second time yesterday. First shot and the #$@!%* thing locked up tight. Slide won't retract...nothing. it's locked! personally, it isn't something I'd ever own anyways, but this confirmed it and it'll now never be a model I'll purchase. Yeah, it's only one out of who knows how many of them made. Surely some are good but I'll pass on this model. Prior to shooting it, we had both worked the action/slide and everything seemed ok. Was cleaned too. One shot was all it took. Gun has a total of 81 rounds though it! guess what I always say is shown here...you get what you pay for. (didn't tell him that though)

 

[TheFederalistWeasel]

I watched a guy at a local indoor gun range shoot some type of Kel-Tec he had just bought at the range, from 7 yards his groups looked like shotgun blasts from 50 feet.

He must of put 50 rounds thru it, took it up front to the range guy/sales clerk then both come back. Range guy fires a few rounds at a new target same distance, same results.

Both share some words about the quality of the gun, evidentially the range guy recommended it to the buyer, buyer was not happy.

The guns are cheap, you get what you pay for.

 

[Preacherman]

I haven't found Kel-Tecs to be inaccurate... just unreliable. On the other hand, there are those who swear by them, and carry them with confidence. Guess one has to get lucky...

 

[mattf7184]

Send it back to KelTec, guarentee they will make it better for you.

They make so many guns that there will be lemons.

 

[jaxfl]

P3AT not the P11

I have the Kel-tec P3at and have fired alot of rounds through it I am sorry your P11 is not working correctly. The P3AT that I have has not been modified and holds a 12inch grouping at 12 yards, not bad for a close distance gun. I would send it back to the factory and have them fix it. You might also go to the http://www.ktrange.com under P11 and see if anyone there can help you with this.

 

[Reservecop55]

P11

I also had a bad experience with a Kel Tec P11 a few years ago. It was never reliable and had the front sight fall off after 50 rounds. On the other hand, I have a P32 that I use as a hideout gun on duty. It has been 100% reliable and I can shoot a 1 inch group at 5 yards with ball ammo, and get the head shot every time. It seems like their .32s are a better design than their 9 mm guns

 

[W Turner]

I think you have to be unlucky to get a bad one more than you have to be lucky to get a good one. I have have three or four of the P11's and three of the P32's pass thru my hands in the past and they have all been accurate enough and reliable. My P3AT shares BUG duties with a SW638.

W

 

[The Rabbi]

I had a P32. It wasnt the worst gun I ever had (that was a Smith mini-Sigma). But it was close.
Hard to shoot, I found it horribly inaccurate, even compared to my Colt .25. It was ammo-sensitive. It broke. It's only advantage was size and weight.

 

[Stasher1]

I've got a P32 and a P11, and they've both been 100% reliable. I'd recommend sending the pistol back to Kel-Tec to have them take a look at it. I guarantee they'll make it right.

 

[Dave R]

What kind of ammo were you using?

If you were using Wolf, or another Russian steel-cased ammo, then blame the ammo, not the gun.

My P-11 will not digest Russian 9mm. Either the P-11 chamber is tight to spec, or the Russian 9mm is loose to spec. Either way, cases tend to get stuck in the chamber. When a case gets REALLY stuck, it locks up the gun.

Fortunately, this is not hard to fix. Manually push in on the back side of the extractor, to free the front end of the extractor from the stuck case. You can then retract the slide. The stuck case can probably be driven out with a dowel or even a pencil (depending on how stuck it is.)

If it locked up with brass-cased ammo, then I retract the above and you do have a lemon.

 

[MR.G]

Send the gun to Kel-Tec for repair. They have a lifetime warranty and a good service department. I have a P-3AT and a P-11 that are used for front pocket carry. They have been fired about 400 rounds each with no problems. Neither gun is real accurate, but I don't expect any gun that will fit in my pocket to be a tack driver.

 

[BlkHawk73]

thanks. I e-mailed Keltec about it. He's stubborn enough that he won't want to send it back. Got that "I can fix it" thing in him. He's willing to break the grip and buy another one (not serialized). :banghead:
He was using regualar green/yellow remington hardball ammo. It fired and ejected the last cartridge so the chamber is empty. Just locked up tight.

 

[clipse]

The only Kel-Tec I ever saw some one shooting was the only time I saw a frame break in two.

clipse

 

[Man-O-War]

I am sorry to hear about your bad experience with the P11. I have had one for a year now and I have never had a single malfunction with it. I only have between 300 and 400 rounds through it but it has always functioned fine. It is plenty accurate for a pocket pistol and immediately became my "always" pistol. You would be hard pressed to find me without it except at work.

My father-in-law has one also and he has not had a single malfunction in 200 - 300 rounds.

I agree with the other posters who suggested sending it back to Kel-Tec. Although I have never had to send anything back myself, their customer service has an excellent reputation. Hopefully your father-in-law will be able to fix it, but if not, I believe Kel-Tec will. Good luck.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

I've had several Kel-Tecs over the years -- and consider them every bit as good as a number of far more expensive guns. (And no more troublesome.) I carried a P-11 for several years.

I recently purchased a P3AT and have about 400 rounds through it. Flawless performance and accurate.

A friend has one and claims its horribly inaccurate. I was shooting 4" groups at 30", rapidly with mine, and he tried it. All of a sudden this accurate gun turned into a shotgun. He decided he needs to try his again -- as he's a pretty good shot with other guns. Sometimes it isn't the gun...

Shooting the OLD lacquer-coated Wolf ammo will cause a lot of guns to lock up solid. That's a WOLF issue, not a gun issue.

(I did a survey here a while back, and about half of the folks who tried Wolf ammo had a variety of problems -- including the gun gluing itself shut. The other half loved the stuff and never had a problem.)

 

[azrael]

Hmmm locked up tight?? bummer dude, I hate to hear that...Got 2 p-11's that I swear by...I will not say what kind of holster I carry it in, except to say that they guy that made them REALLY and i mean REALLY hates the color brown!!!

had a p-40 that I sweared AT!!!!

Problems with wolf ammo?? I use them all the time in mine...I just run the bore snake through them when they start to get "sludgy" and go again..

Send it back to KT...They have a great return policy..

OHHH...for the "do-it-yourselfer" ya might wanna direct him to www.ktog.org ...lots of know how on that board...

 

[9x19]

I have a number of Kel-Tec pistols and all have been reliable and accurate for me. {shrug}

I'm curious how the slide is "locked" if there is no round/case in the chamber... please let us know what you all find out.

Kel-Tec's service is exemplary, should you decide to avail yourselves of it.

Here's one of my favorite P-11s.

 

[Wilson 17&26]

Kel-Tec is very slow with email, best call. Each year Kel-Tec closed for two weeks. They will open January 3rd and their toll free number is 1-800-515-9983. If requested in writing, Kel-Tec will reimburse you $20 for shipping on warranty work. I usually request the $20 hard chrome slide exchange or an extra magazine in lieu of the $20 refund.

I like P-11s and have several, including a mirror finished stainless steel. If you just don’t like your P-11, I’ll give you 70% of my FFLs (SportingArms.com) NIB advertised retail price plus pay his $15 transfer fee. However, I hope you decide to keep your P-11.
Wilson

 

[clange]

Father in law bought a Kel tec P11 a month or so ago. First trip to range it was shooting all over the place. Figured it was just him since he's used to larger sized pistols (1911, etc).

Well, i think it probably is him. The P11 isnt the easiest gun to shoot in the world. If i dont take my time, i'm all over the place. I was shooting like 4 inches to the left at pretty close range. I thought the sight was off (partly because the rear sight is slightly off to one side). I went and shot from a rest at the same distance and had a ridiculously small group dead center on the target. Not much to say other than me and that trigger dont go well together.

 

[Shootcraps]

Definitely send it in for warranty repair. I had one and it was 100%. Carried it all the time. I've got the 1911 bug so I traded it on a Rock Island .45. Don't have no more 9 millies now.

 

[Devonai]

My P-11 is like a Swiss watch. FWIW, it's a whole lot more reliable than the pre-Kahr Auto-Ordinance 1911A1 I used to own.

 

[Wilson 17&26]

Most problems with accuracy can be traced to the P-11 trigger. Check out P-11 Trigger Shoe and Trigger Stop at http://1bad69.com/keltec

 

[alamo]

I'm wondering if the guide rod slipped off the indent on the barrel & the recoil springs came out and that's what caused it to lock up. Is it still jammed up?

 

[sm]

I was asked to T&E the P-11 years ago.

I like SA 1911s and BHPs - in wood and blue. I also learned to shoot with wood and blue K frame revolvers. I think I was asked - just to get ribbed a lot. See Glocks hate me. I have opened the box on a NIB Glock - and have the sight fall off. I have broken a few, oh they worked great for the owners, The gun gets in my hands - ka-put!

I was REAL thankful I learned to shoot DA Revolvers. The P-11 trigger sucked. I was determined to T&E this P-11. " Go ahead and tear it up". So I set out to "tear it up". I started with good ammo, WWB and Blaser. The gun was reliable, I became "used to" the trigger ( best one can) . I shot weak handed, I shot "limpwristed" to see what it took to quit.

One damn thing - I was sure better shooting a DA K frame after shooting the P-11...

I then went to hotter loading, +P , Nato, all weights. At one point " scoop the case with powder and stick a bullet in it". I left in the freezer, I left it in the snow for 2 days, tossed in mud puddles, poured sand in,on and oh hell, shake it in a bucket full of Sand. [ Note my test mirrored Vicker's on Glocks and Sand].

After a bit one "gets used to" the P-11. It is a close range defensive tool. I think of it as DA "revo with 11 rds". Even so I have taken small game, and shot steels " just to see". 40 steps is 40 yds in my stride, I can hit the 8" steel - have hit the steel 3 mags worth - nary a miss. Granted 60 steps is "trying" - my hits ratio goes down...still it is a hoot to hear "ding".

Not every gun is for everyone. Every Mfg lets a bad one out. I doubt I will ever own another poly handgun. I find a Nylon 66 - that is different.

So I trust my P-11, I use it for CCW. If I ever tear the thing up...I don't care. It is at this point a close range tool ...I still have fun with it though.

I had it in the snow the other day when we had snow ( I buried it for 2 days) ...I was testing something...damn thing worked- again.

Personally , A 1911 Commander size is what I prefer to carry for what the P-11 is in size.

9mm allows for affordable ammo . I have run mine 1k rds in one day - many times. See I run a min of 200 rds , with each mag for reliability before I carry that ammo, in that gun , with that mag.

My P-11 carry load ( let me check, drops mag) Is the Speer Gold Dot 124 gr +P .
The spare mag on my desk is the same, the one in the truck - Blazer 115 FMJ .

I quit attemping to keep a rd count. I saved the end flaps. I know I ran 3k in one week alone. So somewhere around 7k I quit counting. Gotta be well over 10k rds .

I ran 400 rds just the other day ....of mixed ammo I was asked to shoot up....

 

[krang]

Sorry to hear about the P11. Mine is my always carry gun. I have over 1200 rds. through it with no problems. It's been totally reliable and quite accurate at 20 yds. Lots of practise with it and the trigger isn't a problem for me. Keltec is the best as far as service.