Another Good Kel-Tec Story

[ChickenHawk]

I've got somewhere between 1200- and 1500 rounds through my P32, and it started to misfire here and there (i.e. goes click but not bang).

I sent it in to Kel-Tec where they replaced the extractor spring, trigger assembly and who knows what else. I can't decide if this is my original frame or if they engraved my serial number in a new one and returned it to me. It seems different, and the serial number doesn't seem to be exactly where it was in a picture I have of it (might be my imagination).

Charged me nothing.

Returned it with a empty mag in it (but I didn't send them one).

I doubt that part was on purpose but it certainly increased my happiness in a repair job for which I already couldn't possibly have any complaints.

The story could only be better if it hadn't misfired in the first place, but I'd say they handled it as well as anybody could ever expect.

Off to the range tomorrow.

Cheers,
ChickenHawk

 

[P95Carry]

Well .... for an inexpensive gun - that i know some will slate ... that ain't halfways bad ... quite impressive in fact.

Hope my P3-AT ... when I eventually get it behaves but reassuring to know at least something gets done if there are probs.

BTW ..... how long from send - to receive back? And how did you ship it??

 

[AUTIGER04]

Nice report.

ps
Is the KTOG.org board down? I cant seem to get in there.

 

[ChickenHawk]

BTW ..... how long from send - to receive back? And how did you ship it??

It took just over 2 weeks to get it back in my hands.

I sent it FedEx overnight, insured. They returned it UPS overnight with adult (over 21) signature required.

Sending it is actually a bit of a story. I told FedEx it was a handgun (as I am supposed to) and they asked me to open the packaging and show them that it wasn't loaded!

I asked the guy, "You want me to take my gun out of the nicely sealed box -and in front of this crowd of people- to show you it's not loaded? I've mailed handguns from this very office before and never asked to do that"

He insisted. So I did it, and then re-packaged it in their materials (which they provide). They always freak out when I declare it's a handgun, but I've never been asked to do that before.

PS- I just tried ktog.org and it seems to be up, now

Cheers,
ChickenHawk

 

[P95Carry]

Chicken Hawk .... well now that ain't bad I'd say ... better than the inumerable numbers of weeks some people have waited for ''service'' from other manufacturers.

Bizarre tho your FedEx experience ... that time .... oh well .. as long as it makes them happy campers!!

Thx for feedback.

 

[KeysBear]

Nice report.
ps
Is the KTOG.org board down? I cant seem to get in there.

According to the webmaster at KTOG the hard drive on the server has failed. Probably won't be back this weekend at all.


Keys

 

[AUTIGER04]

Keysbear, Nice to see you here. Thanks for the info.

 

[KeysBear]

AUTIGER04,
Thanks for the welcome. BTW, I also had a great experience with Kel-Tec service when somewhere between 2300 and 2600 rounds my P-11 hammer axis broke causing some frame damage. It still fired with the broken axis, but was causing some trigger reset issues. I shipped it to Kel-Tec and ten days later got my pistol back with a new frame stamped with my serial number, a new hammer assembly, a new trigger assembly, a trigger smoothing job, and the whole pistol very nicely tuned by the factory gunsmith. I've put another 500 flawless rounds though it since getting it back.

Regards, Keys

 

[mini14jac]

Our two P32s, and my brother's gun will sometimes misfire when shooting the cheap FN ammo that was available a couple of years ago.
(Something like $60/1000 rounds.)
But, you can tell you are not getting a "full strike" when you pull the trigger.
Apparently, some rounds are loaded weak, and don't quite cycle the slide far enough to fully reset the hammer.
Even though the empty is ejected, and the next round chambered.
Is that even possible?

I've never had this failure shooting factory American ammo, so I'm not worried about it.

I like my KelTecs, and they do have good Customer Service.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Apparently, some rounds are loaded weak, and don't quite cycle the slide far enough to fully reset the hammer.

I don't think this is possible. Besides, a misfire is when you pull the trigger and hear 'click' but not 'BANG' (or maybe in the case of the P32 it's just 'bang')

The Kel-Tec trigger can't be pulled twice without cycling the slide (kinda like a Glock except that the Glock trigger doesn't even come back forward until after the slide cycles). Well, you know what I mean ... you can pull the trigger all day, but it's the slide that pulls the hammer back so until it cycles pulling the trigger more than once does no good.

If your brother hears a 'click' when he pulls the trigger then it's a true misfire. It could possibly be the ammo, but personally I would send his P32 to Kel-Tec for service.

Cheers,
ChickenHawk

 

[mini14jac]

Well, it's hard to explain, but you pull the trigger, and hear the click, but you can tell that the hammer didn't travel full cycle. It's more like an ink pen click, than a hammer falling click.

Both my brother and I have experienced this shooting the FN ammo, and I've gotten new hammer, springs, hammer block, etc. and replaced them, in both guns. My gun actually had everything but the grip replaced by the factory.
Still, occasionally, and only when shooting the FN ammo, it goes like this:
You chamber a round, pull the trigger, and it fires. Maybe the next 2,3, or 4 fire, then you pull the trigger and hear a really anemic "click".
If you pull the slide back far enough to reset the hammer, the round will fire.

As I said, I really believe it's caused by 20+ year old ammo from Europe.
(I actually found one batch of this FN ammo that had slightly oversized rounds. They would feed and function just fine, but frequently activated the slide stop.)

My P32 is gone now, (replaced by a P3AT) but my wife and brother still have theirs. I have learned not to judge a gun based on just one type of ammo.

I had one of the first few hundred that KT shipped, and have learned KelTec pistols inside-out. My P32 quickly became my "always" gun.
I still miss it sometimes.

Great company, great products!

 

[Felonious Monk]

Ditto the great experience with Kel-Tec!

I bought a beater P32 ser# 33xxx and sent it in for them to check it over...
They re-stamped a brand new one with my same serial number and sent it back with an extra mag to boot!
9 day turnaround.

Reliable as the day is long. Disappears in my pocket..
I love my P32. I like my P11, but it's not small enough to carry alot, and I use an SP101 for a HD gun, so the P-11 sees range time and that's about it.
P32 gets carried daily.

 

[Safety First]

Chicken Hawk, I am looking at the P-3AT by next summer ( if Kel-tec works out some of the kinks ) but that will come after the bersa 380 in nickel if my dealer can ever get one for me, if not I am now thinking about the Makarov..

 

[KT-P32]

Well, Due to all of the negatives that I saw here and over on KTOG.ORG. I traded my P32 off and bashed them, until I bought myself another. I just cant imagine going through life without a P32 in my pocket. My 2nd one is reliable through the last 68 rds. I saw where someone said to keep the P32 clean and believe me. Keeping them clean must have been the key mine has yet to fail. Im a happy camper now. I can't wait to get my hands on a P3AT.

Ps,
Where's all my Kel Tec buddies? And where is KTOG.ORG message boards?

 

[P95Carry]

that will come after the bersa 380 in nickel if my dealer can ever get one for me,

Safety First ...... I also await a parkerized P3-AT . after new year I beleive it'll be in.

I got a Bersa Thunder as a ''fill-in'' .... not an excuse the wife believes!! . I found a 'twin tone' off gunbroker ... yet to fully evaluate but rather like it so far .....

 

[ChickenHawk]

What's the allure of the parkerized version? Do you guys just like the look better, or is it easier to maintain?

I sent my P32 slide in to be chromed early last year (which they miraculously had back in my hands 3 days after I FedEx'd it to them).

I like the chromed look better, and it's easy to keep clean. I don't remember for sure, but I thing they charged me $20.00 for that.

If you got a P3AT right now (rather than waiting for the parkerized version) could you do that with the slide? Or, is the parkerized version prefereable?

ChickenHawk

 

[P95Carry]

Parkerized? .... I guess the choice is down to wanting something pretty non-reflective ... and whilst I like blued ... it is a prob for me re carry and sweat. My Enfield rifle is parkerized and I have always liked that finish .... dark, pretty flat and .. does seem to cope well with hostile conditions.

 

[mini14jac]

I've got the plain blue P3AT.

I'm going to hold out for the hard chrome.
Had it on my P32, and can't say enough good things about it.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Well, that's my question.

Can't you send in your slide and have it hard-chromed ?

I did that with my P32 and love it.

Cheers,
ChickenHawk

 

[alamo]

Per KT, hard chrome and parkerized for P-3ATs won't be available until sometime after the first of the year.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Aha. Thanks alamo

ChickenHawk