Kel-Tec has come a long way!

Status
Not open for further replies.
I own a P11 and a 2nd Gen. P3AT.

The P3AT has been perfect right out of the box... 450 rounds through without a hitch. Easier on the hand to shoot than the P11 actually. Pretty good accuracy at 15 yards or less. My carry anywhere gun.

The P11 has about 1500-2000 rounds thru it.... during the first couple hundred rounds it had a couple feed failures, and it DID break it's ejector recently (graciously replaced for free by Kel-Tec), however I still feel really good about the gun. I use it in the (unofficial) BUG category in IDPA and therefore put a lot of rounds through this inexpensive, light, little gun. Speaking of IDPA, the Kel-Tec has never had a failure of any sort during a match... something I can't say about countless 1911s, S&W Sigma's, XDs, the occasional Para, the odd CZ and who knows what else... (I also shoot a Ruger P95 in IDPA---it has never had a failure of any sort in well over 3000 rounds)

FWIW I'm definitely planning to get another P3AT... my wife wants one to carry!


Out of 17 replies to this topic 5 reply that they had problems. Those ain't the kind of odds I stake my like on.

Kevin
Click to expand...

I only counted two of those 17 that were first hand experiences...

Edited to add:

13 posters (including myself) so far have expressed first-hand positive experiences with multiple Kel-Tecs.

Are they the perfect concealed handgun? Definitely not... I don't think the perfect one has yet been made (and I kinda' doubt that it ever will be). Personally, I would have liked to have purchased a Kahr PM9, but really couldn't manage the $600 price tag and the Rohrbach is RIGHT OUT. I'm not saying the Kel-Tecs are right for everybody, but I'm quite impressed with mine... enough to feel good about my wife carrying one (and YES, I DO love her very much :)

Dean
 
Just ran four different kinds of fodder through my new one. S&B, Dynomite-Nobel, Santa Barbra, and some from the local reloader. Mixed them up a few times in the magazine. Except for forgetting to chamber the first round one time, it all ran through everything with zero failures. The D-N and the SB are definately serious kickers in this thing, but then so are +P's in a M-37 Smith.

I don't plan to use this as a target pistol. It's for hot weather/deep-cover carry. I'll practice with it once a month with 50 rounds or so to stay "happy" with it. If I get the time to shoot 100rds per week I'll shoot a different gun.
 
Last edited:
It is interesting about the haters. They seem to have a lot of times on their hands. There are folks like Albanian that search out every Kel-Tec thread to badmouth them. I've had pistols I didn't care for or proved to have problems but I haven't made it my life's work to search out every last opportunity to trash them. But as I said, to each his own. Enjoy.
 
Kevin Quinlan said:
Out of 17 replies to this topic 5 reply that they had problems. Those ain't the kind of odds I stake my like on.
Click to expand...


It doesn't matter how other people's guns work, it's YOURS that counts. If you run several hundred rounds through your gun and it works, then those are good odds, and who cares how reliable someone else's gun is. For all I know they never cleaned or lubed it and shot cheap ammo through it. You can't really judge a whole lot from other people's experiences sometimes. Take all the KelTec bashing with a grain of salt.
 
All I know is I'm the luckiest so and so alive. I've got a Kel-Tec (P-11) AND a Hi-Point (C-9) that work. Imagine that? :neener:

I'd tell you more about them, but obviously I don't know what I'm talking about. :D
 
Too many people listen to "internet gun experts" who write them off as junk.
Click to expand...
+1

Gotta say, I've had a total of 4 KT's. One was a beater when I bought it; rusty, etc. but when I sent it back to KT, they re-stamped the S/N on a brand new frame and basically sent me an entirely new gun.

No manufacturer's entire line is perfect.
Conversely, most are not ALL POS's, either (except maybe Jennings/Bryco and Lorcin).

My Rossi's a great revolver. And inexpensive.
My Kahr's a great carry piece. And expensive.
My Kel-Tec's are the best combination of quality, value and economy I've found in a carry pistol.
You may have a different experience or opinion, and you're perfectly entitled to it.
...that just leaves more KT's for me! :D
 
Well I will give Kel Tec credit for one thing. When MOST people purchase a product it is assumed this product actually works. On the Kel Tec factory site they give you links to 'fluf and buff', feed ramp polishing, and extractor/ejector repair. Got to wonder about a probuct that comes with information on ' some assembly required to work '. Least they are honest.

Kevin
 
Kevin Quinlan said:
Well I will give Kel Tec credit for one thing. When MOST people purchase a product it is assumed this product actually works. On the Kel Tec factory site they give you links to 'fluf and buff', feed ramp polishing, and extractor/ejector repair. Got to wonder about a probuct that comes with information on ' some assembly required to work '. Least they are honest.

Kevin
Click to expand...

Mine don't need "fluf and buff" treatment. Its bone stock as it is. I think I'm one of the the lucky ones. I'm buying another P11 as soon I get enough cash.
 
Kevin Quinlan said:
Well I will give Kel Tec credit for one thing. When MOST people purchase a product it is assumed this product actually works. On the Kel Tec factory site they give you links to 'fluf and buff', feed ramp polishing, and extractor/ejector repair. Got to wonder about a probuct that comes with information on ' some assembly required to work '. Least they are honest.

Kevin
Click to expand...

Where did you find that Kevin? I looked at the Kel-Tec site http://www.kel-tec.com/ and I didn't see any instructions for "fluff and buff."

I did see a couple of links to the "Kel-Tec Owners Group" http://www.ktog.org/and "The Kel-Tec Range" http://www.ktrange.com/ which have instructions for the fluff and buff, but those are both clearly marked as "Recomended sites (not affiliated with Kel-Tec):"

I might have missed it though.
 
Kevin Quinlan said:
Your math, or reading skills, may be different than mine READ THE ENTIRE LIST OF POSTS. How many are not satisfied now, OR were in the past???
Click to expand...
Jiminy H. Cricket!!! It was just a joke! I was just trying to inject a little humor into the thread to lighten it up a bit. I thought I made that obvious, but I guess not...
 
Kevin Quinlan said:
Well I will give Kel Tec credit for one thing. When MOST people purchase a product it is assumed this product actually works. On the Kel Tec factory site they give you links to 'fluf and buff', feed ramp polishing, and extractor/ejector repair. Got to wonder about a probuct that comes with information on ' some assembly required to work '. Least they are honest.

Kevin
Click to expand...
I have a 1st generation P3AT. No fluffing, buffing, polishing, no magic ejector, no nothing - and it's been perfect after learning it doesn't like Russian steel cased. I expected it to work out of the box, and it does!

I believe your post is incorrect - the factory site does not link to any modification instructions. They only link to several forums and clearly state these links are not affiliated with Kel-Tec.

Tony
 
Geez, didn't mean to start a flame war :rolleyes:

No worries on the recoil; my favorite guns are my boomers in .454, .50AE and .500 S&W. Looking hard that that new EAA Thor in .308 now (Damn CDNN temptress!!!). .380 is pretty much indistinguishable from .22LR to me :D
 
I bought a P11 new in February 2005.

Four failures to extract in first 1000 rounds:
KelTec sent me a pair of new extractors and springs.

Slide stop broke at 1800 rounds:
KelTec sent me a new slide stop and spring.

Firing pin broke at 2300 rounds:
KelTec sent me a new firing pin and spring.

Ejector broke at 2600 rounds:
KelTec sent me a new ejector.

My KelTec has sure come a long way.

Really, though, what defines reliable? A Glock that has functioned reliably for 500 rounds? A KelTec that has functioned reliably for 500 rounds? I often see posts here proudly proclaiming their Brand X gun has survived daily carry and hundreds of rounds at the range. Occasionally there is a post there someone claims thousands (or tens or hundreds of thousands) of trouble-free rounds. The only two autos about which I consistently have read believeable accounts of long-term reliability are Glocks and Rugers, but even then some of the round counts are in the hundreds. There are probably more posts on THR about 1911 problems than there are about unreliable KelTecs, so don't even go there. Then again, for every gun manufacturer, there are occasionally folks that pipe up about unreliabile inaccurate uncomfortable junk. As for me, I want to be able to say that my gun had sent thousands of rounds downrange before it ever broke. I don't expect any mechanical object to be reliable forever, but there should be an expectation of a lifetime of a gun defined in thousands of rounds, not hundreds.

Suppose I bought a new Chevy and the brakes failed after only 5,000 miles. Warranty covers it. Then, at 15,000 miles, the transmission goes out. Warranty covers it. At 30,000 miles a rod goes through the side of the block and puts a dent in the floorboard. Warranty covers it. And so on. Would I likely publicly tout how reliable Chevies are after a few bugs are worked out? Would I be singing the praises of Chevy's great warranty?

I don't have much experience with guns, but a KelTec that has broken repeatedly after a only a couple thousand rounds ain't reliable by my definition.
 
Kel-Tecs are cool little pistols, and I've wanted one for a while. I'm also excited to hear they've improved on them.
But I'll have to agree that NOTHING beats the reliability of a snub nosed revolver.
 
I have 3 CCWs; a Kimber Compact, a Taurus M85UL and a Keltec P32. The job I have and the clothes I wear on the weekends limit my ability to carry. The one gun that I found that I can carry no matter what I wear is the P32. It is easy on easy off. I run multiple errands on the weekend, one place I can carry the next I can't or don't want to, e.g. the gym. The side clip is great. No fumbling with bulky IWB's.

I have several hundred rounds through mine. I had one issue the factory was promt in responding to and resolving. I bought mine used for $179. It is what it is. An inexpensive, easily concealable gun that works 100%. I have found it accurate and easy to shoot - once I figured out the trigger. I will up my carry when I can, but the P32 is always handy.

I find my Keltec to be a real value.

tjg
 
The funny thing is, there are a large amount of people comming out of the woodwork to say that they had a bad experience with Kel-Tec in a thread that started out as pro-Kel-Tec! Just imagine what kind of responses you would see if the thread was about how bad Kel-Tec was!:D

Before I bought my first POS KT P-32, I read about them but I somehow was able to ignore the bad posts because I wanted one so bad. I talked myself into getting one despite the bad press they were getting from fellow forum members whom I normally value their opinion. I had blinders on because I wanted what I wanted. After I bought the gun and had numerous problems and parts breakages, I gave up on it and I admit I was a little bitter. I still am because I got burned bad. I just want to make sure that if there is someone else out there that is thinking about getting a POS KT product, that they know the other half of the story.

The fact is, anytime you talk about KT, there is a large percentage of people that had major problems with them who speak up. You just don't see that kind of bad press with some other guns. For example, if you asked how reliable the Glock 26 was, you may get 1-2% saying they had problems. With Kel-Tec products, it always seems like it is more like 20-30%.
 
Kudos to you Albanian...

...it takes manly courage to own up to making a mistake in purchasing a firearm instead of compounding the mistake to others by blindly rationalizing it instead of admiting that it was a junk POS afterall.

You have done a good service to others who are contemplating a purchase! ;)
 
RonJon,
Thanks! That what this forum is all about, helping others with info and opinions. Sometimes it is to avoid mistakes and others it is to let people know about a good deal out there. I have gained much from being on the forums that I would have had to find out the hard way. I have avoided many bad guns and got insight to many fine guns that I would never have given much thought.

Sometimes you take some flak when you speak poorly of a gun that someone really likes but they are all just opinions so take them for what they are worth. I never just take one persons word for something anymore. I like to see what the group has to say and try and gleen some truth out of the replys.

From what I would gleen out the replys about Kel-Tec, it is a gamble. As a whole, I just don't they are reliable enough to bother with. You may be one of the lucky ones and get a good one but the chances are that you will at least have some problems with it. The number one thing that aCCW gun has to be is reliable, everything else is a distant second palce to that. Power, capacity, ergos, accuracy all play second fiddle to reliabilty. That is the one area that Kel-Tecs seem to have the most problems with. It is a shame because I would love to have a P3-AT that I knew I could trust. It is a great idea but something is missing to make it work. Someday we will have tiny autos like the KT that will actually work but that day is not here yet. It is very close but I don't think KT will be the company to do it. Someone will build on their idea and improve the quality and design enough to make a gun that works more often than it doesn't.;)
 
Albanian, I made a mistake on my first CCW piece too.

...It was a Beretta Tomcat 3032 .32 Cal.

It looked really neat in the dealer's showcase. I especially liked (and still like the idea of) the tilt-up barrel.

I bought it based on the good reputation of Beretta, and that it appeared to be of a high quality. I was WRONG!

It never could operate reliably (stovepipes, FFs and double ejects with every magazine load. This is an example of a semi-auto that was just to damn small to function reliably).

I could not feel safe enough to trust it in using it as a CCW, which was what I had purchased it for.

Also the grips fell apart twice with spider web cracks all over them - first ones replaced under warranty, second ones also immediately cracked - (really brittle plastic used there).

Fortunately, it was under a 1 year warranty with the dealer, and it managed to crack its own frame from normal shooting practice within that time. I had the dealer's gunsmiths check it first (their policy), then they sent it to Beretta.

Since I needed a reliable CCW, I bought a S&W 642, which has been (like all S&Ws) 100% right out of the box and still has never missed a beat in over 2 years of carrying/practice shooting it.

Beretta replaced the 3032 with a brand new one, and the dealer allowed me to use the wholesale value of the new gun Beretta sent to trade (+ the $ difference) for a Ruger Single Six 50 year commemorative (neat revolver!).

I am of the firm belief that, at this point of time, the state of the art of small, light, easily concealed in the front pocket but very reliable handguns is ruled exclusively by revolvers.
 
I seriously doubt that even 2% of Kel-Tec pistols have problems. From time to time I post on several Bulletin Boards a request to buy Kel-Tec pistols in need of refurbishing. I have never had an offer to sell from those post, unless the seller wants almost what a NIB Kel-Tec cost. I can purchase NIB Kel-Tec pistols at local Texas gunshows for $207-$225. If you have a Kel-Tec pistol that doesn’t function and are willing to sell it at a reasonable price PM me. I have yet to see a Kel-Tec that I can’t have 100% in less than 2 hour of effort. Regrettably, Kel-Tec service fixes the few that have problems, so I’m luck if I can find a couple of folks each year that are to lazy to send them in for warranty work.

I love my Glocks. They are excellent pistols and have never failed. They guard my nightstand while I carry a P-11 every time I leave the house. I also keep a P-32 or P-3AT in my pocket when I’m in the house. These mouseguns are so flat that we even sleep with them under our pillows. Make no mistake if Glock made a featherweight pocket pistol I would but it. But they never will, so I will continue to keep a Kel-Tec with me, as they have the shape, weight and dependability to be an always gun for me.
 
mtnbkr said:
I've owned two P32s. The first one lasted for about 1200 rounds before developing a small crack in the frame, a crack that did not affect functioning. Keep in mind that most of that 1200 had been hot Euro 32acp (Dynamit Nobel, etc) and 300 rounds had been my own +P+ handloads. Was the crack related to hot loads or bad manufacturing? Dunno. I sent the gun back to Kel-Tec expecing them to change the frame and charge me. They replaced the entire gun.

The second gun has had about 150rounds through it and has been flawless in it's operation. I only shoot factory ammo through it now.

Neither gun got a fluff and buff.

Chris
Click to expand...

Or you could just hand-load your rounds to nominal factory specs. I know, its a paradime shift. But you dont HAVE to load every round to +P or +P+ specs :rolleyes: They wont do anyhting the factory version wont do, and they take up more powder, and ware your gun our faster.



varoadking:

The same reason i sleep with a Colt Commando under my pillow ;)
 
varoadking said:
Why?
Click to expand...
We both sleep on our side, with one hand under our pillow, so it seems like the shortest distance to a gun. This is also great if you travel, as your closest pistol is always in the same place regardless of the room where you sleep.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

G
  • Locked
Kel-Tec P-3AT and dry firing
Replies
5
Views
2K
yzguy
Y
H
  • Locked
Kel-Tec P-32
Replies
10
Views
876
hhb
H
B
  • Locked
Kel Tec P-3at
Replies
22
Views
922
jwxspoon
jwxspoon
T
  • Locked
Kahr PM9 vs Kel-tec P11 in the Pocket
Replies
15
Views
4K
mini14jac
M
A
  • Locked
I am starting an Unsubstantiated Kel-Tec Rummor
Replies
13
Views
1K
yzguy
Y
Back
Top