Kel Tec P-11

[Arizonan]

Is this a good every day ccw weapon?
Is it reliable is my biggest question.
It will be a IWB weapon. Shooting standard pressure 124 HST's.

 

[MachIVshooter]

They're decent guns, but a little thick and miserable triggers. Unless you just have to have 10+1 capacity, there are better choices.

 

[stchman]

Is this a good every day ccw weapon?
Is it reliable is my biggest question.
It will be a IWB weapon. Shooting standard pressure 124 HST's.

I had one a few years back and got rid of it. After ~150 rounds it had numerous FTEs. As the 2nd poster said, a MISERABLE trigger. There are much better guns out there for not much more cash.

Me personally I would get an LCP or an SR9c if you must have 9mm.

 

[MICHAEL T]

I got the PF-9 suppose to have better trigger . That said I have never found the P-11 trigger all that bad. Neither of these are 100 plus round range guns . Their close self defense pistols. I really doubt under stress you will even notice the so called bad trigger pull. I am going to get a P-11 Just to ad to my Kel Tec collection I have 7 at present 5 are P-32 . The ladies(wife and daughter's ) in family all like the P-32 for their carry.

P3AT and PF-9 are in my carry rotation.

 

[rskent]

I had one for a while. I put quite a few rounds through it without any problems I can remember.
Sure can't forget that trigger. That thing would eat a hole in your finger.

 

[gilfo]

The trigger was horrible took for ever to break

 

[cc-hangfire]

I have have had 4 of the Kel Tec pistols (P11, P3AT, PF9, P32), and will keep the first 2 - the others are reliable but don't fit my needs. Kel Tec's are inexpensive self defense tools but are solid for their purpose. As as long as you understand that they need some attention and maintenance (fluff & buff, break in period of a couple hundred rounds, regular cleaning & lubrication) they are good pistols. They aren't gonna impress friends, and -like any pistol model- you may find a lemon occasionally.

In the office environment, I pocket carry the P3AT & the P11 is a truck gun. Mine are reliable, and I keep them maintained and run my carry ammo through them regularly (bi-monthly). For info on the fluff & buff, check out the owners blog, ktog.org

 

[Devonai]

I don't have a lot of good things to say about the P-11, but mine was 100% reliable with FMJ and JHP, 115gr & 124gr for both types. It also fed just fine from the 5906 mag I used as backup.

My buddy has a P-32, and it's only reliable with Winchester Silvertips (71gr if I recall correctly). It won't eat anything else! Fortunately my friend bought several hundred rounds back when it wasn't too expensive.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

The .32acp silvertips are 60 gr. and will rim lock (makes the gun a single shot) unless your buddy installed the k/t anti rim lock spacer in the magazine. I have shot the silvertips in the past and found them to be very anemic. If it were my gun I would send it back to k/t as they will make it run with any .32acp ammo.

 

[Hurryin' Hoosier]

If you go to the Kel-Tec web site, you'll find that a large percentage of the posts regard the need to "fluff and buff" new Kel-Tec pistols.

 

[jimbo555]

Keltec and I could not get the one I owned to run.

 

[Onward Allusion]

Heavy revolver like in DA mode trigger. If you can't shoot a DA revolver in DA mode, move onto something else. Otherwise, decent gun for the money. No other gun out there the same size & weight can hold 12+1. 12+1 NOT 10+1. S&W 59 series mags also fit them. Eats pretty much anything once broken in. Accurate enough for SD situations. If you get one, you should run a couple/few hundred rounds through it to make sure it is reliable.

 

[MedWheeler]

Triggers in guns like that never bothered me, as I was trained heavily in the use of the double-action revolver before anything else.

I don't have the P-11, but I do have a distant ancestor by the same designer. Like the P11 trigger, the one on the Grendel P-10 starts a lot closer to the target than it ends, but I can hit quite well enough with it at defensive distances.

Ditto for my Kel-Tec PF9, which is my daily carry piece. It's hybrid-DAO trigger, though, doesn't have quite the length of pull as that of the P-11.

Incidentally, the SCCY pistols have the same type of trigger, and they're becoming quite respected.

So, is your gun a good choice for defense of your self and those for whose safety you've taken responsibility? Head out to the range and find out. That's the only way to know.

 

[Weevil]

The one I had was reliable enough, but something was always breaking on the damn thing!

Three broken slide-stop levers, worked fine but wouldn't lock back the slide after the last round. From my Kel-Tec forum experience this is common.

Also had a broken firing-pin. worked fine, but noticed it hanging out of the breechface one day when I was cleaning it. About a half inch from the tip it had broken and from the flattening and slight mushrooming of the broken ends it looked to have been that way for awhile.

Broken ejector, once again no problems at the range, but tried to cycle a round by hand and it wouldn't kick out of the extractor.

Kel-Tec CS was great e-mailed them and they sent out the parts for free, but I still wasn't real thrilled with the pistol. Wound up trading it off.

Not a Kel-Tec hater, I've got a P32 great little gun never had a problem and a PF9 that has worked good too. Did have to polish the chamber on the PF9 due to some fail to extract issues but has been flawless since. As mentioned a good "fluff and buff" is often necessary. I can live with that but stuff breaking constantly no.

And yes the PF9 does have a much better trigger. My P11's was just horrible. Anyone who ever shot it always commented on what a terrible trigger it had.

 

[mxl]

Same here with the trigger. Horrible at best. Got rid of it and never been sorry. Recently got a Ruger LC9s and it is waaaayyyy better. IMHO there is a lot less chance of missing a shot due to hard trigger. I have a Kel-Tec P3AT and a P32. Both are ok, but not 9mm. Get something better.

 

[MCgunner]

Smooth 10 lb trigger, but long travel. I LOVE the trigger, personally, for an EDC. Very easy to control, stages a little before it lets off, but won't feel that in rapid fire. It's very smooth and very safe to pocket carry. I HATE safe action guns, too easy to shoot a hole in your leg when carrying in a pocket in a soft pocket holster. I carried mine in my strong side pocket religiously for since 1996 with only occasional revolver moods. But, I've moved to the country and mostly carry my .38 in my pocket. My P11 has eaten over 12K rounds in its life and is still going strong. I shot it a LOT when I first got it. Quite accurate, BTW. But, now days I don't shoot my autos all that much. Too much hassle to set up the tarps to catch the brass. I used to come home with more brass than I took at our club range, but now my range is in my back yard.

Only one thing ever happened to my P11, extractor broke a couple of years ago. Kel Tec had me one in the mail box in under a week. GREAT CS.

 

[MCgunner]

Triggers in guns like that never bothered me, as I was trained heavily in the use of the double-action revolver before anything else.

I don't have the P-11, but I do have a distant ancestor by the same designer. Like the P11 trigger, the one on the Grendel P-10 starts a lot closer to the target than it ends, but I can hit quite well enough with it at defensive distances.

Plus one. I have a Grendel P12 and the trigger is miserable compared to the P11. The Grendel has most of its force at the start of the travel, then lets off. I had to carve part of the trigger guard away to give my fat fingers room for the reset. The thing resets WAY out there. Comparison, the P11 is very smooth, starts out lighter than it ends up, quite easy to control. i can shoot the Grendel, it's just not one of my favorites, but I occasionally carry it in a wallet holster in my back pocket as a back up. I've compared it to a Ruger LCP and other than thickness, it's the same size, but packs a lot more firepower with 12 rounds. I don't feel compelled to buy one of the little .380s out now as I don't see the trigger being a problem on the Grendel considering its limited range. The P11 is much more accurate. The P12 groups about 8" at 25 yards off sandbags, the P11 about 3.5" For no bigger than it is, the extra accuracy, and the better trigger, not to mention pmm +P horsepower, the P11 is my usual choice in pocket autos for carry.

Like you I'm a revolver guy who laughs at people who gripe about long DA triggers. I mostly carry revolvers now days, still, and haven't carried the P11 in a while.

 

[Nico Testosteros]

I believe that learning to shoot a P11 well will help you shoot most any pistol well. That long, hard pull makes one concentrate on keeping a sight picture.

I have put thousands of rounds through mine. When shooting brass cased ammo it runs very reliably.

 

[jhb]

Used to think it had the worst trigger I ever pulled, and was the worst choice carry pistol ever. One day old timer and i were talking and he said it's like a double action revolver pull. Changed my mind and realized that is exactly what it is like. I've shot mine enough the trigger has smoothed out nicely. I use it with the 12 round mags. It's a fine choice for carry imho, for the price point and solid warranty. You can do worse.

 

[orionengnr]

I shoot and enjoy revolvers, but I have never seen a revolver with a trigger half as bad as the P11 I had for a while.

I probably could have gotten used to the trigger eventually, but I could not get over the fact that it wouldn't go through a mag without one or two FTFs. Different ammo types, new mag, new springs, F&B...I went through the same crap with two P3ATs (one first gen, one second) a P32 and the P11. For a while I was on a first name basis with the guy who answers the phone at KT (Bill, IIRC--nice guy, sent me a fair number of parts, but very seldom made much difference. I wasted a lot of money on ammo and new mags. To say nothing of the time I spent Fluffing and Buffing. KT wasted a bit of money sending me parts.

Life is too short for that. I gave up on KTs, sold each at a significant loss with full disclosure (actually gave the P32 to a friend...hope he has forgiven me.)

 

[X-Rap]

The PF9 is what i would consider comparable to a DA revolver trigger. The P11 is in a class of horrible all to itself.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

I could do pretty well with the P11 at the range, and the recoil wasn't bad. I had heard (on the old KTOG forum) that you needed to shoot it a lot, or shoot it only. The guys who seem to do best with it are the guys who seem to shoot only (or primarily) their P11s. The trigger can be smoothed and lightened a little, but it's still a long, heavy trigger.

I was shooting a lot IDPA some years ago and thought I'd give my P11 a try in a match. The first string I wasted 2-3 shots adjusting to the trigger. (I never shot it regularly at the range, and shoot a lot of other guns.) After that first slow start at the match, I did far better with the P11 than I expected. The gun is fine, but it's really not the arrow, it's the indian... I wasn't a good indian.

I got to thinking that because the P11 was a carry gun that I didn't shoot often, it was probably not the right "carry" gun for me. I traded it away.

I later picked up a Kahr P8, which I liked a lot -- even the trigger. But, someone offered me a price that was almost twice what I paid for it, and I sold it. I've since had several smaller guns (P3AT and LCP), and have also owned an LC9 and still own a PF9. I find the PF9 easier to shoot, and the trigger, while awkward, doesn't require me relearning the gun before I can hit something. I shoot it first each time I go to the range, now, and can regularly hit the broad side of the barn. Couldn't do that with the P11 until I'd shot half a mag.

I have been giving serious thought to the new Ruger LC9s, however. If the trigger is as good as most claim it will be hard to pass up.

 

[Mike J]

I still have a P-11. I had some initial difficulties with mine. I broke off the magazine catch. Kel-Tec sent me another plastic one but I bought a metal one from a guy at ktog.org that made them. I broke 2 slide stops. Kel-Tec always sent another out quickly. I had some problems with the trigger spring coming out of the trigger bar also but that was due to me changing the shape of the trigger. I changed it back closer to original & it has been fine since. Mine is fine now though I don't really like the trigger. I can use it & be accurate enough.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I do not like the P-11 but I do like the PF-9 very much. In reality the P-11 is the only one of the 4 small handguns they make I don't like. The P-32 and the P-3AT are also good pistols, I just don't like the P-11.

 

[MedWheeler]

^^ That's what I carry, the PF-9. Snappy in the hand due to its thin grip, but manageable. The trigger has a shorter throw because the hammer is already partially-cocked, so you're not driving the hammer as far back before releasing it.

The one drawback (for some) is that the trigger will not start the hammer from a full-rest position, so no "re-strike" capability.

But mine's very reliable, and I'd trust any other Kel-Tec firearm if it shows the same level of reliability.