Kel-Tec P11 - your thoughts?

[Hellbore]

I just bought a kel-tec P11. It should come tomorrow.

What are your thoughts on this gun?

I mostly bought it because I needed a small gun for CCW. I am signed up for a CCW class next week and I don't really have a small, easily-concealable gun so I bought the P-11 because it was the only gun I could afford to buy right now (at about $200 how wrong can you go?)

Anything I should know about this gun beforehand? I'll probably shoot it a bunch this week to get used to it so I can use it in the CCW class.

Or would it be a better idea to use my CZ40B for the CCW class, since I'm already used to it, it is 100% reliable, it shoots smooth and nice, etc.? I wouldn't carry it concealed though, I want a very small gun for that.

 

[9x19]

Mine have been great little guns.

Some folks can't/won't get used to the double action trigger pull.

All said and done, I think you made a fine choice.

Perhaps you could do bit more reading at on of the Kel-Tec forums, my favorite is www.ktrange.com/phpbb2/index.php

 

[Ranger61]

Mine has been reliable and reasonably accurate. I think they make a very nice carry gun but the trigger takes a little getting used to.

 

[P95Carry]

I have a P3AT but have seen the P-11 and certainly if I was in market for that size and type of gun, would give it much consideration.

IIRC Marcus - a member here (tho not seen him for ages) .... has one for carry, with a belt clip. Very handy piece.

 

[cuervo]

Do a Fluff&Buff and put lots of rounds through before carrying.

See ktog.org for a link to a F&B page.

You can get 12 round mags. Test them before carrying as there have been some follower problems.

Enjoy.

 

[bradvanhorn]

I like my P-11. It has never choked on any 115gr or 124gr ammo, and it conceals very easily. It does have trouble cycling with 147gr ammo, but I use 124gr Golden Sabre or 127gr Ranger-T, so that's not a problem for me. The trigger pull is not very good, but it works fine for what the gun is; a small concealable 9mm. The P-11 is generally the smallest gun I will carry, though I do have a P-3AT and a P-32 in my gun safe. However, I still prefer to carry my Kimber CDP (5") or Colt Defender if the situation permits.

 

[JShirley]

Small. Light. Inexpensive. Surprisingly accurate, if you can master the trigger pull.

If you learn to shoot the P-11 well, you'll be able to shoot a Glock or 1911 like they're full-auto.

John

 

[alamo]

Yes, the trigger takes a bit of getting used to. It's like a revolver trigger. It is long, not overly heavy - about 8-9 lbs. The trigger shoe available from KT, the trigger stop and mag extenders all help with the trigger. Mine has been 100% reliable from day one.

 

[Onmilo]

If you think of a P-11 as a modern, 10 shot, .38 snub and expect the same results, you won't be disappointed,

 

[pax]

Hellbore,

I recommend you take the P11 to your CCW class and work with it as much as possible. If it's what you're going to be carrying, you owe it to yourself to become as familiar with it and as skilled with it as you can. So plan to shoot the P11 in class, but take your CZ and ammo for it along, too, just in case the P11 misbehaves.

pax

 

[trickyasafox]

i've been a fan of the p11 for a while now. fun gun, affordable and loves to be tinkered with. definatly check out ktog nice guys over there and very willing to help out with any problems

 

[Walt Sherrill]

I carried one, off and on, for several years. Even shot it in an couple of IDPA matches, and did well.

The trigger takes some getting used to, and guys on the Keltec Owners Group can guide you through making improvements, such as a lighter, cleaner, crisper trigger.

The size is great, the capacity is great, durability is good, and customer service is superior.

A problem with the gun, at least for me, was that I invaribly didn't shoot the first couple of rounds out of the gun very well. Once I had shot a couple, I get better, and generally did quite well. (My first string in an IDPA match was almost always horrid.) Yet the first couple of shots out of the barrel were critical for a self-defense weapon, and I just could NOT do with it as I wanted, with those first few rounds. It gave me doubts about how well I would do if I ever had to USE it, up close and personal.

I eventually sold mine, got a Star Firestar Plus (9mm alloy frame), which had a great trigger, and wasn't much bigger (albeit heavier). Then got a CZ 75 Compact, which was very good, but heavy. Now have a Kahr P9, and I consider it just about ideal.

I liked the P-11 well enough, though, that I may end up with one again one of these days. 15 rounds of 9mm +P in a small package is pretty impressive.

 

[roo_ster]

P-40...a P-11 on Steroids

 

[5string_dean]

I really like mine... it fits my hand great, and conceals so much easier than my Ruger P95. While not as accurate as something with a bit more length and heft, it does alright... I actually enjoy shooting it as much if not more than my P95.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I've had mine since they first came out.
Later bought the 40 conversion for it. The 40 is a little tough on the gun, but impressive.

If I lost my P11 tomorrow, I would buy another at the next gun show.

 

[Legionnaire]

Great little gun; hard to beat for the price. As others have said, the trigger takes some getting used to. Other guns are more fun to plink with, but the P-11 is great for concealed carry ... especially with the belt clip installed. Disappears under a t-shirt. I sold mine to help fund another project and regret the decision. One of these days, I'll get around to buying another.

 

[MR.G]

Great compact carry gun. About 400 rounds out of mine without a single problem. They also use the S&W 15 round magazines, which I like because my house gun is a S&W 910S. They have a dozen 15 round S&W 59 series magazines to share.

 

[Felonious Monk]

1200 rounds and counting.
I am SO glad that I found this site: http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/index.htm
and that I bravely overcame my mechanical illiteracy in order to do the fluff & buff, easy trigger improvements that make the gun a keeper, and so many other GREAT tweaks.

For the money, it's a great gun to learn some simple home 'smithing on, and can be a VERY nice CCW piece. You have to overcome gun snobbery to trust 'em, but after 1100 rounds with no bobbles, I'm sure of mine.

 

[Wilson 17&26]

There are a couple of things you might want to consider (http://www.kel-tec.com/new_page_3.htm). First would be a trigger shoe, which improves the trigger pull. Second would be an extra magazine with a grip extension for better control during target practice. These can be purchased from Kel-Tec or a bit cheaper from Brock Pfund ([email protected]).

While currently sold out, there is a flush fitting 12 round (formerly LEO) magazine that gives the P-11 thirteen rounds in the same size package.

 

[Hellbore]

Well I got mine yesterday and when I got it home, I simply HAD to do some of the fluff-n-buff!

The thing that bothered me the most was the feed ramp. On mine, the feed ramp was rough and had little grooves in the metal. In testing cycling, the bullet noses were jamming against the tiny grooves in the feed ramp.

Anyway I did most of the stuff in the fluff-n-buff and I carefully polished the feed ramp. My feed ramp had bad grooves so I started with 150 grit, then went to 300, then 600, then 1500. Then I polished it with my Dremel polishing stuff It shines like a mirror now and feeds better.

 

[9x19]

Forgot to mention that their are some very knowledgeable and friendly folks on the net who know the Kel-Tecs inside and out, and have contibuted quite a bit of technical expetise to owners as well as KT.

Most of them can be found at either:

www.ktrange.com

or

www.ktog.org

 

[Hellbore]

Hey guys... I shot it today for the first time!

I did the fluff-n-buff as shown on KTOG first before firing it. The place where I spent the most attention was the feed ramp. I polished it to a high mirror-like shine.

I also went over the gun with a razor blade and sandpaper, removing mold marks from the plastic frame and cleaning up any uncomfortable burrs and stuff like that.

I fired 150 rounds of 115 gr target ammo through it and had not one single hiccup. NO problems whatsoever.

The gun really looks nice now. For some reason it looks like a different gun after having worked on it and shot 150 rounds through it. Now it looks more sexy. When it came out of the box it looked cheapo. Now it looks nice and I'm really happy with it! Bravo Kel-Tec, this is a great self-defense gun for the budget-conscience buyer! What else can you get for $200 these days? Certainly not very many small 9mm autoloaders that hold 10 rounds and conceal this well! In fact I don't know of any other gun in this price range that makes an acceptable small CCW piece.

Now I just need to get some JHP's. I feel really bad about having target ammo in my carry weapon. I worry about a bullet overpenetrating and hitting an innocent bystander.

What kind of defense ammo works best for this gun?

 

[9x19]

I use IMI's 115 grain Di-Cut hollow points in mine, but mine also run fine with Federal Hydra SHoks and CCI's Gold Dot HPs.

 

[Genghis]

I've had a stainless P-11 for several years. It's light, flat, and smaller than my hand, which means it's concealable enough that I can carry it a lot of places. Eleven rounds of 9 mm is a lot in such a small package. And I've never had any problems whatsoever with corrosion.

Two minor complaints. First, it kind of jars in your hand when you shoot it. This is hard to describe; I'm not complaining about the recoil. It's like someone hit the frame with a hammer, or like a big spring releasing. Understandable for a light, polymer gun, but it's kind of unpleasant.

Second, the gun is a little too small for me to fire comfortably. It's fine when I'm just holding it, but my hand is too big to pull the trigger back all the way comfortably. When I get to the back portion of the pull, I have to bend my hand a bit.

All in all, the tradeoff is worth it.