$%#!@& Kel tec P11

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I was also thinking that maybe the guide rod slid off the barrel lug.

I've tinkered with mine a lot and with some polishing and following the directions on Ktog.org board have a nice shooter but always had problems with the 147 gr. hydra-shoks (maybe a OAL thing? I dunno, I prefer 124 gr. golddots anyway).

Nice testing SM. Now if you want some real torture testing stories about the P-11, then Clark's your man. He hasn't managed to blow his up yet, but it's not for lack of trying.

Call Kel-tec, they'll treat you right.
 
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.
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Hell, mine is more reliable than my Kimber Stainless Pro Carry. The Kimber stays at the house, but the P11 goes with me everywhere.

I just thought of something else to check. Take a good look at the takedown pin. There have been cases of the pin walking out while firing. It'll lock the slide up if it comes out far enough.
 
I had a Kel-Tec P-32 that was unreliable also. Sent it back to the factory twice and then it broke in my pocket. :uhoh:

I don't think you always get what you pay for, sometimes you get less. :barf: I paid close to $300 for it including taxes belt clip. I have had a dozen guns that were far better for less money.

This is just my opinion but I really think Kel-Tecs are junk. I don't see any real level of quality put into them and I am not surprised that they break and don't work. They are cheap junk but they are small and light. If they were the same size as the Walther PPK or Mini Glocks, everyone would laugh at them. It is just so tempting to be able to carry such a small and light pistol that people will put up with some things that they wouldn't with a larger gun. To those that have them and and they work for you, I am envious because I would love to have a gun like the P3-AT but I just can't trust a Kel-Tec gun again. Maybe another maker will come along and make something similar but of much higher quality. I wouldn't mind paying 2-3 times as much if it was a truely good quality pistol. I would pay $400-500 for a well made P3-AT type of gun that was made out of Titanium or a better quality plastic. The Roaghbar (Sp) sounds good but it needs to be a little more time tested before I sink that kind of cash into a tiny pocket gun.
 
This is just my opinion but I really think Kel-Tecs are junk.
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One bad gun doesn't mean the manufacturer only puts out junk. They make and sell a lot of guns. EVERY manufacturer puts out a bad gun now and then.
 
Anecdotal evidence doesn't tell us anything. First of all... Accuracy:

When people compare the 1911 to the P11 it makes he shake my head. No gun that small is going to be accurate at 50 feet... DUH! Put a 7" sight radius on the same gun and you'll tighten up your groups significantly. Problem is, you're still shooting groups at a range with a gun that's meant to save your life at point-blank range. If you think you're going to be shooting somebody in the head at 50 feet, DON'T BUY A KEL-TEC!

Second... Reliability:

The KelTec is a dirt-cheap weapon. It's really the cheapest NEW gun you can buy that has a good reputation for reliability. Good, I say? Yep. GOOD but not great. I've NEVER had a failure to feed or eject in either my P32 or either of the two P11's I've owned, one blued and one chrome. I have, however, HEARD of many malfunctions in both guns and EXPERIENCED malfunctions in my P3AT so I can understand people's problems.

Look at it this way. If you want an uber-reliable gun, stay away from the KelTec brand. Spend DOUBLE the money for a gun you FEEL will be reliable like a Khar or Glock 'compact'. It's a matter of economy. If it's your primary weapon, you're probably cheap, poor, or willing to shoot some rounds through it first to discover if it will work.

As for somebody who takes it out and locks it up first shot? Sounds fishy... send the gun to KelTec and sell it when you get it back.
 
Walt Sherrill - ditto.
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...
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sm--
It is a close range defensive tool. I think of it as DA "revo with 11 rds"
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Exactly what George Kelgren designed it to be. No complicated manual of arms, just a DA like a revolver, but with 6-7 extra rounds.

I find that for people who like to work on their own cars, and can follow simple mechanical instructions, the P11 can be tweaked easily to be every bit the gun a Kahr, Glock or other high dollar Tupperware is, for a fraction of the price...PLUS a little time & effort.
I've been told by several who've shot it that my P11 has the best DAO trigger they've ever shot...but that's AFTER a fluff & buff, a trigger stop, trigger shoe, and at least 2 other mods I did myself, using instructions from KTOG.org and KTrange.com.
For those that want a jewel right out of the box, pay double and get what you're looking for. I take great pleasure in having as good or better for a fraction of the cost. Whatever trips your trigger.
 
"I find that for people who like to work on their own cars, and can follow simple mechanical instructions, the P11 can be tweaked easily to be every bit the gun a Kahr, Glock or other high dollar Tupperware is, for a fraction of the price...PLUS a little time & effort."

I was always told that you can't shine a turd. :D

I am very mechanical and what I notice is, it is better to start with quality if you plan on improving something. Trying to fix up poorly made stuff is not rewarding for me because I still feel like I have a pile of junk. It just isn't worth the effort to fix up up a Kel-Tec IMHO because the parts and materials are not made well enough to bother with. A Kahr K-9 is worth the effort because it is all SS and machined. I could see someone spending $1000 to have some custom work done to a Kahr or a nice 1911 but not for a Kel-Tec. :p That would be like spending $10,000 to totally restore a 1993 Hyundai. :evil:
 
P-11 is what it is . Nothing more - nothing less.

Most likely - I won't buy another Poly gun, since I have this one....I'm gonna shoot and have fun with it.

One feature I do like - the hammer. I have exposed mine to a lot of 'stuff' , like sand, the hammer and all that open space, lets sand and all get out of the way, and the gun runs.

My experience with striker fired won't always do this. Some guns by design - stuff get in - can't get out.

I get a kick out tossing sand on it and then firing it...after the gasps, pour water, coke , tea...garden hose , slosh in a mud puddle - whatever to rinse- and continue on.

I used to do this to prove a point to students and such. Some had guns that they bragged about , never shot, and constantly cleaned and clean gun.

They couldn't shot worth a flip.

My point was - no matter what you have, you can't hit anything if you don't practice or take training.

Folks with tricked out pricey gun laughed at the police trade ins like Model 10, 3913, Some Glocks and Keltecs...The folks they were laughing at could shoot. Sure the guns had wear and scuff marks - it is tool.

So while the fella laughed, he was terrified of getting his $2k semi- custom gun with a logo pistol case - "hurt".

I told him he didn't need a CCW, in fact sell all his guns and hire a body guard if he was that anal. Sometimes pissing off a student and having another student a <gasp> "Girl" outshoot them with a trade in gun is all it takes...

He still couldn't hit crap - at least the darn gun got dirty... :evil:
 
Actaully, the P-11 isn't a "poly gun." It has an aluminum frame, not polymer. The aluminum frame just happens to have a plastic cover on it... (which can be swapped for one of a different color.)

Lots of folks have problems with Kel-Tecs. Many, many folks don't have problems with Kel-Tecs.

But, of course, that seems to be true with most guns that sell for under $500. (The Makarov mentioned above is generally an exception -- but its also 9x18 and generally only 8 rounds. Good gun. But relatively big and heavy for the caliber.)
 
Under $230 including upgrades, 6.6oz, three years old, hundreds of rounds and never missed a beat. When you get a good one, Kel-Tec value can’t be beat.
hcp32st.gif
 
"Anecdotal evidence doesn't tell us anything."

This is only partly true. One person telling one story about one gun doing something is not enough to base an opinion on but hopefully, many people will chime in each with their "Anecdotal evidence" and we can get an idea of what is going on.

We can't believe the gun rags and we can't believe the gun companies that are trying to sell us their guns but at least we can compile 1st hand accounts of gun and start to see trends.

If you do a search on Kel-Tec, you will find mixed reviews with an alarming number of negative stories. If you do a search on a Ruger GP-100 for example, you will find almost nobody has had a problem with them. You don't take one story as truth but hopefully if we get enough people telling their expriences, we may be able to avoid buying a gun that has a high degree of problems. Clearly the Kel-Tec guns are less reliable than a Ruger GP-100 but that is an extreme example. I am sure you can find someone that had a GP-100 that was not reliable and also had a KT P-11 that ran 100%. I look for trends and from what I have seen in person and by doing research is, Kel-Tec has more of a chance of having problems than I feel confortable with.
 
Albanian--
Kel-Tec, you will find mixed reviews with an alarming number of negative stories. If you do a search on a Ruger GP-100 for example, you will find almost nobody has had a problem with them.
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Not an applicable comparison. Other S/A polymer guns, yes. A Revo vs. a SemiAuto polymer gun? No.

Funny thing is, you go and read some of the posts on GlockTalk or a Kahr forum, (and for that matter NAA and Rohrbaugh, too), and the overall percent of guns needing attention from the factory runs pretty consistent among all of them. There is NOT some "Chevy Corvair quality problem" with KelTec guns. A few need attention. Most don't. If they DO, you can rest assured you have the support of a company who goes a LONG way to make sure they solve your issues. If the problem persists, you can also depend on a VAST knowledge base on the forums re: these guns.

I understand that you don't like Kel-Tecs. Don't buy one! My experience has been QUITE different than yours. The tweaks and the enthusiastic following that these pistols have developed (2 dedicated gunboards just for KelTecs!) are part of the fun, and it is NOT as you indicating, shining up a turd.
 
I have a sneaky feeling that Ruger would have just as many problems, if they made a pistol as thin and light as Kel-Tec. When considering the number of complaints, I like to keep in mind that Kel-Tec produces far more mouseguns than other manufactures, possibly more than all others combined. However for those that like a high quality detailed finish, with the weight of steel, a Kel-Tec won’t do. To each his/her own :)
 
Not an applicable comparison. Other S/A polymer guns, yes. A Revo vs. a SemiAuto polymer gun? No.
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Absolutely. A full sized all steel revolver vs. a small, extremely lightweight polymer semi-auto? Good point. My P-11, P-3At & P-32s are quite reliable but they need more care, cleaning between fewer rounds fired and lubrication vs. my full-size revolvers. Not a complaint, they were designed for concealed carry & protection, not as plinkers to shoot all day with hundreds of rounds per outing although my P-11 could probably handle that easily. I only shoot my P-3AT and P-32s with 50 rounds at a time, then clean & lube. They work fine for that which is much more than I'd ever need for protection.
 
p32

saw where a problem was had with a kel-tec 32 that was shooting remington green and yellow .32, that right there could be the problem, i have no experience with the kel_tec 32, but i do have a NAA guardian that i used that stuff in, geezz, half a box and my .32 looked like it had been dipped in tar, i couldn't beleive how filty those rds are, cleand mine up and those remington rds are in the bottom drawer for a time i might get desperate!
 
"Send it back to KelTec, guarentee they will make it better for you.
They make so many guns that there will be lemons."

The above should read:

"Send it back to Kel-Tec 3-4 time, they may or may not get it working for you.
They make so many guns that are lemons.":D
 
saw where a problem was had with a kel-tec 32 that was shooting remington green and yellow .32, that right there could be the problem, i have no experience with the kel_tec 32, but i do have a NAA guardian that i used that stuff in, geezz, half a box and my .32 looked like it had been dipped in tar, i couldn't beleive how filty those rds are, cleand mine up and those remington rds are in the bottom drawer for a time i might get desperate!
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I'm curious as to why you'd post on a 20 month old thread? There are several recent Kel-Tec threads.

Not long ago a fella replied on a thread I had started almost 4 years ago - not to folllow up but just a mundane comment as if it were a new thread. I'm just curious as to why a few folks search back years on the forum to find a thread to reply to when there are many active threads on the same subject.
 
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This is an old thread, If you do not have anything to add to the original thread, DO NOT POST HERE, I will delete it.
Blkhawk73 I would like to hear if this ever got resolved.
 
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