Kel Tec P11

[Nacho Man]

Seen it for sale on local forum for $150.
I don't think it's been shot much at all.
Always been fascinated by cheap pocket guns, have a lcp, tcp, p3at and all wrk great so decided to add this one. Well see how it shoots soon. Besides it will make a great loaner for family and friends if they need to borrow a gun.
S&W 59 series mag seems to fit well and lock into place like a factory extended mag.

Front and rear strap lack texturing. Fixed with some strips of grip tape making a big difference. Liking that alot

 

[Tallball]

I didn't like the trigger on mine, but it went bang every time.

 

[Reinz]

I carried one for a long time when pocket option were few.

Mine was great, but the trigger was abysmal.

Fortunately, KelTec sold a nice wide trigger shoe that made it feel like the pull was cut in half!

Maybe they still have some?

 

[red rick]

A buddy of mine has one and it is one of the worst triggers that I have ever felt .

 

[shunka]

There are trigger kits out there that drop the horrible pull by several pounds. Then add a trigger shoe and it is remarkabley acceptable.

 

[shunka]

The keltec P9 / P11 hammer/trigger spring kit is still available from mcarbo, the manufacturor.
mcarbo also makes a replacement aluminum “flat trigger” for both. Eliminates the flex of the plastic trigger.

 

[Noclutch]

A P-11 is currently going for $337 on GunBroker with 2 days left on auction….
Apparently there is some demand for these.

 

[BreechFace]

A P-11 is currently going for $337 on GunBroker with 2 days left on auction….
Apparently there is some demand for these.

I can't imagine why someone would pay that for a P11, but as the saying goes in car sales, "there's a butt for every seat."

 

[Tilos]

SCCY makes a clone of the P11 which is a much better gun...
But they have recently gone out of business.
I own 2 SCCYs with the newest being a CPX-2 gen 3, a solid gun in my view.
The market is full of them and I have seen them for as low a $149.
jmo,

.

 

[Boom Vang]

I had one back in the day, as has mentioned, when small 9mm options were very few. Mine worked flawlessly, and was carried often.

The recoil and trigger action leave much to be desired. The minimal room in the trigger guard and thin trigger, combined with the very light weight of the pistol and long DA trigger reset, result in a snappy recoil. Your trigger finger tends to crash into the trigger guard every shot, painfully. I did not enjoy shooting it, although it was reasonably accurate!

There used to be several aftermarket options but the only remaining one is the MCarbo trigger. I tried it on the PF9, and it was not helpful. It uses cheesy set-screws to control pre- and over-travel, which are rather long due to the nature of the trigger action. They interfere with trigger finger placement and become annoying in their own right. Trying the trigger without the set screws was not an improvement either. I would save yourself the money.

Kel-Tec still sells the trigger shoe. Be careful with that. It attaches with set-screws into the stock polymer trigger, and I've found it's not entirely stable. On the PF9, it protrudes past the outer edges of the trigger guard, which is a potential safety problem on a carry gun... the trigger guard on the P11 may be a bit wider to completely contain it. The trigger shoe also reduced the amount of room inside the trigger guard.

 

[Nacho Man]

I had one back in the day, as has mentioned, when small 9mm options were very few. Mine worked flawlessly, and was carried often.

The recoil and trigger action leave much to be desired. The minimal room in the trigger guard and thin trigger, combined with the very light weight of the pistol and long DA trigger reset, result in a snappy recoil. Your trigger finger tends to crash into the trigger guard every shot, painfully. I did not enjoy shooting it, although it was reasonably accurate!

There used to be several aftermarket options but the only remaining one is the MCarbo trigger. I tried it on the PF9, and it was not helpful. It uses cheesy set-screws to control pre- and over-travel, which are rather long due to the nature of the trigger action. They interfere with trigger finger placement and become annoying in their own right. Trying the trigger with the set screws was not an improvement either. I would save yourself the money.

Kel-Tec still sells the trigger shoe. Be careful with that. It attaches with set-screws into the stock polymer trigger, and I've found it's not entirely stable. On the PF9, it protrudes past the outer edges of the trigger guard, which is a potential safety problem on a carry gun... the trigger guard on the P11 may be a bit wider to completely contain it. The trigger show also reduced the amount of room inside the trigger guard.

Thank you for your information.
I don't plan on modifications, on carry guns I rarely do any changes except maybe Talon grips or something similar like Hogue.
Since its lightly used and was $150 I figured it would be a sound investment since it was discontinued and has some nostalgia being one of the first double stack polymer micro 9s on the market. Maybe in a few decades it will be considered collectable who knows. I remember handpicking a P64 pistol with extra mags for like $175 when the market was flooded. They seemed to have risen in price lately. Either way hopefully this gun works and is accurate I'll give it a shot at the range soon.

 

[Mike J]

I had one. I didn't like the way the trigger was shaped. The trigger was plastic. I heated it in boiling water & changed the shape to make it more comfortable. I also bought a metal mag catch from someone over at KTOG. The magazines on the one I had wouldn't drop free so I wound up lightly sanding inside the magwell until they would. I haven't been there in years but there was a ton of info about these pistols at KTOG.
The trigger pull was long, catchy & heavy but once I got used to it the pistol was decently accurate. It worked. After a while, I moved on to other carry guns. I wound up gifting it to a friend after I had quit carrying it.

 

[cc-hangfire]

Until the Sig P365, the Kel Tec P11 was the smallest 10rd semiauto 9mm. It was and is an adequate self defense handgun, as long as one is OK with the revolver weight DA trigger pull. It is not a target handgun, and isn’t a fun range gun due to light weight and the felt recoil that brings with it.
I like them, and have accumulated more that I need since the majority of the world hates the trigger and you can find them in the $100-$130 range.
Like shooting a double action revolver, if you get reasonably good shooting the P11, practically everything else is a piece of cake!

 

[Reinz]

I had one back in the day, as has mentioned, when small 9mm options were very few. Mine worked flawlessly, and was carried often.

The recoil and trigger action leave much to be desired. The minimal room in the trigger guard and thin trigger, combined with the very light weight of the pistol and long DA trigger reset, result in a snappy recoil. Your trigger finger tends to crash into the trigger guard every shot, painfully. I did not enjoy shooting it, although it was reasonably accurate!

There used to be several aftermarket options but the only remaining one is the MCarbo trigger. I tried it on the PF9, and it was not helpful. It uses cheesy set-screws to control pre- and over-travel, which are rather long due to the nature of the trigger action. They interfere with trigger finger placement and become annoying in their own right. Trying the trigger without the set screws was not an improvement either. I would save yourself the money.

Kel-Tec still sells the trigger shoe. Be careful with that. It attaches with set-screws into the stock polymer trigger, and I've found it's not entirely stable. On the PF9, it protrudes past the outer edges of the trigger guard, which is a potential safety problem on a carry gun... the trigger guard on the P11 may be a bit wider to completely contain it. The trigger shoe also reduced the amount of room inside the trigger guard.

Right on about the very poor set screw setup. That’s why I glued it on with silicone sealant before applying the set screws. It held up during all practice sessions for 11 years.

Fortunately my trigger shoe does not protrude outside of the trigger guard.

I retired the gun when I finally found my grail pocket gun in 2006, the Rohrbaugh.

 

[Tallball]

deleted

 

[Nuclear]

A friend has one. I’ve shot it and it has the worst trigger I’ve ever encountered. Long, heavy, gritty and you never quite know when it is going to discharge. I’ve teased him that a mugger would have his wallet and be around the corner before it would go off. On the positive side, it is light, holds ten rounds and is equally inaccurate no matter how you manipulate the trigger (squeeze, stroke, slap, etc.).

 

[CajunBass]

I had one many years ago, as one of my first dedicated "carry guns." As everyone has said the trigger wasn't much to write home about, but then I didn't know much about triggers in the first place, so I didn't think too much about it. It was about like a revolver trigger, and I was used to them. I added a trigger shoe, and a made a trigger stop out of a pencil eraser by super glueing it to the back of the trigger, then gradually fileing it down until it worked to stop the overtravel. The super glue held on until I got rid of the gun some years later. I seem to remember that the end of trigger itself hurt my finger, and I filed that down a bit too to stop that.

It kicked pretty good, but it was a small, light pistol. As long as I stayed at 50 rounds or so in a practice session, it was OK, but more than that would leave my arm tingling for a couple of days. I could hit a paper plate regularly at 7-10 yards which I was quite happy with in those days. Still am to be be honest.

Enjoy it.

 

[sequins]

I had and carried one for quite some time. I eventually switched to a different gun but I always felt good about it.

I shoot a lot of revolvers so maybe that contributes to my sentiment but I didn’t hate the trigger. The recoil is what did me in. It was just ridiculous trying to do follow up shots and my three round drills were abysmal. I just couldn’t grip it well enough more than anything. I prefer 380 or 32 in a single stack pocket pistol, or double stack for a firm grip in 9mm. I now carry a P32, LCP, or a Glock 26. The P32 and LCP have triggers I’d rate as similar but slightly better and more importantly the lesser recoil helps with follow up shots on a two finger grip.

 

[Nacho Man]

Yea it shot pretty good. I ran 100rds of this ammo called Turan made in Turkey.
It was part of the 250rd value packs sold by Academy under their Monarch brand. Didn't encounter any issues eventhough I read alot of bad things about this stuff online. I bought 500rds of it for $107.

 

[Styx]

I owned a PF9 and P11 back in the day. The PF9 had issues with a box of steel cases ammo I purchased (I can't recall what the brand was), but other than that, both were 100%. My only complaint would be cosmetic with the fit and finish. The blued and parkerized finishes would rust very easily, and the cerakote finish was better not still left a lot to be desired.

The trigger was fine, IMHO. I purchased it fully knowing that it wasn't a target, competition or long range pistol. It's a ~9 DAO trigger pull that's more than good enough to get the job done at defensive distances. I don't recall having any complaints about the trigger or putting rounds where they needed to go at the range. Had I purchased it to consistently make 100 yard shots or to be competitive against $1500+ Gucci pistols, then and only then would the trigger be an issue.

 

[Mike J]

I owned a PF9 and P11 back in the day. The PF9 had issues with a box of steel cases ammo I purchased (I can't recall what the brand was), but other than that, both were 100%. My only complaint would be cosmetic with the fit and finish. The blued and parkerized finishes would rust very easily, and the cerakote finish was better not still left a lot to be desired.

The trigger was fine, IMHO. I purchased it fully knowing that it wasn't a target, competition or long range pistol. It's a ~9 DAO trigger pull that's more than good enough to get the job done at defensive distances. I don't recall having any complaints about the trigger or putting rounds where they needed to go at the range. Had I purchased it to consistently make 100 yard shots or to be competitive against $1500+ Gucci pistols, then and only then would the trigger be an issue.

The one time I tried to shoot steel cased through the P11 I had it didn't work. The case stuck in the chamber & locked the pistol up. I pushed the slide against the bottom of my target stand to get the slide to open & eject the round.

 

[dla]

The PF9, (18oz loaded), was my favorite - essentially an 8 shot skinny revolver. The P11 has been replaced by the P15, which is in all ways a better CC pistol (22oz loaded 13 rounds).
I can buy the P15 today for <$250 anytime. The P11 and PF9 were more because Keltec couldn't/wouldn't keep up with demand.

I think Keltec has got their act together today.

 

[Tilos]

The PF9, (18oz loaded), was my favorite - essentially an 8 shot skinny revolver. The P11 has been replaced by the P15, which is in all ways a better CC pistol (22oz loaded 13 rounds).
I can buy the P15 today for <$250 anytime. The P11 and PF9 were more because Keltec couldn't/wouldn't keep up with demand.

I think Keltec has got their act together today.

So, the P15 is striker fired, has a grip safety, and is single action only.
No where near the safe operation of a "skinny revolver" like the P11.

Most all manufacturers had similar designed guns (DAO) but, sadly, have all jumped into the striker fired single action trend.
A few, now out of production: Ruger LC9, Sig P250, Sig P290RS, SCCY CPX-2, etc.
I think the Diamondback DB9 is the only one I can think of, still available, that is (DAO) but is striker fired.
jmo,
.

 

[dla]

No where near the safe operation of a "skinny revolver" like the P11.


.

If you mean "safe" as in long heavy trigger pull - I agree. As far as handling goes, the P11 wouldn't stop child/moron from pulling the trigger.
I carry a P15 with the grip safety disabled - just like carrying a Glock.

 

[Tilos]

If you mean "safe" as in long heavy trigger pull - I agree. As far as handling goes, the P11 wouldn't stop child/moron from pulling the trigger.
I carry a P15 with the grip safety disabled - just like carrying a Glock.

Me, I like the revolver type simplicity of hammer fired DAO autos, as iddy-biddy guns are for bad breath range use, and no need for a target type trigger.
That and the ability to thumb the safety when re-holstering.

Do I own striker fired guns, sure, but they are for the range and range games, not concealed carry.
As to stopping a child/moron from pulling a trigger, any responsible gun owner keep guns out of reach...

Again, Just My Opinion, and not a judgement of anyone who does things differently.
.