A couple weeks ago I was in the market for a new CCW. I wanted something that I would carry consistently and had decent capacity.
In order to fulfill the first criterion it had to be thin and fairly light. These factors make it hard to fit the capacity that I desired (10+). The only weapon I've found so far that fit the bill, was the Kel-Tec P-11.
I went ahead and ordered one and finally got to pick it up today. This will be an ongoing review cataloging all impressions I have about this gun.
06 DEC 12
Upon picking up the pistol at the dealer, and handling it for the first time.. my stomach sunk. Here are my initial thoughts:
This post will contain a bit of text, so here's a picture to give you a break.
I loaded up some snap-caps and immediately noticed how gritty the magazine lips were.. I keep going, knowing that this weapon likes a 'break in' period. I also notice that the follower in the magazine does not like to do it's job properly.. Every round I push in does a super nose dive, making it a difficult process. I cycle the gun approximately 30 times. The first 5 feeds required assistance as the rounds were hanging. After that only 1 of 5 would hang up.. Still not acceptable.
I went ahead and did about 5 minutes of dry fire exercises and had to stop due to a blistering trigger finger. I will definitely be picking up a trigger shoe for this thing. The trigger is STOUT! I did a bit of research and knew going into this that it was a heavy trigger, the upside is that it breaks very crisply and consistently in the same spot. The reset however seems to vary.
I don't think I'm going to take it to the range until I pull it apart and do a thorough inspection and de-burr.. I will try to accomplish that tomorrow afternoon so I can put some rounds through it in the evening.
On the bright side, the pistol is very comfortable to carry IWB even with the belt clip. The size is EXACTLY what I was looking for and the grip texture is very nice (although lacking on the rear). I have a Hogue Hand-all JR. I'm going to fit and see how that feels.
TL;DR.. Very rough out of box, will require some cleanup and many failure free trips to the range to prove reliability.
The next installment will include a range report and more insight into this handgun.
*UPDATE* 11 DEC 12
I finally got to visit the range today.. The setback is embarrassing, but I'll tell you anyway. I pulled the pistol apart and was very careful to do so inside a plastic bag. Everything went smoothly and I was happy with how simple the weapon is. I took an emery file and cleaned up the rails on the frame, as well as the guides in the slide. I cleaned up the inner magazine lips and greased the trigger bar and slide. Did not do the 'fluff-and-buff' procedure, just worked on what I thought needed attention.. Upon putting the pistol back together, I somehow managed to launch the trigger bar.. In the state our garage is currently there was no hope finding it.
This is the first time I can testify to Kel-Tec's service. This incident happened Friday afternoon and I placed an order on their website for the trigger bar, and a trigger shoe. Both parts arrived in a nice bubble envelope last night.. Friday - Monday! I installed the parts this morning and decided I didn't like the feel of the trigger shoe, it was very wide and not 'normal' feeling to me.
Range Report
Went to the LGS range today around 2.. I took the lady so she could get accustomed to the new .45 (bedside pistol), and I shot the P-11. I started with 30 rounds of Federal 115GN FMJ. Zero malfunctions. The pistol was very accurate at 10 yards holding about a 4" group at a steady pace, and 6-8 inch group at a quicker rate of fire. This is MORE than adequate for a hopefully never used carry pistol.
My goal for this trip was to run a couple different types of ammo and see if I could find one she didn't like.. Next up I shot 30 rounds of Winchester 115GN FMJ in the white box. First magazine was flawless. Second magazine ran well but the slide did not lock back after the last round. The third magazine had the same problem. I continued to shoot another 40 rounds through it without a problem.
I still need to do some research on why the slide didn't lock after firing the last round, but that being the only issue within the first 100 rounds, I can't complain. I have some Blazer Brass to shoot through it next trip, and I'm going to try to pick up some Remington to test as well.
The only faults I have found so far are the dreaded magazine rattle, and the two instances where the slide didn't lock after the last round. I had absolutely NO issues with running the gun.. It ate everything without a hiccup.
After the first range outing, I am very pleased with this handgun. The recoil was not as abrupt as I envisioned, and the pistol performed well.
TL;DR Shot 100 rounds of Federal and Winchester. No failures in feeding, ejecting, or firing. Only issue was with the slide not locking after last round (twice)
*UPDATE* 08 FEB 13
I no longer own this pistol. I put another 100 rounds through it after the last review and it fired every time. There was still issue with the slide lock after the last round. The reason I sold this pistol was based soley on the fact that I needed to consolidate my collection. I didn't want a 'carry' gun, a 'range' gun, a 'bedside' gun.. I wanted one platform that worked well in every area. Shooting the P11 recreationally was more of a chore than anything. It was painful and gritty. I remain neutral on the subject of Kel-Tec. I don't feel as if I had a bad experience with the handgun, but I was not excited about it.
I chose to go with a Glock 19 and am very happy. I shot my father's 17 at a steel shoot last month and it just worked. It's smooth, weight was good, and it ROCKED. I picked up the 19 and a GREAT holster and the extra 1/8" is no problem at all.
My final thought on the Kel-Tec P11.. It's a good gun for the price. It isn't exceptional, but good. After some rounds, I found it to be reliable and the last 200+ rounds fired every time. If you are interested in joining the population of carrying individuals and cannot afford a Glock/SA/1911/XD, etc.. then the P11 is the perfect choice. It has great capacity (10+1) at a perfect size.
In order to fulfill the first criterion it had to be thin and fairly light. These factors make it hard to fit the capacity that I desired (10+). The only weapon I've found so far that fit the bill, was the Kel-Tec P-11.
I went ahead and ordered one and finally got to pick it up today. This will be an ongoing review cataloging all impressions I have about this gun.
06 DEC 12
Upon picking up the pistol at the dealer, and handling it for the first time.. my stomach sunk. Here are my initial thoughts:
- The slide rack was very clunky and inconsistent.
- The finish couldn't decide if it wanted to be glossy, or matte.
- The slide stop was near impossible to use as a release.
- Both sights had a good amount of extraneous plastic debris from manufacture.
This post will contain a bit of text, so here's a picture to give you a break.
I loaded up some snap-caps and immediately noticed how gritty the magazine lips were.. I keep going, knowing that this weapon likes a 'break in' period. I also notice that the follower in the magazine does not like to do it's job properly.. Every round I push in does a super nose dive, making it a difficult process. I cycle the gun approximately 30 times. The first 5 feeds required assistance as the rounds were hanging. After that only 1 of 5 would hang up.. Still not acceptable.
I went ahead and did about 5 minutes of dry fire exercises and had to stop due to a blistering trigger finger. I will definitely be picking up a trigger shoe for this thing. The trigger is STOUT! I did a bit of research and knew going into this that it was a heavy trigger, the upside is that it breaks very crisply and consistently in the same spot. The reset however seems to vary.
I don't think I'm going to take it to the range until I pull it apart and do a thorough inspection and de-burr.. I will try to accomplish that tomorrow afternoon so I can put some rounds through it in the evening.
On the bright side, the pistol is very comfortable to carry IWB even with the belt clip. The size is EXACTLY what I was looking for and the grip texture is very nice (although lacking on the rear). I have a Hogue Hand-all JR. I'm going to fit and see how that feels.
TL;DR.. Very rough out of box, will require some cleanup and many failure free trips to the range to prove reliability.
The next installment will include a range report and more insight into this handgun.
*UPDATE* 11 DEC 12
I finally got to visit the range today.. The setback is embarrassing, but I'll tell you anyway. I pulled the pistol apart and was very careful to do so inside a plastic bag. Everything went smoothly and I was happy with how simple the weapon is. I took an emery file and cleaned up the rails on the frame, as well as the guides in the slide. I cleaned up the inner magazine lips and greased the trigger bar and slide. Did not do the 'fluff-and-buff' procedure, just worked on what I thought needed attention.. Upon putting the pistol back together, I somehow managed to launch the trigger bar.. In the state our garage is currently there was no hope finding it.
This is the first time I can testify to Kel-Tec's service. This incident happened Friday afternoon and I placed an order on their website for the trigger bar, and a trigger shoe. Both parts arrived in a nice bubble envelope last night.. Friday - Monday! I installed the parts this morning and decided I didn't like the feel of the trigger shoe, it was very wide and not 'normal' feeling to me.
Range Report
Went to the LGS range today around 2.. I took the lady so she could get accustomed to the new .45 (bedside pistol), and I shot the P-11. I started with 30 rounds of Federal 115GN FMJ. Zero malfunctions. The pistol was very accurate at 10 yards holding about a 4" group at a steady pace, and 6-8 inch group at a quicker rate of fire. This is MORE than adequate for a hopefully never used carry pistol.
My goal for this trip was to run a couple different types of ammo and see if I could find one she didn't like.. Next up I shot 30 rounds of Winchester 115GN FMJ in the white box. First magazine was flawless. Second magazine ran well but the slide did not lock back after the last round. The third magazine had the same problem. I continued to shoot another 40 rounds through it without a problem.
I still need to do some research on why the slide didn't lock after firing the last round, but that being the only issue within the first 100 rounds, I can't complain. I have some Blazer Brass to shoot through it next trip, and I'm going to try to pick up some Remington to test as well.
The only faults I have found so far are the dreaded magazine rattle, and the two instances where the slide didn't lock after the last round. I had absolutely NO issues with running the gun.. It ate everything without a hiccup.
After the first range outing, I am very pleased with this handgun. The recoil was not as abrupt as I envisioned, and the pistol performed well.
TL;DR Shot 100 rounds of Federal and Winchester. No failures in feeding, ejecting, or firing. Only issue was with the slide not locking after last round (twice)
*UPDATE* 08 FEB 13
I no longer own this pistol. I put another 100 rounds through it after the last review and it fired every time. There was still issue with the slide lock after the last round. The reason I sold this pistol was based soley on the fact that I needed to consolidate my collection. I didn't want a 'carry' gun, a 'range' gun, a 'bedside' gun.. I wanted one platform that worked well in every area. Shooting the P11 recreationally was more of a chore than anything. It was painful and gritty. I remain neutral on the subject of Kel-Tec. I don't feel as if I had a bad experience with the handgun, but I was not excited about it.
I chose to go with a Glock 19 and am very happy. I shot my father's 17 at a steel shoot last month and it just worked. It's smooth, weight was good, and it ROCKED. I picked up the 19 and a GREAT holster and the extra 1/8" is no problem at all.
My final thought on the Kel-Tec P11.. It's a good gun for the price. It isn't exceptional, but good. After some rounds, I found it to be reliable and the last 200+ rounds fired every time. If you are interested in joining the population of carrying individuals and cannot afford a Glock/SA/1911/XD, etc.. then the P11 is the perfect choice. It has great capacity (10+1) at a perfect size.
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