Kel-Tec pistols - yes or no?

[Charlie_K]

I've seen a lot of talk regarding Kel-Tec firearms, ranging from good, to bad, and all the way in between. Talk of frames exploding if a metal guide rod is installed, extractors falling right off and the screw threads being stripped out from the recoil of being shot, a defective product sent back to the factory twice for warranty work and each time its returned with no work done at all, etc. But opinions and tales on the internet only carry so much weight. At least here I know folks actually use their stuff and have good reason to complain or praise it, depending on results that were had.

So are their P11, PF9 and other models worth buying and using for serious, defensive purposes?

 

[jascolli]

I think because they push the limits on size and weight, they tend to have more issues as a result. I HAD a P3AT. I got rid of it due to reliability issues. Have a Sig P238 now with zero issues. Still small, still light just not bleeding edge light. Most importantly, goes bang 100% of the time.

 

[Planterz]

I'm inexperienced with guns. Which is to say I've never even shot one. But I'm getting one when I get my income tax refund. Inexperienced, but I've done my research (reading reviews, forums, watching youtube videos, etc). Mainly I'm looking at pocket plastic pistols, .380 and 9mm. Kinda leaning towards the Ruger LCP Custom, LC9S Pro, Glock 43, Beretta Nano, etc. Just gotta get to a gun store and actually hold them.

That said, I've scratched Kel-Tec off my list. The price is nice, but like you, I've read too much about issues. If I'm going to trust my life (and others') with something, I need to be confident in it. If you get one, be sure to put a few hundred rounds through it, including the expensive ammo you'll actually carry with, and not just the cheap white box stuff for plinking. Same goes for Diamondback. Looks good on paper, but I've read too much negative to have any confidence.

 

[plumberroy]

My old Keltec p-32 (first or early second year of production ) has been nothing but reliable I don't remember it ever failing to fire or feed
Roy

 

[vanslem6]

A good friend had one, again, had one. I never shot it, but he said it was a POS.
I just picked up a Shield last week. Going to go shoot it in the morning.

Wanted to get something small enough that I could carry when I get a permit, yet not too small where I won't want to shoot it. My first handgun, but certainly not my last.

 

[jackknife]

There's a reason Glock has 80% of the police market sewn up while Kel-Tec does not. Is there any department that does issue them?

There ya go!

 

[dannyp]

I have known a couple people that owned Kel-Tec pistols and had zero problems with them. That said, I wouldn't buy one as a primary defensive weapon. There have just been too many instances of people with issues. I could maybe see one for a secondary gun, but even then I would rather drop down to a .380 Ruger or S&W to save money than get a potential life saving tool that is known for hit or miss reliability.

If you're lucky and get a good one, then great, you saved a few bucks. If you don't then you have the hassles of sending it in to get fixed, burning extra ammo to find out if it is actually fixed, and ultimately if you decide to sell it you will take a loss on it anyway. The old adage of 'buy once, cry once' truly applies in this situation.

 

[dcfis]

The answer is Always Walther. J/K, for some reason they have always fit the bill for me in size, ergos, in hand, quality and fit and finish. The Mercedes of firearms

 

[bflying]

I never purchased any Kel-Tec's, but have many friends and even relatives that have. In my discussions, overall quality and reliability is all over the map. When I hear as many bad as good stories, I tend to stay away. If I know 20 people with a specific model, and one or two have issues, I take them with a grain of salt. One reason is that so many F/F, F/E, jam type issues are the result of the shooter.

Also, with so many known high quality brands and priced near the discounts, for myself, I'll spend that extra $50-100 and get the better one. Every top quality manufacturer can put out a lemon, and every budget manufacturer can put out a gem. But I'll take the easy odds. I actually have multiple Taurus, a Rossi, and a few others purchased just by price. But they are never the ones I'm going to trust my life to. Nor are they the ones I shoot volumes through at the range. Just purchased for novelty and the occasional...."dude, try this."

So for compact 9's, I would recommend the S&W Shield or Glock 43 (or Glock 19 with just a bit more width). There is this craze lately to try to pack as much power into the tiniest little frame. In some cases, they work, but not for everyone. Take the little Ruger LCP .380 (similar to KelTec p32 I think, and others). I don't like any of them. I have the LCP and cannot shoot it worth crap because it doesn't fit my hand. It is a great size for pocket carry. But if I don't like to shoot it enough to practice with it, then I cannot in good conscience carry it. Proficiency is important when toting around a gun. But the Shield in 9mm shoots like a dream. So why compromise on a lower caliber. It's only a bit bigger and pretty much the same price.

Over the last 20 years, I've carried everything from NAA Micro .22, to .45Colt. I've settled on my primary of a S&W 1911 Performance Center in .45ACP because I can shoot it the best. If I need to go small, it's a decision between a Springfield Micro Compact 1911 .45, or the Shield 9mm. Both are about the same size for conceal-ability, and both have proven reliability with all types of loads. If I'm tooling around in the desert on a bike and don't want to grit-n-grime up my regular EDC's, I may grab one of my beater guns....Glock 17/26, Ruger LCR .357, or Taurus snubby in .38.

Long story longer, if choosing between a known quality brand, and a discount....if the price difference is only $100 (or more in some cases), you have to decide if that price difference is worth the chance on a life saving/life taking product.

Here's the Smith. Idn't she purdy?

And the Springer Micro. Shown next to a little Spyder Positron for size. Such a smooth shooting .45 with well over 1200 perfect rounds through the pipe.

 

[theAntihero]

There's a reason Glock has 80% of the police market sewn up while Kel-Tec does not. Is there any department that does issue them?

There ya go!

They are concealable pistols, not really a primary weapon though so itrs not an apples to apples comparison


I've had 2. A p3at and a pmr30 that my mom fell in love with and has now. The p3at was and is perfectly reliable as long as you don't limp wrist it. The pmr30 is much the same. These are super lightweight guns, basic physics says that the slide needs something to fight against to reliable cycle

 

[cchu518]

Definitely a no. It's the same principle that goes for not buying cheap tires or gas for your car or bargain brakes and rotors. Don't skimp if your life depennds on it. You can get a Ruger for not a lot of money. And it's all relative unless you live in MA or something a flick, Springfield pick your poison is less than a William Henry knife in many instances.

Note a lot of the keltec issues as another posted noted is due to the weight of the gun and folks limp wristing it much the same way as when you lighten up your trigger on any pistol and get stovepipe jams.

 

[u812]

I'm inexperienced with guns. Which is to say I've never even shot one. But I'm getting one when I get my income tax refund. Inexperienced, but I've done my research (reading reviews, forums, watching youtube videos, etc). Mainly I'm looking at pocket plastic pistols, .380 and 9mm. Kinda leaning towards the Ruger LCP Custom, LC9S Pro, Glock 43, Beretta Nano, etc. Just gotta get to a gun store and actually hold them.

That said, I've scratched Kel-Tec off my list. The price is nice, but like you, I've read too much about issues. If I'm going to trust my life (and others') with something, I need to be confident in it. If you get one, be sure to put a few hundred rounds through it, including the expensive ammo you'll actually carry with, and not just the cheap white box stuff for plinking. Same goes for Diamondback. Looks good on paper, but I've read too much negative to have any confidence.

Sig P232,the best small carry pistol I have ever had. Fits the hand perfect,very accurate,and zero function issues.
As far as Kel-Tec.....I have not had a lot of experience with them but the ones I have and talking to others that own and have owned them I would stay away.

 

[Krav]

I'm inexperienced with guns. Which is to say I've never even shot one. But I'm getting one when I get my income tax refund. Inexperienced, but I've done my research (reading reviews, forums, watching youtube videos, etc). Mainly I'm looking at pocket plastic pistols, .380 and 9mm. Kinda leaning towards the Ruger LCP Custom, LC9S Pro, Glock 43, Beretta Nano, etc. Just gotta get to a gun store and actually hold them.

That said, I've scratched Kel-Tec off my list. The price is nice, but like you, I've read too much about issues. If I'm going to trust my life (and others') with something, I need to be confident in it. If you get one, be sure to put a few hundred rounds through it, including the expensive ammo you'll actually carry with, and not just the cheap white box stuff for plinking. Same goes for Diamondback. Looks good on paper, but I've read too much negative to have any confidence.

Glock, reliable, easy to do upgrades, easiest pistol to take apart clean, reassemble. Eats just about any ammo.

Never tried a kel tec, have no desire to either.

 

[dcfis]

Glock, reliable, easy to do upgrades, easiest pistol to take apart clean, reassemble. Eats just about any ammo.

Never tried a kel tec, have no desire to either.

Others are even easier to take apart

 

[dcfis]

Sig P232,the best small carry pistol I have ever had. Fits the hand perfect,very accurate,and zero function issues.
As far as Kel-Tec.....I have not had a lot of experience with them but the ones I have and talking to others that own and have owned them I would stay away.

Why did you do that when you could have the OG? And besides you could do a PPS in 9 or 40 for the same size and less weight.

 

[billym]

If I wanted to buy a concealable handgun as my FIRST firearm I would get a Glock 19.
A bit bigger than a G43 or other micro pistols but then again small pistols take way more skill to shoot accurately especially follow up shots. They don't handle recoil as well as a larger gun of the same caliber.
I bought a G17 years ago. I love it but now wish I had gotten the G19.

 

[jkwithawave]

I shot a buddy's p11 a couple years ago. I don't recall any reliability issues but it did have a horrendous trigger pull. Felt like a 10 lb trigger.
Mind you this was probably 6 years ago or so. I don't recall if I had my Kahr then, only my p250. I was thinking about the pf9 for a smaller carry gun and this one put me off Kel-Tec for pistols.

Now the ksg12 is definitely something I'm interested in.

 

[M67]

There's a reason Glock has 80% of the police market sewn up while Kel-Tec does not. Is there any department that does issue them?

There ya go!

Glocks are simple, not a lot of cops are gun people so the easier they are to operate, the better. They're damn near idiot proof. Chamber round, pull trigger, gun most of the time goes off. That isn't cop bashing, it's the truth. To some it's just a tool for work, not a passion or hobby.

Glocks are inexpensive

Glocks can be high cap

And Glock way back in the day damn near gave pistols to police departments. Why spend money on something expensive while 1 company is damn near giving them to you?

Just because a lot of police departments carry Glocks is does NOT make glock the end all be all of pistols. They feel like crap, I've seen them failure to feed, failure to fire, failure to extract, and seen the after of several kabooms. They're a man made item, like everything man made, it CAN and WILL fail eventually.

I've shot a lot of Glocks, and the only ones that felt okay were the $1500+ custom ZEVs. I've never experienced that "Glock accuracy" people rave about. At 3 yards, maybe.


I've never owned a Kel Tec, but the ratio I've had to work on is pretty low compared to Ruger, Taurus, Smith, Glock, Bersa, etc. I've seen a PF9 go 500 rounds in 2 days with maybe only the slide not locking back on the last round, which was due to shooter resting his finger on the slide release.

But, like EVERYTHING man made, they can produce a turd (this includes $2000 pistols and $3000 scopes). Hell I bought my car new in 2014 and it's been in the shop a lot because the "latest and greatest" or the "new improved part" didn't work right.

If they fit your hand, purpose, or price point, I'd say go for it.

That being said, if you want a pocket gun, I'd trust more Taurus TCPs and Ruger LCPs than the P3AT.

I have seen 1 blown up Kel Tec, and that was on a PMR 30 several years ago before they redesigned their barrels (and that was with CCI Maxi Mag ammo)

 

[Charlie Fox]

For the OP: yes. Keltec has come a long way and their pistols are quite good. If you're looking for Sig fit and finish, move along. If you're looking for a good gun that goes bang all the time and doesn't cost an entire paycheck look at KT. I've owned and carried a P11, P40, P9 and P32 (which is still my everyday/everywhere gun after 14 years and about 2500 rounds without a problem) so I can say I feel safe with them.

 

[jackknife]

For the better part of this past year, I've actually tried to get this thing to malfunction. Used very cheap Philippine and Russian ammo in it, not cleaned it for several range sessions, purposely limp wristed it, and nothing. Not a single malfunction of any kind since the day it came out of the box. It can tale the magazines from the model 19, 17, and even the 33 round job Glock makes. It's actually more accurate in my hands than my old Smith and Wesson revolvers due to the big sights on senior citizen eyes.

I used to be anti Glock, and a die hard wheel gun man. But things change. I've never found another semi auto hand gun as reliable as this. I've had Colt's, S&W, Browning, and others. They all went down the road, but the Glock is here to stay. They work. That's the bottom line if my life or the life of a loved one is at stake.