Picked up a new Kel-Tec P11
Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 11:09 am
I've been curious about Kel-Tec's products for a while. I combed through the articles on this forum and on ktog.org. I have been alternating between 3 handguns: G19, G22, and a Taurus 85 Ultralite. I can conceal the G19 OK, but I use the Taurus as a "stick in the pocket holster and run to the store" sidearm.
I'm confident in the Taurus and my ability to shoot it. But I wanted something with a tad more capacity. Subcompact Glocks have really gone up, so I wanted something in a 9mm Luger that was trimmer than my revolver, and cheaper than a Glock. I originally had a PF-9 in mind, but I didn't readily find one in stock.
I got off work early one day, and decided to mosey in McBride's Guns in Austin. I had never been in there before, so it was a good excuse. Well, in the counter was a navy blue P11 with a hard chrome slide. It felt good in my hand, and it seemed a little shorter and thinner than the Taurus I was wearing at 4:00. I liked the simplicity of the design, and the price was in my range.
Well, I took it home and did the initial field strip and cleaning. Then I decided to do the minimum "fluff & buff" that was recommended on the KTOG forum. The majority of time spent with the 400 & 600 wet-or-dry paper was spent on the hammer interface on the slide, the hammer face, and the feed ramp on the barrel.
Just for grins, I also smoothed up the exterior of the barrel that shows through the ejection port, and both sides of the slide. I doubt I will ever give it the "melting" treatment, since it is supposed to be an inexpensive carry sidearm. Then I did another cleanup and oiled the moving parts. The only part of the lubing that I deviated from was that I used a thin layer of antiseize on the hammer interface, and on the frame rails where the slide makes contact.
I finally got to shoot it the other day. I first fired 100 rounds of R+P 115g FMJ, then 50 rounds of Monarch 115g FMJ. I did not clean the pistol after this firing. Then I fired 35 rounds of Fiocchi 147g XTP JHP through it (that was all I had left of those). Well, in 185 rounds in a new Kel-Tec with an initial "fluff & buff", I had no jams, no FTF, no FTE. It performed flawlessly.
With the remaining 147g ammo, I shot at my target from 4 yards in 3-round strings that were two seconds apart. I did not create a single ragged hole, but 9 rounds went into a 2-inch area, with the remaining flyer hitting about 4 inches away from the others. That's good enough for me in a small carry pistol.
I did notice a couple of things during shooting. Yes, since it is a small pistol, the perceived recoil is more than my G19. But it was manageable. With the DA-only trigger, it is better to use a smooth motion to squeeze it through its entire travel. If I tried to stage this trigger, I found that my accuracy would suffer.
I did not smooth any areas on the grip. But I did not experience any scraping or cutting on my shooting hand. The only "injury" I had was where the edge of my wedding band was biting the knuckle of my right-hand ring finger. Not the gun's fault.
After I got home and cleaned it, I cycled my snap caps through it. They all ejected OK. I then cycled my 147g carry ammo through it. I did notice that these rounds would hang on the feed ramp if I got lazy on pulling the slide all the way back. This went away when I made sure that when I actuated the slide, I would pull it back all the way before releasing. I also polished the breech face of the slide with the wet-or-dry paper. That seemed to help. More break-in and practice should keep this problem away.
To sum it up, the P11 is a keeper for me. I will be ordering an extra magazine or two for it. I will still remain a Glock owner, but the Kel-Tec will serve as another option for "running to the store".
I'm confident in the Taurus and my ability to shoot it. But I wanted something with a tad more capacity. Subcompact Glocks have really gone up, so I wanted something in a 9mm Luger that was trimmer than my revolver, and cheaper than a Glock. I originally had a PF-9 in mind, but I didn't readily find one in stock.
I got off work early one day, and decided to mosey in McBride's Guns in Austin. I had never been in there before, so it was a good excuse. Well, in the counter was a navy blue P11 with a hard chrome slide. It felt good in my hand, and it seemed a little shorter and thinner than the Taurus I was wearing at 4:00. I liked the simplicity of the design, and the price was in my range.
Well, I took it home and did the initial field strip and cleaning. Then I decided to do the minimum "fluff & buff" that was recommended on the KTOG forum. The majority of time spent with the 400 & 600 wet-or-dry paper was spent on the hammer interface on the slide, the hammer face, and the feed ramp on the barrel.
Just for grins, I also smoothed up the exterior of the barrel that shows through the ejection port, and both sides of the slide. I doubt I will ever give it the "melting" treatment, since it is supposed to be an inexpensive carry sidearm. Then I did another cleanup and oiled the moving parts. The only part of the lubing that I deviated from was that I used a thin layer of antiseize on the hammer interface, and on the frame rails where the slide makes contact.
I finally got to shoot it the other day. I first fired 100 rounds of R+P 115g FMJ, then 50 rounds of Monarch 115g FMJ. I did not clean the pistol after this firing. Then I fired 35 rounds of Fiocchi 147g XTP JHP through it (that was all I had left of those). Well, in 185 rounds in a new Kel-Tec with an initial "fluff & buff", I had no jams, no FTF, no FTE. It performed flawlessly.
With the remaining 147g ammo, I shot at my target from 4 yards in 3-round strings that were two seconds apart. I did not create a single ragged hole, but 9 rounds went into a 2-inch area, with the remaining flyer hitting about 4 inches away from the others. That's good enough for me in a small carry pistol.
I did notice a couple of things during shooting. Yes, since it is a small pistol, the perceived recoil is more than my G19. But it was manageable. With the DA-only trigger, it is better to use a smooth motion to squeeze it through its entire travel. If I tried to stage this trigger, I found that my accuracy would suffer.
I did not smooth any areas on the grip. But I did not experience any scraping or cutting on my shooting hand. The only "injury" I had was where the edge of my wedding band was biting the knuckle of my right-hand ring finger. Not the gun's fault.
After I got home and cleaned it, I cycled my snap caps through it. They all ejected OK. I then cycled my 147g carry ammo through it. I did notice that these rounds would hang on the feed ramp if I got lazy on pulling the slide all the way back. This went away when I made sure that when I actuated the slide, I would pull it back all the way before releasing. I also polished the breech face of the slide with the wet-or-dry paper. That seemed to help. More break-in and practice should keep this problem away.
To sum it up, the P11 is a keeper for me. I will be ordering an extra magazine or two for it. I will still remain a Glock owner, but the Kel-Tec will serve as another option for "running to the store".
