What to do with a Kel Tec.....

rwsmith

rwsmith

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Before i could build up my arsenal I bought a Kel Tec P11. I now have a Shield and an S&W 36 for carry besides my few other guns.

It had a problem with the recoil spring jumping over the seat in the barrel and locking it up so it had to go back to the factory to get it apart and fix it. They fixed it for free. It works well, but it's picky on ammo and I generally want it for SD so there's no reason not to put good JHP ammo in it. It sure doesn't like lead wadcutters. I haven't played with the ammo much and I'm sure I can get it a lot more reliable, but my S&W 3rd gen eats everything I give it and now I've got a Shield for carry, so the Kel Tec is kinda extra. It's no 'fun gun'. At 11 oz. that thing hurts with a stiff load.

I started looking at how much (how little, that is) these used P11s are going for and thought that I might as well keep it. It seems that I'd be doing good to get $200 for it, if that much.
 
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My P11 has been pretty good. I have better guns for EDC so I don't carry it anymore. Years ago it was a gun I would just throw in my waist pack when I would take walks in the evenings around my neighborhood and cane files around here. Now my LCR .357 has that duty. And my 9mm Shield fills my small auto needs.

My P11 is reliable with many different types of ammo and reasonably accurate. I reckon I got lucky.
 
Kel-Tec_Ext.jpg


My Kel-Tec P-11 is long gone, but it really liked 124 grain Gold Dots. So, if you keep it, that ammo should address any reliability issues.

With a horrible trigger and snappy recoil, it was a great learning gun. Once you could shoot that thing well, nothing else was much of a challenge. :rolleyes:

At $250, with a stainless slide (brittle but rare) and metal night sights (dead but durable) the new owner of mine was tickled to have it and I don't miss it.

Someday, you may encounter someone who really needs a defensive weapon but has no budget. That could be your opportunity to be a good Samaritan.
 
TucsonMTB said:
Someday, you may encounter someone who really needs a defensive weapon but has no budget. That could be your opportunity to be a good Samaritan.
Click to expand...

I like this idea. Find an ammo that it shoots reliably and keep it around for someone who may need it more than you one day.
 
I haven't actually 'proven'..

bigsteve113 said:
My P11 has been pretty good. I have better guns for EDC so I don't carry it anymore. Years ago it was a gun I would just throw in my waist pack when I would take walks in the evenings around my neighborhood and cane files around here. Now my LCR .357 has that duty. And my 9mm Shield fills my small auto needs.

My P11 is reliable with many different types of ammo and reasonably accurate. I reckon I got lucky.
Click to expand...

I really haven't given it a full chance, but it didn't like semi wadcutters I tried to feed through it. I may be able to make them a little longer or something so they'll feed. It's not important that it shoots SWCs at all really. It's an SD gun and it shoots 'normal' SD ammo well.
 
Short Barrel Gold Dots perfrom best in these little beasts. Mine still shoots fairly well and dissappears in a shoulder holster under my sport coat.

Heck, I have carried an aluminum-frame S&W, with a concealed hammer in .32 H&R Magnum that does a decent job.

Above all, it is shot placement that counts, penetration runs a close second and little else matters.

Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and nuclear warheads.
 
Trade it in on a used CZ83 get a real pistol. Or a military surplus cz82.
 
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I had one that shot great while the other sucked. I didn't really trust either one so found something else to carry.
 
Wait until the next gun/ammo shortage and sell it. All sorts of less than top-of-the-line guns change hands at inflated prices during the 'shortages'. Include some ammo and a holster and watch it go away! I've got a couple on hand waiting for that.
 
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