kel tec p11

[smyrna]

I went to the range this weekend with my brother-in-law. He's a new daddy and we hit the range while the wives swapped baby stories. Anyway, we mostly shot handguns at 25 yards or less at paper and steel plates. We started dinging the plates with .22s and progressed to revolvers and 1911s. I had my Kel Tec P11 with me and on a whim, I decided to take on the plates from 25 yards. Admittedly, I have never shot my Kel Tec from 25 yards, assuming it a "bad breath" type carry gun. But, I must say I was surprised at its accuracy if I did my part. Once I got the right sight picture to compensate for shooting low, I was able to hit 8" plates 3 out of 5 times offhand. My confidence with that little guy just went way up. Now if I could just do something about that awful trigger pull!

[mr surveyor]

keep shooting it...that "awful trigger" will just get better.


Yep, it's amazing how good a shooter the old P11 is. I had one for a couple of years (traded for a P32 for the wife), and I could outshoot one of my running buddies with him shooting his BHP. Not to say I would take the KT P11 over a true BHP, but my P11 held it's own!

The trigger will get better.

surv

[dukalmighty]

I have one I carry when my 1911 is too big,which is very seldom,but the 10+1 9mm drew me to it

[ac-mech]

I have 2 p-11 and love them.

[sjones]

I have one with the 12 round mag +1 for a total of 13.Its what I carry when I don't want to carry my glock19,granted it has a lousy trigger but for its size and firepower it can't be beat.Once you get used to the trigger you can tell right where its going to break and I just take it to that point and then only a twitch and it will fire.sj

[KBCraig]

The cure for a bad trigger is always "front sight - front sight - front sight- front sight .... bang!"

Trouble is, with a bad trigger, it can be a loooooong time before the "bang", during which time circumstances and target might change.

[AggieC05]

love my little p11... it started a an obsession a want to invest in every kel-tec.....

[smyrna]

I have one with the 12 round mag +1 for a total of 13.Its what I carry when I don't want to carry my glock19,granted it has a lousy trigger but for its size and firepower it can't be beat.Once you get used to the trigger you can tell right where its going to break and I just take it to that point and then only a twitch and it will fire.sj

Sounds like you and I use a similar technique. I often "stage" the trigger to a predictable point, and then squeeze it the rest of the way upon proper sight alignment...really a different style of shooting for me since I shoot a lot of single action autos.

And, I agree the 12 + 1 mags provide a lot of firepower in a small package...the main reason I am forgiving of the less than desirable trigger.

[Abraham]

I had one and loved it lightness, but found it pretty inaccurate compared to every other center fired pistol I've shot. Sure, I could hit with it, but not with the kind of precision I'm able to get with other pistols and it hurt my hand to shoot. It's design seemed to cause it to dig into my hand with recoil. Ouch!

[Weg]

I've heard they are a little junky, is there any truth to this?

[smyrna]

I've heard they are a little junky, is there any truth to this?

They are not what I would exactly call "junky". They are certainly not a Lorcin, Raven, or HiPoint, but make no mistake about it, they are NOT a Colt, S&W, or Glock either. Although, I sometimes refer to mine as a "poor man's Glock" simply because of the polymer grip and the cheap price tag.

Actually the P11 is quite interesting...an aluminum receiver houses the firing mechanisim and provides rails for the steel slide and barrel assembly, all while being pinned to the polymer grip. It fires via a long double action pull with a hammer that is concealed by the slide assembly. I think what makes the trigger pull objectionable is rough finishing on some of the stamped steel firing mechanism parts (an easy fix if you have a stone or a piece of wet or dry paper and something flat), and the fact that the hammer spring works backwards from most designs. The hammer gets its energy from stretching a spring rather than compressing it which makes for a very springy heavy pull in most cases. Outside of that, they are butt ugly but mine has never failed to feed, eject or go bang with anything I've put through it...300-400 rounds.

A friend of mine has the P3AT and its trigger pull is much better than my P11...go figure.

[Rex B]

I am on my 3rd P11. Nothing else seems to fit my hand as well, at least in a double-stack.
Current copy is Hard chrome over Navy grip.

I recently switched to the 12-rnd Keltec mags, but since then I've heard they can be unreliable.
Has anyone else run into that?

[casingpoint]

I often "stage" the trigger to a predictable point, and then squeeze it the rest of the way upon

Uh-huh. Man, don't ever tell the cops that if you ever shoot somebody. There are physiological reasons why that technique can result in an accidental discharge. Paraphrasing a New York criminal court that ruled for the prosecution in a similar case, "One cannot accidentally defend oneself."

[smyrna]

I recently switched to the 12-rnd Keltec mags, but since then I've heard they can be unreliable.
Has anyone else run into that?

I've got a factory 12 rounder and it has been flawless.

[smyrna]

I often "stage" the trigger to a predictable point, and then squeeze it the rest of the way upon

Uh-huh. Man, don't ever tell the cops that if you ever shoot somebody. There are physiological reasons why that technique can result in an accidental discharge. Paraphrasing a New York criminal court that ruled for the prosecution in a similar case, "One cannot accidentally defend oneself."

That comment was meant purely from a range perspective in as much as target shooting with a Kel Tec P11 is not laughable. I liken it to taking up the slack of a sloppy trigger on a milsurp rifle before squeezing a round off. After all, if I'm having to rely on "staging the trigger" to be able to hit a threat at 25 yards like the range scenario then A.) I don't need to be shooting at the guy because he is not an immediate threat, or B.) the guy IS a threat and I really need cover or a rifle.

With that said, I do understand your comment...guns don't just "go off", either you mean to defend yourself or not.