Kel-Tec P11 Life Expectancy
- Thread starter MR.G
- Start date
OkieCruffler
New member
I had one many moons ago when military surplus ammo was plentiful and had well over 10K thru it. It never got much friendlier to shoot tho'.
okie , your P-11 Never got friendlier to shoot!!?? What did you expect from a pistol that lite made as a defence pistol not a range gun? Compared to many other light weights its a sweet heart to shoot with that wider double stack mag. Maybe to wide to be a good pocket pistol but sure are easy to hide for iwb.
Recoil is very subjective anyhow.
Recoil is very subjective anyhow.
OkieCruffler
New member
Actually what I expected was for it to die way before it hit 10K. At the time the Keltec was the Taurus of the online world. You couldn't mention one without a chorus of how they would blow up in your hand and the always popular, "well if that's all your life is worth." Once I got used to the trigger it was pretty accurate for what it was, more accurate than it needed to be. Over a weekend my son and I ran 1000 rds of South African surplus thru it. That stuff was hot. The pistol held up better than we did. I gave it to him and he still has it. Doesn't shoot it that often since he's moved on to revolvers but its still running.
Okie I bought one of KT's early pf9's . Figure if it had some issues I'd just send it in for some tlc. That little pistol went thru around 2000 trouble free rounds before I bought a kahr cw9 . Allways did figure most problems with small light weight pistols where ether ammo or shooter related. Bought a cm9 to pocket and replace the pf9 and after 500rounds with no problems the pf9 went away.
Walt Sherrill
New member
I have had a number of Kel-Tec guns, all good. I didn't care for the P-11, as I could never get comfortable with the LONG double-action only trigger, if I shot other guns much.
I have a PF-9, which I like a lot, and a CM9, which I also like. (I may eventually retire the PF-9, but for some reason can't bring myself to do it -- even though the CM9 is more comfortable to shoot.) I've also had the P3AT, a Ruger LCP, and a Kahr P9, and well as a couple of other small guns (Makarov, CZ-82, CZ-50, Beretta Tomcat.)
I don't think you'll shoot the P-11 enough to ever get close to the end of its functional life, unless it's the only gun you've got, and you plan to shoot it regularly.
I have a PF-9, which I like a lot, and a CM9, which I also like. (I may eventually retire the PF-9, but for some reason can't bring myself to do it -- even though the CM9 is more comfortable to shoot.) I've also had the P3AT, a Ruger LCP, and a Kahr P9, and well as a couple of other small guns (Makarov, CZ-82, CZ-50, Beretta Tomcat.)
I don't think you'll shoot the P-11 enough to ever get close to the end of its functional life, unless it's the only gun you've got, and you plan to shoot it regularly.
P-11 Lifetime
This sounds awfully snobby but I can't possibly imagine anyone shooting a P-11 enough to wear it out. Mine got more unpleasant for me to shoot with time especially after shooting anything else. That longggggg trigger pull followed by that BITE is not anywhere near going to make a fun day at the range.
To end on a positive note, if it does wear out, parts are cheap and the thing is easy to repair. It does ignite bullets which travel reasonably straight ahead and if you drop it in the lake by mistake you won't cry about it.
Pico
This sounds awfully snobby but I can't possibly imagine anyone shooting a P-11 enough to wear it out. Mine got more unpleasant for me to shoot with time especially after shooting anything else. That longggggg trigger pull followed by that BITE is not anywhere near going to make a fun day at the range.
To end on a positive note, if it does wear out, parts are cheap and the thing is easy to repair. It does ignite bullets which travel reasonably straight ahead and if you drop it in the lake by mistake you won't cry about it.
Pico
Onward Allusion
New member
6,000 is probably on the low side, but if you can afford to shoot 6,000 rounds these days, you can afford to pick up another $300 pistol. There are a few things that will wear on you. The mag catch, the guide rod/spring assembly, & the slide lock spring or the tab itself.
Walt Sherrill
New member
If you think the P11 is bad, try the P3AT! The PF-9 isn't great fun, either, but the trigger is much, much better.
(I spoke with Kel-Tec a while back, and a rep there said that they will probably, eventually, introduce a P-11 with the PF-9 trigger, and if they do that I'll get the new version of the P-11. The trigger was a turnoff for me.)
I've found that the grip material offered by KTADDONS does make the shooting experience a bit more pleasant, and it's not all that expensive. I've used the the KTADDONS on a P3AT, on the similar LCP, and on m7 PF9, and liked it...
http://www.ktaddons.com
As I was getting ready to post this response, I tried the link above, and it didn't work. I don't know if that's a temporary problem, or they've gone out of business.
Another source suggested using strips of a Dr. Scholls shoe insert, cut to fit the front and back straps of the gun, with a Hogue Handall Grip slipped over them to hold them in place. That might work as well. (I'd probably try gluing the, or using two-sided tape to position them before trying to install the Handall...
A little extra cushioning and maybe some extra girth (wrapping the strips around the side of the grips, perhaps) would spread the recoil over a larger area of the hand, and a bit of the force would be cushioned/absorbed by the material.
(I spoke with Kel-Tec a while back, and a rep there said that they will probably, eventually, introduce a P-11 with the PF-9 trigger, and if they do that I'll get the new version of the P-11. The trigger was a turnoff for me.)
I've found that the grip material offered by KTADDONS does make the shooting experience a bit more pleasant, and it's not all that expensive. I've used the the KTADDONS on a P3AT, on the similar LCP, and on m7 PF9, and liked it...
http://www.ktaddons.com
As I was getting ready to post this response, I tried the link above, and it didn't work. I don't know if that's a temporary problem, or they've gone out of business.
Another source suggested using strips of a Dr. Scholls shoe insert, cut to fit the front and back straps of the gun, with a Hogue Handall Grip slipped over them to hold them in place. That might work as well. (I'd probably try gluing the, or using two-sided tape to position them before trying to install the Handall...
A little extra cushioning and maybe some extra girth (wrapping the strips around the side of the grips, perhaps) would spread the recoil over a larger area of the hand, and a bit of the force would be cushioned/absorbed by the material.