Kel Tec reviews anyone?

D

DevilDawg1

Registered
My son and a couple friends went to the range Friday. One of them had a KelTec 9mm pistol. My son really liked it, and I am considering one for him. You get about 50/50 on the reviews, but alot of thoses reviews are from people who have never fired one.

Can any of you give me any reviews from experience? Any and all appreciated, thanks in advance.
 
Which 9mm does he have? I have the PF9, which is around the same size as a Ruger LCP. I bought it as a concealed carry, pocket pistol. Very small, and uses the 9mm rather than the .380 a lot of the other pistols that size shoot.

I do have to say, I was NOT impressed with the pistol the first time out. I picked it up the day before I left on vacation, and went straight to the range, where my father and I blew 100 rounds through it in order to break it in. Three different types of ammo were used (Speer Gold Dot, Blazer, and some reloads my father did) and I had probably 5 fail to ejects. I was not comfortable taking this as my carry piece at this point. I had never had a gun fail to shoot anything I had ever put through it straight from the box. Brought it home and cleaned it really good, and two things I noticed: It was VERY dirty, and VERY dry. I lubed it up really good and put it back together.

After my trip, I took it back apart and polished the feed ramp by hand, and greased the slide again. Took it out and ran another 50 rounds through it with no failures. I feel that the combination of being dry and my minor gunsmithing really helped.

I also have a PLR-16 made by them. It is by far one of the most fun guns to shoot that I own! It fires .556 rounds through a 9 inch barrel. An attention getter if nothing else!
 
I've fired several Kel Tec pistols. I'm not a fan of their feel but never had any issues with the function. Over all I would place them in the middle of the list maybe a 3 of 5.


For the same amount of cash there's better options IMHO.
 
Everyone knows my opinions on inexpensive handguns. For plinking yeah sure who cares if it has an occasional FTF. But for carry and protecting YOUR LIFE I'd rather carry a stone. At least I know it won't jam or fail if I try to bean you in the head. Spend a little more on something that has a proven track record and documented history of working. After all this is your son we are taking about.
 
Blanca Busa said:
Everyone knows my opinions on inexpensive handguns. For plinking yeah sure who cares if it has an occasional FTF. But for carry and protecting YOUR LIFE I'd rather carry a stone. At least I know it won't jam or fail if I try to bean you in the head. Spend a little more on something that has a proven track record and documented history of working. After all this is your son we are taking about.
Click to expand...

I agree with a weapon with a proven track record. Thats why I have suggested a revolver. I have fired reliable weapons of the cheap name brands and non reliable in brands such as colt and kimber. The most reliable hand guns are the revolvers.

Please keep the reviews coming, as I am very interested.
 
I can't say anything specifically about their 9mm, but I do own the P-3AT. I bought mine in 2005 to carry concealed in a body armor holster like the one in the pic below. At the time there weren't many options for a semi-auto of that size.

body-armor.jpg

Anyway, It had a few malfunctions during the first 100 rounds, but got settled in and has run pretty well since then. If you are shooting at a normal pace, it's fine, but may jam up during rapid fire.

Given the options we have today from Ruger, Kahr, and others, I would not buy it again. All that said, it's a lot better than going unarmed.

body-armor.jpg
 
I own a Kel-Tec P3AT .380. At work, I have carried it under my shirt in the strap of my vest for the past five years. Off duty, I carry it clipped in the front pocket of my pants (it has an attatched belt clip). I have put hundreds of rounds through it due to the fact that the agency I work for requires we shoot the entire duty wepon qualification course even with our back up/off duty guns (takes quite a bit of reloading with the Kel-Tec). The only time I have ever had a malfunction from it was when I tried to put Speer Gold Dots through it, it did not like those at all. Everything else feeds fine. It's also pretty accurate for such a small gun. In my opinion it is perfect for concealed carry due to the fact that it is small and very light weight. When it's in my front pocket I can hardly tell it's there. I strip the gun down, clean it and oil it about every two months just because it gets alot of lint from riding around inside a vest and pocket all the time. Not sure if any of this helped you or not, but thats my opinion which is the opinion of someone that has owned, carried and shot a Kel-Tec for the past five years.....not just something I read in a magazine :thumbsup:
 
vailes3705 said:
I own a Kel-Tec P3AT .380. At work, I have carried it under my shirt in the strap of my vest for the past five years. Off duty, I carry it clipped in the front pocket of my pants (it has an attatched belt clip). I have put hundreds of rounds through it due to the fact that the agency I work for requires we shoot the entire duty wepon qualification course even with our back up/off duty guns (takes quite a bit of reloading with the Kel-Tec). The only time I have ever had a malfunction from it was when I tried to put Speer Gold Dots through it, it did not like those at all. Everything else feeds fine. It's also pretty accurate for such a small gun. In my opinion it is perfect for concealed carry due to the fact that it is small and very light weight. When it's in my front pocket I can hardly tell it's there. I strip the gun down, clean it and oil it about every two months just because it gets alot of lint from riding around inside a vest and pocket all the time. Not sure if any of this helped you or not, but thats my opinion which is the opinion of someone that has owned, carried and shot a Kel-Tec for the past five years.....not just something I read in a magazine :thumbsup:
Click to expand...


Thanks I plan on showing my son (he is 28, with minimal weapons knowledge) all these reviews that have been posted. That way he can make a better decision. When he decides to "conceal carry" he and I will have another long talk. Thanks for all the replies and if there are more, please post up.
 
Blanca Busa said:
Everyone knows my opinions on inexpensive handguns. For plinking yeah sure who cares if it has an occasional FTF. But for carry and protecting YOUR LIFE I'd rather carry a stone. At least I know it won't jam or fail if I try to bean you in the head. Spend a little more on something that has a proven track record and documented history of working. After all this is your son we are taking about.
Click to expand...

"bean you in the head":laugh::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Let me also add that I had one afternoon to find a gun and purchase it in order to be able to pick it up before leaving on vacation.

I was wanting a Ruger LCP, but the only ones they had were laser equipped, and I see no reason to have one on a concealed carry weapon. If you are using it for a carry gun, most shots are going to be under ten feet.

I also needed it to be at a certain price point, and I wanted a SMALL pocket pistol. I had a full sized .40, but that is not a good summertime carry weapon.

You have to figure out what you are going to do with it, how much you want to spend, and go from there.

Would I buy mine again? Yes. If I had more money to spend would I get it? Maybe not, those Sig p238's look sweet:laugh:
 
I know everyone likes to rip on "cheap" firearms, but I wish someone could do a study to show how many of these "cheap" firearms are used in murders. When's the last time you saw a Kimber or a Colt on cops being taken from a fugitive. Or on the news in the headlines?

I'm okay with any firearm that I can shoot 500 rounds through without a hiccup. That might mean putting the first 500 through it to work out the bugs, but after that I need 500 consecutive rounds without failure. Most current handgun manufacturers can accomplish this.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner
 
The best handgun there is...is the one you have in your pocket when you need it...???
 
I agree with a weapon with a proven track record. Thats why I have suggested a revolver. I have fired reliable weapons of the cheap name brands and non reliable in brands such as colt and kimber. The most reliable hand guns are the revolvers.
Click to expand...
If you feel you can carry a revolver, by all means do. I carry a PF9 because it is a very small, light thin 9mm. I won't carry a revolver every day, but I can carry this everday.

I was wanting a Ruger LCP, but the only ones they had were laser equipped, and I see no reason to have one on a concealed carry weapon.
Click to expand...
why not?!?! I do like the Crimson trace laser grips, they don't add bulk/weight to the gun, and can be activated with a normal firing grip. Sure most shots for self defense will be close, but most will also be in low light, and any advantage I MIGHT be able to get, I'll take.

I would recomend breaking down, cleaning lubing, breaking in, and testing any carry weapon.

Also keep in mind that any light gun with decent power will malfunction if not griped firmly, the grip can cause FTE's, this is simply physics. Not many other guns have their power to weight ratio.

I also have a stainless colt defender (.45) that I carry sometimes but that does not exactly fit in my pocket!
 
yzguyfl said:
why not?!?! I do like the Crimson trace laser grips, they don't add bulk/weight to the gun, and can be activated with a normal firing grip. Sure most shots for self defense will be close, but most will also be in low light, and any advantage I MIGHT be able to get, I'll take.
Click to expand...

A few reasons. Personal preference, for one. I do not want to depend on an electronic device in a time like that. Good shooting and training at that short of a distance is just as good as a laser. Like I said, this is personal preference. The other thing was that I did not want to spend that money when the wife was going to have kitttens when she found out I bought another gun, this time without asking!:lol:
 
Save your money, buy a Glock. I prefer the Glock 30SF, 45 cal. now for my CC weapon. The Glock 17 and 19 are great guns too, the 19 is a bit smaller, great for CC. I carried the 17 for a long time before buying the 30 SF, love the 30 SF.

P.
 
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