Kel-tec in .357 Sig? (Can't get my P40 to work)

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DougB

New member
I have a Kel-tec P40 I bought to carry hiking and backpacking. I would have preferred a slightly larger 10MM in a traditional double action, but no such thing exists (Glock 29 was a close runner-up). Anyway, I've never been able to get the P40 to work reliably. I've tried a variety of ammo, bullet weights, etc. I've polished the feed ramp (most problems occur because the bullet nose jams on the feed ramp). Now I see Kel-tec has discontinued the P40s due to the frequent problems. Anyway, I'm thinking that maybe I should try a .357 Sig barrel in it. That should still give better power and penetration than a 9mm, but maybe feed more reliably than the .40 S&W.

Anyone have experience with a Kel-tec in .357 Sig? My goal is to have a light weight, compact handgun that would still have a decent chance of penetrating the skull of a black bear or killing a mountain lion in the unlikely event that this were necessary. I know bigger, heavier guns would be better for this purpose, but I insist on very light and compact. Thanks.

Doug
 
I suspect you're not alone in having problems with the P40, Keltec is discontinuing the .40S&W pistol. I'd consider selling it before the word gets out and buying one of the alternatives, perhaps that Glock you mentioned... :)
 
I have the 357 sig barrel from Kel-Tec and use it in my P-11 with .40 conversion slide. It didn't feed well with Speer Golddots last time I shot it. Fed FMJ's fine, go figure. The 40 and 357 are really at the limit with such a small light frame which the P-11 is.
Operator error can occur most often manifest as limpwristing.
BB
 
DougB:
KT's are rough as all hell out the box. You HAVE TO polish the inside rails of the slide so it doesn't drag on the aluminum frame so much. Start with a file to knock the burrs down a bit and then polish like hell until all the blueing is gone inside the rails. Use 400 so the process is slow but effective. Don't touch the frame rails!

Next, get the middle rail of the slide polished till it feels like glass. The dremel is easier here. that part drags the top round in the mag and since that mag is a bit stuffy for the 9 rounds of .40 case, it pushes hard on the slide, hence the wicked drag. That should smooth things up and give it a better chance of not wasting so much energy cycling the slide. Remember to lube the surfaces with a teflon based paste rather than oil. Although I've had luck with lubes like militec, but I like the non creeping pastes more. Especially for the keltecs, since they stay in the pocket so much.

I really prefer the p11 in 9mm. It is near perfect in that config. No manufacturer has the balls to go up against that design because it is superior to even that of glocks simplicity. Just wish KelTec would borrow the CNCs from germany. The pistols work but I had to fix alot of ugly areas that affected the performance. Now both my kt's are SMOOVE.

The sig round should chamber better than the 40. and 357 sig WAYYY more accurate than the 40, just in my experience. Can I say that again...WWAAAAYYYY more accurate.

NuFF SaiD.............................PSssst...get a Glock33....
 
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