Well, I finally got a Kel-Tec P-11 yesterday (serial # 119XXX)
I cleaned it up really well last night and took it to the range this afternoon.
The plan was to put 150 rounds through it today. I was planning to clean the barrel and chamber after 100 rounds if it looked like it needed it. I've heard that Kel-Tecs need to be clean to function well, especially when new.
I shot 50 rounds of PMC fmj through it with no problem. Next, 50 rounds of Winchester 115 gr. fmj with no problems. By now the feed ramp was looking pretty gunked up, but I wanted to see if I could get through 150 rounds without cleaning.
Not a good idea!
On the 106th round, there was a jam. I took out the mag and racked the slide. There was still an empty case in the chamber. I let the slide close and tried to manually eject the empty case, but the slide would not budge. I called in the gunsmith at the range and he couldn't get the slide open, so he took it to his work bench area and worked with it for a few minutes.
When he finally got the slide open and the case out, we noticed that the rim of the case had been chewed up by the extractor pretty badly. There was no damage to the pistol.
We figured that the chamber was so dirty that the case became lodged in the chamber. Maybe a piece of metal was jammed in there? Anyway, it seems the case was jammed in there so tight that the extractor couldn't pull it out and ripped a chunk out of the rim as the slide came back.
I disassembled the pistol and carefully examined it. There was no damage. I ran a patch through the chamber and barrel and oiled the rails really well. Then I finished shooting the remaining 44 rounds from the box of Winchester white box without any problems.
I believe the malfunction would not have occured if I had cleaned the barrel after 100 rounds.
In the first few magazines I shot, the rounds all went low and to the left. My accuracy quickly improved as I learned how to control the long, heavy DAO trigger. By the end of the 150 rounds, the gun was shooting very close to point of aim (some rounds were still very slightly to the left of POA)
I found the trigger to be pretty difficult to control. I ordered the trigger shoe from Kel-Tec, so I'm looking forward to seeing if that will help. I also ordered an extra mag, a grip extension and a metal recoil spring guide rod.
The rough checkered plastic grip was a little hard on the hand after about 50 rounds. Recoil was noticeable, but not unpleasant.
I watched out for the assembly pin to make sure it didn't start working its way out of the frame. There were no problems with that.
Overall, I was very pleased with the P-11's performance. I know some have had problems with their Kel-Tecs, so I made sure to inspect it after firing each magazine. Next week, after I receive the accessoried from Kel-Tec, I plan to put at least another 100 rounds through it.
I would be comfortable using this pistol for defense as long as it is kept clean. Of course, I will have to fire another few hundred rounds through it before I can determine if it is reliable enough for defense use. It seems like it will work fine as long as it is kept clean.
As a defensive gun, the P-11 seems like a great package. 11 rounds of 9mm in a very concealable and light weight gun.
The fit and finish on this gun is good. There are no visible rough machine marks. So far I'm very pleased, it seems to be a good gun at a very good price.
I cleaned it up really well last night and took it to the range this afternoon.
The plan was to put 150 rounds through it today. I was planning to clean the barrel and chamber after 100 rounds if it looked like it needed it. I've heard that Kel-Tecs need to be clean to function well, especially when new.
I shot 50 rounds of PMC fmj through it with no problem. Next, 50 rounds of Winchester 115 gr. fmj with no problems. By now the feed ramp was looking pretty gunked up, but I wanted to see if I could get through 150 rounds without cleaning.
Not a good idea!
On the 106th round, there was a jam. I took out the mag and racked the slide. There was still an empty case in the chamber. I let the slide close and tried to manually eject the empty case, but the slide would not budge. I called in the gunsmith at the range and he couldn't get the slide open, so he took it to his work bench area and worked with it for a few minutes.
When he finally got the slide open and the case out, we noticed that the rim of the case had been chewed up by the extractor pretty badly. There was no damage to the pistol.
We figured that the chamber was so dirty that the case became lodged in the chamber. Maybe a piece of metal was jammed in there? Anyway, it seems the case was jammed in there so tight that the extractor couldn't pull it out and ripped a chunk out of the rim as the slide came back.
I disassembled the pistol and carefully examined it. There was no damage. I ran a patch through the chamber and barrel and oiled the rails really well. Then I finished shooting the remaining 44 rounds from the box of Winchester white box without any problems.
I believe the malfunction would not have occured if I had cleaned the barrel after 100 rounds.
In the first few magazines I shot, the rounds all went low and to the left. My accuracy quickly improved as I learned how to control the long, heavy DAO trigger. By the end of the 150 rounds, the gun was shooting very close to point of aim (some rounds were still very slightly to the left of POA)
I found the trigger to be pretty difficult to control. I ordered the trigger shoe from Kel-Tec, so I'm looking forward to seeing if that will help. I also ordered an extra mag, a grip extension and a metal recoil spring guide rod.
The rough checkered plastic grip was a little hard on the hand after about 50 rounds. Recoil was noticeable, but not unpleasant.
I watched out for the assembly pin to make sure it didn't start working its way out of the frame. There were no problems with that.
Overall, I was very pleased with the P-11's performance. I know some have had problems with their Kel-Tecs, so I made sure to inspect it after firing each magazine. Next week, after I receive the accessoried from Kel-Tec, I plan to put at least another 100 rounds through it.
I would be comfortable using this pistol for defense as long as it is kept clean. Of course, I will have to fire another few hundred rounds through it before I can determine if it is reliable enough for defense use. It seems like it will work fine as long as it is kept clean.
As a defensive gun, the P-11 seems like a great package. 11 rounds of 9mm in a very concealable and light weight gun.
The fit and finish on this gun is good. There are no visible rough machine marks. So far I'm very pleased, it seems to be a good gun at a very good price.
