Do you really want a Kel-Tec?

Pilgrim

Pilgrim

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I got this off of another site:


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From the Kel-Tec site:

Q : What is the expected life of a Kel-Tec firearm
A : All Kel-Tec firearms have an expected life of 6,000 rounds or more.
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So if I shoot 200 rounds a week, I'll wear it out in just over 6 months !
 
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I've sent my Sub 2000 back once for a bad sear. It came with a lifetime warranty though and service plus turn around was great so I'm not worried. For what I paid for it and the way it performs I'd say I got my money's worth.
 
Never really desired one, always thought they were junk guns. Just my humble opinion, I could be wrong though it does happen once or twice a year at least.[smile]
 
The Kel-Tecs are not the same robust design as a Ruger, Sig, or S&W, nor are they priced in that range. I had a P11 that I had no issues with and my current Kel-tec Sub2000 seems like it should hold up well. Kel-tec seems to have a good reputation for customer service and the folks who have them are largely satisfied with their functioning.
I would rate the Kel-tecs as a good value for casual shooting and home defense use.
This may be a case where you get just a little more than what you paid for.
 
Well, for something like a P3AT, if you put 6000 rounds through it
somehow, your hand is probably like a piece of hamburger by that
point. [grin] IMO their pistols are meant to be "shot a little and
carried a lot". It's the price of miniaturization and trying to shave off
every last ounce.

I think a Kahr PM9 or MK9 is about as small as I'd be willing to go in a
semi. I owned a Seecamp 32 and hated the thing. (it looked nice but
it required a DEATH GRIP to get it to function properly... )


-Mike
 
While I have no great like for Keltec after two of my patrol officers purchased one of the first 9mm sold here. Both had too many malfunctions and they were not allowed to carry them off duty.

However, I have a good friend up here that has several and swears by them. I don't know where the six thousand round number came from, but he shoots his regularly and uses them in his Basic Pistol and PPin the Home classes and they are still going strong.

Of course at the price you can't expect a SIG, Glock or other top brands proformance.
 
drgrant said:
Well, for something like a P3AT, if you put 6000 rounds through it
somehow, your hand is probably like a piece of hamburger by that
point. [grin] IMO their pistols are meant to be "shot a little and
carried a lot". It's the price of miniaturization and trying to shave off
every last ounce.
-Mike
Click to expand...

I agree. The fact that they hold such high dollar amount here in Mass has a lot to do with availability. I see them for sale all the time but its not easy to find a LEO to buy one and turn around and transfer it to the average gun owner.
From what I've heard though from several owners (mostly LEOs) they are the ideal back up carry gun because of fit and function.
 
I personally never liked them for a off duty or BU firearm. I bought the best available in the way of any equipement I used on the job. That even extended to the uniform quality.

My guys tried getting away cheaply and got stuck with two useless handguns. The manufacturer and dealer wouldn't do anything with them so they are probably still collecting dust somewhere.
 
drgrant said:
IMO their pistols are meant to be "shot a little and
carried a lot". It's the price of miniaturization and trying to shave off
every last ounce.
Click to expand...

That's my line of thinking. I don't carry a lot and haven't found a holster for my Sig that I'm comfortable with. I've tried pancake, paddle, and IWB. I always feel like I'm leaving a huge print. The Kel-tec is very light and I've got a pocket holster that keeps it secure without a big print. I don't give it a second thought.

I have not had reliability problems. I hate the feel of the trigger when dry firing, but I don't notice it when shooting for real. I think it's great for what it is, and wouldn't hesitate to pick up another if I saw one for a good price.

The thing I'm interested in are their .223 rifles. Has anybody tried an SU-16?

http://http://kel-tec.com/su16b.html
http://http://kel-tec.com/su16c.html

Both the B & C models look like fun. But for the price I think I'd go for an AR first.
 
Joe G said:
The thing I'm interested in are their .223 rifles. Has anybody tried an SU-16?
Click to expand...

I have one and love it. It's an ideal rifle for survival and to get timid shooters on the range. My wife loves it but has been shooting the IBM M1 Carbine more frequently lately, (I just got it for her). I have read where folks have had problems, but it seems more like a non-reading of owners manual than design flaw.

My SU-16 shoots and shoots - and is pretty accurate. The stock sights stink, (they're minute of chest cavity though), but we added a Bushnell Trophy red dot with the multiple recticles. This puppy puts em downtown all day. The bipod looks flimsy, but is actually practical. It does get toasty under sustained fire, but that's not what it was meant to do anyway - it's a survival rifle. In an emergency, I like the idea of being able to toss this rifle into a backpack, plus it takes AR15/M16 mags to boot. One loaded mag tucks right up into the stock for more convenience. This rifle stows neat as a pin in the trunk lid of my ATV box and is so light in a bag, or pack that you'll hardly notice it. I've had five FTE in 3,000 rounds - all using crappy ammo I bought at Dicks, (Ultimax). Other than that, it's been spot-on.

It's taken a back seat to accessories lately, but one of these days, I'm going to buy the Bravo AR sight kit and the rail forarm. One tip, replace the takedown pin with a ring pin from Home Depot. Why this wasn't stock I don't know, but once you drop the takedown pin in the woods, or on the cellar floor, you're all done...Keep extra pins handy, or go buy a ring pin.
 
6000 rounds sounds fine to me. My P11 is a carry weapon for when I want
something small, but not tiny. The trigger stinks but it is accurate enough
(actually pretty decent) and is very light and small. No one puts 200 rounds
a week through a keltec pistol. Mine runs flawlessly and I take it out to
keep comfortable with the manual of arms but when I spend serious range time, I use another gun. C'Mon, the gun costs ~$200! Use it, carry it, replace it.

F
 
I bought the Sub 2000 in Glock 9mm when they first came out. It was an impulse thing, looked cool.

Couldn't deal with the Mickey-Mouse front sight and refused to pay an additional $100 for a properly machined one (someone on their forums came up with a good design). The carbine also felt too light, so it made a total of 2 or 3 trips to the range, probably fired no more than 150 rds total before selling it to someone else here on NES.

Never fired their handguns, but they would not be one of the top mfrs on any list of mine.
 
Joe G said:
The thing I'm interested in are their .223 rifles. Has anybody tried an SU-16?
Click to expand...
I've got a SU-16B. Picked it up back in January as my first firearm. I really like it. It is light, easy to handle and works well. I've not had mine as long as MassMark and I'm still learning to shoot well and what ammo it likes so I cannot comment on it's accuracy or durability but it does seem to shoot where I point it.

The "B" sights are OK, although the rear aperture is a little larger than I'd like. At some point I'll probably replace it with an AR-type sight or put some glass on it. The "B" also has the shorter barrel with no flash-hider or muzzle bake so it's pretty noisy with a nice fireball but it is a fun gun.

Get one if you can find one.
 
I bought my P11 new in early "98". Never had any real problems with it. One of the mags that came with the gun has a weak spring. I bought 5 other mags to use, so I'm not to concern. It's far from a tack driver, and the trigger really does suck. But it's well suited for a back up, or when you can't carry a full size.

-Kurt
 
im happy with my p-32 and pa3t...sure its not as robust a gun as a baby glock or a khar but the first rule is...have a gun...isnt it?

if youre a person who puts 200 rounds a week through one of these guns then you must either have no other guns you can shoot or a fan of pain
 
blood hound said:
and now that i think of it...it never appealed to me before but i think ill get one of the SU-16 rifles to keep in my truck

we cant get the C version here can we?
Click to expand...

Nope. I have the A and I believe the B is available, but the C has the dreaded threaded barrel - Massachusetts does not trust you enough...My buddy in Ohio has B SBR'd to a D...Pretty neat-o. The Kel-Tec is what it is and perfect for the truck....
 
MassMark said:
Nope. I have the A and I believe the B is available, but the C has the dreaded threaded barrel - Massachusetts does not trust you enough...
Click to expand...
That, and being able to fire it with the stock folded I believe makes it subject to the pistol portion of the MA AWB. [sad2]
 
I'd love to be able to buy the P-32 for carry. Inexpensive, small, compact and light.
My comunist leaders won't allow it though.
 
blood hound said:
3 out of 4 aint bad...unless youre a cop...or have a friend whos a cop...they are not inexpensive
Click to expand...

That is true. They will carry a hefty premium price for a MA compliant piece especially one in nice or new condition.
However, outside of the occupied state of MA they are very inexpensive.
 
To each their own but I don't know why some people willingly spend as much on a used P32 as a new Seecamp but I've seen a couple priced that way.Sure it's lighter but the Seecamp has a better reputation for reliability and longevity.I ended up getting a pair of LWS32's in an oddball moment of rationalizing one to practice with and one to carry,then I read how many rounds some guys have had through theirs over the years and it eased my concerns of wearing the little thing out.If KT's were available new,chances are I would've got one and saved the $ but my LWS with literally 3 mags through it might be worth $400 while the last P32 I saw for sale was for almost twice its new MSRP! I understand the forbidden fruit aspect of it but wow.
 
Don't forget how much simpler the KelTec is to use over the Cal Seecamp and having California printed on the side Yuk.
The original Seecamp is a great design though, I love it.
 
Those that bad mouth Kel Tec pistols come in 2 varieties....elitists & those that can't change a light bulb.
Any one with a problem with a Kel Tec pistol will have it fixed and made 100% for free by Kel Tec.

And for those that can change a light bulb, they will send you the parts, again usually free of charge.
I read somewhere that Kel Tec is now the 3rd largest firearms manufacturer in the US....

No snub-nose fits my hand better than a P-11!
But most in MA will never get to even handle one....
 
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Holy old-thread-resurrection Batman!

Welcome to the forum Bill.

Having never owned a KelTec I can't say whether they are good or bad.

How long have you worked for them?
 
BillB said:
Those that bad mouth Kel Tec pistols come in 2 varieties....elitists & those that can't change a light bulb.
Any one with a problem with a Kel Tec pistol will have it fixed and made 100% for free by Kel Tec.

And for those that can change a light bulb, they will send you the parts, again usually free of charge.
I read somewhere that Kel Tec is now the 3rd largest firearms manufacturer in the US....

No snub-nose fits my hand better than a P-11!
But most in MA will never get to even handle one....
Click to expand...

interesting first post, but welcome.

im buying a kel-tec when i can!
 

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