Doubts about my Kel Tec

[Patronus]

The problem is that Kel Tec turns out an inconsistent product. That's why there are plenty of shooters out there who say "I own a Kel Tec and I've never had an issue with it." But it seems that from time time some real lemons slip through the cracks. Which is particularly frustrating for the guy who ended up with the bad one off the assembly line who can't get it to run no matter what he does.

My .02 worth.

Gold mine right there. Heck with $.02.

My experience is similar...inconsistent. I had two PF9's. One wouldn't jam, the other wouldn't shoot. My P11 shot every time(although the trigger was a nightmare) and the P3AT couldn't cycle a magazine even. And NONE of them could make through a summer day without rusting.

 

[letusbuyyourcar]

Gold mine right there. Heck with $.02.

My experience is similar...inconsistent. I had two PF9's. One wouldn't jam, the other wouldn't shoot. My P11 shot every time(although the trigger was a nightmare) and the P3AT couldn't cycle a magazine even. And NONE of them could make through a summer day without rusting.

Yeah the wife's P32 had a light brown haze over the entire slide when she got back from Brunswick a few weeks ago. And I know I should have already run enough ammo through it to see how it was gonna act. I got this gun well used from my landlord. Traded him my PF9 for it. I have no idea how many rounds have run through it. I have enough experience to deal with FTF and FTE type failures. But this was a different kind of failure. When your pistol locks up tight just a milimeter out of battery with a live round in it well that's what I call a Total Failure of the weapon. The only way to deal with that situation in the field or in a combat situation is to have a second pistol.
I don't know. I could be worried about nothing. But I won't be betting my life on this one.

 

[mikey357]

Did the Pistol have any Lube in it at all? IIRC, my early P11 Didn't "Run" very well dry, but if it had four or five drops of oil in it, I couldn't make it malfunction--YMMV, of course--mikey357

 

[tlw1179]

I have doubts about all kel-tec's!

 

[davans]

Did you recycle the round that jammed. I have seen cheap ammo cause do this.

 

[Patronus]

Yeah the wife's P32 had a light brown haze over the entire slide when she got back from Brunswick a few weeks ago. And I know I should have already run enough ammo through it to see how it was gonna act. I got this gun well used from my landlord. Traded him my PF9 for it. I have no idea how many rounds have run through it. I have enough experience to deal with FTF and FTE type failures. But this was a different kind of failure. When your pistol locks up tight just a milimeter out of battery with a live round in it well that's what I call a Total Failure of the weapon. The only way to deal with that situation in the field or in a combat situation is to have a second pistol.
I don't know. I could be worried about nothing. But I won't be betting my life on this one.

To be perfectly honest, I had a problem that sounds exactly like that once. But it was with a Kahr CW45. The gun would absolutely LOCK down almost in battery. You couldn't tap(or even FORCE) it into battery and it took all I had to finally cycle it to release the stuck cartridge. I contacted Kahr and the rep told me I had to make sure to use ONLY US manufactured ammo ...blah, blah, blah. I had been using MagTech 230 grains when this happened. I got some Hornady 230 grain and when I went to clear the gun I couldn't open the slide. It shot them fine but hand cycling was virtually impossible. I switched to 185 grain and never had a problem again. But, yes, it is kind of scary when you have a cartridge lodged in the chamber and can't get it out.

I think that sometimes the ammo can be slightly OVER sized and when the gun has an extremely tight chamber tolerance it just creates a perfect storm.

 

[StateLine]

But it was with a Kahr CW45.

When I was with PSA, one of the managers was a former QA supervisor with Kahr/Auto Ordnance. Some of the stories he told... lets just say I won't be adding a Kahr to the collection. Ever.

He also said it was pretty interesting when "King Moony" came through from time to time with his entourage.

 

[MRM]

I was half drunk putting my P40 back together and the end of the guide rod dropped and lodged in the top of the trigger group. It is solidly stuck. The slide won't go forward or back at all. Cutting the springs and guide rod is my next option once I get replacements.

 

[letusbuyyourcar]

Did you recycle the round that jammed. I have seen cheap ammo cause do this.

Yeah once I got the slide open I took the jammed round out and took a look at it. Then I loaded it back in the chamber and it fired. I didn't add any lube at all to it. That might be an issue. The ammo was just a bag of 50 mixed loose rounds I got in a recent trade deal.

 

[letusbuyyourcar]

I was half drunk putting my P40 back together and the end of the guide rod dropped lodged in the top of the trigger group. It is solidly stuck. The slide won't go forward or back at all. Cutting the springs and guide rod is my next option once I get replacements.

Damn! That's a mess right there. And it reminds me of how I'm not real fond of the take down pin and disassembly of this gun or the PF9 I had before it.