drew03

I bought a 9mm Kel-Tec for concealed carry. Some people say it will jam. I have shot it a couple of hundred times and i have had no ploblems. Please post your experiences. I would like to know if anyone has had problems with these.

Lary Ellis (Top)

I have seen a lot of these come through the shop, early models seemed finicky in regards to brand of ammo they wanted to function with. Usually trying a different brand of ammo would solve the issue.

They tend to have long and rough trigger pulls, having a gunsmith work the trigger group can help quite a bit as they come pretty rough from the factory.

drew03

i dont really mind the long trigger pull. I have shot ameritec, cci(brass case), alot of winchester, and some hornady. So far so good. I do clean my guns like crazy.

PsRumors

The real problem is it jamming when you NEED it. I would not carry a gun that is known to jam. Any semi is capable of jamming, even had a Glock that jammed about 4 times in a row. Took it to the distributor / importer down in Smyrna and they replaced it for free. It was a model 19 about 3 years old.

I still like carrying revolvers for insurance. Have a 22LR 5 shooter as backup and carry a revolver more times than not as a main. I do like the semis though.

drew03

i am considering getting a SW 340pd.

Hoss

I've considered purchasing a Kel-Tec as a pocket gun but, like you, I've heard lots of folks say that they tend to jam.

Personally, if I were going to use it for concealed carry, I'd fire at least 300-500 rounds of my chosen carry ammo through it first. If it never has a problem then I'd consider that gun/ammo combination reliable enough for concealed carry. It's important to know that the gun you're carrying will reliably feed and shoot the defensive ammo that you've chosen to use. If it fails at the range while you're shooting cheap target ammo then it's just an inconvenience. If it fails in a life or death situation with your premium defensive ammo then you're dead.

Since we're talking about guns, I had some fun shooting yesterday afternoon. We went down to visit the folks and I put 300 rounds of various brands and types of ammo into the paper from my Glock 22. We practiced drawing from concealment, firing while running for cover, engaging multiple threats while running for cover....fun stuff like that. We even had the cops show up at one point to see what was going on. I guess someone wondered what all that shooting was about.

Hoss

One other thing I thought to mention:

If you have a gun that is known for malfunctions then you DEFINITELY need to fit a lot of failure drills into your training (tap, rack & bang). You should be doing that with ANY gun that you have as a defense gun, but I would ESPECIALLY do it with one that has a reputation for failing. It could save your life.

Other than that, just shoot it a lot and keep it clean.

drew03

i guess i could always carry my ruger redhawk 44 mag, but i don't think i'm a big enough boy to conceal it.

Fronty Owner

I have a Hipoint (cheap gun), but it has never failed to cycle with the exception of using hollow points. I have ran several hundred rounds of Remington, Wolf, CCI (brass and aluminum) and Winchester without problems, but put a hollow point in the top three positions in the clip and it will jam, no problems below that.

drew03

hollow points are the only way to go.

CASMOKIN

agreed

drew03

i like the hornady JHP-XTP in my 44 mag, they are a hunting cartridge , but i bet they would make a mess of someone.

gerry

I carry A Baretta 9mm 92fs with a crimson trace laser site and a SW 2" 5 shot wheel gun for a back up...

For conceled carry it is a HKP7M13 or a SW CS9 (chiefs special)..

Before carrying all of the above guns they went to to range and had 500 rounds fired through them with no maintence to them (did not stop to oil or anything).

My Baretta has well over 10,000 round through it and has only jammed once several years ago (stove pipe, Probably bad ammo). P7 has 2000 or so rounds through it and no jams and the SW has about the same.

One thing with hollow points is that they go into your intended target and have a better chance of staying. Jacketed or semi Jacketed rounds have a tendancy to go in and come out the other side Increasing the possibility that someone else my be hit by that same round.

My favorite to shoot is the HK... real sweet and smooth trigger... the barrel is fixed on the frame reducing the amount of weight being shifted during ejection and reload. It is a Gas operated Semi with an additional standard ejector as a back up..

a little expensive but worth every penny...

Gerry

newriverSpecon

Hmm, HiPoint. Want to talk about a crapy trigger.

A friend of mine had an HK .40cal. Worked fine as long as you didn't use WOLF. The chamber was loose enough the case would split and freeze in the chamber. The action would pull loose from the round and smash the next one up into jammed one. My 96D did not like the rounds (less consistant) but never split them.

Randy

PsRumors

I still like the Black Talons in the 9mm variety.