Fired A Kel-tec P-40 Today...

Drummerbones · July 3, 2004, 08:57 PM

What a peice of crap!!!! I didn't even fire off 20 rounds. The first mag went fine (except for the fact that this light weight .40 cal KICKS LIKE A MULE). I hear they're discontinued now...Anyway, the second shot of the second mag stovepiped on me...I figured I limp-wristed it, so I kept on. Two shots later the disassembly pin on the side pops out....I finally get it back in....I shoot maybe five more shots and it stovepipes again....two more and the trigger breaks.....

Needless to say they didn't charge me for the rental and range fee or the ammo.

FYI, if you own a Kel-Tec P-40 and are happy with it and it is reliable, more power to ya. The one I had was a lemon...

Gary L. Griffiths · July 3, 2004, 09:58 PM

I bought a P-40 conversion kit for my P-11. Never could get it to fire a full magazine without jamming, even after three trips back to Kel-Tec, which they pronounced fixed each time.

Had to wear fingerless leather gloves to shoot it more than 3 or 4 rounds without it wearing a hole in the joint of my thumb. My snubby Combat Magnum has nowhere near that amount of recoil.

Finally after bitching repeatedly to Kel-Tec, they bought it back from me. Hopefully they used it for scrap -- that's all it's good for.

BTW, my P-11 is for sale now, too, after physically breaking three times.

Te Anau · July 4, 2004, 11:57 AM

When you shoot a P40 you have to show it whos boss.Most people dont which is why they gave up selling them.The design is sound.

JackDRipper · July 4, 2004, 03:17 PM

The p40 is more sensitive to limpwristing than many other guns. Many p40 owners have got their P40's running right. Check out KTOG http://www.ktog.org/vbulletin/ for lots of good info on Kel Tec's.
I've often thought the p40's problems are more magazine related than other factors. I've had a p40 and 2 different 40 conversion top ends for my P11 along with a 357 sig barrel and where the p11 (9mm) has always been reliable the p40 and 40 conversions were not. Kel Tec changed the 40's magazine design years ago but even with the design change I was still getting about 5 to 10% feeding problems which was too much for me for a carry piece.

Drakejake · July 4, 2004, 09:01 PM

The P-40 has a number of committed fans but the record is clear that there were production problems with mags and parts. In my opinion the .40 round is too strong for this platform. A few hardy souls have mastered this beast, but many, many owners of this pistol were sorely disappointed and gave up trying to get it to work.

Drakejake

mgdavis · July 4, 2004, 11:49 PM

Quote:

BTW, my P-11 is for sale now, too, after physically breaking three times.

Interesting sales pitch

wingman · July 5, 2004, 07:18 AM

too much pressure, too small of a gun, won't work. While I like small auto's
there are limits and at some point they look good but become useless.

W Turner · July 7, 2004, 09:31 AM

I am a big fan of Kel-Tec products, but the p40 was one of their less-than-stellar ideas. I have had about 1/2 a dozen of their pistols (all but the p40). A friend of mine got a screaming deal on one at a gun show, so I took him to the range that afternoon.

I put one mag of ammo thru that gun and handed it back to him. I am not a recoil sissy ( I have shot the SW329 and WILL own one eventually), but that thing was just violent. He did not have a problem with it and it has been reliable ever since that day, so to each their own I guess. It's definitaely not for me.

W

Drummerbones · July 7, 2004, 10:41 AM

I'm no recoil sissy either, but this thing was definitely violent. Even if it were 100% reliable, I wouldn't feel safe using it for defense. With a firm 2 handed grip, I could bear down on it, take my time and aim carefully, and I STILL couldn't promise where that bullet was going to go! Just too much kick for their design. In the smaller calibers, when reliable, I've heard great things....too bad this is my only Kel-Tec experience so far. Kinda left a bad taste in my mouth, but I'll get around to trying out their P-3AT someday. I'm having a hard time with the fact that they "look like toys"...they really do. But looks can be deceiving.

July 3, 2004, 08:57 PM	#1
Drummerbones Member Join Date: June 26, 2004 Posts: 24	Fired A Kel-tec P-40 Today... What a peice of crap!!!! I didn't even fire off 20 rounds. The first mag went fine (except for the fact that this light weight .40 cal KICKS LIKE A MULE). I hear they're discontinued now...Anyway, the second shot of the second mag stovepiped on me...I figured I limp-wristed it, so I kept on. Two shots later the disassembly pin on the side pops out....I finally get it back in....I shoot maybe five more shots and it stovepipes again....two more and the trigger breaks..... Needless to say they didn't charge me for the rental and range fee or the ammo. FYI, if you own a Kel-Tec P-40 and are happy with it and it is reliable, more power to ya. The one I had was a lemon...

July 3, 2004, 09:58 PM	#2
Gary L. Griffiths Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2000 Location: AZ, WA Posts: 1,466	I bought a P-40 conversion kit for my P-11. Never could get it to fire a full magazine without jamming, even after three trips back to Kel-Tec, which they pronounced fixed each time. Had to wear fingerless leather gloves to shoot it more than 3 or 4 rounds without it wearing a hole in the joint of my thumb. My snubby Combat Magnum has nowhere near that amount of recoil. Finally after bitching repeatedly to Kel-Tec, they bought it back from me. Hopefully they used it for scrap -- that's all it's good for. BTW, my P-11 is for sale now, too, after physically breaking three times. __________________ Violence is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and valorous feeling which believes that nothing is worth violence is much worse. Those who have nothing for which they are willing to fight; nothing they care about more than their own craven apathy; are miserable creatures who have no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the valor of those better than themselves. Gary L. Griffiths (Paraphrasing John Stuart Mill)

July 4, 2004, 11:57 AM	#3
Te Anau Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2004 Location: Somewhere south of the No Posts: 3,824	When you shoot a P40 you have to show it whos boss.Most people dont which is why they gave up selling them.The design is sound.

July 4, 2004, 03:17 PM	#4
JackDRipper Member Join Date: March 25, 2002 Location: Utah Posts: 90	The p40 is more sensitive to limpwristing than many other guns. Many p40 owners have got their P40's running right. Check out KTOG http://www.ktog.org/vbulletin/ for lots of good info on Kel Tec's. I've often thought the p40's problems are more magazine related than other factors. I've had a p40 and 2 different 40 conversion top ends for my P11 along with a 357 sig barrel and where the p11 (9mm) has always been reliable the p40 and 40 conversions were not. Kel Tec changed the 40's magazine design years ago but even with the design change I was still getting about 5 to 10% feeding problems which was too much for me for a carry piece.

July 4, 2004, 09:01 PM	#5
Drakejake Senior Member Join Date: March 9, 2001 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 548	The P-40 has a number of committed fans but the record is clear that there were production problems with mags and parts. In my opinion the .40 round is too strong for this platform. A few hardy souls have mastered this beast, but many, many owners of this pistol were sorely disappointed and gave up trying to get it to work. Drakejake

July 5, 2004, 07:18 AM	#7
wingman Senior Member Join Date: August 20, 2002 Posts: 2,108	too much pressure, too small of a gun, won't work. While I like small auto's there are limits and at some point they look good but become useless.

July 7, 2004, 09:31 AM	#8
W Turner Senior Member Join Date: January 17, 2002 Location: Alabama Posts: 130	I am a big fan of Kel-Tec products, but the p40 was one of their less-than-stellar ideas. I have had about 1/2 a dozen of their pistols (all but the p40). A friend of mine got a screaming deal on one at a gun show, so I took him to the range that afternoon. I put one mag of ammo thru that gun and handed it back to him. I am not a recoil sissy ( I have shot the SW329 and WILL own one eventually), but that thing was just violent. He did not have a problem with it and it has been reliable ever since that day, so to each their own I guess. It's definitaely not for me. W

July 7, 2004, 10:41 AM	#9
Drummerbones Member Join Date: June 26, 2004 Posts: 24	I'm no recoil sissy either, but this thing was definitely violent. Even if it were 100% reliable, I wouldn't feel safe using it for defense. With a firm 2 handed grip, I could bear down on it, take my time and aim carefully, and I STILL couldn't promise where that bullet was going to go! Just too much kick for their design. In the smaller calibers, when reliable, I've heard great things....too bad this is my only Kel-Tec experience so far. Kinda left a bad taste in my mouth, but I'll get around to trying out their P-3AT someday. I'm having a hard time with the fact that they "look like toys"...they really do. But looks can be deceiving.