Several gun forums have become anit-Kel-tec, but for no good reason that can be seen.
Yeah, I've noticed that on thehighroad.org and never really understood WHY. Much of it comes from Kahr guys. Perhaps it's because they paid so much for their Kahr? Kahr's are good guns that get bashed, too, though and they sure don't give 'em away. I can buy 2.5 P11s for the price of a Kahr and, frankly, prefer the P11 to anything Kahr makes.
The long DA trigger of the P11 gets bashed a lot, but that's one of the things I like about the gun. It's very safe to carry in a pocket and the DAO is very revolver like, though the travel is longer. But, it makes cross training with revolvers much easier, takes the same techniques to get hits. If you don't like DAO, you don't have to bash the gun, just don't buy it. The gun isn't a POS just for the trigger, just that YOU don't know how to shoot DA! Why bash the gun for lack of skills?
But, gun owners are all very opinionated. The 1911 guys like that crisp, light trigger and call all else junk. Well, there again, they're bashing DA guns because they don't have the skill set to use them. Hey, DAs work best for me. If you can't shoot DA, get a crutch with a grip safety. LOL! But, don't call the gun junk just because you've never built the skill set to effectively use it. What works for me, won't necessarily work for everyone, that's why there are so many different brands and designs available and I wouldn't have it any other way. Can you imagine a world without revolvers or DA guns, where the only thing you could buy is a 1911? I can't, but some 1911 fanatics would LOVE it. :bang:
Anyhow, I've lost interest in debating on the other boards about guns. I know it's an individual preference and I know what my preferences are. I don't need other's opinions on things, been around long enough to know what I like. One thing I like about Kel Tec is their customer support and lifetime, no questions asked, warranty. If the company backs their products so agressively, you have to figure they're pretty danged decent products. And, in the P3AT at least, there are few alternatives to such a product. The P3AT is the smallest, lightest .380 extant, period, case closed. The NAA and Seecamp are heavier and, perhaps, slightly larger in dimension. The P32 is THE alternative to the Seecamp and such guns and it's available and affordable. The P11 is a proven design and a great alternative to the other more expensive choices. The Rohrbaugh is smaller, but not +P rated and I ain't giving a GRAND for a pocket pistol, sorry, it ain't gonna happen. ;D The Kahrs are over twice the price, the G26 isn't pocket sized. The Skyy, well, I haven't decided on that one. I've heard stories, but it seems the only direct competition IMHO to the P11. The P11 offers 13 rounds with a dry weight of 14 ounces, accurate, reliable, and all fits in a pocket. What's not to like? I can bust 6" plates all day long at 25 yards off hand with mine, plenty of accuracy. And, loaded with +Ps, you have a 13 shot firearm that rivals the snubby .357 magnum in power (115 grain +P chronographs 1260 fps out of my gun for 410 ft lbs) and is much, much easier to shoot than a 12 ounce .357 with 2" barrel. Most of the ballistics I've seen on the 2" guns in .357 put energies shy of 400 ft lbs, around 380, actually LESS than the +P 9 from the 3" tube of the KT and in a gun that's physically bigger. Out of a 2" gun, the .357 is mostly flash/bang, not a good thing. I'm getting a 2 1/4" SP101 (hopefully tomorrow) and am looking foward to testing my white hot handloads in it over the chrony. I might be able to get a little more with my handloads from the .357 and with the slightly longer tube. I know I get a little over 500 ft lbs out of the 3" Taurus, so it's a close race for ballistics between a 2" .357 and the +Ps I shoot in my P11. Considering how easy the gun is to shoot and how much easier it is on eyes and ears, I think the little 9 makes better sense as a self defense gun that could be used indoors and at night.
I think the one alternative that would fit for me to the P11 is the little Taurus PT111, very similar gun with a similar price. It's a little bigger and less of a pocket gun. It came out just after I'd bought my P11 when I got my CCW permit or I'd have considered it. The P11 has served me well for a decade, though, and I like it a lot.
Heck, you wanna see bashing? Bring up Glock on one of those boards! Bwaaaa, ha, ha! How many times have I read (it doesn't fit my hand) as if they're going to try to pick it up and it's going to fall out because they can't get a grip on it or something. Hey, 1911s don't fit MY hand, but I can still shoot 'em 'cause I can adapt! Heck, fire a broom handle some time! I don't care what the grip shape is, I adapt to it, I can shoot it. I've fired a lot of Glocks and I'm as fast and accurate with a Glock as I am with a 1911, more so really because I ain't gotta remember that safety. I don't train with 1911s because I shoot revolvers and the manual of arms is quite different. I have owned and fired 1911s in competition and done quite well with 'em, just prefer DA for carry and serious social work, especially since I mostly carry in a pocket and I like to carry revolvers. That's my personal thing, yet, I get chastised on other sites saying I can carry a "real" gun, just takes dedication. :bang: Sheesh, people, I have out shot a lot of folks and their 1911s with DA guns! I've won shoots with my Ruger P90 beating up on all the Glocks and 1911s all! It ain't the gun, it's the man behind it that counts. Too much reliance on hardware is NOT a good thing!
Sorry for the rant, but it touches a nerve.
For this you give up firepower? I'm pretty happy stickin' with my P11. Some make a big deal about the "better" trigger of the PF9. For them, I guess that matters. I like a long DA myself, especially for safe pocket carry.
