I took my Jimenez Model JA-NINE to a local indoor range on Friday. The main purpose of the trip was to get the sights dialed in (without any interruptions from family members, etc.)
I fired a complete magazine at a silhouette target set at 21 feet. All 12 rounds hit in the red 10 zone! I thought SWEET!, no need to touch the sights at all. I then just started practicing. Got to about my 4th magazine and all of a sudden the gun just locked up. It would feed, extract, and eject just fine. It wouldn't fire. Not even a “click”. The chamber loaded indicator and the cocked indicator both showed it was ready to go. For some reason, the sear just decided it was going to budge.
I very dispiritedly put it away and got out my Raven .25. Ran two magazines through the Raven without a hitch. Part way through the third magazine, the firing pin broke.
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. No more junk guns in my house! I packed my trash and headed directly to the place where I had purchased the Jimenez (about a 35 mile drive).
When I got there, he too could not get the sear to release the firing pin. He found a slightly loose screw in one of the grips. He removed the grip and reinstalled it. Somehow this freed up the gun where it would fire. He suggested that we go ahead and send it back to the factory anyway. He said that they often just send back a whole new pistol. I politely told him no thanks. I reminded him I purchased it for concealed carry and I need something dependable should I ever need to protect my family. I told him that I would never have full trust in a gun that failed with just under 200 rounds put through it. A lifetime warranty is of no value to me if a gun fails in the middle of a gun fight. I told him I wanted to trade up right now.
Well, he hosed me on the trade-in value and he hosed me on the price of the new gun. But I didn't care. I was determined to walk out with a good gun. He didn't have a very big selection (no CZ-82s), but I felt I would have more bargaining power if I could find something he had on hand.
I ended up walking out with a Kel-Tec Model P-11. I really, really, like this gun! It's extremely light (only 14 ozs. versus the JA-9 at 30 ozs.). It's slightly smaller than the JA-9 (3.1” barrel vs. 3.75” barrel). It came with the standard 10 round magazine (KelTec offers a flush fit 12 round magazine. I've already ordered two of them and a trigger shoe.)
The long stiff DAO trigger pull took a little to get used to. However, the more I fire this gun the more I enjoy it. The very first magazine I shot out of it grouped low and slightly to the right in about a baseball sized pattern at 21 feet. (I later learned that this is common for shooters new to DAO’s). Once I learned to be smooth on the trigger, I found it would hit right where I aimed. Out of 100 rounds fired yesterday, I only had two “fliers” (and even they where on paper). The other 98 rounds landed within the 8-9-10 rings center mass and the head.
Being it's only 14 ounces, it does have some muzzle flip. I found that after about 60 rounds or so my accuracy was declining a bit because my trigger finger was getting a little sore (the trigger shoe will eliminate some of that problem).
All in all, this is a fun little gun to shoot! It's the smallest full power 9MM on the market yet very accurate. After doing some research on the Kel-Tec forums, I found a number of LEO’s who trust this weapon so much that they carry them daily as their standard backup gun. I even found a article where Massad Ayoob gave it very high ratings. It will eat any kind of ammo and will handle +P. Additionally, it fits the deep concealment shoulder holster and slider belt holster I had purchased for the JA-9. I've been wearing it for the last two days in the shoulder holster and can barely tell it is there.
The DAO is going to take a little more practice to get used to, but I like the idea of not having to mess with a safety should I need it quickly. I actually feel safer carrying this gun than I did the Jimenez in a cocked and locked condition.
The most important thing: it goes “BANG” when you pull the trigger.
Any other Kel-Tec owners on this thread?
I never had a Kel-Tec pistol, but I did have a SU-16c for about a year. It’s a great little rifle and it never malfunctioned. My nephew owns it now and he likes it. In fact I just saw it today with a new red dot on it.
I’ve got a Kel-Tec Sub-2000 in .40S&W. I had a P-11, but I traded it for a Marlin bolt action .22WMR. I liked the P-11 and never had a problem with it, but since I had other CC options, I made the deal.
Keltec is dependable but I too dislike a long DA trigger.
I carry a SW 442 with a long DA trigger.
I figure the first shot will get their attention
and the follow up will get the job done but I like a nice SA trigger.
I have said this 1000 times but here it is again:
The CZ 82 has a butter smooth DA triggers and a crisp light SA trigger.
Its compact and is high cap.
It is one of my very fave pistols to shoot and it fits everymans budget.
I don’t own a Keltec, but am seriously considering getting a PF-9 for concealed carry, so your report was helpful to me.