I've never been a Glock fan.
No particular reason...but probably because they got no class...an ugly gun...no style, no artistry, just pure form and function, much like anything Kalashnikov is responsible for, but with better lathe, milling and machine work.
And as a consumer of leisure (meaning I can buy what I want because I want to buy it), I won't buy a Glock, or an AK, for that matter.
As far as Kel-tec...I do think they've made some improvements in the last couple of years.
They certainly did not like that "Saturday Night Special" rep they were getting.
I don't feel they're reliably unreliable (like that term?), but they are unreliable enough, in my opinion, that I wouldn't rely upon them.
I've personally witnessed a catastrophic failure of the barrel on one and a slow developing failure of the slide on another.
I've also witnessed numerous fails to feed and fails to eject...which could have been operator error...as far as cleaning or even "limp-wristing", although I really don't think "limp-wristing" is a contributing factor...could be, but I'm doubtful.
In any event, broken extractors and below-par magazines are not the fault of the operator.
All said and done...there have been improvements, but there are much better choices out there, so why take the chance at this point, especially when one is taking one's life in to account?
As a rule, I don’t “trust” any of them. Trust has to be earned by each individual weapon.
I’ll “trust” a piece if it gets through its first 200 round string without failure of any sort.
Owing to the need for some guns to have a “break-in” period, I’ll run the test twice more. Failing that, off to the glue-factory, you go....
I’m with you on this one. I pack a Kimber .45 ACP with a three inch barrel. She is pretty and effective.