Kel-tec P40 Nickel Plated Slide Deal: Results

[roo_ster]

Howdy:

A while back I decided to revive my P40 from its moribund "rarely ever carry it" state.

Part of the rehab involved getting the slide re-finished, as I had worn off the original bluing and got rust stains on my under shirts every time I packed it.

Over at ktog.org, Jack Fuselier has a $30 deal to nickel the slide, owner handles shipping both ways.

I got it back the other day and re-assembled my P40:

Right Side:


Left Side:


Fuselier degreases, sand-blasts, stones the rails, and then nickel plates.  It is a nice, satin finish.

I must say I am pleased with the outcome. 

One note: Jack disassembles the slides and removed the guts, but has a tendency to nickel everything else, to include my extractor and PT night sights (which were no longer glowing at all). 

I still need to replace the recoil & firing pin springs and reliability test it with new social ammo.


* Kel-tec P40 is a 14 or 15 oz pistol chambered in .40S&W.  Recoil rivals snubby .357mag.  They stopped making them a few years back when all the manly men had already bought one.  Alternately, Kel-tec stopped production when they were getting too many warranty "repairs" on pistols that were in perfect order & function, but the owners limp-wristed them and caused stovepipes.

[Gewehr98]

They couldn't nickel-plate the tupperware, too?

 

[roo_ster]

They couldn't nickel-plate the tupperware, too?

 

Well, I didn't send it to him.

But, I bet I could make do with this:




Truly, I consider the P40 to be one of my "Ugly Gun Collection."  Harder to do now that its slide is all purdy.

[MechAg94]

Sheesh.  I have a little Kahr P9.  The little 9mm almost starts to kick in that little gun.  How many fingers can you use on that thing?
You would probably like my CZ 75 P06.  The recoil is much harsher than my P229.

Oh well, I have a bad flinch at times that I need to work on.  I'd rather carry a bigger/heavier gun that I know use well.  :)

[lee n. field]

Recoil rivals snubby .357mag.

Was wondering about that.

Somewhere I absorbed Internet gunboard hearsay that these weren't all that reliable.  True?

[S. Williamson]

Well, I didn't send it to him.

But, I bet I could make do with this:

Not quite.  That stuff flakes off as easily (possibly moreso) than regular old Krylon. 

[Boomhauer]

Oh well, I have a bad flinch at times that I need to work on.  I'd rather carry a bigger/heavier gun that I know use well.

That's what I ended up doing. I just cannot shoot the little and light 'uns well.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Was wondering about that.

Somewhere I absorbed Internet gunboard hearsay that these weren't all that reliable.  True?

I don't have a P40, but I have several other Kel Tecs.  They're all boringly reliable.

[roo_ster]

Somewhere I absorbed Internet gunboard hearsay that these weren't all that reliable.  True?

.40S&W in a 14-15oz package is about at the limit of physics for reliable functioning.  Newton's Third Law & all that.

If you have a firm grip, it is reliable from the factory.  I sent mine in anyways, as I couldn't find a reliable carry ammo. 

They polished the feed ramp and now it is much better with more ammo.  Target ammo of the 180gr FMJ variety is reliable as the day is long, from Wolf to S&B to WWB.

I have found a few loads of social ammo in the 165gr premium HP variety to also be reliable (most notable Fed 165gr Hydroshock).

Nothing in the 155gr & under weights has been reliable, however.  I am going to play with recoil springs and see if I can extend the reliability envelope down to 155gr, though I would be satisfied if I got the Remington 165gr Golden Sabre to function like owl scat through a tin horn.

Sheesh.  I have a little Kahr P9.  The little 9mm almost starts to kick in that little gun.  How many fingers can you use on that thing?
You would probably like my CZ 75 P06.  The recoil is much harsher than my P229.

Oh well, I have a bad flinch at times that I need to work on.  I'd rather carry a bigger/heavier gun that I know use well.  :)

My buddy's first handgun was a S&W640 .357mag and he thinks the P40 has more recoil.

Honestly, the P40 is very accurate for such a small hand cannon.  You can stage the DAO trigger like the old Colts.

I am a big fan of the CZ75 pistols, though I insist on C&L capability and am not interested in the decocker variants.

[French G.]

I now want a P40. Of course I sold my P3AT because I was tired of the maintenance I consider necessary to keep a small auto running reliably. Same reason I sold my Kahr MK40. That thing was stainless and recoil was still pretty snappy. I'm sure the P40 is worse.

[roo_ster]

How many fingers can you use on that thing?

Forgot to answer...

In the above configuration, with the finger rest, all fingers on my XL man's glove sized hand.

Without the finger rest, all but my pinky, which curls under the grip.

Why use it without the finger rest?  It makes pocket carry do-able.  If it is not to ride in my pocket, I prefer the finger rest.

I now want a P40. Of course I sold my P3AT because I was tired of the maintenance I consider necessary to keep a small auto running reliably. Same reason I sold my Kahr MK40. That thing was stainless and recoil was still pretty snappy. I'm sure the P40 is worse.

Synthetic grease helps keep the maintenance down.

Good luck finding one.

[Gewehr98]

I'd be interested in hearing about your Kahr MK40 maintenance issues, FrenchG.

I've owned a plain-vanilla Kahr K9 for the last 10 years or so, and it's been dead-nuts reliable.

[French G.]

Well, besides recoil blowing off the front sight...twice. For me owning a small size auto is a constant round of test fire, clean and lube, test fire with carry ammo, buy more carry ammo, lay awake at night wondering when to change the recoil spring, test fire, etc. The MK40 was relaible after I fixed its premature slidelock issues which I think is a hallmark of Kahr 40s. My k40 did that too, of course it also started peening the barrel hood back where it locked up with less than 100 rounds, got the factory to put a new barrel in it and sold it. For me full size autos do less stupid pistol tricks and a 642 will sit there and work without a lot of the small auto worry.

[roo_ster]

French G.:

Wow, sounds dramatic. 

Since I got my P40 back from the factory years ago, it has been a drama-free weapon.  It currently has the factory recoil spring set and my replacement of that is in the nature of my rehab of the weapon, not because I have noticed a decrease in reliability.  I don't worry that either it or the mag springs will spontaneously give out.

I agree with the reliability and "sit there" potential of snubbies.  But, sometimes a snubby is not the optimal answer.  For instance, I prefer little semi-autos for ankle carry, as they spread the pressure against my inner ankle out over a larger area.  A snubby concentrates the pressure along the line described by the diameter of the cylinder.

[S. Williamson]

Revolvers for concealment always seemed a bit too... well, silly.  Five shots for something thicker than most autos? Not my thing.  As a house gun, sure.

[HankB]

Sheesh.  I have a little Kahr P9.  The little 9mm almost starts to kick in that little gun. 

I had a P9 . . . I enjoyed shooting it, but from a reliability standpoint, it truly was a horrid little pistol, riddled with problems to the point that Kahr eventually gave up trying to fix it and ended up replacing it. (I traded the replacement - unfired - for a G26.)

Revolvers for concealment always seemed a bit too... well, silly.  Five shots for something thicker than most autos? Not my thing.

Well, to each his own, but I really like my 340Sc, which has so far been utterly reliable; it's my "always" gun, and well suited for pocket carry.

[mtnbkr]

I had a P9 . . . I enjoyed shooting it, but from a reliability standpoint, it truly was a horrid little pistol, riddled with problems to the point that Kahr eventually gave up trying to fix it and ended up replacing it. (I traded the replacement - unfired - for a G26.)

Heh.  I had the same problem with an early K9 I purchased from Irwin.  It was dead reliable for him and equally reliable for me pre-purchase (200+ rounds) and post purchase (300+), then it suddenly developed a habit of jamming the nose of the bullet against the feed ramp regardless of load used.  After several trips to Kahr (and replacement of many parts and polishing of many others), they replaced the gun.  I sold the gun unsold and went back to revolvers.  My 37-2 isn't a powerhouse, but it's reliable and accurate.

Chris

[Balog]

I sold the gun unsold and went back to revolvers. 
Chris

That's quite a trick. 

[Marnoot]

Since I got my P40 back from the factory years ago, it has been a drama-free weapon. 

Unfortunately, that seems to be the key to Kel-tec reliability, sending them back to the factory after purchasing them. My P-3AT is trouble-free and has no trouble with any ammo I feed it. That said, when I first got it, it had horrible and chronic failures to feed. It took a trip back to the factory (including the out-of-my-pocket expensive overnight FedEx from Utah to Florida) to get running right. I don't understand why they don't clean up their act with respect to quality control.

[mtnbkr]

My P32 was reliable from the beginning and would eat anything.  My carry load back then was a 60gr Gold Dot at about 1200fps (do not try this at home!).  I sold it after getting my 37-2 just because I didn't carry it, preferring a revolver to any semiauto.

Chris

[S. Williamson]

Question for all you engineer types, as well as those versed in gun laws, as well as those with more common sense than I:

Is there a safe/legal way to enlarge the trigger guard of a P32 so that someone with giant hands can actually use the thing?  I've always wanted one, but since I'm physically incapable of getting my finger on the trigger to pull it, I can't.

By the time it'd be all said and done, it'd look like the older-style triggerguard on the FiveseveN:


... but if the pistol can't handle it, or it would be not entirely legal to modify that way, then I'll have to keep dreaming.

[lee n. field]

o enlarge the trigger guard of a P32

Might be easier to get a different gun.

[S. Williamson]

Three major detriments to that one, though: price, weight, and trigger pull.

[HankB]

Is there a safe/legal way to enlarge the trigger guard of a P32

I have never heard of any Federal, state, or local laws governing modification of a trigger guard . . . in fact, at one time it was a semi-popular "combat" modification to remove the front part of a revolver's trigger guard entirely.

Performing this type of modification on a pocket pistol might make it more prone to accidental/negligent discharge when replacing it in a holster or pocket, so I'd be reluctant to simply remove it . . .

[mtnbkr]

What Hank said...

If I were in that situation, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Chris