Kel-Tec P17, plastic fantastic

It was several months ago the Kel-Tec P17  came in for review.

It has standard ambidextrous magazine release and safety, though the magazine release is a lever at the rear of the trigger guard you push down instead of a button.  The receiver is polymer, with just the rear and top of the slide being steel. This keeps the weight down to under a pound, but there is enough texture on the grip area to keep a solid purchase of the little pistol.

The sights are excellent, with a plain rear U notch and a front green fiber optic front sight. Plenty of contrast to get the correct sight alignment and sight picture.

Just behind the Picatinny rail is the takedown button; pulling it down allows you to remove the slide and recoil spring. There is a thread adaptor included adding 1/2″ x 28 threads to the end of the pistol. The trigger broke nicely, just over three pounds with some take-up and overtravel.

Just above the left side safety is the lever to lock the slide to the rear manually. Cocking serrations are aggressive, but it took minimal effort to rack the slide.

3 shots at 25 yards from a rest.

Conclusions 

All total, we have about 700 rounds downrange with the little Kel-Tec P17, with the vast majority using one of many rimfire silencers and a few magazines with a Tandemkross muzzle brake. There were no pistol failures; however, I did have to clean the gun about halfway into the review. As you know, rimfire ammunition is dirty and adding a silencer increases fouling back into the action. Somewhere past the halfway point, one of the three included sixteen round magazines failed to lock the slide to the rear. I marked that magazine, and it would intermittently fail to lock the slide open; there were no issues with the other two included magazines. Accuracy was good, with the best groups averaging about two and a half inches at twenty-five yards from a rest. I see this little pistol well suited as a plinker or excellent training aid. With the ability to add a silencer, with its lightweight, excellent sights, and weighing under a pound, it would be ideal to start someone on the road to the enjoyable hobby of firearms. As for concealed carry, it would not be my first choice, but it would be far better than harsh words. If someone were recoil or weight sensitive, this would be a better option than nothing, for sure. I can honestly say this was one of the more fun pistols I have reviewed; while the ammo prices and availability have become crazy, .22 LR is still relatively inexpensive and easy to find. I think Kel-Tec did an excellent job with this little pistol, and I am satisfied it is as it should be.

Specifications 

Acknowledgments 

Kel-Tec 

Winchester Ammunition  

Gun Powder Gals