An office “range trip” with a snap-cap and laser trainer was in order. With the new trigger installed, the pistol was lubed and reassembled easily according to the instructions. The material was easy to work on, with only the material I wanted removed coming off and no chipping, cracking or anything else that I was worried about. For this, I used a Dremel tool end mill on the lowest speed for material removal and a Leatherman for finish work. Forward of the trigger cutout, I had to remove approximately 3/32″ of the Zytel grip to allow for the upper “pinch guard” bump. The rearward clearance of the trigger was perfect without any modifications to the grip. With the fire control group removed from the frame, the replacement components (trigger, trigger pin and pin retaining screw) installed with ease. Despite (or, perhaps, thanks to) the warnings in the instructions about what can fly away and when it might do so, I didn’t lose any springs or other parts throughout the process. Installation involves field stripping the firearm and removing the aluminum frame and fire control group from the polymer grip. Following these instructions, I had the stock trigger removed and the replacement installed in under 1.5 hours – which included multiple coffee breaks and trips to the garage – and encountered no problems.
#Kel tec p 11 vs pf 9 pdf#
The installation instructions provided online are lengthy (24 pages in PDF format), but they are detailed and well illustrated with ample pictures marked with corresponding color-coded steps. Nonetheless, KelTec owners rave about the kit and, as they say, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Installation of Pops’ trigger is markedly more involved than just installing a shoe with a couple of set screws and stories can be found online of firearms that ended up on a gunsmith’s bench to complete the work after the owner gave up. We studied the Northwood Components website and reached out to “Pops” to learn more and we had a black anodized trigger kit underway to us shortly thereafter. In researching ways to improve the P-11 we saw two recurring themes: the “ fluff and buff” and the Northwood trigger.
#Kel tec p 11 vs pf 9 upgrade#
Unfortunately, the shoe seemed to make the finger pinching above and below the trigger worse on my big hands – not an even trade for the slight improvement, so off it came, leaving behind two small circles from the set screws as if to say “Trigger Shoe Was Here.” Upgrade 2: The Northwood Components Trigger Easier enough that our female shooter could now at least pull the trigger a couple times before giving up. With the shoe in place, I found the increased surface area made the pull slightly easier. The shoe is placed over the stock trigger and secured with two small set screws. Installation of the trigger shoe couldn’t have been simpler. Our first upgrade to the P-11 trigger was the Kel-Tec trigger shoe (PN P-392), an upgrade available from the factory that nearly triples the width of the stock trigger, providing more surface area onto which your trigger finger can exert pressure. Safety Note: when handling, disassembling, reassembling or making modifications to any firearm, make sure that the firearm is unloaded and there is no ammunition nearby! Upgrade 1: The Kel-Tec Trigger Shoe Note that none of our modifications effect the actual trigger pull weight or diminish the safety of the firearm, but the differences are night and day versus the stock trigger.
However, there is a lot of room for improvement. The top of the trigger also allows for a shooter to pinch their finger between the grip frame and the upper part of the trigger.ĭon’t misunderstand – the stock trigger on the P-11 is certainly passable and many enjoy their pistol just fine without any modifications. The sharp curve of the trigger allows enough space for a finger to drag between the trigger and the guard during reset, which can wear a raw spot or blister in the span of a short range trip. The stock trigger on the P-11 is a sharply-curved plastic number that has some side-to-side wiggle, some pre-travel and significant over-travel. Our female shooter on this project had trouble with the heavy trigger, barely being able to squeeze off a shot. However, the heavy pull can wear out your trigger finger and doesn’t exactly encourage you to shoot box after box of ammo at the range.
#Kel tec p 11 vs pf 9 manual#
This is because, without an external manual safety, that trigger pull acts as a safety. As with many double-action only (DAO) pistols, the P-11 has a long, heavy (9-pound) trigger pull. If you aren’t familiar with this firearm, the trigger has some… character. As part of our Kel-Tec P-11 Improvement Project, we wanted to do something about the trigger.