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When the Kel-Tec P15 was announced the industry was ablaze with the biggest surge in gun buying since Obama's first election. As a result, this pistol was somewhat lost in the noise, and at a time when anything with a trigger was selling there wasn't much need for marketing or reviews. As a result, I think this pistol flew somewhat under the radar as far as media attention is concerned.
Patrons of GBGuns decide how their funding is used. A couple of times per year, once the funding has accumulated enough, I take a survey and then put the leading options to a vote. Recent Patron picks are responsible for the CZ 75 BD and Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 reviews, but this time it was left up to me to shop the Black Friday deals and find something of interest. Thanks to the Patrons, we have the Kel-Tec P15. If you appreciate reviews independent of industry influence please consider joining the Patrons who make that possible.
What Is It? The Kel-Tec P15 is marketed as the lightest and thinnest doublestack 9mm on the market. With a 4" barrel for proper 9mm performance and 15+1 capacity this pistol fits the bill for adequate carry, but at just 16oz and 7/8" thick it doesn't feel like a standard "compact" at all in hand.
Who's It For? The light weight, thin profile, and tritium + fiber optic sights makes this a great choice for carry, including the optional (more on this later) grip safety. That thin profile and light weight however are likely to cost you some in range comfort. Physics is physics and so the combination of features makes for more recoil being directed into less hand contact. More on this in the Shooting Impressions Segments.
Some Interesting Notes came to mind as I was pleasantly impressed with the Kel-Tec P15. After reviewing nearly 500 handguns it takes something different to gab my intention. Here are a few of the things that I found interesting.
Lightest compact on the market
Narrowest compact on the market
Magazine disconnect is optional
Grip safety is optional
The screws on the frame are holding a chassis in the grip, not a clamshell together.
Polymer rear section of the slide reduces reciprocating mass.
Factory tritium + fiber-optic sights
An aluminum-frame model (not reviewed) is available, but lacks an accessory rail.
...but I'm afraid of grip safeties and magazine disconnect safeties are annoying! Kel-Tec included both in the P15, but they can be independtently or both disabled with a simple turing of a screw in the chassis. Instructions on how to do this as well as the wrench needed are included in the box.
Take a Look at the Kel-Tec P15 in the tabletop video below:
Specifications:
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Weight Unloaded:16.2 oz
Magazine Capacity: 15+1
Overall Length: 6.6 in
Barrel Length: 4 in
Height: 5 in
Slide Width: 0.875 in
Trigger Pull: 5 lbs
Magazines Included: 15-rd, 12rd
Price around the web as of 16DEC24
Click links for current pricing and availability.
Physics is physics, and the lighter and narrower a handgun is of the same caliber, the more recoil force will be directed per square inch of hand contact. Knowing this I prepped for the range to of course run the standardized GBGuns Range Protocol, because if a reivew isn't a repeat of the same things done with other guns, can we really call it a review?
Cold Shots: Truly the first rounds through the gun. No warm up, no practice.
Full Magazine +1: Suprisingly some modern guns still struggle with this. It's a test of how much play is in the magazine as well as how the slide cycles with pressure. This is also when I do my best to learn the trigger.
What's For Dinner™: A test to see what ammunition the gun will eat. Does the gun feed the round from slide lock, will it cycle and feed another round of the same type, does the slide lock to the rear on empty, and is there any notable point of impact change with different loads.
For this gun the following ammunition was used:
Priced and linked where found at the time this article was written
65gr +p Novx $13.49 / 20 at Bud's Gun Shop
70gr Federal American Eagle Lead Free $32.99 / 50 direct from Federal
110gr Koenig JHP $49.69 / 50 at Optics Planet
115gr Sig Elite Defense V-Crown $39.99 / 50 direct from Sig
115gr Blazer Aluminum $11.99 / 50 at Bud's Gun Shop
124gr Sig Elite Defense V-Crown $44.99 / 50 direct from Sig
130gr Federal Syntech PCC $29.99 / 50 direct from Federal
147gr Winchester PDX1 $25.49 / 20 at Bud's Gun Shop
147gr Fiocchi Defense Dynamics JHP $20.36 / 50 at Global Ordnance
165gr AMMO, Inc Stleth FMJ $26.21 / 50 at KYGunCo
Range Ammo Magtech 115gr FMJ $234 / 1000 at TrueShot
Sights & Trigger Control: on a 6" spinner target at a distance of 12 yards. We got this from Titan Great Outdoors and use it to gauge how learnable the trigger is and usable the sights are for forced, timed, precise shots.
Practical Accuracy: Five shots from a distance of seven yards at a one inch target. This isn't so much about printing a tight group as it is a culmination of our shooting experience and time for us to collect thoughts prior to making a conclusion.
After Shots: Final impressions and reflections from the range session.
See for yourself how the Kel-Tec P15 performed on the range video below. Rumble link HERE.
Ammunition seen in our Shooting Impressions video was made possible by our Patrons and supporters of our ammunition savings account through Ammo Squared.
On the range I could certainly feel that this was a light and thin pistol, but I wouldn't call it, "punishing", simply not my choice for my next high round count course. That said, as a carry pistol I could see it as an excellent choice. Those with smaller hands might also find the thin profile helps them get a better hand fitment.
The trigger put me off a little at first as I found it to be not as predictable as I usually like, but after learning to simply pull through for a break (a method many teach) I had no troubles timing a shot. The reality also exists that in a defensive shoot there's likely going ot be very little staging of a trigger. Although I have never been in a civilian defensive shooting scenario, I did see combat in Afghanistan where my M16A2's trigger felt like a feather.
Kel-Tec is notorious for quality control issues. I don't know how many of those stories are legitimate and how many of them are the result of misuse or user ignorance. So far, the P15 has been good to me but I did notice the screw on the end of the guide rod was attempting to liberate itself. A dab of thread locker will fix this, and had the screw fallen off it would not have disabled the gun, just made field striping a little more exciting.
Given the low price of the Kel-Tec P15 I'd say it likely makes for a less-expensive alternative to the Sig P365 FUSE, just maybe not as enjoyable on the range.