KelTec: Pistols… Flat, Handy, and Deadly
A very convenient and practical magazine for loading cartridges into the KelTec pistol.
But everything in Cape Town is decided by Browning,
And the British started shooting...
Poems by P. Gandelman and Sh. Secunda
And the British started shooting...
Poems by P. Gandelman and Sh. Secunda
stories about weapons. What are the first automatic pistols we know of? There are many, by the way: among them are the famous Mauser C96 (the Mauser K96, a German semi-automatic pistol developed in 1895), the Roth-Steyr M1907, officially the Roth-Krnka M.7, the Borchardt C93 of 1893, and many others. A noticeable difference in their design, however, lay primarily in the method of feeding ammunition: the Borchardt had a detachable box magazine, while the Mauser and Roth-Steyr had a fixed magazine fed by clips. The Browning 1900 also used magazines, as did all of John Moses Browning's subsequent pistols, and the much-celebrated Colt 1911.
Time, however, made a choice in favor of pistols with detachable magazines, since they were more convenient to reload than those loaded with clips.
A still from the film "Va-Bank 3." This is how you sometimes have to tuck a pistol into your belt. And, of course, a thin, flat pistol is the preferred choice in this situation!
And so, for military personnel, police officers, and civilians who use pistols in one way or another, a crucial question arises: why do they even need them today? Statistics are as follows: the average American police officer draws a pistol from its holster... once in 17 years of service, and fires it to kill even less often. In the military, officers also prefer to carry automatic rifles in combat situations, while SWAT officers prefer submachine guns, as do, incidentally, presidential and VIP security guards—they carry both Mini-Uzis and Micro-Uzis.
So today, it's perfectly reasonable to say that in the army, for example, a pistol is a status weapon, and the same is true in the police force. Even the city police in Spain, where the "peace" of its citizens is guarded by several armed units, do not carry weapons.
KelTec P15 pistol. Left side view.
Finally, in countries where pistols are legal for private purchase, laws prohibit carrying loaded pistols, or permit them but restrict their use, etc., etc. You can keep a pistol in your home and use it for "home defense," but you can't leave your home with it. You can shoot a pistol as much as you like (including your own) at appropriate shooting ranges and outdoor shooting ranges, but... there's precisely no need to quickly reload your pistol there. There's no need to rush there, although there are competitions that require the shooter to shoot quickly and, consequently, reload quickly.
The same pistol. View from the right.
Dimensions can also be a factor. A pistol with a thick grip for a double-stack magazine won't be comfortable for everyone. A "thick pistol" is also awkward to carry in a jacket or coat pocket, and it's definitely uncomfortable tucked into the waistband of jeans.
Magazine and ammunition for the P15
So, a "civilian-style" pistol could very well be... flat-bottomed and magazine-fed. Carrying comfort would be paramount in this case. And since this is a unique selling proposition, there will certainly be people who will, as they say, bite and buy such pistols.
And, naturally, a company was found that brought just such pistols to the US arms market. We're talking about the innovative development company KelTec, whose weapons we've already covered here.
Let's begin our exploration of their pistol line with the P15. It's a 9x19mm pistol with a double-stack box magazine, and it's currently the thinnest and lightest pistol in this caliber. Its slimness doesn't affect its ammunition capacity, which is 15 rounds plus one. These rounds are still stored in the magazine. It also comes with an extra magazine, holding 12 rounds. This is also quite sufficient. Since it's been proven that all pistol shooter problems are resolved within the first three, maximum five, shots, it must be admitted that this ammunition load alone is more than enough for a fairly lengthy firefight.
This is a very modern pistol in every respect. Tritium inserts in the front and rear sights allow for consistent target control. The ergonomic grip ensures a good grip and hold when firing. A special holster for concealed carry is included.
Pistol PR3-AT Defender. Right view
The PR3-AT Defender concealed carry pistol, however, doesn't have a magazine! All its ammunition, like the old Rota-Steyr and the Mauser, is stored in clips. The pistol is chambered in .380 ACP and comes with four seven-round magazines. It holds 13 rounds in total. The pistol's action is also uncommon—it features a rotating barrel. The company's main selling point in its advertising is that the pistol is very flat, yet capacious, and that it can hold two clips at a time! It's no wonder the saying "everything new is well-forgotten old" has been proven, and this pistol is particularly illustrative.
PR57 pistol. Right side view.
Next up is the PR57 pistol. The company claims this compact pistol is designed for concealed carry. It fires 5,7x28mm cartridges. Interestingly, the engineers at KelTec even went so far as to install a rotating barrel! Again, a rotating barrel system was used over 100 years ago on the 1907 Roth-Steyr pistol. Later, such barrels were used on the Italian Beretta 8000 Cougar and the Russian Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-18.
This design works like this: the barrel has a projection or projections that engage recesses in the slide. When the slide moves rearward after firing, it pulls the barrel along with it. However, due to this engagement, the barrel rotates. This engagement disengages the projections from the slide, stopping the barrel in its rearmost position while the slide continues to move. Then, naturally, the spring forces the slide back, the barrel rotates again, and its projections re-engage with the slide.
PR57 pistol with accessories and branded bag
The main advantage of using this type of action is that the barrel moves strictly along its axis, without shifting up or down. And, of course, this clearly improves the accuracy of a pistol with this type of action. True, the Browning design is simpler. But producing precise grooves and lugs for modern precision machine tools is not difficult. It's no wonder that several pistols of this design have been developed in Russia over the past two decades. However, these are military weapons, while KelTec produces their pistol for civilian use.
SUB-SDP Defender pistol
KelTec also has another interesting semi-automatic pistol: the SUB-SDP Defender. It's also a "defender," a protector for home and family, but its appearance is very similar to a compact submachine gun. It's a very shortened version of the KelTec SUB2000 folding carbine. Both the pistol and carbine have always been exclusively semi-automatic and have never been available in a burst-fire version. The company's engineers have come up with what they've created—a true submachine gun with a 27-round magazine in the pistol grip. The caliber is 9mm. The barrel length is 152 mm.
SUB-SDP Defender pistol with additional grip/magazine at the front. Left side view.
The most unusual feature of its design is the grip located under the barrel for a secure hold, designed to accommodate an extra spare magazine. It's convenient, to be sure. This placement keeps it within easy reach, eliminating the need to dig into your pocket or bag. Simply remove it here and insert it a bit further back, significantly reducing the time required to reload.
P17 pistol!
And it's also the fashionable sand color. But it also comes in black and green.
And finally, this company's latest pistol, the P17. It's very simple and, again, flat and slim, thanks to its .22LR caliber and rimfire cartridges. It's a "very small-caliber" pistol, but nonetheless very modern. It features a polymer frame, adjustable sights, and universal (ambidextrous) controls, including a safety. Three magazines, each holding 16 rounds, are included with the pistol. You could shoot this pistol all day long to practice your shooting skills!
P.S. All photos by KelTec.
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