By Dean Weingarten | Contributing Writer
The KelTec P17 is an inexpensive, light, reasonably accurate, and reliable handgun with ammunition it likes. It sells well.
It comes complete with three sixteen round magazines. Some break-in may be necessary.
The KelTec may not be the best target .22, the best pocket .22, the best field .22 or the best “kit gun” .22. It does very well in these roles for most people at an incredibly affordable price. I would want a different .22 for most competitions. It is not a service grade defense pistol. It is a very good “kit gun”. It is an extremely fun gun. With an optics package and a suppressor, everything is improved. It is a very good, very practical all around .22 handgun. It does what you need from a utilitarian .22 at a price which is very affordable.
Optical sights tend to be more susceptible to failure. Co-witness iron sights are the solution. The front sight on the KelTec optic installed slide was not tall enough. The thickness of the home made spacer, made of Plexiglass, can be changed to adjust elevation. Longer replacement machine screws were obtained at a hardware store for less than a dollar. This is an advantage of KelTec’s philosophy of using off the shelf hardware when it is available.
Most shooting with the KelTec P17 was done with a suppressor mounted. A suppressor increases back-pressure, which increases reliability with Standard Velocity loads. Suppressors require more maintenance. .22 rimfire suppressors get quite dirty and should be taken apart, soaked, and cleaned when more than a couple dozen rounds are fired. Taking them apart and soaking, then scrubbing on a regular basis makes maintenance much easier.
The extremely light KelTec only weighs 14 ounces loaded with 16 rounds. Add a silencer and an optical sight, it weighs between 18 and 25 ounces depending on the silencer. This is less than most kit guns or woods carry .22 pistols without optics or a suppressor.
With a silencer/suppressor, standard velocity ammunition and an optical sight, several shots may be taken without spooking a small game target. Be sure of your backstop. A red dot sight and a rest make 25 yard shots on small game fairly reliable.
At 50 yards, the pistol is capable of about 3-4 inch groups. Use a good rest and it can be done. Do not rest the pistol directly on the support. Rest your hands on the support, and support the pistol in your hands. Most dot sights rely on batteries. Carry extra batteries and a tool to change them. Co-witnessed iron sights are a good backup.
It can be difficult to find holsters for a suppressed pistol. Uncle Mike’s-type holsters for large revolvers with long barrels work pretty well for a suppressed P17. The red cord is tied to the optical sight cover. When the pistol is drawn, the cover is pulled off. The red ribbon was replaced with a cord made from a strong black shoelace. The optical cover also acts as a retention device. A flip of the thumb upward on the optical cover makes for a very smooth and quiet draw. A custom holster could improve on this gun plumbing solution. The box of CCI is a 500 round carton.
The Spectra gel eliminates first round pop, but it dries out after a week or so in dry weather. A volume of gel about the size of two .22 LR cartridges, placed in the expansion chamber (the suppressor chamber next to the muzzle of the firearm) does the trick. It makes cleaning of the suppressor a bit easier if done within a day or so. Do not block the bore of the suppressor with the gel! Do not place a LR cartridge in the expansion chamber! The gel works better with smaller suppressors where the first round pop is more pronounced.
With the suppressor, the P17 balances like a target pistol with barrel weights. It is about the size of a Smith & Wesson model 41 target pistol with a 7 inch barrel. Even with the addition of an optical sight and suppressor, the P17 costs only a third as much as a model 41. The model 41 trigger is superbly crisp. The model 41 with a seven inch barrel, iron sights, and no suppressor weighs about 42 ounces. The P17 with optics and suppressor weighs a pound less than the model 41. Take off the suppressor, and the P17 can be carried comfortably in a fair number of pockets.
The slightly larger than 1.5″ 10 shot group was shot standing with a P17 equipped with optical sight and suppressor. The distance was measured at 10 yards. The author finds adding a suppressor and optical sight to the P17 makes accurate shooting easier. With this sight adjustment, CCI Standard Velocity ammunition hit about .7 inches low at 10 yards, close to dead on at 25 yards using the optical sight. Sighted thus, the P17 shoots close to dead on at 25 yards with high velocity Winchester Wildcats, but about 4 inches high at 25 yards with the Aquila Interceptor ammunition.
The KelTec P17 offers high value for what it does at the price point and weight.
The company is pushing the envelope of the .22 rimfire class much like Glock did with service pistols decades ago. You do not need the optical option or a suppressor to have a very usable handgun. In the author’s opinion, optics and the suppressor make shooting the KelTec a joy, even with added complications of batteries and the need to clean the suppressor.
The P17 is a lot of bang for the buck.
