KelTec P17 .22 LR — Not Another “Me Too” Gun

KelTec cannot be accused of making “me too” guns. Its designs are always unique, sometimes even futuristic looking. When it comes to the lightweight P17 .22 semi-automatic, the design has a similar feel to the PMR-30, another KelTec creation and one of my favorite guns.

Prior to getting my P17, I read and watched a few reviews, some of which were quite negative. The negative reviewers encountered feeding and ejecting issues. I am so glad I wasn’t discouraged by the experience of others. This little gun is so much fun! I’ve had enough experience with finicky .22 pistols that I read what the manufacturer says about the type of ammo to use in the gun. And when it says, “high velocity, American-made ammunition,” that’s what I use.

Several .22 semi-automatics I have shot in recent years have worked well: Glock G44, Taurus TX 22 and TX 22 Compact, and SIG P322. They set the bar. Today, it is expected that any new gun will work well.

P17 Features

This is a small gun. The overall length of the P17 is 6.7 inches with a barrel length of 3.8 inches. The height is 5.3 inches and width is 1.25 inches. Several times when moving from one place to another for photos or to pack up for shooting, I’ve slipped the gun into my pants pocket and found it to be a perfect fit. The P17 weighs in at a mere 10.9 ounces, yet the glass-reinforced material it is made from is strong and contains a steel frame in the grip area and surrounding the fire control components.

The P17 uses a single-stack magazine that holds 16 rounds. The pistol itself is molded to fit the contours of the hand with a gator grip pattern that aids control. The slide is unique. It’s some type of alloy that’s flat on the top, and except in the rear where the cocking serrations are, it has no sides. The frame itself comes up and makes the sides forward of the chamber area.

The rear of the slide is covered with an injection-molded nylon cover that also houses the adjustable sight. The extractor and firing pin are housed under the slide cover. The front sight is fiber-optic and housed in plastic. There’s a small two-slot Picatinny rail forward of the rather large trigger guard.

The slide and barrel are made of hardened steel. The recoil spring and barrel are captive. The barrel is threaded. A thread protector comes installed on the barrel and a tool for removing the thread protector and installing a suppressor are included with the package. A plastic buffer dampens the slide forces.

The firing mechanism is hammer-fired single-action. Trigger pull is four pounds. The safety disconnects the trigger mechanism and fully blocks the sear so the hammer cannot drop. The ambidextrous magazine release is the paddle style at the base of the trigger guard. There is an ambidextrous lever-style safety just above where the thumb rides in a normal grip. The slide lock is not ambidextrous and is quite small, but it is easy to operate with the thumb on the left side of the gun.

Range Results

For my first outing with the P17, I took it along with two other .22s to the indoor range. The KelTec P17 was primary, Taurus TX 22 Compact secondary, and the Diamondback Sidekick was along to represent the many .22 revolvers I have in my safe. The KelTec has open sights. The Taurus TX 22 C has a Crimson Trace red dot sight mounted.

I loaded the magazines for the KelTec and Taurus from a bulk pack of CCI Blazer 30-grain round nose ammunition. I started with the KelTec at 10 yards. I couldn’t see the holes until I brought the target in close. It was a delight to see all the holes in a space about the size of my hand and (more or less) centered on the target.

I ran the target out to 15 yards just to see what the gun and I could do. When I brought it in, I found a cluster slightly off to the right and still a small enough group to know the gun was doing its job. I tried a target at 5 yards where I could see the holes and the relative relationship of the front sight to the target and the results turned out to be something close to one ragged hole.

The Taurus produced similar results. I only shot one load from the Diamondback, but I was pleased with the results. In addition to the CCI Blazer rounds, I went through several boxes CCI Mini Mag, Remington Golden Bullet, and Winchester Super X without experiencing any failures of any kind — not one.

The only way the afternoon’s shooting session could have been more fun was if it had been in the country where I could have shot at aluminum cans instead of paper. A follow-up outdoor range session with the suppressor installed and the different brands of ammunition I mentioned resulted in some shot up soda cans, more good targets, and smiles. I’m still waiting for, but not expecting, the feeding issues reported by other reviewers.

Finial Thoughts

This is something I’ve observed over the years. Sometimes a reviewer gets a gun that was built on Friday afternoon, others get one that was built on Tuesday morning, and they just perform differently. It shouldn’t be that way — I agree — but how else do we explain such different outcomes in testing. Maybe, just maybe, it’s related to ammo choice, limp-wristing, or bad Karma. My belief is that if you get one of these and only load it with quality ammunition, you will not be disappointed.

I’m thinking ahead to some of my shooting buddies and how they might enjoy some time spent with the P17. The closest .22 semi-auto I have to it in size is a S&W M&P Compact, which has a similar grip and trigger. The M&P is a fine pistol, but it costs twice as much, weighs almost three times as much, and has a magazine capacity of 10 rounds instead of 16 rounds. If I lay them side-by-side on the bench and can only pick one to shoot, I’d choose the KelTec. But that’s just me, and it’s a subjective choice.

Now that I’m reminded of the S&W .22 Compact, I think I’ll take it shooting. I’ll take them both and have a shoot-off, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll keep you posted.

Everyone loves the PMR-30! Remember the rush and waiting lists to buy them? How does the futuristic-looking KelTec P17 stack up against your favorite .22 LR semi-auto? Share your answers in the Comment section.