KelTec P17 Rimfire

Note the trigger guard magazine release. J.B. liked this placement and
that there are release levers on both sides.

Some gun-people may glance at the new KelTec P17 and dismiss it as just another mid-sized polymer-frame pistol. They’ll be missing a lot. In .22 Long Rifle chambering, the “17” in its name is the fully-loaded round-count, including one in the chamber. And, as noted above, it’s not one of those little hard-to-hold subcompacts.

A bright fiber-optic front sight leaps into view as long as there is some ambient light.

Internals

There are many other differences. It’s not striker-fired. There is a pivoting internal hammer and one result of this is a superb trigger pull. The manual lists it at 4 lbs. On my test pistol, it averaged 3.8. It has a small take-up and a crisp let-off. Over-travel is minimal.

The manual safety has levers on both sides, so it’s left-hander friendly. Inside, it disconnects the trigger bar and blocks the sear. It’s an excellent safety system, but for carrying I’ll go with a full 16-round magazine and an empty chamber. This personal quirk comes from many, many years as a gunsmith and a mistrust of all mechanical devices.

There are a couple of wise omissions from the P17 design. It does not have a goofy flipper in the trigger. The trigger face is smooth and nicely rounded. I’ve found trigger “feel” affects accuracy. I removed one of those things from a GLOCK and filled the space with smooth polymer. My groups shrank from 4" to 2".

Another thing not used in the P17 was a magazine-out safety. As I often say, if you are so careless you don’t check the chamber when unloading, then you shouldn’t be handling a pistol. And in an emergency with no magazine, you still have a working single-shot with the P17.

The safety levers are also ambidextrous. Note the smooth trigger face with no safety leaf.

Handling

The magazine release is a nice design touch. It’s not a push-button that might get depressed by a tight holster and body movement. At the lower rear edge of the trigger guard, it’s a lever that’s pushed downward to release. And it’s on both sides — another nod to left-handers.

The sights are square-picture and the front has an insert of green fiber optics. The fully adjustable rear has a wide notch. There are two neat status check points. On the right side, a small opening lets you see the rim of a round in the chamber. The internal hammer has a red top visible at the rear of the slide where it’s cocked.

After the last shot, the slide locks open. There is a small external release, but it’s better to just retract the slide slightly and let it go when reloading. For those who go to a lot of trouble to have a suppressor, there is a neat adapter available. If you want to hang a laser or a light, there’s a standard rail up front.

Glass-reinforced nylon is used for the grip-frame and slide-cover, polymer for the magazines, and steel for the rest of the P17. Empty, it weighs 10.9 oz.; Loaded full, 13.7 oz. It’s 6.7″ long and 5.3″ high. Width at the safety levers is 1.25″. The barrel length is 3.8″. Essentially, it’s a mid-compact, with room on the front strap for all three fingers.

The P17 is designed to work with regular “high-speed” .22 Long Rifle loads. Light target loads may fail to cycle the slide. My test ammo was CCI Mini-Mags. From a casual rest at 15 yards, most groups were around 3″ with one 2.5-incher. Function was flawless.

So, how much does this little jewel cost? I hope you’re sitting down when you read this. The suggested-retail price is just $199.

For more info: keltecweapons.com.