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I own one Kel-Tec P-40, and one P-40 slide conversion for my P-11 I enjoy shooting them very much. If you have one that you've given up on, try a few of these suggestions.
1) Don't use 180 grain ammo. So far my best carry ammo choices are 135 grain Hydrashok, 135 grain CorBon, and 155 grain Gold Dot. The Hydrashoks are the easiest to shoot, and feel very similar to shooting a 9mm P-11 with Win Value ammo. I'm now using the CorBons for carry, and 165 grain Win Value for practice.
2) Check your mags. There are three editions of the P-40 mags. The oldest one's feed lips resemble a P-11 mag. The next edition has a mag release slot on both sides. The newest ones only have one mag release slot on the right side. You want the newest one. Return the older ones to Kel-Tec for an exchange.
3) You might have trouble with the +1 finger rest extension if the first round jams low into the feed ramp. This can cause dangerous bullet setback. With some brands of ammo the +1 extension doesn't allow enough room to fit the extra round properly. When the first round strips off it will be pushed out of the mag at a downward angle. This will cause it to impact hard on the feed ramp, or even miss the feed ramp low, hitting the frame. An altenative is to use the finger rest extension made for the P-11. You won't get the extra round, but it may give you better a functioning mag.
4) Another common mag problem is when the last two rounds will feed so that they wind up sticking straight up, jamming between the slide and the barrel. The problem here is the follower and the way it rests on the mag spring as it comes from the factory. In an attempt to cure the low first round feeding problem the mags ship with half of the top mag spring coil bent upward at a 45 degree angle. You will see it immediately when you take out the spring. Flattening out this angle will in most cases stop the last two rounds from coming out straight up. A better solution is to buy Wolff replacement mag springs. They do not have this upward bend, and the extra spring power will help you get more reliable feeding.
BTW, I have never had a malfunction using P-11 mags in the P-40. You only get 8 round capacity, but the follower in the P-11 has those long legs (to make it 10 round 9mm capacity instead of 12) attached to it that assures you that the round will always strip off at a perfect angle. I've tested them with several hundred rounds.
5) Polish the feed ramp. Some older Kel-Tec barrels have very rough machining marks on them, sort of like a washboard when you look at them closely. Some 600 grit sandpaper will polish out the rough spots.
6) Use some type of grip sleeve like the Hogue Handall Jr., which I have on both of mine. A good grip is essential to proper functioning. The finger rest extension also helps.
I have both of my P-40's working perfectly now. I am using Wolff 22 lb. recoil springs, and they function well with all types of ammo. I find the P-40's are extremely accurate out to 21 feet, which is fine for self defense. The last time I checked, Kel-Tec still has some .357 SIG barrels for around $120.00. The Kel-Tec hard chrome slide exchange is still available for $20.00. I exchanged both of my slides for hard chrome. I also have the ungrooved trigger shoes installed.
Best regards, Keys 8)
1) Don't use 180 grain ammo. So far my best carry ammo choices are 135 grain Hydrashok, 135 grain CorBon, and 155 grain Gold Dot. The Hydrashoks are the easiest to shoot, and feel very similar to shooting a 9mm P-11 with Win Value ammo. I'm now using the CorBons for carry, and 165 grain Win Value for practice.
2) Check your mags. There are three editions of the P-40 mags. The oldest one's feed lips resemble a P-11 mag. The next edition has a mag release slot on both sides. The newest ones only have one mag release slot on the right side. You want the newest one. Return the older ones to Kel-Tec for an exchange.
3) You might have trouble with the +1 finger rest extension if the first round jams low into the feed ramp. This can cause dangerous bullet setback. With some brands of ammo the +1 extension doesn't allow enough room to fit the extra round properly. When the first round strips off it will be pushed out of the mag at a downward angle. This will cause it to impact hard on the feed ramp, or even miss the feed ramp low, hitting the frame. An altenative is to use the finger rest extension made for the P-11. You won't get the extra round, but it may give you better a functioning mag.
4) Another common mag problem is when the last two rounds will feed so that they wind up sticking straight up, jamming between the slide and the barrel. The problem here is the follower and the way it rests on the mag spring as it comes from the factory. In an attempt to cure the low first round feeding problem the mags ship with half of the top mag spring coil bent upward at a 45 degree angle. You will see it immediately when you take out the spring. Flattening out this angle will in most cases stop the last two rounds from coming out straight up. A better solution is to buy Wolff replacement mag springs. They do not have this upward bend, and the extra spring power will help you get more reliable feeding.
BTW, I have never had a malfunction using P-11 mags in the P-40. You only get 8 round capacity, but the follower in the P-11 has those long legs (to make it 10 round 9mm capacity instead of 12) attached to it that assures you that the round will always strip off at a perfect angle. I've tested them with several hundred rounds.
5) Polish the feed ramp. Some older Kel-Tec barrels have very rough machining marks on them, sort of like a washboard when you look at them closely. Some 600 grit sandpaper will polish out the rough spots.
6) Use some type of grip sleeve like the Hogue Handall Jr., which I have on both of mine. A good grip is essential to proper functioning. The finger rest extension also helps.
I have both of my P-40's working perfectly now. I am using Wolff 22 lb. recoil springs, and they function well with all types of ammo. I find the P-40's are extremely accurate out to 21 feet, which is fine for self defense. The last time I checked, Kel-Tec still has some .357 SIG barrels for around $120.00. The Kel-Tec hard chrome slide exchange is still available for $20.00. I exchanged both of my slides for hard chrome. I also have the ungrooved trigger shoes installed.
Best regards, Keys 8)
