Meet the Unique KelTec P15
The P15 is a striker-fired 9mm pistol, which is a first for KelTec following a run of innovative double-action handguns. But that’s not really what sets the pistol apart from the crowd. This slim polymer gun comes in at 0.875 inches wide with a length of 6.6 inches while standing 5 inches tall. It boasts a 4-inch barrel and weighs in at 14 ounces. The pistol hosts KelTec’s patented Gator Grip. It also has a 15+1 capacity with a standard magazine, and high-visibility fiber-optic/tritium sights are standard. Still, none of that is what really sets it apart either.
The real innovation inside the P15 resides in the adjustable safety mechanisms. The gun features a palm safety and a magazine disconnect, and that’s where KelTec’s lean toward unique innovation comes into play.
“As you can see, it does have the palm safety, and it does have a magazine disconnect,” noted Kris Hammerstrom, a KelTec machinist, competition shooting team member, and the owner of one of the most rockin’ beards on the SHOT Show floor for 2022. “If you don’t like the magazine disconnect or the grip safety like that, you can turn them off.”
While offering these safety features, KelTec gave a nod to experienced shooters who may prefer to run the gun to their own preferences with a simple one-tool solution. Adjusting these features requires just a basic flat-head screwdriver. You can choose to run the pistol with both safeties, disconnect both, or simply disconnect the magazine safety and retain the palm safety.
The gun will also be optics compatible with a selection of plates to handle various pistol optics on the market right now. Notably, the pistol will even be available in an all-metal variant, another first for KelTec, with wood or G10 panel grips.
The P50 Gets Some Upgrades
In a gift that keeps on giving, the retro yet somehow also space-age 5.7mm KelTec P50 handgun finally got its chance to appear at its first SHOT Show despite being released in early 2021 because, well, pandemic stuff. The buzz around the gun was palpable just before the start of 2021, but KelTec didn’t rest on their proverbial laurels last year.
Yes, it’s chambered for the zippy 5.7mm round, runs 50-round P90 magazines, and would be a fitting accessory in future movies featuring tactical “Star Wars” clone troopers. But we can’t be the only people who both loved seeing such a unique handgun come to the market and also instantly wondered when there would be a rifle variant, right?
The answer to that question came this week when KelTec unveiled their P50 carbine rifle conversion kit, which includes a side-folding stock that tucks into the grip cut-out and a 16-inch barrel that keeps the system free from the SBR designation and the NFA tax stamps that come with it. So we can now officially add the P50 rifle to the long list of innovative KelTec guns. Keep your eye out for it as it is expected to roll out later in the year.
