Kel-Tec P15 Metal
- Graham Baates
- 2 minutes ago
- 5 min read
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Kel-Tec is always an interesting company to follow. Many of their designs break the mold of what one expects out of a firearm; unique form factors, manufacturing, and bucking the trends of other companies. The P15 is no exception and is claimed to be the lightest and thinnest doublestack 9mm on the market. In my earlier review of the polymer-framed P15 I appreciated that accomplishment, but with physics being physics, thin and lightweight makes for more felt recoil as a smaller surface area and less resting resistance to movement pushes the gun back into your hand. That's a sacrifice some are willing to make, and there's certainly a point to selecting a gun that is easy to carry which you can shoot decently versus wearing out your belt and back trying to conceal a range pistol.
What Is It? The Kel-Tec P15 Metal is a dressier-looking version of the P15 using an metal frame instead of polymer, and wooden grip pannels for a little more to hold on to in mass, width, and traction. For an unknown reason, the single slot of rail space the polymer dust cover had is gone on the metal-framed model.
Who's it For? The Kel-Tec P15 Metal is definitely intended to be a carry or light range piece with the slight weight advantage over the polymer piece and extra width making it better on the range than the slimmer and lighter polymer version.
Take a Look inside the P15 Metal, and at what all comes in the box in the tabletop video below. Rumble Link
Specifications
CALIBER: 9mm Luger
MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 15+1
WEIGHT UNLOADED: 19.2 oz
OVERALL LENGTH: 6.6 in
BARREL LENGTH: 4 in
WIDTH: 1.27 in
HEIGHT: 5 in
RIFLING: 1:10 in
TRIGGER PULL: 5 lbs
MSRP: $699.99
Prices around the web as of 3FEB26
Click links for current pricing and availability
The additional 3oz of weight, enhanced traction on the front and back straps, and extra width from the grip pannels make the P15 Metal feel much more promising in hand than the original polymer version. It was my intent to compare and contrast the two on the range, but before doing so th P15 Metal must be run through the standard GBGuns Range Protocol including:
Cold Shots: Truly my first shots through the gun.
Full Magazine +1: Suprisingly some modern guns still struggle with this. It's a test of how much play is in the magazine as well as how the slide cycles with pressure. This is also when I do my best to learn the trigger. With aged magazines there is no promise.
What's For Dinnerâ„¢: A test to see what ammunition the gun will eat. Does the gun feed the round from slide lock, will it cycle and feed another round of the same type, does the slide lock to the rear on empty, and is there any notable point of impact change with different loads.
For this gun the following ammunition was used:
Priced and linked where found at the time this article was written
45gr Sim-X DEFENSECORE $18.99 / 20 at Target Sports USAÂ (see review HERE)
50gr Liberty Ammunition Ultra Light $37.39 / 20 at Optics Planet (see review HERE)
95gr Magtech JSP $21.98 / 50 at Global Ordnance
100gr Sellier & Bellot XRG $13.34 / 25 at Target Sports USAÂ (see review HERE)
100gr CCI Blazer Reduced Recoil $12.32 / 50 at Battlehawk Armory
108gr Norma MHP Out of Production?
115gr TMJ EcoBullet $19.95 / 50 direct from EcoBullet (see review HERE)
115gr Wincherster SilverTip $18.29 / 20 at GrabaGun
124gr Federal Premium HST $39.95 / 50 from Widener's
147gr Winchester Defense $16.32 / 50 at Battlehawk Armory
Standard Range amunition was 124gr PMC FMJ $16.29 / 50 at Ammunition Depot
Sights & Trigger Control: on a 6" spinner target at a distance of 12-ish yards. We got this from Titan Great Outdoors and use it to gauge how learnable the trigger is and usable the sights are for forced, timed, precise shots.
Practical Accuracy: Five shots from a distance of seven yards at a one inch target. This isn't so much about printing a tight group as it is a culmination of the shooting experience and time for to collect thoughts prior to making a conclusion.
After Shots: Final impressions and reflections from the range session.
Watch the process from the very first shot in the Shooting Impressions video below. Rumble Link.
Unfortunately it appears I've finally experienced the quality control issues KelTec has become known for. The P15 Metal managed two shots before the trigger began to feel like something in the mechanism was slipping as I applied pressure. Keeping things fair, instead of immediately making a "burn" video I continued through the process in hopes that perhaps a little break in was needed. By the end of the video it was clear that the sample I purchased should have never left the factory.
This is disappointing because, although I've never had a professional relationship with Kel-Tec, I've always admired their effort to do things differently and innovate. This post will be updated with my customer service experience once that is complete.
