P-40: The lost Kel Tec big bore pistol
Kel Tec makes a wide range of handguns from the rimfire magnum PMR-30 to the .32 and .380ACP model P-32 and P-3AT and the 9mm PF-9. However, a gun that popped up just for a minute and went away, and some wish Cocoa Beach would put back into production, is the mouse that roared– the P-40.
When George Kellgren put to bed his old Grendel company to form the new Kel Tec CNC group, the largest caliber handgun he offered was the PF-11, a beauty of a semi-auto polymer framed 9mm in double-action-only. Debuting in 1995, that parabellum-based pistol was an instant hit with the masses, its 3.1-inch barrel, and double-stack 10-round mag giving it a leg up on many of the popular CCW pieces of the day.
The thing is, America is a caliber-focused society among concealed carry shooters, with a segment of that population shying away from the old 9mm round in favor of heavier calibers like .45ACP. Well, Kel Tec met this demand with the compromise of the P-11, only redesigned to take the much heavier .40S&W chambering in 1998, and the 6-inch long P-40 was born.
And best yet, it was a 16-ounce handgun that held upto 11-rounds of .40. Beat that!
