Keltec P15 Semi-automatic Pistol: Reviewed

Keltec introduces a striker-fired 9mm and hits high marks.

November 28, 2024 By J. Scott Rupp

Over its 33-year history, KelTec has offered a wide variety of handguns, but until relatively recently if you wanted a striker-fired 9mm you had to look elsewhere. That changed with the introduction of the P15, which is offered in polymer- and aluminum-frame versions. My sample was the former.

The P15 offers a 15-round capacity with its extended magazine while weighing just 16 ounces. It sports a four-inch barrel, with an overall length of 6.6 inches. Height is five inches, and it’s 0.875 inch across the slide. Numbers like those put the P15 right in the concealed-carry wheelhouse.

The P15 has a grip safety, and the slide lock and mag release sit fairly flush. The adjustable rear sight has tritium dots and is paired with a day/night front. The slide cover is not for a red dot and shouldn’t be removed. (Photo courtesy of J. Scott Rupp)

The steel slide has serrations front and back. The sights are a cut above what you might expect to find on a pistol with a suggested retail price of $450. The front is a HiViz H3 day/night that combines tritium with a green fiber-optic rod. It is set in a dovetail. The rear sight has two tritium lamps and a slightly serrated face. It’s adjustable for elevation and windage, although the amount of windage adjustment is limited by the way the sight base is situated in the polymer slide cover.

While it would be easy to assume this cover can be removed to reveal a red-dot cut, that’s not the case. The gun is not currently red-dot ready, and the cover should not be removed. KelTec engineers told me specifically that the cover’s right-rear screw shouldn’t be touched. It is the striker safety screw, and removing it voids the warranty.

Controls

pistol grips — An add-on backstrap and grip safety extension come with the gun. The grip sides feature KelTec’s gator pattern, and the extended mag provides 15+1 capacity and a full grip. (Photo courtesy of J. Scott Rupp)

Controls are simple. There’s a grip safety as well as internal striker and magazine safeties. The slide-lock lever sits nearly flush against the frame and is lightly serrated. The reversible magazine release is triangular in shape, and it doesn’t protrude much from the grip. You’ll find a loaded-chamber indicator at the top rear of the barrel hood that rises when there’s a round in the gun. There’s also a window cutout in the right side that allows you to assess the chamber’s condition.

The trigger has about an eighth-inch of take-up followed by a longish 3/8-inch pull for a full half-inch of travel. Pull weight averaged three pounds, 12 ounces.
The polymer frame features a single-slot accessory rail out front. The grip sides sport what KelTec calls its gator grip pattern—six rows of textured blocks—while the frontstrap and slightly curved backstrap are deeply grooved.

pistol rear — A safety selector allows shooters to customize the gun. Position 1, the factory setting, activates the grip and magazine safeties. Position 2 deactivates both, while 3 keeps the grip safety but disables the mag disconnect. (Photo courtesy of J. Scott Rupp)

The P15 ships with an add-on backstrap. It’s of a softer, more pliable polymer than the frame material, and it both provides more girth and, as KelTec indicates, also provides a bit of cushion. Because adding this backstrap would prevent deactivation of the grip safety, KelTec furnishes a grip-safety extension that screws into the back of that safety.

Now, about those safeties. The P15 comes from the factory with both grip and magazine safeties activated. However, if you field-strip the gun, at the rear of the chassis on the right side you’ll see a three-position selector switch. The factory setting is on No. 1, grip and magazine safety operational. Turn the selector to position 2—always clockwise and never counterclockwise—and both safeties are deactivated, although the striker safety is still operational. Turn it one more position to No. 3, and the grip safety is activated but the magazine disconnect goes away, which is how I used it.

Accuracy

I tested the P15 at 25 yards with a variety of ammo. KelTec says all SAAMI spec ammo is good to go, so +P is okay but +P+ is not. KelTec further warns against the use of reloads and says to use only brass-case ammo.

The gun proved to be decently accurate from the bench and quite good on seven-yard X Drills, which alternate head and chest shots on two targets. Even with the flush-fit 12-round magazine I found the P15 to be quite controllable considering its light weight, and easy to hit with at speed.

There were no failures to feed or chamber, although smacking home both magazines always caused the slide to go forward on its own. I also experienced three instances where the trigger failed to reset to what I expected. There was no resistance through the pull—as if I’d failed to deactivate the grip safety—and the break didn’t come until nearly the end of the pull. This was disconcerting, but the gun did fire, and I couldn’t re-create the condition. While it occurred only a couple times over close to 300 rounds, if the gun were mine it would be something to keep an eye on and possibly send back for inspection.

Overall, I give the P15 high marks. Its size, weight and capacity make it an excellent choice for concealed carry. It handles well and offers decent accuracy and reliability—plus it’s got great sights and the ability to customize the safety features. With those visible screws that secure the frame to the chassis it’s not going to win any beauty contests, but it’s a solid companion.