Purpose and Overview:

Many owners find the trigger pull on the P-11/P-40 KelTec pistols both heavy and creepy. Often there is a good 3/16” overtravel once the trigger does break. Due to the searless nature of the firing system and the hammer spring design, you can’t lighten spring weight or smooth the hammer/sear as you would in many pistols. There are two simple modifications that can be done that make a WORLD of difference in the smoothness and perceived feel of the pull. One is the installation of a trigger overtravel stop (shown in round inset below) and the other is polishing and proper lubrication of the trigger drawbar.

The Trigger Overtravel Stop instructions herein should be attempted on the KelTec P-11/P-40 pistols only. They are not intended for the P-32 KelTec or any pistols similar in design to the P-11, such as the Taurus PT111. The pins holding the receiver block to the plastic grip on the Taurus pistol are specifically made to buckle in the middle and bind if removal is attempted by the owner. The sale of replacement pins by Taurus is restricted to factory authorized repair shops to keep owners from modifying the PT111.

Tools required for installation of trigger overtravel stop:

1) Long, flat blade screwdriver
2) 5/32” and 1/8” pin punches
3) Prick punch
4) 10-24 x 1/4” nylon set screw
5) Nylon gunsmith bench block
6) Brass gunsmith hammer
7) 6” #26 aircraft extension drill bit
8) Extended 10-24 tap
9) Tap wrench
10) Long 3/32” hex wrench.
Not Shown: Loctite #242 and needle-nosed pliers.

Tools 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10 could be available locally at a hardware store. The tap wrench is a Hanson from Home Depot, size O-1/4 and cost under five dollars. The long hex wrench is from one of the specialty suppliers I got the extended drill and tap from, but many good hardware stores have long sets. For this application, the ball-end style is not the best, although over the years I have found a need for both styles. The Sears store near me had both a complete set of pin punches and also a box of individual punches, so you could buy just the 5/32”, 1/8” and prick punch. You will always need a good set of punches working on firearms.

Brownells has many sets and individual punches available at reasonable cost through mail order. They are the largest supplier of specialized gunsmith tools and supplies in the world. GET THEIR CATALOG, they have a book section alone that can teach you a wealth of gunsmithing tricks and lore! Tools 5 and 6, which are specialized gunsmithing tools you will use for every project, come from them.

Brownells' phone number is 641/623-4000. The 8 oz. Grace Brass Hammer is #354-001-008 for around $14.00. The Nylon Bench Block is #928-100-000 and costs about $16.00. It is a small (2 1/2” across) model, and they also carry a 4” that costs a little less (it’s made of polyethylene) #498-100-100 for under $13.00.

The brass hammer is a necessity for this type of work. It won’t mar finishes as bad as a steel hammer and I try to avoid hitting steel punches with a steel hammer. Why? Shattered steel from hardened punches; sparks and chips to damage hands and eyes. And most steel hammers are way too heavy for gunwork. An 8 oz. brass hammer is best, and a 4 oz. is okay for light work. A two dollar pair of safety glasses anytime you use impact tools is standard as well.

The nylon bench block is one of those items you don’t have to have right away, but once you use one you’ll wonder how you did without. An acceptable substitute is a eight inch block of 2 x 4 board, sanded, with a 1/4” hole drilled in its center. For driving out the plastic pins on a KelTec, you could probably lay the frame across two hardback books that are the same thickness, spaced an inch apart.

Tools 7 and 9 (the 6” drill bit and tap) are more specialized, and are available from two industrial supply houses. The part numbers I list are the least expensive version of an item they have, which usually means an imported tool. If you want to buy American, ask the phone rep to look up the part number, but it will cost a good bit more. Ask for a catalog with your order.

MSC Industrial Supply - 800/645-7270 - They have a catalog of over 4500 pages weighing eight pounds. By far the most in-depth product line, once you order you will get sale catalogs that have some good bargains. Do yourself (and your back) a favor and request the CD-ROM version of the catalog be included in your order. If you have a Mac, ask if the CD version is compatible. 6” #26 Aircraft Extension Drill Bit - #01008267 -$1.53 6” Extension Tap 10-24 - #04708251 - $10.13. Prices are subject to change of course.

Airgas/Rutland Tool - 800/289-4787 - their catalog is a “mere” 1100 pages. 6” #26 Aircraft Extension Bit - #8032 6026 - $3.08 and the 6” Extension Tap - # 7117 4016 - $21.04. Their higher prices are due to these parts being made in the USA instead of imported.

The above companies have websites, but call the first time as you have to set yourself up as a customer, request a catalog with your order etc. I always like to know if the items are in stock right now. If they are out of stock, try the other guy.

By far, the Nylon 10-24 x 1/4” Set Screw (4) is the single hardest item to find. A METAL SET SCREW IS NOT PREFERRED FOR THIS JOB. Metal screws need permanent Loctite or glue to stay in place and then still tend to back out. Under impact of the trigger the metal ones will eat at the plastic frame threads more, making it get even looser. I tracked the nylon ones down at a specialty electronics supply on the web, but you have to buy a minimum of 1000 of the little buggers. Even when I found them at a couple of suppliers, the price range ran from three cents each to thirty-six cents each. Quite a difference in markup.

So here’s the deal: if you can’t find them locally, email a request to the email address on my CONTACT page, include your address and I will send you a couple for free when I can, while they last.

DO NOT SEND ME YOUR GUN! I DO NOT have an FFL and I sadly must decline to do this modification for you. All it would take is ONE person not removing the serial numbered frame from the grip before sending the grip in and they become a felon. This is my hobby, I am not in business as a working gunsmith.

I did find the Nylon 10-24 screw shown at the right at several local hardware stores in various lengths. You could clamp it in a vise, cut it off with a fine-bladed saw or cutoff wheel to 1/4”, then slot the cut end with a file or saw. Installation would be easy, but adjustment once the Loctite dries might require using a screw extractor and making a new one.

And as I have said, you don’t HAVE to get all these tools for this job, especially if you don’t plan on doing a lot of this Gun Tinkerin’ stuff. Heck, you could use a icepick, compass or even a long nail you sand a good point on in place of the prick punch, since this first project is on a plastic frame. But I managed to accumulate a fairly large stash of proper tools by sending a $40.00 money order to Brownells every paycheck. In six months I had enough cool stuff to notice an increase in both quality and ease of my projects. The extended tap and drill bit are pretty much necessary to this job though. Check the length of any drill bits (#26) or taps (10-24) you may have. They must have at least 4 inches outside the chuck to install the overtravel stop.

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