Here's another review of one of the add-ons that we did as a part of our
KelTec P11 Improvement Project:
We were chatting with Gabe from
Hundred Plus Custom about his steel replacement magazine catch/release. Generally, metal parts are more durable than plastic ones, but we weren't quite catching on to the reason for replacing the mag release.
First of all, here's how the KelTec (and many other firearms') magazine release works...
The magazine has a notch on it. As with most non-ambidextrous magazine releases, the KelTec's notch is on one side of the magazine (shown here on the front corner between the 5 and 10 round witness holes).
This notch corresponds to the magazine catch inside the grip of the pistol. Inserting the magazine slides the catch out of the way and, when fully inserted, the catch drops into the notch to hold the magazine in place. That would be the small shelf on the bottom of the right leg here:
Pressing the magazine release moves the catch out of the notch and allows the magazine to drop out.
In the case of the KelTec P11, the magazine catch is made of plastic while the OEM Mec-Gar (and most aftermarket) magazines are steel. Gabe told us that if you shoot your P11 often (which we do), it is almost a certainty that the metal-on-plastic action of normal use will wear out the plastic release and require it to be replaced. Doing some research online indicated that this may happen even more frequently on pistols with the pinky-rest magazine extension (which we have) due to extra downward force against the catch from the magazine. Of course, a metal catch would not have that problem.
While it's true that KelTec, with their great warranty and customer support, will send you a replacement plastic magazine catch if/when yous wears out, who really wants to deal with waiting on replacement parts tearing their P-11 apart (or, more costly, sending it to a gunsmith) every time the magazine starts getting loose? More importantly, for those who carry the pistol as a defensive weapon, who wants to risk drawing their weapon if they need it only to find that the magazine has dropped out at a
very inopportune time?
So, after learning a little more about it, a shiny new magazine catch was in the mail to GunLink HQ. And shiny it was! My first reaction when I opened up the package was that it was a beautifully machined piece of kit.
Installing the part was easier than I had anticipated, especially since I already had some work to do that required taking out the frame assembly (see the trigger job post above for instructions on that). With the frame removed, the magazine catch spring slides up out of the top of the grip.
With the spring out, the plastic catch slides out toward the right side of the grip. Check out the difference between the molded plastic part and the stainless Hundred Plus part. It's not hard to see how the "shelf" on the plastic part could get rounded off or worn but the steel part will hold up over time.
Installation is almost the exact opposite of removing the old part. The catch slides into the grip from the right side. The hole in the top of the catch holds the longer leg of the spring. Slide the spring leg into the hole from the inside top of the grip with the rest of the spring hanging out into the magazine well, making sure that the spring is fully seated into the hole. While keeping downward pressure on the spring from the top of the grip, reach into the magazine well with your finger, compress the spring and swing it over to the groove on the front-right corner of the mag well above the catch. I was able to get it "mostly" in the groove with my finger and popped it the rest of the way in with a flat blade screwdriver. Once the catch is installed, reassemble the pistol as described above.
The metal magazine catch will no doubt hold up better over time than its plastic counterpart. It also adds a nice aesthetic touch to the pistol, although a blued part would be nice since the shiny stainless does stand out against the black grip.
I was initially worried about the metal catch wearing on the finish of the magazine, but then I realized that the majority of our other pistols have metal catches. On those firearms, some wear is evident above the magazine notch but the wear is very minor and only cosmetic. I imagine that the Hundred Plus catch will barely mark the black MecGar finish, let alone wear through it.
With the new catch installed, it seems like I can feel it with my strong (right) hand thumb. I'm not sure if it actually sticks out farther or if I'm just paying attention since I know that I just installed it. In any case, it isn't enough to make it uncomfortable at all or to worry about accidentally releasing the magazine.
The finished product:
To find out more or to get a steel mag catch for your P-11 or P-40, visit the
Hundred Plus website or
facebook page.