Kel-Tec
Overview
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
manufacturer of firearms. Founded in 1991 and based in Cocoa, Florida
Cocoa, Florida
Cocoa is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 16,412 at the 2000 census. As of 2008, the estimated population according to the U.S. Census Bureau was 16,478. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Cocoa was...
, the company has manufactured firearms since 1995, starting with small, affordable semi-automatic pistols and expanding to rifles. Kel-Tec is a privately-owned Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
. George Kellgren
George Kellgren
George Kellgren is a Swedish-born firearms designer and founder of the gun manufacturer Kel-Tec. He is well known for numerous products including the Intratec Tec-9, Kel-Tec P-11 and Grendel .380 ACP pocket pistol. He holds patent 7469496....
is an owner and Chief Engineer. He is the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
designer who also designed many earlier Husqvarna
Husqvarna Vapenfabriks Aktiebolag
Husqvarna Vapenfabriks Aktiebolag was a Swedish firearms manufacturing company in the town of Huskvarna by lake Vättern.-History:...
(in Sweden), Swedish Interdynamics AB (in Sweden), Intratec
Intratec
Intratec was a firearm company based in Miami, Florida. The company's most famous product was the TEC-9.- History :Intratec began as Interdynamic USA, an offshoot of Swedish firearms manufacturer Interdynamic AB. Due to the lack of firearm market in Sweden, Interdynamic AB set up a subsidiary in...
, and Grendel
Grendel
Grendel is one of three antagonists, along with Grendel's mother and the dragon, in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf . Grendel is usually depicted as a monster, though this is the subject of scholarly debate. In the poem, Grendel is feared by all but Beowulf.-Story:The poem Beowulf is contained in...
brand firearms.
According to the ATF
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
, Kel-Tec is the third largest handgun maker in the U.S.
Weapons manufactured by Kel-Tec include the P-11 pistol (caliber 9 mm); the P-32
Kel-Tec P-32
The Kel-Tec P-32 is a compact semi-automatic pistol using the short-recoil principle of operation. Chambered in .32 ACP, it is popular for concealed carry in the United States. It was designed by George Kellgren, the Swedish firearms designer associated earlier with the Husqvarna, Intratec, and...
pistol (Caliber 32 ACP); the P-3AT pistol (Caliber .380 ACP
.380 ACP
The .380 ACP pistol cartridge is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case. It was introduced in 1908 by Colt, and has been a popular self-defense cartridge ever since...
); the P-40 (Caliber .40 S&W
.40 S&W
The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could...
)(discontinued); the SUB-9 and the later SUB-2000
Kel-Tec SUB-2000
The SUB-2000 is a pistol-caliber carbine manufactured by Kel-Tec CNC Industries of Cocoa, Florida, United States. The rifle is a blowback operated, semi-automatic firearm with its operating spring located in the tubular stock....
, both semi-automatic pistol caliber carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
s that fold for storage.
Unanswered Questions
