KelTec
KelTec grips
Kel-Tec (Kel-Tec CNC Industries, Inc.) was founded in 1991 in Cocoa, Florida, by Swedish-born firearms designer George Kellgren (born 1943 in Borås, Sweden). After working for Husqvarna Vapenfabriks in Sweden, Interdynamics AB, Intratec (contributing to the TEC-9), and Grendel, Kellgren established Kel-Tec initially as a precision CNC machine shop producing parts for other manufacturers, including Grendel
In the early 1990s, amid the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban and rising demand for compact, high-capacity concealed-carry pistols, Kellgren pivoted to firearms manufacturing. The breakthrough came with the P-11—a lightweight polymer-framed 9mm semi-auto with 10+1 capacity—launched in 1995, quickly becoming a top seller and establishing Kel-Tec as an innovator in affordable, high-performance handguns
Kellgren personally designs most models, emphasizing smaller, lighter firearms with higher capacity and innovative features. Key milestones include the PMR-30 (.22 WMR, 2010), Sub-2000 folding carbine (2001), RFB bullpup rifle (2008), KSG pump-action shotgun (2011), and CP33 pistol (2019). By the 2020s, Kel-Tec ranked among the top U.S. handgun makers, celebrated for bold engineering, reliability, and value—celebrating 30 years of innovation in 2021
