kel tec P3AT .380

[jipped genes]

just bought one. pick it up friday.

all the reviews are very favorable. its a basic, reliable, concealable little 380 that holds 6 and can slide right into your back pocket.

its also super light and very accurate for a little point and shoot pistol with rudimentary sights.

it aint for targets but in a scrape it will be there when you need it to function and without having the size and weight of some of the other super compacts.

i am paying $200 for it. i think they normally cost between $230 and $300 depending on the finish. (got a buddy bought one and needs the $$$) never fired

[horsepwr]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

I have the P32 that the P3AT is based off of. I love my P32. It's like AmEx. It goes where I go. I can hit pretty decent with it too, out too about 15-20ft. A friend that goes shooting with me got the P3AT. It's basically the same gun, so it should be a reliable piece. Just count your rounds when you practice with it so you don't dry-fire it every mag. The .380 doesn't have last-round lock-back. Also, the sights on the .380 are less pronounced than the .32. This was a problem for me at 1st.(with the .380, of course). also, I quickly got used to the 10rd extended mag with my .32, which allows for a full grip. My solution to getting tighter groups with the P3AT was to press the frame of the pistol against the palm of my "strong-hand" with my thumbs. It's hard to explain without showing you what I mean. You just bend your thumbs up slightly, and press them against the frame as they'll lay aginst the frame, one behind the other. If you can imagine what I'm explaining, this grip made the P3AT a much better shooter than it was before I thought of this grip. Or, it made me much more accurate with it than before.

One thing that helps with grip is to change the base plate of your mag with a finger-catcher base plate. One of my lgs sells them for $4.98.

You got a good deal too! $100 off is not bad at all.

Get acquainted with it, so you know how good you are with the pocket-pistol.
Some good practice time with these pocket-pistols is invaluable. You'll see what I mean from the 1st mag to when you start workin over 2 separate targets at a semi-rapid rate-of-fire.

That's a bargain worth every penny, and more!

[6p6]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

my wife and I both have one...great for conealability but let me worn you these guns jam and stove pipe a lot. several things you can do to minimize the stove pipe...use ball ammo...it feeds much better then LE type balistics. make sure the gun is heavily greased...this gun needs to be wet at all times or it will jam.

also realize this gun is for when your standing in line at subway and someone in front of you decides to hold the place up...this is not a target gun and even with my skills I wouldn't want to take a shot over 10ft that needed precision.

other than that this is a great gun for throwing in a pocket or purse...its about the size of a wallet and not much heavier! This gun also makes a great secondary weapon or a great hidden compartment weapon...

[6p6]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

oh also you can take the slide and have it polished and it will feed much better. I haven't done it to my gun yet but i have several friends who have with great results...

[horsepwr]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

my wife and I both have one...great for conealability but let me worn you these guns jam and stove pipe a lot. several things you can do to minimize the stove pipe...use ball ammo...it feeds much better then LE type balistics. make sure the gun is heavily greased...this gun needs to be wet at all times or it will jam.

This should not be happening. These guns are very easy to limp-wrist though. These guns will not jam, or stove-pipe, if you hold it very tight. You can easily have the issues you listed if you limp-wrist these guns in the slightest. I'm not saying you don't know how to grip a pistol, but these tiny guns have to be gripped tight. Not having a full grip, (a finger hanging off the grip) doesn't help with this. My friend's jammed with his mother shooting it several times because she just didn't quite hold it tight enough.

It should eat any, and all, ammo you feed it without fail. Next outing. Pay extra attention to limp-wristing. If this doesn't solve the problem, send them back. This should not be happening.
By your explanation, though, I feel confident that it's a simple grip-fix in that both of you are having the same problem, and by the type of problem. What are the chances of both of you getting bad guns?..know what I mean? I could be wrong though. I have once before.

also realize this gun is for when your standing in line at subway and someone in front of you decides to hold the place up...this is not a target gun and even with my skills I wouldn't want to take a shot over 10ft that needed precision..

I've put just under 1200rds through mine. They're great target pistols. And you've realized why I say to 'practice practice practice'. Especially with these pocket-pistols! It is difficult to hit well, much passed 10ft, until you get a couple hundred practice rds down-range.
I'm extremely confident with my P32 out to about 7yds. With pretty fast follow ups. It took some practice though.

I wouldn't be comfy with something I couldn't be confident in placing a shot past 10ft. I have targets to show what a slow-hand like myself can do with a pocket-piece. Actually, just check under the FG shooting contest thread. I think I posted a target from one of my early outings with the KelTec.
You can get accurate to making 'precision' shots even out to 21ft. The gun is more than capable.

other than that this is a great gun for throwing in a pocket or purse...its about the size of a wallet and not much heavier! This gun also makes a great secondary weapon or a great hidden compartment weapon...

yes sir. It's very concealable and comfy. I have one on my hip right now, and can hardly even tell it's there.

[deepsouth]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

excellent little pocket gun and I believe they sell a clip so you can clip( that mounts right on the gun like a pocket knife)it to your pocket

[horsepwr]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

excellent little pocket gun and I believe they sell a clip so you can clip( that mounts right on the gun like a pocket knife)it to your pocket

yep. if your local gun-store doesn't have 'em. You can order one from right here:

http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/cart2/product_info.php?cPath=3_25&products_id=222

Call the 800 number if ya want and they'll get ya one right out. Their good to deal with too.

[JsJs24]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

I'm buying a Ruger LCP .380, hopefully this weekend at the gun show if its as cheap as Bud's Gunshop.

[horsepwr]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

The LCP has a good rep too.

[jipped genes]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

thanks guys. i did get the grip for it as you can see in this pic. much better!!!!!!!!!!!!

gonna shoot it next weekend. will compliment my 9mm

my son has a P22 he loves and it is reliable until you get a few hundres shots through it and hicups until its cleaned again. but as a rimfire it wont be quite as good as a centerfire.

real happy with the way this little pistol fits in my pocket. i need a pocket holster and it will be even better

[horsepwr]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

Awesome! You got one of those deals ya just can't pass up!

Here's the base-plate w/ finger-catcher that I'm talking about.




It replaces this: (The old base-plate in the finger-catcher packaging)

with just the push of the pin on the bottom. Make sure the mag is empty so the spring doesn't fly over your shoulder when you slide it off.

Put a finger-catch on the mag, along with that grip, and you'll have a good hold of it.

And I gotta throw in a pic of my P32 with the 10rd extended mag. No aftermarket either. It's a Mec-Gar as well, straight from KelTec.

I get a good grip with that sucker.
It looks like it needs a wipe down because it does. It just came unholstered for the photo-op. And now it's back where it belongs. It gets a bath before bed-time.

[jipped genes]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

thanks HP! that is some good stuff right there. i may also buy a 10 round extended clip. i hear they give the capacity and more grip

[horsepwr]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

thanks HP! that is some good stuff right there. i may also buy a 10 round extended clip. i hear they give the capacity and more grip

yes sir. I love to share tips and such.
That's the thing with the P3AT. There's no 10rd mag offered from KelTec for it, or even an aftermarket. That was 1 of the 2 deal-breakers for the P3AT for me. That, and I like to practice on a regular basis, so the .32acp is the more affordable shooter.(cost of ammo.)
Grab ya one of those finger-catchers to replace the mag base-plate with, and that'll help allot with holding that .380 in place. Think about your thumb placement when you take it out. Press the gun against your strong-hand with both thumbs by pressing them against the frame, like I mentioned earlier, just incase ya missed it. That grip really helped me with accuracy.
My friend's hands are a good bit narrower than mine. The finger-catch allows him a full grip. So if you have the right width hands, you might get your pinky involved with just the finger-catch base-plate.

They're great little guns! People fall for these little things pretty quickly.

If you go shooting outside. Not an indoor range or under a roof. Let me know how yours throws your spent casings. If it does like my buddy's. It throws the casings straight up about 20ft, and they land behind the shooter about 20-30ft. Pretty cool.

[jipped genes]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

yes sir. I love to share tips and such.
That's the thing with the P3AT. There's no 10rd mag offered from KelTec for it, or even an aftermarket. That was 1 of the 2 deal-breakers for the P3AT for me. That, and I like to practice on a regular basis, so the .32acp is the more affordable shooter.(cost of ammo.)
.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=199719

they got 10 rd mags now bro. of course they are out of stock immediately

hell i dont want the added weight and size of the bigger clip.

[horsepwr]

Re: kel tec P3AT .380

yeah, I forgot about the Promag. That's been available for a while. It'll work. or, it might work, I should say. but it sticks out the bottom a good inch or so with plenty of mag-wabble.
You don't want that thing. Especially for carry, the way it hangs out the bottom of the grip.