MphsTiger1981

I bought one from another TGO member back in January. I like the way it fits my hand, and I'm a big guy, so I don't find it any harder to carry than the G19. Despite some of the bad press, the one I have is a great shooter that runs like a top. Congrats on getting it for such a great price.

Thanks Patton. Your overall review mirrors everything I've heard about the Anniversary Kit thus far. The primer tool and the scale seem to be the weak links and will be the first items I know I'll want to replace. If I can get the costs of the .38s to $7.50 per 50 that would be about half of what I'm paying locally for reloads, and even more savings from the factory loads which are priced around $17.95 for 50. I also think the hobby itself will give me something productive to do with my time besides watch TV and surf the interwebz.

Thanks guys for the input. Canebreaker I appreciate the offer and may take you up on your offer. I shoot more 9mm because I have two 9mm guns and only one .38, but the .38 round is more expensive to buy over the counter. It also depends upon what bullets I can find locally. I'd like to find some cheap cast bullets for the .38 special. I have some Bullseye, but I was discouraged by another reloader for buying it, as he claims it is too fast a burn rate powder for a beginning reloader. The Lee kit comes with a lot of stuff, but lacks the dies and calipers.

I just bought a Lee Anniversary press kit last week and I'm waiting for it to be delivered. I bought a Lyman reloading manual and have been reading to get some idea of what I'll need to purchase in order to load safely. I need to purchase my dies and bullets, so the question now is which caliber to attempt to load first? I have 9mm and .38 special handguns. Is either one of these two any easier to load than the other? Suggestions or recommendations? Thanks.

It's the second oldest profession in the world.

+1 for the Range USA folks. I frequently shoot at the one here in Memphis and it is run by quality folks with good customer service attitudes. They are a family friendly environment. Check out their date night special on Friday, Saturday and I think maybe Monday nights. $39.95 plus tax for a meal in the grille for two folks, one lane, targets and two boxes of ammo. Heck, the two boxes of ammo could be worth that much alone in the right caliber.

Nice pair.

Talk to Andy over at Arms Fair on Trinity near Germantown Pkwy, the street that runs beside and behind the Wal-Mart.

jcj, As an alternative to a new belt, you might consider finding a good cobbler and ask him to cut the belt to fit you and re-dye it for you. This is something that should fall within your budget, that is provided you like the belt you have right now. I've also have a black faux lizard skin Blackhawk dress belt that I bought from eBay that has stiffeners in it that works well for me. It was about $40 shipped if I recall.

Dolomite, I recently refinanced my home at a lower rate and I'm now receiving offers for insurance in the mail, almost daily. The last one I read offered to insure us (me and the wife) for the amount of the mortgage for the life of the loan, regardless of our balance of the loan at the time. If I'm not mistaken, it also offered to refund the entire amount of all premiums paid if we both outlive the loan, which if you pay it off early might actually happen. Worth checking.

Pfries, If you're married I'd have a long pow wow with my wife, give her the pros and cons, then get her input before deciding what path to take. She may ultimately be the one who will have to deal with the consequences of any decision you make, either way. Best of luck finding a new and safer job soon, bro.

Good information! Welcome to TGO, and thanks for sharing.

Good for you, O/P. Glad things worked out okay. Clint Smith likes to say in a case like that to use the long stick on the right side of the floorboard to your advantage.

Likewise, I'm still having trouble finding the threads on J Frame Social Group.

Occupy an independently owned coffee shop because you think the owner is one of the 1%? How freakin' out of touch are these knuckle draggers? That said, half of the folks that go into a Starbucks every morning near me are doing the same thing. They go in, order one cup of coffee and maybe a danish and then set up their office complete with laptop and cell phone, and proceed to sit there for hours at a time.

I've had two of the full size RIA GI models and loved them. Both of them ate every type of ammo I fed them and were more accurate than I ever could be. I thought the triggers were fine for my purposes, but then again, I'm no 1911 aficionado. If I was going to drop a grand on one, as much as I like the RIAs, I'd probably go with a used Colt full size and maybe spend some money to get it professionally tuned. Just my $.02.

Christmas Vacation!

Congrats on the new purchase and thanks for sharing the range report. So which self defense ammo are you going to use?

I owned the PF9 and my brother in law has the Ruger LC9. The Ruger seems to have less perceived recoil to me personally, and it has a little more finished look to it. The Kel-Tec was a good gun, but just a tad too big for pocket carry, and I just never felt comfortable with it on a belt holster when I had larger guns with more capacity that fit the same niche. I would also make sure the O/P is aware that Kel-Tec has changed its program and is only giving warranty repair service to the original buyers of their guns. This is a pretty drastic change from years past, when they never asked if you were the original owner or not. That being said, the little guns are pretty easy to work on and if you have problems, they will mail you the parts you need to fix it yourself. Not many gun makers that will do that these days.

I have owned several of the little Kel-Tec pistols and I also echo what the previous posters all say about their customer service. I've had several that were good to go out of the box, some needed tweaking with parts mailed to my home from the factory (what other gun manufacturer will do that these days?). As suggested above, KTOG is a great place to start and go to the P3AT sub-forums and read some of the current threads and perhaps do a search on "failure to extract". What Jonnin suggested also will help and that is if yours has the hex head bolt on the right side of the slide, double check to make sure its good and tight. That bolt holds in the firing pin, the extractor spring and extractor, so if it is loose, it can reek havoc on the reliability of the small guns. Have you ever done a "fluff and buff" on the gun? If not, how many rounds do you think you have in it? If all else fails, before you mail it in to them, why not pick up the phone and talk to the folks in Customer Service? They are very friendly and very familiar with the guns. I doubt you've got a problem they've never heard of, or run into before. Don't give up on the gun. They are really pretty good for what they were designed to be, a small very concealable, get off of me pistol. I've had really good luck with them and would not hesitate to buy another. Many folks swear by them, and some swear at them. Hope you become one of the former. Good luck.

Sorry, but I didn't know Savage still had a radio show here in our area. I guess they moved him on later in the night, to just before the show where people call in to talk about their Alien abductions and encounters. The kid appears to be relatively intelligent and speaks well explaining why he prefers his guy over Newt and Mitt. I guess the question is, will the younger generation that voted so heavliy for BO, get behind Ron Paul in this election? In other words, will RP become the next "Hope and Change"? Should be interesting.

Nice find. Congrats!

If the gun works with two hands and you're experiencing failure to feeds shooting with one hand, chances are its not the gun. Sorry to utter the words, but it is possible that you're probably limpwristing it. The small .380 handguns like the LCP and the Kel-Tec P3AT are extremely light and work based upon the recoil. If your wrist is not locked, the energy is not there to properly work the slide and you end up with a FTF. Grasping the gun tighter does not eliminate the possibility of a limp wrist. The wrist will need to be locked, almost as if you were extending your arm and pushing the gun forward with your wrist while pulling the trigger when shooting with one hand.

My personal nomination for "Worst Movie Ever" is any movie with either Hugh Grant or Nicholas Cage in it. Grant just sucks, and Cage, well, let's just say I just never forgave him for divorcing Lisa Marie for starters....

Okay...let's see I forgot to ask one other question, and that was "why did you leave the safety of your car?" Sure, he looks like he can lift the car, but can he also outrun it?