Keltec P3AT .380 or P32 .32 Auto Info

[Guest wijodo]

Curious if anybody owns one of these guns and what your thoughts are on them. Have you seen any for sale recently? Thanks

[lowbud]

both are great little guns. 380 ammo can be a PITA to find, but in reality, how much are you really going to fire a little gun like this. I had both models and I never had a single issue.

I sold my P3AT on this board yesterday. I would have kept it but I'm trying to thin out my collection and make room for other things...

[Guest jimdigriz]

Curious if anybody owns one of these guns and what your thoughts are on them. Have you seen any for sale recently? Thanks

There were a bunch of P3ATs at the recent gunshow at the fairgrounds in Nashville. I picked one up, but in the ensuing month have not been able to find any ammo for it anywhere, despite pestering the poor Walmart, Bass Pro, and Dick's people constantly. Finally I put in a backorder over the Internet. Who knows when the ammo will ever arrive. Jim

[Guest wijodo]

both are great little guns. 380 ammo can be a PITA to find, but in reality, how much are you really going to fire a little gun like this. I had both models and I never had a single issue.

I sold my P3AT on this board yesterday. I would have kept it but I'm trying to thin out my collection and make room for other things...

Thanks!

[Ghooge2008]

My p32 is an awesome gun for deep concealment...I literally could put the barrel and trigger guard in my front coin pocket and not even need a holster! I had the pf9 and didnt like it but the little P32 is a nice pocket pistol.

[Motasyco]

I have a P-3AT and my wife has a P-32. Both great for what they are intended for, concealed carry. Never had a problem with either. My 3AT is in my front pocket most of the time and I hardly notice it, let alone anyone else noticing. You won't win any marksmanship awards with one, they're made for up close and personal. As a bonus, it seems that their value just continues to increase. That Obama sure is a heck of a good gun salesman.

[Guest gunslinger707]

I have a p32 it's like american express don't leave home without it !:D

[mousegunner]

My prefered method of concealed carry is "front pocket." Weekdays I wear khaki pants, and can carry a GLOCK 27. But Sundays, in suit pants/thin material, the p3at is what comes along. It is ideal for a situation like that. The p3at is a good gun, and if it has troubles, Kel-Tec customer service will make it right pretty quick.

[gtssilver]

I have had a P3at for a few years now. I carry it every day in my back pocket with a pocket holster (designed for a front pocket). It fits flat so it looks like a wallet and dose not come above the top of the back pocket on jeans, khaki's, or carharts.

I dont know of anywhere around you that has them but here in Chattanooga GT distributors has them for $259.99 or the ruger LCP for $289.99

G T Distributors Product Detail

G T Distributors Product Detail

[Guest tnvolfan]

I have the Kel-Tec P32 and a Bersa Thunder 380. The Kel-Tec P3AT is the exact same frame as the P32. The biggest problem with shooting the 380 mouseguns (Ruger LCP, Kel-Tec P3AT, etc.), is that firing one feels like you're catching a hot baseball bare-handed! The small 380s are not pistols that you can take target shooting! The Kel-Tec P32 is different. You can shoot it a lot and not wear out your hand. The sights on these guns are horrible. Many folks improvise with a little model car paint, or if they want to spend another $200, put a Crimson Trace or similar laser on them. The P32 also has a 10-round magazine that you can buy, but the P3AT does not. I think it has a 6 round mag and 1 in the chamber. The Bersa 380 is great. It's about 1.5 times the size of a P3AT, but it does not hurt to shoot. The sights are great and you can have an 8 round mag + 1 in the chamber. It also has a safety. You can also buy a Bersa Thunder 380 Plus, which allows you to shoot the high pressure ammo. If I had it to do over, I would have bought the Plus instead of the regular Bersa that I have. I carry both the P32 and the Bersa for different occasions. My favorite is the Bersa -- a very dependable and accurate gun.

380 ammo is terrible to find and will cost you too much. If you go to a gun show early, you can sometimes find it. Ordering target ammo over the internet is not always dependable, but you can get the personal protection ammo easy enough. If Georgia Arms attends the gun show they usually bring 380. Last gun show they went to they brought it and I bought 1000 rounds, and I'm glad I did. 32 acp is not too difficult to find -- I have bought it at Wal-Mart and several gun stores. I even found 500 rounds over the internet. You just have to keep checking on supplies. Good luck!

[orientalexpress]

You can also buy a Bersa Thunder 380 Plus, which allows you to shoot the high pressure ammo.

They make .380 +p?

[Karnage]

I have a P3AT. It is a great carry gun. With mine after about 200 rounds it began to have problems extracting spent cases from the chamber. It did this with several different brands/types of ammo. I sent it back to Kel-Tec for service. When I got it back they had replaced every part of the pistol except the barrel and internal frame. I know a lot of people who have P3ATs and to me it looks like sometimes you get a good one and sometimes you get a lemon. It shoots great now, no problems. Thanks to Kel-Tec I basically got a brand new gun again.

[Guest wijodo]

Thanks for all the info, I appreciate it!

[Guest TNMedved]

I have to agree with the above about the .380 ammo issue; really hard to find. In fact, it was so hard to find that I sold my P3AT, and went with a .32. That ammo is much easier to find. However, I am having a similar problem now b/c I went with a Seecamp .32, which is kinda picky on ammo, and I have only been able to locate 1 box of Speer Gold Dot. I find that Remington .32 is very plentiful, however.

[Guest eyebedam]

Goodlettsville Gun Shop had 3 Kel-Tec P3at & a Lcp just the other day. Give Phil a call he will do ya right.

Phillip Arrington

Goodlettsville Gun Shop

602 S. Main St

Goodlettsville Tn 37072

615-859-8822

ggunshop@bellsouth.net

www.goodlettsvillegunshop.com

Edited July 4, 2009 by eyebedam

[Guest 1shot]

I have the 380 Keltec now but did have the 32. I had to finish off a couple of deer that were hit high in the shoulder taking out the spine but were not dead with the 32 using the Cor-bon JHP and that made me set rid of the 32 and get the 380. I had to finish off a deer that was hit be a car and the 380 using Conbon JHP did a much better job. Never had any problems with either pistol.

[Guest Bluemax]

The P3AT ia a great little gun for conceiled carry. I would recomend the third gen model that came with the plastic carry case. They seem to be a little better made than the earlier models

A previous post mentioned firing the gun was like catching a baseball bare handed and thats a pretty good analogy but a slip on grip really helps

[Guest wijodo]

Goodlettsville Gun Shop had 3 Kel-Tec P3at & a Lcp just the other day. Give Phil a call he will do ya right.

Phillip Arrington

Goodlettsville Gun Shop

602 S. Main St

Goodlettsville Tn 37072

615-859-8822

ggunshop@bellsouth.net

www.goodlettsvillegunshop.com

I appreciate it!

[Guest tnvolfan]

They make .380 +p?

Buffalo Bore ammo is printed on the box as .380 +P. I don't feel comfortable shooting it in my Bersa Thunder .380. I don't know who shoots it in their .380, but it would be nice to know who shoots what. I can't imagine someone shooting it in their LCP, but some probably do. Anyway, there's your info,

[Guest eyebedam]

I was on the prowl for the ever elusive .380 ammo today & stopped by reloaders bench since it's about 2 miles from my house. They didn't have the ammo but did have a lcp in the case for 349.00. Just FYI

[GLOCKMEISTER]

I like hte keltecs but I have the LCP now and like it better.

[Guest TNMedved]

I had the P3AT for a while, and found it to be just as tnvolfan described: a bit hot in the hand, but it's not like you're going to be putting hundreds of rounds through it at the range (in all likelihood that is) both b/c you are probably wanting it to carry, and also, as pointed out, .380 ammo is hard to come by. I just recently sold my P3AT to my friend, and I went with a Seecamp .32. I liked the feel in my hand (just better made, you know?) and the ammo is easier to come by.

Cheers.

[Guest 3pugguy]

Curious if anybody owns one of these guns and what your thoughts are on them. Have you seen any for sale recently? Thanks

I have a Kel-tec P32 and have both the factory magazine and the one I keep in it, with 10 shot capacity. For its intended purpose (for me, the last resort, get the ___ off of me, in close, as in shot to face, neck or anywhere I can hit), it's a good little gun.

Easier to shoot with the extended magazine, but controllable with either magazine. No problems with it to date, maybe 300 rounds thru it. For more info, there is a Kel-Tec owners group (KTOG.Org - Kel-Tec Owners Group). Same site has details on a "fluff and buff" for KT pistols; the guy at TN Gun Country has a P32 and I asked if he thought it worth the trouble and he said not to him. First time I cleaned it, it looked pretty smooth, i.e. not a bunch of machine marks, etc.

Main carry is a Glock19 and on occassion, a Ruger P89.

Edited July 7, 2009 by 3pugguy
add main carry gun