kel tec p3at

[wipfel]

i was thinking of getting a kel tec p3at for my wife to conceal carry, and i was wondering if the gun was reliable and accurate enough?

also, would an ankle holster be an option for this gun?

[Defender]

I've read of many problems with breaking in one of these...many have reported they need a "Fluff & Buff". But I bought one earl;ier this year and have had absolutely NO problems with mine at all! I carry it as one of my backups daily and occasionally as a primary carry when I cant get away with anything else. Just watch the price you pay. They are all over the scale, both new and used. Do research online, also check out the Kewltec Users Group online for info. Make sure you know which generation you are getting, 12st or 2nd...and if you are patient, you will see one reasonably priced used, and maybe even new.

[mousegunner]

The Kel-Tec p3at is a fine pistol, accurate enough for up close self defense. Nothing could be easier for ankle carry. Customer service is as good as it gets.

[bockey]

My wife's nephew, is an undercover policeman carries one of these.

[Guest jimdigriz]

I had one for three months, and sold it because it was virtually impossible to find 380 auto ammo. I called two Walmarts everyday, and also called Dick's and Bass Pro Shops, and nothing.

Save yourself an exercise in frustration and get the Kel Tec P32. Not too difficult to find ammo for that. Later, if the ammo shortage clears up, you might consider the P3AT again.

[BigPoppa]

When/if you get one, run 100 rounds thru it with ZERO glitches before you deem it reliable enough for defensive carry.

Once you get the reliability issue put to bed, there is no lighter, flatter, easier to conceal pistol out there. It's perfect for ankle carry if you must ankle carry....(I'm not a big fan of ankle carry, unless it's the only option in a certain circumstance).

As far as accuracy, this is a close-in, bad breath distance last ditch "air bag" pistol. It's accurate enough for that role.....where distances will be measured in feet, not yards.

My / YMMV

[MikeW]

I have one on right now.

I was shocked at how accurate I can shoot this little gun. I found .380 last week in Mount Juliet... Jimdigriz didnt call the right place.

[gunsablazin]

I have a Kel-Tec .32 that I pocket carry. I trust mine to function properly if needed. as far as accuracy goes I have made center of mass hits out to 25 yds., and that is way farther than these guns were intended to be used. As a last ditch close up carry gun, you could do a lot worse. IMHO

[Guest Ben]

As already mentioned....Great little "backup" gun that can also be used as a primary for your wife.

Look at it this way...7 shots of 380 or .32 to someones face and chest will ruin their day and allow your wife to come home.

[hipower]

Have had 2 Kel-tec pistols, still have the P32 and love it. Great little pocket gun. For many reasons hated and sold the Pf-9. I would highly recommend the 32 or the 380 for your wife. Because of the supply issues with 380, I'd go with the 32.

I know there's a lot of different loads available but I've found the Privy Partisan 32 to be quite good. PACKS MORE WHALLOP Silvertip 32 rounds and gives much better penetration than the hollow point.

[Guest jimdigriz]

I know there's a lot of different loads available but I've found the Privy Partisan 32 to be quite good. PACKS MORE WHALLOP Silvertip 32 rounds and gives much better penetration than the hollow point.

You can also get it in bulk for about 27 cents a round.

http://www.ammoman.com/webstore_32.htm

[RCCsDad]

I have had 2 of the P3ATs. A first gen and a second. I personally never had a problem with either.

I would suggest looking at the Ruger LCP. To my eyes, it has had more thought put into the production process. Just looks higher quality and is basically the same gun. Around here, there is only $10-$20 difference in it and the P3AT.

I actually just gave my Mother my LCP for her to carry. She has had her permit for close to 10 years now and never carried a gun on her person until this one. For Christmas, she will get a Crimson Trace laser and a Galco holster handbag.

Ammo to me is a non-issue. After the initial break-in, I do not anticipate her, myself or anyone else to shoot this thing at the range very much. I have too many other pistols that are actually fun to shoot. Sure, I would like for there to be more ammo available, but I have been able to find all the fmj I wanted at the Outpost and my Dad just bought 5 boxes of Hornady Critical Defense for her (out of the 40 boxes in the shipment) in Dickson.

Edited October 29, 2009 by RCCsDad
ammo

[Guest Todd@CIS]

When/if you get one, run 100 rounds thru it with ZERO glitches before you deem it reliable enough for defensive carry.

Once you get the reliability issue put to bed, there is no lighter, flatter, easier to conceal pistol out there. It's perfect for ankle carry if you must ankle carry....(I'm not a big fan of ankle carry, unless it's the only option in a certain circumstance).

As far as accuracy, this is a close-in, bad breath distance last ditch "air bag" pistol. It's accurate enough for that role.....where distances will be measured in feet, not yards.

+1 on all points.

I've bought 6 KTs over the years (two .32s and four .380s). Three of them eventually had to go back for repairs.

Within the past year, I bought two NIB P-3ATs...neither would work right from the start. Sent them both back to the factory and had them do their thing.

I haven't had a malfunction from either pistol since. KT's customer service was excellent (they even paid the shipping both ways).

Their customer service is the only reason that I can still recommend KT products.

IMO, KT lets too many lemons out the door and they need to tighten up their quality control. But, if you do get a lemon, in my experience they'll make it right.

All that said, I carry a S&W 642 for off-duty and back-up.

Edited October 29, 2009 by Todd@CIS

[edellson]

Out of the box RELIABLE ....500 rounds with not even a hiccup, accurate for me up to about only 15 feet (4" groups) but everyone is different. I carry mine every day.

[Trekbike]

In my research we ended up with the LCP for my wife. In her comparison of both, she didn't care which one we bought. I did quite a bit of reading, etc. on both. IMHO I think the LCP is a higher quality pistol.

You may want to check out the following videos. The first is for the 3at. The others are on the LCP but he ends up comparing it with the 3at so it's good info.

YouTube - Kel-Tec P-3AT .380 pistol: Airweight Defender

YouTube - Ruger LCP pistol: Undercover Cool

YouTube - Shooting Ruger LCP .380: Amazing Accuracy

Regarding your question on ankle carry with the 3at, not sure why you would want to unless she never wears pants with pockets. Those things are so small that they drop in a pocket really easy. I save ankle carry as my last choice when I carry if I can. That is unless I'm going to be doing a good bit of sitting which makes it more desirable.

Don't let the 380 shortage push you to a .32, I know it is still a little hit or miss on finding some but it's out there. It seems to be getting better all the time.

Good luck with which ever one you choose.

[Guest jackdm3]

This is half off topic, but the first gun I bought was the KelTec .40 that I don't see anymore. I don't use it either. On my second or third trip to the range, I was still getting poor results, what with very harsh recoil and all. A few lanes over was a guy in a ratty white t-shirt with a long barrel .22 pistol. He asked if he could shoot mine. I remarked at how he was shooting paper pie plates like me. (Good way to man up your accuracy) He ran the target retriever all the way down the lane like that famous scene in "Lethal Weapon" What is that? 75 feet? He made four out of five onto the plate having never shot one before. It shows you that the man is more important than the machine.

YouTube - At the shooting range (from Lethal Weapon movie)

[Farman]

My wifes' P3AT has never had a glitch and she scored 95 on her HCP qualification with it. I't her pocket gun. It's just not a fun gun to shoot 50 thru it at one time.

A couple of mags worth is plenty.

[graycrait]

I carry a P32 everyday. I've had and worked on a couple Keltec.380s. I don't have one myself any longer. A friend of mine did quite a few wet newspaper penetration tests with .380 and .32 ammo. Seeing it is a "last ditch - I've made a series of bad life decisions- chose the wrong geography, etc" pistol we both carry ball ammo in our .32s. Both my wife and I have Keltec P32s, the hardchromed version. It isn't necessary but the hardchromed ones are easy to clean and require less of a fluff and buff. Here is how to do the Fluff & Buff: GoldenLoki.com

[wipfel]

I got a chance to see a LCP in action this past weekend at the CHMR range, and thought it was nice gun. A fellow shooter was nice enough to offer me a change to fire a few rounds as well. I definitely wasn't very accurate with it, especially since he seemed to do better offhand than i could with two! i did come away with a good impression, though.

in response to the ankle holster comment earlier, my wife does end up sitting almost all day and often (maybe 50%) doesn't have pockets on her suit pants or skirt. at first i thought ankle was her only option, but with the size of the ruger/kel-tec she might have an IWB option as well. it will all boil down to what she's willing to put up with, i guess.

[DMark]

.... in response to the ankle holster comment earlier...., it will all boil down to what she's willing to put up with, i guess.

I often carry a P3AT as my BUG using a DeSantis Apache Ankle Holster.

Light & Flat, I do sometimes forget that its there.

[Parrothead]

I had a 2nd gen. I like it. Not something you want to take to the range and shoot a lot. It will damn near kill your hand

i found that a hollow point in the chamber and ball points in the mag was the way to go!

[frankmako]

it is a good gun, got once myself. got my wife the p32, she likes it better than the p3at. but either way they both are good guns. now i got one of the first 2nd gen p3at that came out. i had to do some f&b on the barrel. now the p32 is one of the first made and all we done with it was to shoot it.

[Guest Cole]

The P3-AT has been in my pocket for well over two years now. It does take some getting use to at the range and I would also confirm the need to run 100+ rounds through it for the break in. I actually liked it enough to design a pocket holster that may meet your needs if you decide to purchase the P3-AT or the LCP. Jeff Quinn did a review of it at GunBlast. [ Recluse Pocket Holster for Small Semi-Automatic Pistols ] Some ladies like it for purse carry since the handgun comes free with one hand. Another option coming out sometime in the near future is the Taurus TCP 380.