My friend Mycroft Holmes let me try her out. His wife likes wheel guns but Mycroft has a nice collection of various pistols. This one, a Keltec P3AT .380 acp. Fully loaded with 6 +1 in the barrel, it weighed 11.2 oz fully loaded (Jay G had a great post last summer comparing it with a Colt 25 acp).Here is my range report, in short:
I named the gun "Nancy". She's small, skinny, not particularly pretty and has a mean bite if you're not careful. On the other hand, she's accurately deadly in close for something with a lousy sight picture.
- Brigid
I don't think I'll buy one, but I see why my friend carries it often. As Jay G. would say - that is all.
27 comments:
It is what I carry every day, I have fired between 600 and 800 rounds through it 25 or so +p rounds. A good daily carry for the office worker, I switch to the 1911A1 when I need to go into the city.
Devastatingly accurate with a Crimson Trace Laser. Biggest problem is getting enough 380 ammo for adequate practice.
When I saw the title of your post, I thought it was going to be "I fired it" or some such.
I still think you covered it neatly.
Whoops, dead second link in my post but you can still get the full story. In KT defense, the serial number on my second generation pistol is really low. Yes they offer a warranty; but shipping back to factory is quite expensive if you do it more than once.
@ Anonymous- I loved the Kel-Tek P3-AT and I have shoved at least 3,000 rounds through it with a Crimson Trace Laser. Actually enjoyed shooting it after a while and it was accurate. Then things went bad. Blog
Replaced the extractor and still no joy. Same problem. I don't trust it to carry. I know others that have no problem with them. For 275 dollars, I guess you get what you pay for.
I'm going to <a href="http://keads-anotherday.blogspot.com/2010/05/kel-tek-part-iii.html>this:</a>
Handled one in Charlotte past weekend. It actually has driftable, usable sights. Unlike the CTC laser, you can decide if you want the laser on or not on this one to. Should be out in channel in June. MSRP 575.00
Sorry, another bad link! I am embarrassed! I teach XHTML! So I guess the old saw is true, those that can't; teach! LOL! I'm leaving it, you can cut and paste the URL to see the S&W.
Further reasons for my less than stellar posting forthcoming!
FWIW, just got a Ruger LCP this weekend and put about 50 rounds through it. Amazing litter critter. No sights to speak of but by the third magazine I was making the empty juice jugs do a dance (juice jugs = poor man's reactive targets) across the range. Give one a try for comparison some time.
Thanks for the update Brigid! I'll pass on it though and stick with my Colt Agent.
@Old NFO, I agree!
@Anonymous with the Ruger, LCP stands for Little Copied Pistol from Kel-Tek in my book. Nothing wrong with that per se, but still....
My Kel-Tec P32 is named Minnie (Minnie Mousegun). She has a CT laser. She's easy to shoot and VERY easy to carry. I'm 5'6" and 120 pounds, so I have trouble carrying a large handgun.
I also have a KT Sub 2000 in 9mm which I love. Also easy to shoot and easy to carry. A folding carbine is quite marvelous and fits in a backpack easily.
For people interested in Kel-Tecs, go to ktog.org, a well-moderated, civil, very informative site. It just needs more women posters.
@Natalie, I have a retired female LEO friend that carries a P32. She loves it! The Forum is great just as you said. I agree with you on the female posters however, need more!
Looking at really bad commercials, (EAA comes to mind on the outdoor channel) and watching "booth babes" at the NRA convention sign posters makes me feel uncomfortable. That is not helping the cause!
I have found that first time women shooters are the most attentive students and best new shooters period. Less testosterone fog I guess! I really enjoy teaching them how to operate a firearm.
I don't really have a problem with Kel-Tek per se, just with them on Serial # K01##.
K
You know the same Nancy that I do apparently.
I love the P-9, though it kicks like a Colt Commander.
If one's going down to .380, one might as well just carry a medium size .22lr.
One of them will be my next pistol. Small enough that I could carry it literally anywhere. A let better than a right hook or a pocket knife.
Kel-Tec now offers a 9 round magazine for the P3AT.
@ Keads 3000 rounds!! man, thats more than I think most people will ever put through theirs! I will fire a half a box or so every couple of months at 5 yards just to stay proficient.
I did a write up of the P-3AT versus the LCP last year if anyone is interested...
http://hueysgunsight.blogspot.com/2009/08/lcp-vs-p-3at.html
It's small, ugly, cheap, and it works. That's all you need for a daily carry piece.
I was able to shoot a Ruger LCP that belonged to a friend. My reaction was much like yours.
I still prefer my M442.
All I needed to do was pick up a 3AT at a gun shop to know I didn't want one. For 2 ounces more weight, the Kel-Tec PF9 is my choice. It finds its way into any pocket and is convenient for everyday carry. Galco pocket holster or Cross-breed "tuckable" complete the wardrobe.
Took mine out today as well, did pretty well from 7 feet away. My Keltec pistol is "my gun, when I can't carry a gun", gun.
I did have a one in .32apc and my snubby, but sold it off, got the .380 and haven't regretted at all. Then snubby didn't get used all that much,and the Glock 19 could do it's job then some.
It amuses me how some turn their noses up to small calibers as not actual 'guns.' In my experience, it doesn't necessarily take a big gun to thwart a questionable situation. I've carried practically every caliber in sizes that range from one end of the spectrum to the other, and I must wonder why...unless I am in constant combative situations...should it matter if I am carrying a .22 or a .45? If I have to throw down with a rattlesnake, a rabid skunk or (God Forbid) a human agressor - I'm coming out in rapid fire and that sucker is going down. I recently switched from a bulky 9mm to a SigSauer P238...I'm in love, and I don't care who knows it!!
I haven't found a KT pistol with a trigger that I've liked. I don't get it, I've shot the P2000 and it was fine (sorta strange sight picture, but the trigger was good!), but all the pistols felt really wrong in the pull.
I have the .380 version. It's maybe an ounce heavier,a nd recoil is half again as much.
It's FUN.
Well... Ok, the first magazine is fun, then it starts becoming less fun quickly. On the other hand, it's light enough to be an "always gun".
Oops, I misread that your friends gun was the .32 version. Still the .380 is fun (the fun just wears off fast) and I can keep all rounds in a 6" circle at 25 yards, so certainly good enough for close in work, and a heck of a lot better than a stif punch.
Following up on my May 17 post, Minnie Mousegun the P32 has very little kick. Nothing like my Glock 26 at all. I, too have fairly large hands for a woman, and the P32 fits my hand fine and is very comfortable to shoot.
I haven't had any problems with it but people posting on ktog.org report that the manufacturer (known as the Mothership) is VERY helpful. I did get a shipment of accessories very quickly from them.
In what is, per capita, one of the nastiest cities in the country,
son #1 is a narcotics detective.
Most of his buddies carry a KelTec .380 as a backup gun, and enough of them have been used for me to say they work.
Just watch the ejector. I've had to replace two of them for the guys. They don't break, they get lost in cleaning. Bitty little buggers go AWOL very easy when the pistol is apart. Lose the ejector, lose ejection.
Oddly enough, the little bugger fits my small hand pretty well, and with 95 grain linotype bullets I'm pretty good on 7 yard silhouettes. The laser sounds perfect for the reflex shooting the pistol is primarily used for.
So, I don't own one, but I've 'smithed several, and shot perhaps 200 rounds out of three. For what it is designed for I have to give it an A, and one is definately on my list. Crimson Trace. Hmmm...
Decent BUG. Wouldn't be my first choice but it surely beats harsh language and a rolled up newspaper.
@RC- +1, totally agree. That is why I do not entertain "minimum stopping caliber" wars on my blog. First rule of a gunfight is to have a gun!
@Ed Foster- +1, yes that little thing will go missing in a heartbeat for the uninitiated! And I must say (no compensation, ok FTC?) Crimson Trace customer service is simply fantastic! And as an Electronic Engineer I must say they make a great product!
@Shannon,- +1, I totally agree with your assessment on the caliber wars. I have carried the Kel-Tek to a Colt Combat Commander in .45 and I really don't have a lot of concealment options. I simply would not want my center mass ventilated with anything, thanks! Continue the good caliber war fight!
@Huey148,- There were some reasons for that, primarily I just got in to reloading and the make 50 and shoot, adjust, make 50, etc. came into play. Kel-Tek says every firearm they make is good for at least 6K rounds. I wanted to see if they mean it!
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