Bought one new. Didn't go for sky blue or hot pink. It has a black plastic frame.

Light, small, 380 Auto caliber.

Took it out to the range with 5 boxes of Federal ammo, 95 grain FMJ.

Ergonomics are okay. I have big hands, but that didn't keep me from being able to grip it. Recoil was very tolerable, but a sloppy grip was rewarded by a good solid smack on the trigger finger by the trigger guard.

The sights, and I almost put that word in quotation marks, are two white dots, one in front, one in back; not adjustable.

The trigger pull is looooong.

After firing, as the trigger is released, there are two clicks. You want the second one. If you release to the first click (about 1/8" of release) and then pull the trigger, the hammer does fall, and the chambered round might go off and might not. I tried it twice. Went off the first time, not the second, but it did dent the primer. The second click occurs after about seven inches of trigger return, and once you're there, you can pull the trigger back all the way, and the gun should fire reliably.

Aiming at the center of 8" x 10" sheets of paper at 7 yards, 98 out of 100 shots were on the paper. Almost all were in the bottom half of the paper. Carefully shooting for groups gave big groups. Maybe that will improve with practice. Minute of undershirt is about all I wanted this gun for anyway.

The gun fit comfortably in a jacket pocket, and drawing it and firing from there was a snap.

Accuracy, ergonomics, "sights" are all satisfactory or better. Concealability is wonderful.

Oh, and no malfunctions in 100 shots. I'll update as more are fired and comment then on reliability.

I've got a problem with the way brass is ejected. I'm left handed, by the way. About one out of ten ejected cases popped me solid in the forehead. One in five at least grazed my head.

Out of the half box I shot right handed, all the cases missed me, so the argument could be made that the problem is my left-handed shooting and not the gun. I may try and make that argument when I sell the gun to someone right handed.

I will shoot some more to see whether I can manage the brass hitting me in the forehead problem. If not, the gun is for sale for sure. I don't wear glasses or a hat ordinarily, and I don't want to worry about putting my own eye out with an ejected case if I am ever pressed to use the gun without such protection.

I know that I might be able to adjust the load or locate different springs, but I prefer to get a good percentage of my money back out of the gun and buy something else. It's not a terrible gun. It just doesn't suit me.

H. C.

I handled one belonging to a friend ,he was in a hurry so I didn't fire it , With my large [size 9] hand I could barely get two fingers on the grip. It must be snappy to shoot , weighing so little !!

Try the Kahr PM9. Function, excellent. Accuracy, excellent. I bought one and have never been more pleased with a very compact carry gun.

My carry gun is a Sig Sauer P232 in .380 and I love the way it shoots. The only thing I really have a problem with is the damn springs are so tight I have to really struggle to load the magazine after the first 3-4 rounds. Oh well!

Check with Midway. There might be a loader mad for that magazine.

quote:

Originally posted by gotogirl3:
My carry gun is a Sig Sauer P232 in .380 and I love the way it shoots. The only thing I really have a problem with is the damn springs are so tight I have to really struggle to load the magazine after the first 3-4 rounds. Oh well!

I bought one of these also. The reliability was horrible. The pistol would not eject spent casings and jammed continually. I sent the pistol back to Keltech and got it back after a month of waiting only to find it had the same exact problem as before. I've since gotten rid of that pistol and would be hard pressed to spend my money on another Keltech product.

quote:

Originally posted by Pist:
I bought one of these also...

I'm just curious what the ejector looked like after you got it back.

I called Kel-Tec, and they said "Oh, you've got one with the old ejector in it." They sent me the new ejector for no charge. It looks quite different from the old one, and I haven't been hit really solidly with an ejected case yet.

I have never had a failure to eject or extract.

I've been shooting Federal FMJ ammo. Let me run to the ammo cupboard... Ah, it's American Eagle 95 grain metal case bullet ammo. Maybe you can beat the problem with different ammunition.

I bought it a Thunderwear holster for it. I took a weekend trip with the wife and baby, and I asked my wife when we got back whether she could tell that I had been carrying all weekend. She could not.

H. C.

I have a Keltec P3AT with over 800 rounds thru it.I mix brands and bullet weights in mag and gun has never failed.I carry it with Fed Hyda shocks and never worry about it failing.
Dave

Neat gun. We had to send a few back for extractor problems when they first came out; I HATE IT WHEN CUSTOMERS ARE USED AS BETA TESTERS.

Accurate Plating and Weaponry did the hard chrome finishes, which here in Florida are a MUST.

Loaded with +P ammo it is a formable deterrent.

PIST, even as Kel-Tec's factory plater APW had problems getting warrenty work done. K-T rushed the gun into production and had orders coming out their ass. APW would get 100 guns a week for plating and would wait 40+ days to get some back for retail sales.

I just bought the P3AT for the ultimate in concealed carry. On advise from another forum, I got the parkerized model, not the blued. It seems the blued ones tend to rust pretty fast if not cared for. On their website, the parkerized finish commands a high price. My dealer had both for same price--$239. I like the locked breech. I don't like that the slide doesn't lock open after the last shot. It seems Kel-tec eliminated that feature to give one extra round in the magazine. OK, I can live with it; just have to count shot while I'm pulling the trigger. All in all, not a bad DAO trigger pull. It's the price you pay for no safeties. It makes the gun nice and simple.

I've been shooting my 95 and 115 grain handloads and perfect function. Dealer said the trigger would smooth out after about 200-300 rounds. So far I've shot 50.

HenryC470 judged the usefulness of this neat little handgun with one factory load, and FMJ load at that. Who carries for defensive purposes with FMJ ammo? Certainly not me! I use either Cor-Bon or Goldot hollow points.

This is going to make the ultimate t-shirt and shorts, hot weather carry gun.

I have been shooting way overloaded handloads in the P32, P11, P40, and P357.

The P3AT [.380] cannot take overloads or the cases will bulge.

Still, I carry the P3AT with a clip in my shirt pocket.

When I go someplace dangerous, I carry a 45.

i carry one of the 32's w/ RBCD in it. It has funstioned w/o a hitch. and thats after running it through the washing machine twice, DUH!

Like my Kel-Tec mostly for concealment. Small and light don't hurt for all day carry. Have a small holster (custom made) that makes it look like a billfold in pants pocket (even Levies). My P230 is not difficult to conceal but is a little larger and WAY heavier than the Kel-Tec. Also have a titanium Taurus .38 that works in a shoulder holster. Us old fat guys have problems with guns around the waist.

My opinion is that one needs to find a comfortable carry combination hat ensures you have the gun if it's ever needed. No time outs because you left the heavy uncomfortable carry gun in the trunk.

My wife carries a P-11, the 9mm version. If you don't care for the long trigger pull it is made lots better if you order the trigger shoe. It is 1/2 inch wide and seems to make the pull a lot less in both length and weight. It can be ordered through the kel-tec website.

I bought the P3AT about a month ago. So far it has functioned reliably. I carry it in the Nemesis holster by Desantis. It feels like a wallet in your back pocket. It's the only gun I have that I can completely conceal with dress clothes on.

Like mine a lot, mostly for concealability. Also carry a P230 but it is a bit heavier and bulkier than the Kel-Tec. One thing though, every carry gun that I have will have a minimum of 500 rounds through it with 100% reliability before I'll carry it. Just my way of having confidence that it will work if ever needed.