Thinking of a Kel-Tec...

[czmatt]

Ive been thinking about saving up for the possibility of getting a Kel-Tec. Mostly for a warm weather gun. Just the right size for a pocket pistol. Im thinking that I dont want to always wear my P-01, if im wearing shorts, or what not. Anyone have any comments on their Kel-Tec?

[flycaster]

Which one are you considering- the P32 (.32 cal.), P3-AT (.380 cal.), or the P11 (9mm)? I've had the P11 and the P32. The P11 was a dependable little pistol, but tough to shoot for more than 50-75 rounds of practice. My trigger finger got pretty raw from the trigger guard on recoil. It's pretty hard to argue with a 15 ounce pistol shooting 9mm loads, though, for under $300. I still have the P32, and it's a sweet little pistol. It can be carried hidden unless you're about nekkid (sorry- don't mean to be too personal!).

Chuck

[czmatt]

I was thinking about getting the 9mm, because I own a 9 right now. But also wouldnt mind the 380 i guess.

[gbundersea]

Matt,

Here's a thread (http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147617) about the Kel-Tec P-3AT, which includes my own detailed report. I have been very pleased with mine. It is my "always on" gun.

[Thanantos]

I purchased a Kel-Tec .380 about a month ago and have had some problems. Being a Glock shooter I am a little spoiled, and I expect my weapon to fire everytime no matter what. When you buy a Kel-Tec you are definetely NOT buying a Glock or Sig or H&K. You can probably expect to have to walk your weapon through some issues that are known and for some reason Kel-Tec just refuses to fix from the factory. I would recommend if you buy one to get the hard chrome upgrade. These seem to function better "out of the box".

But where else are you going to find a fully loaded .380 that weighs about 10oz.? So for such an innovative product it is a small price to pay, and speaking of small prices you can usually pick one of these up for around $230 depending on where you live.

[pbass]

I threw over my P32 for a PM9 (and won't consider a P3AT) because after trying my best, I'm still not good enough to shoot the P32 acceptably well, mostly because of the miserable sights (some say this is no big deal in an arm's-length gun, which makes perfect sense if one can arrange for all antagonists present to line up an arm's length away, no hostages or bystanders, please). But the PM9 conceals no worse than the P32 in my front jeans pocket, has great sights and trigger, and shoots 9mm +P. It'll have to do until I can figure out how to hide my G17 in my front pocket.

[2002gti]

i also have a p32 and is pretty unreliable. its already been back to keltec for having a spent case lock up the slide. it is one of the most accurate guns in my arsenal though. im able to dance tin cans at 40 yards with it pretty easily. i just picked up a pm9 but cant comment on it, i havnt shot it yet.

[pbass]

Good for you if you're hitting with it, wish I'd been able to. There's a smith on KTOG who does reliability stuff dirt cheap. About the PM9, have you checked out the barrel recall letter on the Kahr site?

[trapshooter]

I have a P3AT. They are inexpensive, small, light, and with a bit of operator involvement before shooting, are reliable. Accurate at any reasonable range (inside 25 yards, say), and do very well in the role for which they are intended, IMO. A very good 'carry in light clothes' gun, or as a B/U, 2nd B/U gun. There are smaller guns, but you have to trade something to beat the P3AT, like weight, or caliber, number of shots, or go way up in price and still not get the whole combination in one gun. Besides, if you have to use it, would you rather have to surrender a $230 gun to the DA or a $500+ one?

[flycaster]

Gren- if I have to use it, my only thought is, is it going to go "bang" when I need it, putting the bullet(s) where I want them? In self defense, reliability must be number one. Having said that- a Kel-Tec, once it's running smoothly, will be very dependable, for a very low price.

Chuck

[Drakejake]

Good firepower in a small, light package. The .32 and .380 are really tiny. Not always reliable or durable, so you may have some problems before you can trust one of these. No fun to shoot, but easy to carry. I cannot shoot any of mine accurately, so I would be out of luck except up close. The 9MM jammed until Kel-Tec replaced the barrel and recoil sping. The two .32's and the .380 have fired every time. KT has good customer service and a strong fan club of owners.

Drakejake

[old_yout]

I recently got a P32, after deciding that I'd read enough about the P3AT to wait a few years until all the bugs are out of it. I've been very happy with my P32. It's so light and small and it's always on me. I carry Speer Gold Dots in it.
I'd support buying one.

[45 Fu]

I owned the 9mm (is it the P-11?) for a good while. It was easy to carry, accurate enough for social purposes, and ran well. The only reason I got rid of it was because of the trigger. It is looooooong. There was really nothing wrong with it, but shooting only 1911s and Glocks I just couldn't get used to it. Other than that I was satisfied with it. They are good, sturdy little guns.

[dairycreek]

Haven't fired it all that much, perhaps 500 rounds total. No malfunctions of any kind. Used UMC FMJ ammo and it worked well. I installed a clip on the gun so that I could wear it with shorts, sweats, and light clothing in general. That has been IMHO a particularly good choice. It does not have a "match" trigger but considering the cost it has been an okay little gun. Good shooting;)

[care-less]

There is an entire forum dedicated to Kel-tec enthusiasts. The web address is www.ktog.org That is the place to find out anything you need/want to know about the Kel-tecs.

[Marcus]

The P-11 has some nice features as a carry pistol. Very lightweight,great firepower for it`s size (new ones will have 12rd. flush fit mags,earlier ones can be upgraded with .40 followers available from KelTec),and the slick IWB belt clip which IMO is one of the greatest things since sliced bread. It`s downside? Gotta be the trigger. The pull is rather long but not all that heavy (about 8.5lbs.). The KTOG trigger stop is a nice and practically free add on. I really like the trigger shoe too. This is one gun you actually have to shoot regularly to get (and STAY) good with it. Don`t try to stage the trigger,just pull it through smoothly and when shooting two handed wedge the "trigger finger" of the support hand up tightly under the trigger guard (Ayoob StressFire style) and it`ll greatly decrease vertical stringing. Once you`re used to it it`s not too bad and it really inspires confidence when carrying with the trigger uncovered using the belt clip. I like the trigger of my Kahr P40 MUCH better but I wouldn`t carry it without a holster that covers the trigger! I`ve got well over 10K rounds through my P-11 with no problems at all so IMO durability is not and issue. To sum it up,go for it but buy lots of ammo and practice,practice practice. Marcus

[azrael]

FIRST POST!!...and its about a KT...lol

I own several KT's...The P3AT CAN be a bit touchy...both of mine have performed 100% for me...I carry one everyday..

[jjayj]

i just bought the 380 today and had three "failure to load" events with silver tips...is there a fix?

[jjayj]

seems the gun doesn't like six in the mag and one in the chamber...shot it more today with failures only when loaded with 7 rounds

[alamo]

Mine did that initially when new. Believe the mag spring is just a bit stiff - I got a ruler and worked it up & down a couple of dozen times and it worked fine after that.

[Craig M. Arnold]

I have two KelTec P3ATs. The first one has about 950 rounds through it. The second one has about 550 rounds through it. Both ran perfect until I started using Santa Barbara (Spanish) ammo which is very HOT. After about 200 rounds of the SB ammo, both my assembly pins "walked". I got a hard chrome upgrade for my first P3AT and after about 300 rounds of Federal and Winchester FMJs, it's perfect again. I did an assembly pin modification that was recommended on the KelTec forum on the second P3AT and after about 200 rounds of FMJ ammo it has also been perfect too. Overall, I am very happy with the little KelTecs.

I carry one of my P3ATs in my front pants pocket as a BUG everyday. My primary CCW is either a CZ PCR or RAMI.

Best regards.

[johndavid400]

My buddy has a Kel-Tec .380, and IMO, it is nothing more than a dangerous toy. He spends more time unjamming it than shooting it. The 9mm does however look like a more well built gun, still for the money its a little high. I have shot his .380 and cannot hit crap with it... plus I had 4 jams in two clips. Polished the feed ramp, had a gunsmith inspect it and he could not find any problems, still jams like crazy. My buddy is dying to trade it in on a real gun and I don't blame him.

[JerryM]

Johndavid,

Why does not your friend send it back to Kel Tec? My experience with them has been excellent.

Jerry

[mpi]

i have had several p-32's and p-11's, and got a p3at just after release. Mine are super, no problems and i didn't have to perform any of the mods discussed on KTOG. i have however sold 2 to my old partner and he hated them, had tons of ftf's and such????? this was with guns i had owned for some time with no prob's.

[pinetree]

I really like my Keltec P32. I have big hands and trimmed a Hogue Handall to add a little palm swell. I found the rubber also helps the gun stay in place better when using the clip, though I most ofter use an Uncle Mike's pocket holsters. The gun never sees safe time and is always with/near me.

The 9mm Keltec sells has a following, but I thought the trigger was horrible.

tjg

[Darkangel]

No problems here with the P-32 or the .380

[alamo]

mpi - I suspect your friend is limpwristing which can be easy to do with such a small/light pistol. Either that or the ammo he's using or lack of or improper lubrication. Maybe a combination of all.

[johndavid400]

Jerry M,
I told him that he should, but he was hesitant to get the gun in the first place because of how cheap it looked, but he went against his instinct and now feels like he should have known better. I think that he could get it working and might actually enjoy it, but he is a S&W man and this is his first non-S&W handgun, so I think he is beyond wanting to repair it... He has already picked out the S&W that he wants to trade his keltec in on. I am not really in a position to comment on the gun, though I have shot it many times and have not been impressed with any part of the gun, except its incredibly tiny, lightweight frame.

[trapshooter]

On the P3AT. Polish the chamber. I used a Dremel, a felt wheel of the right diameter, and jeweler's rouge. No jams. The things work, but you need to put a bit of 'personalized' effort into them first. At $230 bucks, it's worth it, I think. Go to KTOG, Or the Kel-Tec Range websites. They have all the skinny on what you need to do to make these things run just fine.

[E357]

I have three - 9mm, 380 and 32 they all work great. I love the 380 and follow KTOG and the Kel-Tec Range forum, some very adapt people there. I think most problems come from people just taking the gun out of the box and shooting it - without a proper cleaning and lubrication. Very simple guns to maintain.

Upon my advice my friend bought one with me at a gun show; good deal $220 apiece for two 3-AT's. He asked me what he needed to do to prepare the gun for use. Since he shoots all the time, I just said "nothing, enjoy it!". Well he took me word for word and did NOTHING - no cleaning, no lube etc. He also bought some crazy reloads at the show (380 +P). The gun blew out the mag, broke the mag catch - it's plastic - and bent the barrel lug - but held together and no injuries. I checked the unfired reloads - they were 9mm charges. I explained how there is no such thing as .380+P and appologized for not telling him to oil and clean the gun. He mailed the gun to Kel-Tec and two weeks later they sent him a new hard chrome one for free and picked up the shipping charges. - Those people are just wonderful.

Elliot