Keltec 380

[Will]

Does anyone have a keltec 380? If so what do you think of it. I'm thinking of buying one for concealed carry.

[garandsrus]

Will,

I have one. They are tiny and disappear in a front jeans pocket. I also got the holster for it so that it looks more like a wallet if anyone even notices.

Definitely not a long range gun, but I have been happy with mine.

John

[Bill*]

Same here. I like mine. I put the grip extenders on (not mag. capacity extension) and made it feel a lot better as I have fairly large hands

[Will]

Thanks for the replies. Did you have trouble finding them? Where I've checked they have a waiting list to get one.

[dsmjon]

I've got the p32 and pf9, looking to get the p3at and p11 at some point. The p32 is roughly the same size dimensionally, and loaded w/ nearly 90gr boolits over 2.4gr Unique, it is a HANDFULL. I have large hands, and without the extended mag, the thing is very hard to shoot fast... but for what they are, they're awesome. Damn sure disappears in the pocket, or as I prefer, with the IWB clip.. for about $10, you gotta have a clip! Carried IWB about 2:00, it is very comfortable even when sitting down.

[machinisttx]

The two we have work fine so far, but I haven't really had the opportunity to shoot them as much as I'd like. .380 ammo seems to be non existent right now, and I haven't bought dies to reload it yet.

ETA-- the wife's P11 has functioned fine with everything except Winchester 147 grain HP ammo.

[Finster101]

I have a Kel-Tec in .32 and I am very happy with it. I put an armalite laser on it and that really changrd the pocket imprint. I also felt that if I had to use a pocket pistol, bringing it up for a good sight picture may not be possible, just look for the red dot. I have had it for 3 years now, fired it quite a bit and no service issues.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

I have one, and love it. It is with me all the time while bigger stuff only when I head into areas more likely to be problem. I have shot PMC RN ball, Winchester white box FMC flatnose, 95 gn cast round nose over 2.0 gn Red Dot, and same bullet with 2.0 gn Bullseye. No malfunctions since I bought it, and have shot maybe 500 rounds through it. I shoot maybe a magazine every two weeks, and can now keep almost all shots on a paper plate at 15 yds despite the tiny sights. Great pistol.

[dk17hmr]

I have the P32 also...I carry it with factory 60gr Winchester Silver Tips, its a great little pocket pistol, I do carry it in my front pocket when I am wearing baggy shorts in the summer, IWB when I have have on jeans.

I dont use the sights, or lack of sight, I shoot it via point shooting....and believe that is the way to go with a small round hits on target quickly has its benifits.

[sheepdog]

I get decent accuracy out of it. Very small and light. Even with the LCP out Id stick with the P3AT.

[lamina1982]

I have one as well, i think its a great gun. I even got decent accuracy at about 50 yds. finding ammo does stink sometimes though. I have shot it a ton and it does great

[GabbyM]

Shot my daughters P3AT in 380 acp a few weeks ago out in AZ. Had some hand loads of 2.6gr WW231 under my Lyman 100gr TCFP. Kept all bullets in the black at 50 foot. 2.6 gr was plenty of powder. No pinch point or bruised hand but it understandably snaps back into your hand hard. About 20 rounds was all the fun I wanted. Neat little gun. My daughter carries it everywhere she goes.

[MtGun44]

Like my P3AT. Never had a malfunction. Reasonable accy out to the 15 yds I consider
max sensible range. Very easy to slip into a pocket with a good leather pocket holster.
Brilliant design. Wish it had more prominent sights, other than that it is about perfect for
what it is.

Bill

[EMC45]

I had one. Great gun, flat, light and easy to carry. My only gripe was obtaining a second mag for it was kind of hard. I sold it and bought a Mod 36 no dash Smith. Much happier. They will shoot cast though. I ran 120gr. bullets through mine and it did good.

[Shepherd2]

I bought a P3AT shortly after they came out and I've carried it ever since. I bought the pocket/belt clip for mine. It's real handy and doesn't get in the way when shooting or if I just drop the gun in a pocket.

I got a 2nd mag for mine from Kel-Tec. That is the only place I could find one. I think it cost about $30 but it's a MecGar so that made it easier to swallow. I bought the clip from Kel-Tec at the same time as that was the cheapest place I could find one.

I really like the gun. It's compact size and light weight make it great for carrying and it is accurate and reliable. MY only complaint is that mine puts a tiny ding on the case mouth when it ejects. Since the .380 is one cartridge I don't reload for it's not a big problem for me. Heck, I can't find most of the empty cases anyway.

[fourdollarbill]

The first p3at I bought needed a good hand polish on all the slide points but that is a very easy thing to do. With large hands I could not get the back strap of the pistol into the crotch of my hand so I had to fire the gun with the back strap gripped below my thumb on the muscle. This caused too much cushion and in turn caused a failure to feed. I thought for the longest time it was the guns fault. A friend of mine wanted to buy it and I advised him of the FTFeed. He claimed it will not FTF in his smaller hands and he was right. He shot about 20 rounds and bought the gun. To this day he claims no FTF's.

[johnlaw484]

When they first came out everyone at my department bought one. As the range master I had to disqualify at least half do to poor functioning, mostly jamming, stovepipe and magazines dropping on the ground.
Most traded them off for the Ruger LCP. No one experienced any problem with the Ruger as it fuctioned flawlessly.

[Finster101]

When they first came out everyone at my department bought one. As the range master I had to disqualify at least half do to poor functioning, mostly jamming, stovepipe and magazines dropping on the ground.
Most traded them off for the Ruger LCP. No one experienced any problem with the Ruger as it fuctioned flawlessly.

There has been extractor upgrades since the fist models. Winchester Silvertips feed through mine flawlessly with the standard mag or the 10 rounder.

[jimb16]

For practice, I use 93gr cast RN plain base bullets with a light charge of Bullseye. Function is perfect. I even use it to shoot woodchucks out to 30 yards. Well placed, the cast bullet drops them in their tracks. They usually just roll over, but I've had a couple do backflips! My first one was an early P3AT and the extractor was a real problem. I have a later one for my ccw and I've never had a failure to feed or eject. It is every bit as reliable as my Colt Gov. .380.

[frankmako]

yes i got one and love it. drops in my back pocket.

[autofix4u]

P32 x3 & p3at x2. also have a p11 & p40, Both of 3at's have been flawless. I had to call kel-tec for some problems on one of the p32's. Customer service is second to none. I have extended mags for the 32.s but not the 380's. I have carried my p32 everyday for 5 years and about 10k rounds with no issues. They are quite snappy with stout handloads but I have never found it unpleasant. The p40 now that's another story!! I know why it only saw a few months of production........ Ps, I have all the models of Grendels as well,, the Kel-tec's grandaddy.

[MtGun44]

"Snappy" is exactly the word I use to describe the recoil on my P3AT.
Interesting that you would choose it, too. :-)

Bill

[Tazman1602]

Had one for about four years now. Took some basic polishing to cure the feed issues and slide was a bit rough P3AT. It's my regular carry weapon and fits in just about every pocket I've got without looking like your carrying anything. Ammo has been hard to come by but I bought two cases when I bought the gun..........it was available then and still have a bit more than a case left. It likes to be shot, that will loosen things up considerable. The only thing I wish it had was a bit more area on the slide to chamber a round and you absolutely cannot ride the slide home.

I bought the belt clip and mag extenders and am very happy with the gun. Not overly accurate like my Ruger P90 but it's easy to carry all day long and accurate enough for close encounters of the worst kind.

I read about extractor upgrades here and now I've got to check that one out.........

Art

[johnlaw484]

There has been extractor upgrades since the fist models. Winchester Silvertips feed through mine flawlessly with the standard mag or the 10 rounder.

They certianly needed something. However they are not an issue now, everyone has the Ruger LCP.

[nelson133]

I carry one as a backup and like it very much. Actually it is my second one, as I wore the first one out. I shoot all of my guns alot and after several years the pin that hold the slide to the frame wore the hole in the frame oval. I returned it to Kel-Tec at my expense and 3 weeks later I received a new gun with my old serial number. Can't beat that for a warranty.
I've never had any feeding issues or jamming once it was broke in with either gun, but I have noticed that when I let others shoot it, some do have jamming issues. It is an easy gun to limp wrist, being that it is light with a relatively powerful cartridge. The recoil is snappy, and when I was shooting 100 rounds or more a session, my hands got abraded pretty good from the rough grip.
For me it is a close range gun, though it shoots better than you might think with the primitive sights. It can be concealed when almost nothing else can be, the perfect gun for when you can't carry a gun.

[Tazman1602]

I was just on the Kel-Tec website looking at stuff. I do have a P2AT that is my regular carry gun. One fo the FAQ's was "What is the life expentancy of a Kel-Tec?" and the answer was 6,000 rounds. That isn't "really" a lot of rounds when it comes to a handgun although I've only put around 500-1000 through mine in the four or five years I've owned it. Just some information for you.

[ETG]

I have a P3AT and put the laser sight on it that makes it print square like a wallet. No problems qualifying with it the first time. When I renewed my CCW I couldn't even finish because it would jam evey round. Took it out afterwards and no problems at all. The range where I qualified made you use their ammo (no lead). They were CCI Blazer with aluminum cases. Went back and complained and they gave me brass cased ammo and had zero problems - they did make me pay full price to qualify again :mad:

[rowe_s]

I have had my Kel-Tec 3AT since 2005 or 06. Have shot it a lot, I shoot a 122gr cast bullet for practice. Carry round is Hornady Critical Defence. Was shooting 8 inch steel plates at 12 yards with it today, hit more than I missed. In the summer it's what I usually carry. In the winter I carry a 40 most of the time.

[jimb16]

I bought an early P3at and couldn't gfet rid of it fast enough! I now have a later model with the improved extractor. It is my carry piece. The only "problem" I ever had with it was sluggish operation in 0 degree weather because of excess oil. Please note, I said sluggish operation, not failure. That darn thing seems to work no matter what. I have even taken it out woodchuck hunting and made 1 shot kills out to 40 yards. Cast boolits for practice get eaten all day long without any hiccups. Yes, I have a Colt Gov. .380 too, but the Keltec gets carried a whole lot more. I have a belt clip on mine and wear it inside the pants.

[fecmech]

I bought one and it ran fine for about 1400 rds and then I noticed a small crack in the top of the slide. Called KT and they sent me a whole new top end no charge. About 400-500rds later the trigger broke and I had to send the gun in on my dime(no problem). Got the gun back after about 6 weeks no charge and so far so good. I think their 6000 rd figure is a bit optimistic but they do stand behind their product. I certainly have no complaints about their service!

[EMC45]

I carry one as a backup and like it very much. Actually it is my second one, as I wore the first one out. I shoot all of my guns alot and after several years the pin that hold the slide to the frame wore the hole in the frame oval. I returned it to Kel-Tec at my expense and 3 weeks later I received a new gun with my old serial number. Can't beat that for a warranty.
I've never had any feeding issues or jamming once it was broke in with either gun, but I have noticed that when I let others shoot it, some do have jamming issues. It is an easy gun to limp wrist, being that it is light with a relatively powerful cartridge. The recoil is snappy, and when I was shooting 100 rounds or more a session, my hands got abraded pretty good from the rough grip.
For me it is a close range gun, though it shoots better than you might think with the primitive sights. It can be concealed when almost nothing else can be, the perfect gun for when you can't carry a gun.


That's why I like mine. (I got another since I last posted on this thread)

[MtGun44]

Never a real reason to not have a P3AT in pocket or waistband. I call it the
"gun to have when you can't carry a gun".

Bill

[c1skout]

I've had my 1st gen P3at since they first came out. It had a few hiccups breaking in, wouldn't run with steel-cased ammo, and doesn't like Winchester white box stuff. I've put about 4-500 rounds of Sellier-Bellot fmj through it (this is my carry round) and over 1000 rounds of 95gr hardcast handloads (practice load) without issue. It just goes bang every time. I had to get a replacement magazine follower and KT just mailed me one no charge. I couldn't be happier.

[dogrunner]

Buddy of mine gave me mine..........real beater, looked like it'd been dropped in a chicken coop in terms of it's finish. I was kinda ambivelant about it and was then carrying an NAA .32.....ran a couple of clips of the cheap white box W's thru that AT & was immediately surprised and impressed with the group size. After two boxes of that stuff, plus whatever else I could scrounge with not a single malfunction I began to stick it in my jeans as it was both lighter and easier to shoot that the NAA.

After about a year of fooling with with thing I decided to personally drop it off at KT for a refurbish.........kind of a joke to call it that..........complete rebuild is more to the point....the ONLY thing remaing from that original piece is apparently the "frame" itself.....Went from a blued version to the matte chromed slide, the bbl is obviously new along with most everything else. The only change I personally made was to stick a drop of flourscent paint on the tiny facing portion of the front site.....along with the clip finger extensions.

That AT has turned into my 'always' gun, the .32 is gone, trigger's a hulluva lot better than that NAA anyway, I must've ran way over 500 rounds thru the AT and I have YET to have a single malfunction other than those hard primered Tula loadings.

By the way, I dropped that gun off at KT at about 8:30 AM.......didn't want to wait for it expecting to make a trip back when it was done.........drove the 70 odd miles home just in time to walk in and answer a phone call telling me my gun was ready to go!..............cost: all of 70 bucks!

[kyle623]

I got mine a few months back, it's od green one, don't really care for the color but it does shoot very nice in my medium sized paws. Also had my first squib load in this gun, bullet almost cleared the barrel anyway, few taps and it dropped right out. Dang fine pocket pistol and accurate for what it is.

[Para82]

I have had one for several years, got it when the P3AT first came out. It gets carried quite a bit. It is surprisingly accurate for it's size. Mine has ran well with everything I have ran through it since day one. Usually carry it with Winchester Silvertip HPs.It is so small and light I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon.