Have you ever bought ammo for a gun you don't have?

[Ohio Rusty]

I have recently discovered in the last month and a half that there is a little auto pistol made by Kel-Tec named a P3AT in .380 caliber. Many, many years ago I had a .380. It was sort of a walther clone, all SS, made by Indian Arms. It was a beautiful looking gun, but it would jam or misfeed every other round, including solid ball rounds. That ended my desire to own an auto pistol. So for all the past 25+ years, I've been a wheel gun kinda guy, owing numerous different revolvers in every caliber from .22 to .44 magnum. This year I acquired my CHL for personal ccw carry. I like my CA Bulldog in .44 special real well, but I didn't realize how 'big' that short barreled pistol really was when trying to hide it under summer clothes. I have an older model Jennings .22 that I can easily slip into the pocket of the shortest shorts, and the little gun doesn't show. I know a .22 isn't really a good defense round, but at least I felt 'armed' if I needed something. I was kinda dejected as most wheel guns, even a J frame, is sometimes hard to hide. I don't know how I discovered the KelTec P3, but now I'm enthralled with that little gun, and all the good reports of the gun on the KTOG and KelTec lists. Consequently, next year, I'm going to purchase one. (No gun money this year due to other expenses). Actually I'm saving to buy 2 P3AT's ...one for me and one for my wife. So over the next year, I'm sure I'm going to come across some good deals on .380 rounds. Even though I don't own the gun yet, I feel the need to buy the rounds and put them away for when I become the proud owner of a P3 .380. I hate to pass up a good deal on any .380 ammo I find. So ... does anyone else buy ammo for guns they don't own, and is it weird to do that ???? How hard is it to reload for the .380? I might have to buy reloading 'stuff' for .380 while I'm collecting P3 stuff. Man o' man this shooting and reloading hobby is a sickness I'm tellin' ya ... and I don't think there is a cure.
Ohio Rusty

[IcerUSA]

Reloading for the 380 shouldn't be much harder than the 9mm, and I reload for that, some think it's insane to load for the small cals as most ammo for them is relatively cheap, but it's my passion, so I doit. Go for it

, so I can

Keith

[crazy mark]

You might want to look at the 32 cal Kel-Tek. It is even a little thinner and has a slide hold-open feature that the 380 doesn't have. I have bought moulds and dies for guns I didn't have but never any ammo. Mark

[Johnch]

I have larger hands , with fingers .......................... a little larger than most
I looked at both the 32 and 380 but , I have to force my finger between the trigger gaurd and the trigger on both the Keltec 32 and 380

But the Keltec P-11 and the new single stack 9 both have more than enough room for my meat hooks

I have carryed a P-11 for years , with not 1 complaint
Buuuuuuttt , When I can swing it
I plan on switching to the single stack 9mm
It isn't realy much bigger than the 380
But the trigger gaurd is just a litttle bigger
Would not want to try and get my finger it to the trigger gaurd of the 380 in a panic

So IMO look at both side by side , before you lay down your $$


John

[Ohio Rusty]

9MM ammo would be cheaper compared to the .380. I like the KelTec PF9 also, but that is not a pocket pistol per say based on it's size and requirements for fitting in a front pocket w/o printing..... I really like the Rohrbaugh 9MM the best, but I can't justify $1000 for a tiny hideout pistol. Granted, comparing the Rohrbaugh to KelTec is like comparing a Chevy Malibu to a Lexus ..... I couldn't afford a Lexus either. Kel Tec offers the biggest caliber I can find in the smallest concealable package. With something that small, I would be more inclined to carry the little gun 24/7/365 and not really feel under gunned. Oh .... I kinda have smallish hands (size 9 wedding ring) so the Keltec is a pretty good fit in my grip.
I noticed Lee sells a 102 grain ball type mould for the .380. Any comments on how good or bad this little 102 grain bullet is in .380? I have 2 pounds of VV N310 waiting to be poured into brass shells ..........
Ohio Rusty

[garandsrus]

Ohio Rusty,

I bought a Kel-Tec P3AT about the time they came out. I was going to get their .32 but heard that they were coming out with a .380 so I waited for it. The balistics for the .380 are quite a bit better than the .32 and it approaches .38 Special.

They really do disappear in any type of pocket! You almost forget it's there. Dillon sells a great holster that fits it for about $15. Here's a link to it.

My other carry gun is a 9mm S&W 3813TSW and even though it's a small 9mm it is a whole lot bigger than the Kel-Tek. I probably carry the Kel-Tek more often.

I have reloade (jacketed) for the .380 but I haven't shot more than a couple hundred rounds through the pistol. I even bought a mold and 1000 pieces of brass for it from a member here after I started casting. I haven't put any cast through it yet though.

It's not very comfortable to shoot with full power loads, and it's not a target pistol, but it does what it does very well.

With my pistol being an early serial number I did have some initial problems like brass hitting me in the head! I had some FTF and FTE problems also. The cases also were all scratched up. I sent the gun back to Kel-Tec and they replaced the barrel, polished the feed ramp, changed the ejector/extractor at no cost. I haven't had any trouble since.

John

[Crash_Corrigan]

My ex did not like the hard slide or flipping recoil of a 9 MM so I got her a .380. This little bugger is a mini .45. Same construction and features on a much smaller scale. It fits her just fine and she is comfortable with it. I bought 500 cases from Midway and a Lee mold that makes 95 gr boolits and so far it has worked very well. It ain't much of a gun but it is better than no gun. I am sure that with some Cor Bon Power Ball rounds it will get somebodys attention real quick.

[kodiak1]

Yesirre bob I find it is one of the best incentives to get off the couch and go out and find the rifle. Just bought 100 rounds of 25-35 and two weeks before bought 40 brand new 25-35 brass.
Anyone out there witha set of dies give me a PM.
Any of you guys that want to sell a Win 94 26" Oct Barrel (older the better) in 25-35 and coming to Canada give me a PM.
Thanks Ken.

[USARO4]

I have a P3AT and cast and reload for it. I have developed some powder-puff loads for it that make it a fun little plinker. It feeds and shoots cast boolits reliably. It's my go to carry gun when I have to run a quick errand, just slip it in your pocket and forget about it until needed. By the way I bought my reloading dies for 41 mag three years before I bought the gun. Yep it's an obsession.

[pumpguy]

I have 10 boxes of federal .380. No gun. I have been picking up .45 cases for a while now and have about 3000 of them. Last weekend I picked up a set of dies for .45 at a gun show, too. Bought a mold off fleabay this week before it's outlawed. No gun. Bought 100 pieces of .444 Marlin brass at the some gun show. No gun. I know. I know.

[Shepherd2]

I bought a P3AT a couple years ago and I like it very much. It's small size and light weight make it easy to carry. It's really a nice gun to carry in hot weather. I bought the belt clip that Kel-Tec makes for it a while back. I think it was $10 plus postage from Kel-Tec. I like it better than the DeSantis pocket holster I had been using. I don't cast or reload for mine and don't know if I will at this point. I carry it loaded with CorBon JHPs and for the occasional plinking I do I can get a box of FMJs for about $7.

I did buy a couple boxes of 7.5x54 French ammo that Graf's had on sale about 18 months ago because I knew I was going to connect with that MAS 36 I'd been looking for. Found it about 4 months ago. I do cast and reload for that one.

[BOOM BOOM]

Hi,
Nope!

[Nazgul]

I bought five boxes of Hornady 375 JDJ at the gunshop a couple of months ago. Someone ordered ten and only took five, the boss cut me a good deal. Didn't have an Encore barrel for that caliber. Found them on sale at Midsouth and now have one.

[versifier]

Rusty et al.,
It's easy to carry a Jframe S&W or similar sized revolver or any small semi discretely in the summer. The answer is a PagerPal holster and baggy shorts. It's an inside-the-pants holster that holds a pager or cell phone on the outside. It is pancake shaped so that it doesn't print. The only disadvantage is if you have a belly that overhangs your belt. For those of greater bulk, DeSantis makes an excellent pocket holster called the GunHide for revolvers and small semis. That will let anyone carry discretely, but it is always better with baggy pants or shorts. Neither will work really well while seated in a car, for that you need a cross draw or a shoulder holster, both difficult to conceal in hot weather. Belt packs may or may not work for you - many brands are too easily recognizable.