p-3at reliability (experience only please)

hiya everyone, this is my first post outside of EE - I am considering a P-3AT and I would love to hear from actual owners of the current production guns about their reliability. More specifically, how many rounds you've put through it, what ammo you use, what problems you've had (if any), and the resolution (if any). I am also curious as to whether the fluff and buff procedures are considered prerequisite to kel-tecs' reliability (I don't consider this a detriment, as I enjoy working on my guns). I have heard horror stories from owners of the older kel-tecs as well as rave reviews from owners of the newer ones. Opinions of questionable foundation abound on this topic, so I would request that replies be limited to experience of current of former owners. Thanks in advance for any information.

EDIT: 2 other questions: How's the recoil? / What is the s/n range to look for a 'good' one?

I have a G1 gun. It had a few failures to feed when I first got it. I took a jewelers file and a felt dremel bob and eased the barrel hood edge and polished the ramp. The gun has run 100% ever since with about 300-400 rounds of magtech and American Eagle ball which is all I shoot or carry in it. Recoil is brisk and the gun bounces around in your hand a bit. My wife can't shoot it well but any man should have little trouble.

My wifes P32 has been 100% reliable from day one with 300 rounds through it. She shoots it well and it kicks much less.

I picked up my HardChrome P-3AT in 2005.

I polished the feed ramp and a few other parts before taking it out to the range.
I do this with all my new pistols, not just Kel Tecs.

I put 50-100 rounds of Magtech 95gr.FMJ ammo threw it every couple of months.
It has run 100% with no malfunctions.


I have also run a couple of boxes of Federal 90gr.HydraShoks and Speer 90gr.Gold Dots without malfunctions.

I currently carry the Speer's Gold Dots in it because their point of impact match the sights in mine.




As far as recoil goes, not bad at all. A little more kick than the P-32, and less kick than the P-11.

If you are not fimiliar with Kel Tecs I would compare the kick to a lightweight .38 special with a small grip.

Campared to another 380 auto the kick is alittle sharper. Mainly because the guns is 1/3 the weight of other 380 autos. (excluding the Ruger clone)

Have a Gen-2 that I have had for a couple of years now. I did the fluff and buff. Has probably about 1,000 or so rounds through it. Magtech FMJ & JHP, American Eagle FMJ, Dynamit Nobel JHP, and Santa Barbara JSP (got a good deal on case lots of these last two a few years ago). Magtech FMJ had least "felt" recoil and the Santa Barbara JSP the most. The Dynamit Nobel JHP ranks right below the Santa Barbara and is what I carry normally. Recoil is stout, but not unbearable.

As for reliability, my KT is very susceptible to failure to feed issues when it gets dirty. I can do three magazines without a hiccup. Usually starting on the 4th mag, I start getting "slight" failure to fully go into battery. A little coersion to the slide will cure this for a couple of rounds, but then it happens again.

Since I normally only carry one back-up mag (plus the one in the mag well-obviously), I feel that it will do the job I want it to do with the ammo I have available. If I get into a situation with this thing and expend more than 13 rounds, I should have brought a rifle. I consider it reliable enough for a BUG all the time and as my "only" gun when nothing else can be easily concealed.

Odin, do you experience the dirty ftfs with FMJ or just with hp?

I gave my first generation only a light F&B; it was in pretty good shape (for a Kel-Tec!) from the factory. I particular, the bore was very smooth with well-defined, buff-free lands and grooves, and the slide rails were smooth, without any perceptible burrs (both completely unlike my older Kel-Tec P-11 when new). So I just smoothed the ramp and chamber lightly, cleaned and lubed, and have put several hundred rounds through it without incident, except for the following: it does not cycle light reloads well. It likes full power loads.

For ammo, I chronographed some commercial ammos. Winchester 85 grain Silvertips clocked right around 800 fps. Hornady 90 grain XTP I forget, but it was slower than the Remington 102 grain Golden Sabers, which came in at just over 900 fps. I now carry the Golden Sabers (nearly every day), and use 95 grain lead reloads for most of my practice. The carry rounds get shot in practice at regular intervals, too. Winchester white box shot well without problems, but I saw no need to chronograph them :)

I recommend you check for burrs (at the gunstore), and smooth any burrs you find as well as the feed ramp, and the chamber (lightly). Machining burrs are what you really want gone before shooting; the rest can be fixed over time if they are judged to cause problems. Of course you know not to remove any metal from, or use abrasives on, the aluminum frame. See if you can examine the pistol field-stripped before you buy.

Recoil is not too bad, but I have to keep my trigger against the knuckle of the trigger finger if I shoot more than one magazine. Otherwise, the trigger guard batters the side of my finger at the nail hard enough to draw blood, and it stays sore for days. Recoil is not as brisk as my P-11 shooting 9mm, and especially not as brisk as the P-11 with the .40S&W conversion. I would describe a range session of shooting more than one whole box of 50 rounds as "unpleasant" at best. More than one box of ammo is "painful" in one session. Get another pistol for range practice. I can shoot my Bullseye pistols (.22LR and .45 ACP) all day without discomfort. But recoil comfort is near the bottom of my list of requirements in a concealed carry pistol. The P-3AT satisfies my requirements of reliability and concealability in a barely adequate caliber. Accuracy is not good, but I can hit a 8.5"x11" paper target consistently at 50' in practice. I understand the second generation sights are much better. I have large hands, but have had less trouble than expected with my shooting grip.

You did not ask, but I carry daily in a K&D pocket defender 2-in-1 holster (front or rear pocket). Occasionally I use a K&D Mini-IWB Defender, and a K&D IWB two magazine carrier. All are highly recommended, see K&D Holsters. Service is great, too: I inadvertently hooked one of the belt clips on my seatbelt and bent it permanently open. K&D sent two replacement clips.

Overall, I am happy with it. I never had to send it back for repair (like the .40 caliber conversion mentioned above). My P-11 was not a horror story, but it needed much more in the way of fluff and buff. The .40 conversion had several problems, but Kel-Tec replaced at least the barrel and the slide with what looks like a carefully hand-fitted pair, and it is quite reliable now, too. But I think my P-3AT would have been fine if all I did was clean it then shoot it out of the box.

I hope that helps,
Paul

Max

I rally don't shoot FMJ anymore, primarily the Dynamit Nobel JHP. and like I said, I can get 3 mags with no problem then it starts to get sticky. Might give a box of FMJ a try again. I really can't remember how many rounds ot took to start having issues with FMJ, but IIRC, it was similar to the DN ammo.

One thing I forgot: I have had to modify my initial, natural P-3AT grip to place my thumb where it would not activate the magazine release while firing. Big hands, not a lot of pistol to grab, but I do it without thinking now.

thanks to everyone who posted for the info - the more the better - ptk, to clarify, it's the bottom of the tg that was hitting your finger due to muzzle flip?

Originally Posted By MaxTheRabbit: ... ptk, to clarify, it's the bottom of the tg that was hitting your finger due to muzzle flip?

That is exactly it.

I have a second generation P3AT that I bought used for $200. I have between 150-200 rounds through it and I've never had a malfunction. I've shot Magtec, Winchester SXT, and today I shot 20 year old reloads that were given to me ranging from round nose jacketed, flat point lead, and lead hollow points. It's my "back up" and I trust it 100%.

Originally Posted By SGocka: I have a second generation P3AT that I bought used for $200. I have between 150-200 rounds through it and I've never had a malfunction. I've shot Magtec, Winchester SXT, and today I shot 20 year old reloads that were given to me ranging from round nose jacketed, flat point lead, and lead hollow points. It's my "back up" and I trust it 100%.

I went to the range this morning with SGocka link and also brought my 2nd gen P3AT (purchased brand new a year and a half ago). I did a F&B before firing one round through it. I've shot everything from old reloads to brand new Hydra-Shoks. It functions flawlessly and I trust it 100%. I take my and my family's safety seriously. Sometimes my KT is the only gun I carry. That's testiment enough.

- my $.02

Had one as my on-duty BUG for about 2.5 years. Probably 500 or less rounds thru it. Not one malfunction.

Still sitting in my work pants pocket as I type...soooo light and thin you forget it is there...DeSantis Nemisis holster is very good.

i have had 2 of these little guys.I operate a fireworks tent every summer and have for 14 years for the last 4 years I decided that its better for me to have somthing on me rather than just in my backpack on the center table. I carry mine now during the warmer months everywhere its the perfect fit for inside almost any pocket, and if you have the belt clip it is almost unnoticable. my stays with me every day now.

I bought mine, did the fluff and buff, and shot 200 rounds. I then had to send the slide back to the factory due to peening of the recoil guide hole (this was an issue for about 6 months, and has been remedied).

I then polished up the replacement slide and exterior of the barrel. I started having failure to extract issues starting at about round 10 through a clean barrel. I then took it home and polished the chamber to a high shine. I now have 150 rounds failure free from it, and am very happy with it.

I knew this little pistol was going to be a project when I bought it. Expect to put some work into it and you will not be disappointed. I love the size and weight of the little gun, and it can be carried with ease.

Got one about a year ago. Reliability wise, it was great while it worked, no failures, except the stupid crappy plasic magazine catch wore down and now it is impossible to keep a magazine in the gun. This started happening after the first 200 rds (less than two months) and has rendered the gun useless. I will probably send it in to get worked oneventually, but since Kel Tec makes you pay to fedex the gun in, I havent done it yet. I bought a NAA guardian in .380. It is heavier and a little wider, but has a smaller profile and fits my pocket (where I carry it) better than the P3AT. It is VERY nice, and feels like a gun in the hand. I will never own another pocket gun with a plastic magazine catch (there was a thread where a guy had the same thing happen to his LCP).

Bottom line: I would definitely not reccommend the P3AT until they start going with a metal mag release.

Originally Posted By fourteenpointfive: Got one about a year ago. Reliability wise, it was great while it worked, no failures, except the stupid crappy plasic magazine catch wore down and now it is impossible to keep a magazine in the gun. This started happening after the first 200 rds (less than two months) and has rendered the gun useless. I will probably send it in to get worked oneventually, but since Kel Tec makes you pay to fedex the gun in, I havent done it yet. I bought a NAA guardian in .380. It is heavier and a little wider, but has a smaller profile and fits my pocket (where I carry it) better than the P3AT. It is VERY nice, and feels like a gun in the hand. I will never own another pocket gun with a plastic magazine catch (there was a thread where a guy had the same thing happen to his LCP). Bottom line: I would definitely not reccommend the P3AT until they start going with a metal mag release.

I'll send you $100 for that broken keltec.

30 dollars in shipping and I can sell it for 200. Im not that desparate yet.

Actually 200-30-mytime and aggravation=170 your offer is not as bad as it sounds LOL

Have you checked out www.ktog.org?

I've had one for 2 years now and after approx 700 rnds I still cant hit the broad side of a barn with it...

Kidding aside, Keltec will happily send you the part for free Im sure. Call them.

my first was a gen1 gun. after about 6 months the hammer would no longer strike.

sent it back to KT and they replaced it with a gen2 gun. it's been perfect since. no fluff and buff needed on the gen2 it feeds everything just fine.

Gen2 here. NO work at all, no fluffing or buffing or polishing. It's just like it came out of the box. I carry it regularly as a BUG.

One stoppage in over 500 rounds. It was a long range session and I was shooting it weak handed. It failed to return to battery and a simple tap on the back of the slide and it was ready for action.

It has proven to me that it is reliable. Frankly, I try not to shoot it much anymore because I am a bit concerned about its durability. I empty the mag to confirm function and refresh it with fresh ammo every few range trips.

I have a G2, Park'ed one.
Lightly polished the feedramp.

The only problems I have had have been with Wolf, and I randomly get a stove pipe every once in a while.
These happened both before and after the polishing.
Does _not_ happen with known reliable ammo, such as Corbon(carry), or WWB.
Any problems I see while shooting wolf in any of my arms, are chocked up to wolf problems, unless it also happens with known reliable ammo. Which in this case has not.

mine did not like steel cased ammo at all. brown bear or silver bear had multiple failure to ejects, brass cased ammo have had no problems.

gen2 here, I've shot corbon magtech and wwb with no problems. Goes bang everytime, I've gotten it dirty as hell, packed it with dirt and it fired everytime. I trust it. I can pop coke cans at 25 yds with slow fire

Gen 2 P3AT. Not one single failure in about 400rds. Mixture of Magtech, Remington ball and Hornady, Gold Dot HP. I would strongly suggest the Kel-Tec or Bersa finger extension for each magazine. With them on I can just get a 2 finger hold with medium/large hands.

I have a Gen2 blued P3AT with about 1,200 rounds through it. I did not do the fluff & bluff, and it has been 100% reliable with all ammo except for Wolf FMJ (numerous FTF,FTE with Wolf).

There was a slight defect in the slide that did not affect function, but Kel-Tec sent me a new slide to replace it. I did wear down the mag catch over time because I didn't depress it while reloading. Kel-Tec sent me a new mag catch and spring, but somehow I broke the hammer spring. I had trouble getting it back together, so Kel-Tec fixed it for me.

Not a lot of experience with them yet, but my wife and I picked up two new Kel-Tec's this past friday. Her's is a P32 and I got a P3AT. We took them to the range on saturday. We only had the time to run 50 rounds of Blazer aluminum case FMJ through each gun.

We had zero failures of any kind. Accuracy was acceptable at seven yards. She said recoil was mild. The recoil of my P3AT was a little sharp but not an issue at all. I was very pleased with how they functioned.

Cheers,

RS

Ger 2 gun.

Feeds, Gold Dots, Golden Sabers, Hydro-shoks, WWB, FAE, Independence without any problems. No feed or fire issues related to ammo.

I have shot approximately 50 flawless rounds through my new P3AT. Other than clean it before first use, I have not done anything to the gun.

The recoil is snappy but nothing harsh. It is very manageable and a great little gun up to 7 yards.

The trigger pull is very very long, but in a stressful situation, the point-and-click will be natural enough.

general expierences: feeds real well w/ FMJs...not so much on JHPs

run what works

JHP's or FMJ; no problems. Ever.

I'm starting to actually get good groups after shooting it a few years.

Bought new and have fired 500+ rounds of WWB and Federal FMJ with no problems to report. Did not perform F&B.

From my prior post:

Hello gents,

Last weekend Mrs. Santa picked out a P3AT for my Christmas present. I wanted one with a “green” frame – it will be a little sister to my PF-9 green frame – due to the fact I have P-32 in a black frame. Green vs. black – will be easy to know just by the color which one I’m picking up.

I’ve carried my P-32 for the past couple years as my BUG and it’s been 100% reliable in almost 800 rounds. Wanted the P3AT for a little more “punch” if you know what I mean.

Well, since I was heading to the range today, Mrs. Santa said I could take along the P3AT, as long as I cleaned it up and gave it back to her – so she could wrap it up and place it under the tree.

Cleaned the pistol and lubed it with Tetra Gun Grease. Tetra seems to stay in place longer than most gun oils, and I’ve always had very good luck with it.

At the range I went thru 25 rounds of Remington Golden Saber, 50 rounds of Prvi 95 grain ball, 100 rounds of my Sierra 90 grain HP handloads, and 50 rounds for Silver Bear nickel-plated steel case HP’s – 225 rounds total. Please to report the pistol had ZERO malfunctions ! !

Fired strong hand, weak hand, and two handed – ZERO malfunctions ! Not a target pistol, so all rounds were fired at an eight inch target at 5 to 12 yards. All rounds were in the target. More recoil than the P-32, but nothing that can not be handled.

Pretty boring range report, but I’m really going to enjoy my new BUG. . . .

And . . .

had it to the range on Weds morning. Another 75 trouble free rounds . . . .

Have had and carried a gen2 for about 3 years now and never had a single malfunction out of it in probobly about 1000 rounds. I carry Cor-Bon DPX and practice with federal AE or WWB.
Only use Lucas "Red-n-tacky" Litium grease on it and evey other firearm I own.... works wonders.
-A

Gen 2

Did the fluff & buff when I got it, then ran 150 rounds though it with 100% reliability.

It continues to be 100% reliable.

I carry mine in a BIANCHI copy of the nemesis.

It so light and thin, that I've forgotten it in my pocket.

i bought one. had a few problems at first. sent the slide back to keltec and in three weeks had it back. it was flawless after that.

Gen1, no issues with function after a few hundred rounds of varied mfg. Feels mightly lively on the milsurp Spanish JHP, but still feeds the blunt nose just fine.

I cured the accidental mag release issue by filing the button to almost flush with the grip checking. Now a deliberate finger push works, but no more surprises.

Picked one up a few months ago. I have only put one box (FMJ) through it and it went bang every time.

Gen2 P3AT - 600+ rds - no problems

buddy of mine bought one last weekend <p3at> at a gun show NIB. would feed ball ammo pefect but federal HP would snag and jam every time.

polished the feed ramp and it cured the HP issue.

these guns WILL in almost every case need a fluff and buff, but it's about 5-10 min worth of tlc and you'll have a reliable BU gun.

G2 gun for about 2 years. 500-1000rds

Always goes bang. My P32 was prone to FTF when dirty, not the .380.

Galco pocket holster for mine

Great pistol that you WILL carry because it is so small.

I've have about 700 rounds through mine. No F&B here. I had about 2 FTF's and 2 FTE within the first 200 rounds. I was going to sell it as I am all about reliability (Glock and AK guy) but then realized I was limp wristing the gun. Since then I have shot 500 rounds of a combination of the following Cartridges: Remington UMC, WWB, Speer GDHP, Corbon DPX. My last run was 350 rounds without lubing or cleaning. I got home after shooting 100 rounds and cleaned and lubed using CLP, leaving a thin amount on. Then I went to the range about three days later and shot 200 rounds of WWB with no malfunctions. I went home and did not clean or lube the firearm as a test. I went back about a month later and shot 150 rounds, again without any malfunctions. I'm now confident enough with it to carry it as my BUG on Duty. I'm assuming the problems at first were either the limp wristing or just breaking in. As far as accuracy even though its not really meant for it I am now able to make 2" groups at 15-20 yards (I dont have a distance marker at my range.) I know this is not great for most but is for me. At first though I couldn't hit a darn thing even at 3-5' which is basically what its meant for (for me at least.) I pocket carry BTW. Its always there.

ETA: As far as recoil the best way to explain it is that its "Snappy." I hated shooting it at first but now like shooting it more than my G19!

i have one i bought last year and i love it, had some problems with it FTE, called keltec and they sent me a new extractor, it's been 100% ever since then, as for the recoil, i carry 95gr rangers in mine, better hang on tight it has a pretty good snap to it, it's so easy to CC this gun i carry mine in my back pocket behind my wallet and alot of times forget i even have it

I bought mine a year ago and put about 200 rounds of Blazer and 50 Hornady hollow points through it with zero malfunctions. Not the most comfortable to shoot but accurate.

Out of the box if you put side pressure on the trigger you could pull the trigger and not have any hammer movement. They fixed it at the factory though. It is very accurate.

The p3at fit in a cycling jersey pocket, which it all I've ever used it for. Once I got the 642 the p3at was officially retired.

Exactly the opposite for me. Once I vetted the P3AT my 642 went into retirement. lol.. I guess because during side gigs I need to where slacks and the 642 is a bit too thick. The P3AT is perfect for this. Still love the 642 though!

Well after reading the negatives about it I decided to run it as shipped the first time. I did take it apart to check it out first though. 100% the first range trip. Took it home and cleaned it and oiled. Shot it a few more times since and still 100%. At least for me its been a great gun.

I have a 2nd gen blued P3AT. I bought it about 2-3 years ago at a gun show. Out of the box the gun had frequent failures that involved the rim of the fired round catching on the next live round in the mag when attempting to extract. I sent it to Kel-Tec and since returning it has been flawless in function. I have fired close to 1,000 rounds through it without a single malfunction. This includes various brands of fmj and hollow point rounds. The recoil is "brisk" but I can easily shoot 100 rounds at a time through it without discomfort. However, others have fired it and whined about how uncomfortable it is to shoot. The main thing to remember is that this pistol is intended to be as easy to carry as possible, it is not intended to be a super ergonomic target pistol. I carry this more than any other handgun I have because it is so easy and comfortable to carry that there is no excuse not to carry it.

Gen 2 P3AT. No failures with around 300 rds so far.

Mostly Remington ball with some Corbon and Ranger

Mine jammed. Most were failures were of the slide to close completely.

This was while BREAKING IT IN ONLY.

I bought 100 rounds of FMJ ammo. Lubed it liberally with CLP, shot 2 or 3 magazines through it, lubed it again, over and over until the ammo was gone.

My hand hurt. I had a blister on my thumb.

After breaking it in this way, it has never, ever malfunctioned again. It'll feed any kind of HP or FMJ flawlessly.

The P-3AT is a good pistol. Git you some!

Copyright © 1996 - 2013 :: AR15.Com LLC :: All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.