About to purchase a pocket auto, what's better than a P3AT?

I love my P3AT. It is so tiny I often forget it is in my pocket. It has been 100% reliable since break-in. I only use FMJ in mouse guns so I can't comment on feeding of JHPs.

On the negative side, it is not very shootable. Many times when I am at the range I have wished that I had the P32 instead. However, when carrying I am glad for the bigger bullets.

Eventually I will get a P32 for range use and relegate my P3AT to occasional use.

In answer to your question of what is better, I like my 642 better.
Does that mean it actually is better? Not really, it is a very personal and subjective choice.

Check this out. It's in a sticky at the top of the "Handguns: Autoloaders" forum:
http://www.thehighroad.org./showpost.php?p=1730060&postcount=119

Among true pocket pistols, the P3AT is hard to beat for the price.
It seems you may need to tweak a few things to get proper reliability.
JMO.

-horge

Joey, If your serious about the best pocket carry ya gotta look at the Rohrbaugh R9. Yeh its expensive but ya only gotta do it one time and belive me its worth it and its 9mm. Go to rohrbaughfirearms.com and check it out. :banghead:

although it is about $400 more than the Kel-Tech. I will argue all day long for the Kahr PM9. I have two and they are wonderful. I now use my PM9 about 95% of the time I carry. It has taken over for my Kimber CDP compact.

P-3AT! Nothing else around as light, thin and easy to carry and you can buy three of them for the price of one rohrbaugh.

Oh I also wanted to know, how tough is the blue finish compared to the parkerized? They sell the blued guns locally, I'd have to order the parkerized online at much greated expense ($70 more after S&H, ffl, ect.).

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The parkerized shouldn't be that much more but it depends on what your dealer wants to charge. The parkerized is much more durable but not quite as good as the hard chrome.

Here's an option to get nickel plated. Jack does very good work. He has done 3/4 of my Kel-Tecs.

http://www.gunsmith.fuselier.com/slideoffer.html

http://www.gunsmith.fuselier.com

I have both a lightweight hammerless J-frame (S&W 442) & a KelTec P3AT. My J-frame is my "preferred" carry gun primarily because it has Crimson Trace lasergrips. But, it's more like 50/50 which gun I actually pick up when I leave the house. If I'm wearing dress slacks or a sport coat, then it's usually the KelTec. I have large hands, but no trouble shooting the KelTec... and it's reliable and accurate at SD distance.

What's with the "blue" or "parkerized"?? KelTec comes in plain black plastic!! Maybe you're getting your guns confused.


Make sure your gun's serial number is higher than HAA##, since that's when the most significant changes were started at the factory. Prior to that, most guns required at least a "fluff & buff" for reliability & some required more. See www.ktog.com forum for lots of good stuff.

The slide is not plastic.

What's with the "blue" or "parkerized"?? KelTec comes in plain black plastic!! Maybe you're getting your guns confused.

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Check this out. Also comes in olive and grey.
http://www.kel-tec.com/p3at_pistol.htm

Pocket Gun?

Mak all the way (although I do have a P-32 which sees a fair amount of carry).

Make sure your gun's serial number is higher than HAA##, since that's when the most significant changes were started at the factory. Prior to that, most guns required at least a "fluff & buff" for reliability & some required more. See www.ktog.com forum for lots of good stuff.

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hmm, so if my gun's sn is cocxx, it has a lower # than that and should need work? So far its been totally reliable with a couple boxes of fmj's and one of hp's...

They make a good "club gun", or so I hear.....

I carry a Mustang Pocketlite in that role (also to church for that matter, wipes the sin off it ) but that isn't on my "first pocket gun" list for anyone.

I would add a vote for R9 but accept that it is way more expensive. It's in another league.

A P3-AT if fed good food and maybe even fluffed and buffed should give good service and for sure they are light and small - tho not the easiest to control - that needs some practice.

Possibly right now - for price - the best value pocket piece.

nickthecanuck said:

On the negative side, it is not very shootable. Many times when I am at the range I have wished that I had the P32 instead. However, when carrying I am glad for the bigger bullets.

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Nick, get some shooting gloves, they make a world of difference and will only set you back $30. Be sure to get some bare-handed practice in too (1-2 mags.)

bubbygator said:

Make sure your gun's serial number is higher than HAA##, since that's when the most significant changes were started at the factory.

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This info is not a sure thing. Here is a link that will tell you all you need to know:

http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=104;action=display;num=1118894836

P95Carry said:

Possibly right now - for price - the best value pocket piece.

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Far and away the best value, only the P32 comes close.

Thanks to all - my info was a bit out-dated. It seems that there was a transition period to accomplish all of these changes, & it's possible to find guns with some but not all changes in that transition.

Anyway, shoot it, you'll like it.

Got my wife a P3AT (can't get her to carry anything larger...hey...no snickering ).

Hers shoots pretty well ... only problems we've had with it where failures to go into battery after 40 or so rounds (so it prefers to be clean) ... but if you have to shoot 40 rounds from a P3AT you're pretty soundly screwed

Carries great ... sometimes I carry it in the pocket when we go to the gym (make sure you get a pocket holster since there's no safety ... plus without a holster it won't stay in the proper position with the muzzle down).

Yes, would be an excellent "club gun"

Buy the P-32 ,their more relieable or go for the P-11 in 9mm seems best of the bunch and not all that much larger than the 380. I for one don't mind a few oz in my pocket gun helps with recoil they why my main pocket guns are a Old Interarms PPK/S ot a Colt Mustang. I can carry either one and like the Keltec people say I forget its there.

Can' get more reliale than the 3 P-3ATs I have. All three are 100% reliable and 380 ammo is much cheaper than 32 ammo. That is the reason I sold my two P-32s and purchased a second, 1st generation P-3AT and not long ago I purchased an additional 2nd generation P-3AT.

Zundfolge said:

Got my wife a P3AT (can't get her to carry anything larger...hey...no snickering ).

Hers shoots pretty well ... only problems we've had with it where failures to go into battery after 40 or so rounds (so it prefers to be clean) ... but if you have to shoot 40 rounds from a P3AT you're pretty soundly screwed

Carries great ... sometimes I carry it in the pocket when we go to the gym (make sure you get a pocket holster since there's no safety ... plus without a holster it won't stay in the proper position with the muzzle down).

Yes, would be an excellent "club gun"
Yesterday 09:27 PM

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Zundfolge, you are correct, one of the tradeoffs of having a sub 8 ounce pistol is that it needs to be clean and lubed to operate reliably.

If you want longer shooting sessions at the range without taking a cleaning break, try some of the "lead-free" ammo from UMC, MagTech, or PMC. My gun looks almost clean inside after 50 rounds. I don't shoot much more than 50 rounds per session, but I bet I could put 150 rounds of clean stuff through the pistol at once without it having any problems.

If I could add to what pocketgun said.

I too think dirt is a factor in extended shooting with the P-3AT.

This last Thursday I had a second session with my 2nd generation P-3AT without any cleaning or lubricating after the first session.

I fired 63 rounds of Amerian Eagle and Santa Barbra ammo in the first and 63 rounds of Amerian Eagle and Santa Barbra ammo in the second session and had no failures of any kind.

Early on I found out that dirt will effect this small pistol more than it will a larger pistol, so I stopped using any oil or gease in my pistols in order to prevent dirt build up. I only use RD-50 dry lube and have not had a problem with extended shooting since.

I'd rather have a Kahr PM9. It's heavier, but still quite suitable for pocket carry and it shoots a better defensive cartridge.