Kel-Tec .380 opinion they are very concealable.Do they shoot OK?Considering one

Well, I don't have the 380, but I have shot one. I went with the 32 after trying it out. I can shoot much better with the 32. The 380 had the tendency jump out of my hands a bit and I had to re-grip the gun after every shot. The 32 can be unloaded in rapid fire without having to re-grip the gun. With the 10-round extended mag on it, it makes a decent little weapon. Both guns should be equally reliable. The 380 as a caliber is better than the 32, but it is not a miracle worker either... I felt that it was more important to be able to shoot the gun well than to have the marginally better ballistics of the 380. My P32 has about 500 rounds through it with no malfunctions.

For this reason, I would recommend the 32 over the 380.

Mine shoots quite well at 21 feet considering it has no sights worth mentioning, try a search and you will find plenty opinions of the P3-AT.

A great site dedicated to Kel-Tec is http://ktog.org

You will learn a lot there. I opted for the Ruger LCP (just like a P3AT), but I think the Kel-Tec's are good guns, and I've heard their customer service is absolutely stellar!

I personally don't care for them, though I think they are neat guns.

However the people i know that DO own them love them...

I had one, but traded it away. Too small a grip with too lively a recoil. My Bersa .380 is bigger, but much more comfortable to shoot. (And more accurate.)

Springmom

I have one

It did require a trip back to the factory, but they fixed it and it has been reliable since. I also had a first generation and it had a problem too. Get one, knowing that it may require a warranty trip to Florida. KelTec does stand by the product and will make it right, if it isn't. For what they are, the KT's only real competion is the new Ruger.

Love mine!

Mine will hold about 6" at 25 yards two hand offhand slowfire.

Another vote for the P-32. Especially if you're at all recoil shy.

I bought mine before there was such a thing as a P3AT, never felt the need to upgun, because mine is dead nutz reliable, and I'm willing to trade off a slightly more powerful round for the extra shot.

kt

32 and 380 kel tec's are pocket guns ....pf9 needs cargo pants....p3at, nemisis, and corbon's is good combo that works 99%...when i can wear a jacket i bump up to the p11 or p40...gpr

I have a P-3AT and I only have it for concealability. It is the one pistol I can carry completely undetected. Couldn't say I love it.

One in my pocket every day did a 1 1/2" 3 shot group slow fire at 7 yds with mine Pie plate size rapid fire with Corbon ammo.

I really like my Kel-Tec .380, it's accurate, I can hit a 12" plate at 20 yards all day long. Easy to conseal in the front pocket as well as the back pocket. LM

P3AT:
Mine shoots & feeds perfectly and conceals really well. The P32 is a hair smaller & lighter but it's only a .32.

Great little guns if you can stand the recoil. I got the chance to spend the day with one and come on, it's a .380, how bad can it be right?

I was suprised at the recoil. I let my wife shoot it, who's used to her Bersa .380. She shot one round, set the gun on the bench, said "No." and walked off the shooting line.

If you can, go to a store that will let you test fire or rent. The best description of the recoil for the P-3AT is that it is snappy. There a few different things to try if you buy one and decide that the recoil is too much. Some examples are putting on grip sleeves, adding magazine extensions, and smoothing the trigger guard area. Ammo selection can make a difference also. Light WWB practice ammo gives a different recoil experience when compared to Remington Golden Sabers. I don't think too many people would describe it as a pleasant gun to shoot, but it does a good job of meeting a set of requirements for the given task.
Try the P-3AT before ruling it out; if you cannot manage the recoil then consider the P-32. The P-32 recoil is so smooth that it's almost fun.


+1 for checking out http://ktog.org

IMO the recoil is not bad, the gun runs well (after the fluff and buff), I wouldn't take a shot past 15 yards with it, and it carries extremely well.

Not my 1st choice for a primary, but a good BUG.

The nicest .380 I ever owned was a Colt Govt. model .380. Very accurate. If you can find one used they are a great little gun. I can kick myself for selling mine, but I never could get comfortable carrying it cocked and locked which is the way a 1911 type gun should be carried because if was like a full size 1911 with one notable exception; no grip safety. It probably would have been no problem, but a couple of times when I took the gun out of the holster I found that the thumb safety had come off and it gave me the willies.

I had a P3AT for awhile. Great gun, flawless operation, no problems at all with the function.
I currently use a P32 however. The P3AT's snappy recoil tended to damage my shooting hand when I'd put more than a couple of magazines through it. Yep, after 12-18 rounds I'd end up with temporary tremors. The rubber grip trick didn't help. Sure, shooting gloves would have resolved this, but I like to practice with what I shoot with; bare hands. I could not practice as much as I wanted to due to this. I opted for the P32 which doesn't give me the same issue regardless of rounds fired. Ballistics aren't bad on .32's like Sellier & Bellot.
NOTE: This is just my experience with it. I can shoot my larger and heavier framed .380's, 9mm's, and such with no problem, the P3AT and my hand were simply not compatible for extended shooting sessions.
Both my P3AT and P32 have been 100% reliable.
Jack

I have had zero problems with mine. It is a lot easier on the hands than I figured it would be when I first got it. I have pretty large hands but I have no trouble at all with it.
It disappears in a pocket.

I have 2 of them. I believe in having more than 1 gun for each caliber I shoot. The 2 is 1 and 1 is 0 thing. My P3AT has been in my pocket for about 3 years now. Even when I'm carrying something else --the P3AT is in my pocket. Very concealable. When I was looking for another gun to shoot .380--I couldn't really find anything as small as the KT so I bought another one.
Kind of a BUG for my BUG.
Every couple months I shoot a mag or 2 thru it just to be sure in functions ok and it always does. Is the gun fun to shoot? Well for a mag or 2 it's ok but it is a tad snappy and it's not meant to be a rangegun. The P3AT suits me fine for my purposes of self defense. I don't leave home w/o it---matter of fact it's in my pocket when I'm home too.
FWIW--my first P3AT was a new 2nd generation one and it did go back to KT for the infamous fluff and buff and it has been flawless since (3 years).
My second one is a newer parkerized one and has been flawless from day one.
For size,reliability and price it would be tough to find anything else that fits in the niche provided by the P3AT

No experience with the Kel-Tec, but my Bersa .380 is a great little pistol. Easy to shoot, easy to carry, and accurate. Never had a problem with it. Extra magazines cost too much though, IMO.

There is no other .380 even close to the size & weight.
(Except the Ruger copy of it!)

I have sometimes forget I had mine in my hip pocket behind my billfold and go off all over the house looking for it.
You will never, ever do that with a Bersa or Walther PPK!

Recoil is not bad at all, compared to the blow-back operated steel .380's, or any Airweight S&W .38/.357 with hot loads.

rcmodel

I have the 32 and my shooting buddy has the 3AT. Like others have mentioned, the 3AT is no fun to shoot more than a couple of mags through. I bought the 32 because the slide locked back, it had an extra round and has the option of a 10 rd. mag.