Is Your P-3AT Reliable - Vote

[denfoote]

Jamming is not my problem!
In fact it works almost to well!!
The assembly pin kept backing out from the recoil.
Kel-Tec is sending me on of the upgraded pins free of charge!!

That's customer service!!!!!

 

[Bob79]

Doesn't seem too good

So it looks like 14% of the time you're very likely to have a problem, and then 23% of the time 1 failure in 60 rounds. I suppose 1 in 60 isn't too bad, but I wouldn't consider it good either.

Adding those its a 37% chance it may fail to fire, 1/3 of the time doesn't sound that good. But then again 2/3 of the pistols work fine w/o a hitch. It would be interesting to see what percentage of the pistols that fired poorly haven't had the extra attention (fluff n' buff, etc), and also what percentage of the ones that fired well did have the extra attention.

With all the posts here and other sites about the extra time that goes into them I'm betting that 1/3 to 1/2 of the guns that fired well had that extra tweaking done to them. So I guess for the money you save on these Kel-Tecs you have to put some work into them.

More $$$ and less work VS. less $$$ more work. To me its just not worth the extra time and money with having to "fix er' up", it makes me lose trust in the gun.

 

[Lightspeed]

Bob79,
Just keep the pistol clean, lubed, and hold it properly.
What's your - er, the problem?

 

[Mr Jody Hudson]

However...... the options are far larger, far more expensive, far heavier, and with the exception of the 9mm Rohrbaugh... not that much more reliable.

However, for $1,000 or perhaps less, you can have a Rohrbaugh, not much heavier and almost identical size; with no fluff and buff as it's already perfect.

 

[Rick Blaine]

Over 300 rounds with no problems. For me it's not about money, it's light weight and concealability. Great pistol. Rick

 

[telewinz]

I already owned a P11 and love it but I wanted to wait until the .380 dropped in price and got mine at a gunshow new for $219 but more often than not I see them still going for around $249 here. The H prefix serial numbers have ALL the bugs out of them but with Keltec's customer service if I ever had a problem I would not worry. I shoot 102 grain lead reloads and its fired 100%, I would trust my life with it. What better recomendation can be made?

. For me it's not about money, it's light weight and concealability. Great pistol. Rick

Amen.

 

[Wilson 17&26]

Some of the non-H serial numbers are also new pistols. My second P-3AT (#0026XX) was sent in for the $20 hard chrome exchange (I always spend $9 and send the whole pistol so it can be test fired). Instead of replacing selected parts they stamped my old serial number on a new hard chrome P-3AT. Kel-Tec has done this on many HC exchanges where the assembled pistol was sent to them. It is likely cheaper than dissembling and reassembling the old P-3AT.

For those that don’t know, Kel-Tec doesn’t hard chrome any old parts. They install new slides and barrels with the old ones going in the recycle bin.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Ok, you guys got me talked into it.

As soon as I get home I am gonna send the little bugger in for hard chroming. Just the slide and barrel right?

By the way, got another hundred rounds to shoot thru it tomorrow. That will make the count up to 600 since I have had it.

 

[denfoote]

I'm about to find out!!
Kel-Tec has sent me another assembly pin and I will install it and take it to the range next week!!
I'll let you know!!!

 

[Wilson 17&26]

Actually the Assembly Pin #110 and the Recoil Spring Catch #194 also need to be hard chromed. See http://www.kel-tec.com/p3at_parts.htm That plus your complete slide & barrel is all that are needed.

I prefer Kel-Tec to test fire my pistols after hard chrome, which can’t be accomplished with only parts. From Texas to Florida it only cost $9 ($14 second day) to ship the entire pistol via ground (takes about a week). See http://1bad69.com/keltec/shipping.htm for more information.

Last I heard Kel-Tec was thanking 3 to 4 weeks to turn around their hard chrome jobs. Best dig out your ol’ P-32 if you don’t have a second P-3AT. Yes, I buy everything in pairs :^)

 

[Bart Noir]

Wilson,

I'm sure you meant 194 for the Recoil Spring Catch. I've been thinking of getting my slide chromed. So what carrier did you you use, to get those shipping prices?

Still not sure I want to do this. I ship out the parts to a functional, new gun and get back other parts. Somebody else's used parts, after chroming? Or new ones? Either way, do I end up with a functional gun? Has anybody ended up with problems that didn't exist before sending parts in for the chroming?

Bart Noir
Who thinks this is one great little pistola.

 

[Wilson 17&26]

OOPS! I’ve corrected my post.

I use my local UPS Store to send my “machine parts†to Kel-Tec. Now I don’t tell them there is a gun in my pre-wrapped and pre-sealed package. They would likely indicate that on the outside of the package. The 1968 Gun Control Act says I don’t have to give written notice to a common carrier when shipping to a manufacture or FFL, so I don’t. In fact it would be a violation should they note it on the package and I sure don’t want UPS to violate the law.

I always insure my “parts†for $300 (that’s in the $9 & $14). When ask what is in the package I honestly say “The parts on this list, do you need a copy for your insurance records?†and offer them a typed list of every part number (not the description) listed on the Kel-Tec web page for that pistol. The List is headed Job No. (serial number). I’ve never had a clerk keep the list but I do, should I need to file a claim.

Yes, I know the ATF Q&A page implies you have to give written notice to common carriers but the law and their own regulations say exactly the opposite, if it’s to a FFL or manufacture. I covered this on the Kel-Tec Forum and the moderator posted a more detailed web page at http://1bad69.com/keltec/shipping.htm

Kel-Tec scraps all used parts. All hard chrome parts are NEW, A very very few folks have had problems getting the new parts 100% in their P-3AT. That’s the reason I always ship the whole pistol and let their gunsmith test fire it. I doubt Kel-Tec likes my procedure but they have never advised me to do different.
Wilson