Detailed P-3AT report
First of all, I must say that the folks on
KTOG and
KTrange have an incredible wealth of knowledge. I had been reading those forums for quite some time prior to buying my P-3AT, and the information I learned was invaluable.
My interest in the P-3AT began when a friend of mine asked me about them. My primary carry weapon is a full-size
EAA Witness 9mm, but I can't always conceal it. My friend often faces the same problem. For those occasions, and as a backup, the P-3AT is unmatched. After all, the first rule of armed self-defense is: Have a gun!
I researched them very thoroughly, and the more I learned, the more I liked what I saw. Once I found I had a surprise tax refund coming, I decided to get one.
I purchased a brand-new P-3AT, s/n H09xx, on 4/22/2004 from
Meraux Food Store. (Don’t let the name fool you – in the back of the convenience store/gas station/sporting goods store is the gun shop, and it’s packed with a huge inventory at very good prices.) The price I paid for the P-3AT was $229.99, and they had one left in the case! Other local stores sell them for $259 (out of stock, wait-listed) and $299 (in stock but way overpriced.)
Before shooting it, I gave it the full
Goldenloki Fluff & Buff. Lacking a Dremel tool, but being very anal-retentive, I bought 400, 800, and 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper from Wal-Mart’s automotive department. (They were out of 600, hence the 800.) I used the 400 everywhere specified, then the 800 and 2000 to put a super-smooth finish on the feed ramp, chamber, and barrel exterior. Afterwards, I cleaned it, then lubed it with my trusty gun oil.
I shoot at
St. Bernard Indoor Shooting Center, by far the largest and best indoor range in the New Orleans area IMO. I finally got the gun over there on 5/4/2004. I started at 5 yards, my usual practice distance, using homemade targets printed on scrap 8.5x11†computer paper. Group sizes given are the max spread.
I first fired my carry load, Speer Gold Dots. I’m very accustomed to my EAA, so the P-3AT definitely took some getting used to. My first magazine was low, but I hit the paper with 6 of the 7 rounds, forming a 3.5†group, slow fire. Subsequent groups with the Speer had no misses, and were 4.75†(7 rounds, slow) and surprisingly, 3†(6 rounds, rapid fire.)
I then switched to the cheap stuff, WinClean from Wal-Mart. My first mag produced a 5†group of 7 rounds, slow fire. The first shot from the next magazine caused a noticeable blowback in my face! Not sure why – perhaps an extra powder charge? That shot was a flyer, causing a group size of 3.75â€, but the remaining 6 rounds grouped to 1.5â€.
I fired 2 magazines of WinClean at the next target, one slow, one fast. No misses, and the 14 rounds formed a 4.75†group.
At 25’, my inexperience with the P-3AT showed itself. 14 rounds of slow fire resulted in a group which was low and off to the right. 3 rounds missed the paper, and one flyer caused a group size of 8â€. The other 10 rounds were in a 5.5†group.
I finished with 2 targets back at a range of 5 yards. On purpose, I randomly mixed the Speer and WinClean, and fired them rapid-fire, trying to cause problems. I shot 7 rounds at the first target, getting a decently-centered 4.25†group. The last target received 14 rounds. This resulted in one miss, with the remaining 13 rounds producing a 5.5†group. It was nicely centered, with 11 of the 13 grouped just under 3.5,†and many of them overlapping.
Summary: In my first time out with the P-3AT, I fired a total of 83 rounds. 50 of these were Winchester WinClean, the other 33 Speer Gold Dot. I had no failures of any kind whatsoever! The pistol is indeed brutal on casings, but I read many accounts of this being typical. Ejected casings went well over my head, with one slightly grazing me out of the 83 fired. I found the recoil to be snappy but manageable. I have large hands, therefore I had to alter my trigger pull to accommodate the P-3AT. To improve this, I may try a Handall Jr. or the poor man’s version thereof, but I haven’t decided for sure. I hate to increase the size of the pistol whatsoever. Once I shoot it more, I’ll make that determination though. I didn’t notice any assembly pin creep, and the pin I have seems to be one of the original, unmodified ones.
I found the WinClean ammo produced a noticeably large muzzle flash, and one of the 50 I fired caused a blast I felt against my face. For the price, it’s OK. I may try the UMC just for comparison, though the consensus is that it’s a lot dirtier.
The day after I went to the range, my
KD Holsters Convertible 2n1 arrived. I’d originally ordered the 2n1 Plus, which has the mag holder, only to learn that a +1 extension on the spare mag won’t fit. I emailed Kevin at K&D, who gladly changed the order to a standard 2n1 along with a separate mag pouch, for the same price. The holster and pouch are very well-made, and fit gun and pocket perfectly.
I plan to put a +1 extension on my spare mag only. This will give me an initial 7 rounds plus 7 as backup, while maintaining the original footprint of the P-3AT.
I have another 50 rounds of WinClean, and will soon go shoot it without cleaning the pistol. I want to see how my new baby performs under a little stress and abuse. When I do, I’ll post a follow-up report.
In short, I am extremely pleased with the P-3AT. Its combination of light weight, small size, and caliber are perfect for its intended role. I now can always be armed, regardless of situation or clothing.
Followup:
On 5/18/2004, I went back to the range for my 2nd outing with my P-3AT, and to do the initial testing of my
P-3AT/P-32 sight prototype. Since first shooting my new pistol on 5/4, I intentionally hadn't cleaned it. Prior to shooting, I did lubricate slide rails, hammer interface, etc.
I fired 48 flawless rounds, alternating magazines between UMC and WinClean. On round# 49, I had my first malfunction, an FTE. This was with WinClean. The spent casing was still partly chambered, with the next round lodged underneath.
I had 4 more FTE's, for a total of 5 out of 100 rounds fired, all occurring in the same manner. I forgot to record the ammo type I was using when one of the FTE's occurred, but ALL of the others occurred with WinClean, and there's a 50% probability that WinClean was loaded then too. Subsequent testing (see below) produced no problems with other ammo, so
I am confident that the combination of WinClean and a dirty chamber produced the FTE's. Others have reported similar problems with Winchester ammo, and I have to agree. If their brass is indeed a bit softer, it no doubt molds itself into a sticky chamber more tightly, and is prone to having the extractor tear through the rim. I didn't notice any case damage on the WinClean more than that normally caused by the P-3AT's wicked little extractor. However, I did have consistent results with different ammo, so again, I think WinClean definitely does NOT like a dirty chamber.
At one point, I noticed the assembly pin backing out. Thankfully, I saw it quickly, and there was no frame damage. I noticed that my pin was one of the original ones, with the tapered shoulder. On 5/19 I emailed Kel-Tec, asking for a replacement. On 5/28, I found TWO new pins in my mailbox! Again, Kel-Tec customer service shines.
I shot the gun bare-handed, with no grip modifications. After shooting 100 rounds, my hand was very slightly sore, which I mostly noticed a day or two later. I had a slight abrasion on the top web between thumb and forefinger, where the back strap rubs. Also, the bottom tip of my trigger finger had a blister from the point of the trigger, something others have reported, and which I believe is correctable by reshaping the trigger slightly. In short, not unpleasant at all, given the number of rounds fired with an unmodified pistol.
On 6/1/2004, I did some more shooting and sight testing. Again, I intentionally hadn't cleaned it, but lubricated it. I fired 50 rounds of UMC, and 13 rounds of Speer Gold Dot, my carry load. I also used my new spare mag with Kel-Tec +1 extension, which I'd prepped
as shown here.
Even dirty, the P-3AT performed flawlessly with the UMC and Speer. I had NO failures of any type.
On 6/3/2004, I went back for some final sight testing. The pistol was still not cleaned, only lubricated. (BTW, each time I shot it dirty, I did of course inspect it, making sure there was no abnormal buildup in the bore or elsewhere which would pose a safety problem.)
I fired 30 rounds of UMC, with NO failures of any type.
My P-3AT now has 276 rounds through it. I have to say I am
very happy with my new pistol.
