P-3AT or PF-9?

[Babalouie]

Mine works great but I like my PF9 better!

 

[cnorman18]

--

I love my P3AT. In my situation, NO ONE can know that I'm armed, and the little .380 fills the bill nicely. Best concealment gun ever.

 

[Clark]

I have the carryable Kel-Tecs:
P32 [32acp single stack]
P3AT [380 single stack]
PF9 [9mm single stack]
P11 [9mm double stack]
357SIG barrel [ 357 Sig barrel fits in P40 double stack]
P40 [40 S&W double stack]

I carry the P3AT [380 single stack] with a pocket clip, becuase it weighs 10 ounces loaded, and fits in my shirt pocket.

For a guy like me who hot rod handloads and carrys the P11 and PF9 past the hottest factory 357 mag loads, the P3AT is frustrating. It has no safety margins to exploit.

Still, it only weighs 10 ounces loaded, fits in my pocket and can put .355" holes in perps.

 

[DocPaladin]

Thanks, Gents. A Kel-Tec is in my future.

 

[MikePGS]

If your looking for a PF-9, cdnn has them at 229 (P-3AT's are 219). http://blueridgearmory.com/cdnn.pdf (page 11).

 

[denfoote]

A little note about KT.

I'm thinking about getting either a P3AT or a P32 for my wife. She was carrying a Walther PPK/S but it has been jamming so our confidence in it isn't great. How reliable are the Kel Tecs? I was told that Gun Tests gave the P3AT an 'F'.
thanks

Doc,
One thing you and everybody else has to understand about Kel-Tecs, and this just came to me recently, is that KT debugs their guns in much the same way the software companies do. When they put out a new gun, it's wise to assume it's a beta version!!! KT then relies on returned guns and reports by the "beta testers" to make necessary changes in the design!!!

With the P3AT, KT was mum about what was going on much to the consternation of the gun buying public!!

With the PF9, all the design changes along with serial number ranges for guns with known problems have been published on KTOG.

As far as I know, all known bugs have been dealt with in guns having a serial number R3P00 and up.

I managed to get a gun that was produced about a month before the final design appeared, thus it suffers from the last known bug i.e. the recoil dynamics of the frame causes the ejector pin to drift toward the hammer!!!

A new frame has been designed to eliminate this and is installed in guns beginning with the serial number mentioned above.

 

[FourTeeFive]

I haven't shot my P-3AT but even trying to load it seems very sensitive to ammo. It didn't like Hydrashocks or truncated FMJ. Just got a box of round nose FMJ to try with it. Maybe it just needs some rounds through it but I am a bit concerned about feeding reliability if it doesn't want to load up when it is new out of the box.

I'm used to Sigs, CZ's, Beretta's, etc. and am not too fond of the really cheap guns. But nobody else seems to make an ultralight pocket gun like the P-3AT.

 

[MachIVshooter]

For a guy like me who hot rod handloads and carrys the P11 and PF9 past the hottest factory 357 mag loads,

First of all, there is no way to exceed .357 mag performance from a 9x19. I've tried, and using much more robust platforms than the KT's. 550 ft/lbs is max, and that's using a 5" gun and 90 grain pills atop magnum primers and compressing fast burning powders during seating. The powder capacity just isn't there.

Secondly, you'd better test hot loads in you PF9 before you carry them. Theres a problem with +p+ loads in the PF9 that has nothing to do with the gun being able to handle it, but will cause a failure to fire. If you don't know what this problem is, you haven't tested them.

 

[B. Adams]

I got my P3AT from CDNN, and I happened to call the day after they received a shipment. When I ordered it, the guy said that they pretty much sell out of them, and PF9's, as soon as they get them in. So if you order one from CDNN, it's pretty much guaranteed that you'll get one fresh off the line.

So far, my P3AT has been running perfectly, but it's still less than a week old, so that's not saying too much.

 

[FLA2760]

I CCW a Glock 27 and either a Kel Tec P32 or a Smith 432PD (.32H&R mag) 6 shot airweight J frame as a BUG to the G27. Before the Glock 27 my CCW was a Smith pre lock 642 that the wife has claimed as hers. The P32 has been 100% reliable but the Kel Tecs need to be kept well lubed.

 

[Clark]

CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The High Road, nor the staff of THR assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.

MachIVshooter
Quote:

For a guy like me who hot rod handloads and carrys the P11 and PF9 past the hottest factory 357 mag loads,

First of all, there is no way to exceed .357 mag performance from a 9x19. I've tried, and using much more robust platforms than the KT's. 550 ft/lbs is max, and that's using a 5" gun and 90 grain pills atop magnum primers and compressing fast burning powders during seating. The powder capacity just isn't there.

Secondly, you'd better test hot loads in you PF9 before you carry them. Theres a problem with +p+ loads in the PF9 that has nothing to do with the gun being able to handle it, but will cause a failure to fire. If you don't know what this problem is, you haven't tested them.

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reload...gtypeid=1&weight=158&shellid=1015&bulletid=29
http://www.alliantpowder.com/reload...gtypeid=1&weight=147&shellid=1014&bulletid=23
The max load for 357 mag 158 gr JHP is 8 gr Power Pistol 1.575"
The max load for 9mm 147 gr JHP is 5.7 gr Power Pistol 1.14"
I am carrying in PF9 and P11: 158 gr JHP 11 gr Power Pistol 1.169"


http://www.alliantpowder.com/reload...gtypeid=1&weight=125&shellid=1014&bulletid=22
The max load 9mm 125 gr is 6.6 gr Power Pistol 1.15"
The only PF9 chrono data I have is 124 gr Hornady FMJ 10 gr Power Pistol 1.105" 1336 fps
The next round hit the chrono graph

There are some tricks I do:
1) Check that the ammo will fall into the chamber, if the ammo will not, the primer will blow at 8 gr 158 gr, but resizing the loaded ammo, it will go to 11 gr 158 gr with no more room for powder
2) Throat the chamber if the .357" bullet will not fit.
3) I use RP primed brass and use it only once.
4) I know that the chamber support in the Kel-Tec 9mm is .180" and that the chamber walls are ~.095" thick RC47

 

[shamalama]

I have both the P3AT and PF9.

I daily CC the PF9 due to better ammo power and choices.

 

[Buck shot]

Pf 9

I just bought a PF 9 and it conceals fine. I think it depends as much on the size of the person as the gun. I am 6'-0" and weight about 205. I was in a group of about fifty folks for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon (some do carry so they are looking for guns) and I am confident nobody noticed the 9mm in my front bluejeans pocket. I had my shirt tucked in and my wranglers are not real loose. I just put my cell phone and keys in the other front pocket and presto, comfort and concealment.

Thanks Kel Tec

 

[gtd]

I carry a P3AT all day, every day, with hollow points and the chamber loaded. I had to send it to the factory twice for repairs due to failure to feed and failure to eject problems. They fixed it quickly, free, and with no questions asked (shipping is expensive, though!).

It now fires flawlessly at the range with any kind of ammunition. From ball to high-load hollow points.

Better yet, it fits in any pocket! I carry it with one spare mag in a pocket and another nearby. It won't even bother a grizzly bear, but we don't have those where I live so I think I'll be A-OK.

Just clean it once in a while and it'll be fine. Take the mags apart and clean and oil them (do this with any gun) and they'll feed much better.

It's very accurate, but the sights are not good. Do not worry, I'm not an expert and I hit the small target at some distance every time. Maybe not the bulls-eye, but that's not the point, anyway.

It's my every day gun. All the others are for fun and special situations.

 

[10-Ring]

For what they are & what they offer, both the 9mm & 380 are nice little pistols. For me, for something to be carried far more than it would be shot, I'd go w/ the more compact 380 P3AT in this case

 

[Koblenz]

I am considering a PT32 as my next gun purchase. After reading numerous threads about the Kel Tac pistols, I got the strong impression that the PT32 is considerably more reliable than the ones in larger calibers.

The .32ACP isn't known for great stopping power, but it sure beats the anemic .25ACP that is usually chambered in guns of similar size. Plus you can get a 10 round magazine for the PT32. That should be enough to stop an attacker.

 

[Jkwas]

have a P3AT and love it because it disappears in my pocket easily. I too looked at the PF9 but the size difference for pocket carry made it easy.

+1
Reliability: I've shot only two different types of ammo, S&B FMJ and Remington Golden Saber. The Golden Saber would not feed, but the S&B has been flawless. I stick with the FMJ for obvious reasons.
It's a crude little weapon, especially the bore, but it shoots surprisingly accurate and has less recoil than a snubnose revolver or any other .380 I've shot. Even my wife can shoot it, even though she doesn't like to.

 

[jgorniak]

I bought a P3AT from a co-worker who was frustrated by the gun's unreliability. I'd been reading up on it at KTOG, and though I'm no gunsmith, I figured I'd try to straighten it out.

With little effort, I now have a pocket pal that gives me complete peace of mind.

John