Pocket 380acp, Ruger or Keltec?

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My vote is for the Ruger. I went to the range with a friend. He had his P3AT and I had my LCP. He brought some really nasty old comblock .380 in a green box with Cyrillic writing all over it. He couldn't get through a mag in his P3AT without failures to feed and to eject.

He gave me the rest of the box and the Ruger chugged right on along, without ever missing a step. It has not experienced a failure in about 600-700 rounds or so.

I think that the much nicer refinement, trigger, fit/finish is well worth the $25 more that you pay for the Ruger.
 
Kel Tec is the original, LCP is a copy. I sold my LCP after getting the S&W Bodyguard.380 which IMO has less recooil, nicer trigger too. Still I would opt for the new M&P Shield over all. Shoots as nice .. better than the bigger M&P (stock) line and more rnds per mag.
 
Still I would opt for the new M&P Shield over all
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You're talking about a totally different size class of gun. I don't know that it's really relevant to this discussion.
The keltec and Ruger are both much smaller guns.
 
I've shot the LCP, the P3AT and the TCP (Taurus) and I liked the Taurus best of all. The ergonomics felt better, the felt recoil was much less (for me) and it was extremely accurate. I would go with the Taurus.

That being said, I'd like to try the SW Bodygaurd, Sig 238, and Kahr P380 (although they're all significantly more money).
 
Having dealt with Ruger's customer service in the past tho, I KNOW KT is the winner in that department.
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That has not been my experience. I got an LCR (the revolver) for a family member. It has a slight rattle from the transfer bar. The family member was convinced it was problematic and not normal as it was louder than a different model ruger revolver they owned. I talked to Ruger who said it was normal, however they volunteered to send a shipping label and take the gun back and look it over just to make sure. Ruger paid shipping both ways for a gun they knew had no problems just to put a customers mind at ease. Turn around time was very quick as well. They sent the gun back with a list of checks done, it went well beyond the transfer bar issue. Ruger went well above and beyond on that one.

KT on the other hand seems to have had pretty long turn around times more recently. Also search forum member Wally's posts for the CS he has gotten with respect to his RFB rifle.

I don't think it is fair to say that KT's service is really better. I would wager based on owning a number of guns from each manufacture that one is more likely to need to make use of KTs customer service.
 
I've had to use CS for both Kel-Tec and Ruger, and they're both topnotch. Whether one is better or not probably depends on how badly the gun was mistreated before it was sent in for repair. <grin>
 
Possibly they've improved in recent years..........My take was relative to a 3 screw .41 BH that I sent for a refinish & upgrade.......the blue was OK IF, that's IF you like seeing screws buffed absolutely flat to the frame and beggin the service dept. for replacements........As I recall, that job took nearly 8 weeks as well.

I've delt with Ruger for way, way over fifty years and I can recall when parts were no issue, you could order what you needed.....they got away from that........I recall when one did NOT experience shoddy workmanship & sullen CS as well.

All I can say is that I have NEVER experienced quicker or more polite service that I cited at KT....they've earned my business for their attitude alone as well as workable products at a good price.
 
I will add that I have dealt with both Ruger's and Kel Tec's customer service and IMHO both are so good that it should not factor into the decision between the 2. Both are that good
 
Sorry my post wasnt clear I truly meant to say that keltec was the first. I am a big fan of the gun and Keorge kelgren
 
George Kellgren is one of the true designers of our time who has actually had some revolutionary effect on the firearms world.

Seriously look up this guy's history, it is extremely interesting. Guy is a genius when it comes to creating firearms.
 
Ruger. The Ruger is just a much more refined pistol. The Kel Tec looks cheap. The Ruger is also super reliable.
 
I read an account on one of the gun forums about how some guy was having some problems with his LCP so he called up Ruger to complain. Ruger immediately sent him a prepaid shipping box to send in the gun and fixed it free of charge. I read another account from some guy who was having problems with his P3AT and called up Kel-Tec to complain---they told him what was likely wrong with the gun and instructed him to use a file and afro-engineer the solution himself. Those two stories really tell me all I need to know about those two companies' respective attitudes toward customer service and which one I am better off doing business with.

Ruger every time.
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Yeah, this.
 
Ruger

I like to be able to lock the action open. Also, the price difference around me at the time was like $20, so I went with the LCP.
 
I don't carry a KT now but I do have a P3AT that I pocket carried and it worked perfectly for over 3000 rounds before it finally had a rail fail and the only thing I ever did to it was replace recoil springs.

I sent it back to KelTec and they sent me a brand new pistol FREE!

So from my personal experience I don't believe all the negative comments about KT.
 
Six of one half a dozen of the other, decent representations of either will shoot and function pretty much alike. There is always the story of "that one gun" that just wouldn't work so I wouldn't put much stock in those examples.
I carry the P3AT daily but know others who have the Ruger and have shot them both enough to know that price would be as much of a deciding factor as anything in my personal choice.
I bought a 32NAA back when they first came out and it seems that the cost for it was about 2x what my KelTec cost and in comparison feels like a brick weighing down my pocket. They are very well made but obviously overbuilt in comparison with the polymer mouse guns so it sets in the safe and I take it to gun shows hoping to sell it for as small of a loss as possible.
The whole KelTec line is pretty interesting and revolutionary isn't out of line IMO. Innovative, efficient, inexpensive and reliable seem to be a hallmark of the company in my dealings with them.
 
I bought and have carried a Ruger LCP for the last few years. My brother bought a Kel Tec P3AT around the same time frame.

They are both good guns and neither one has ever failed. That's saying quite a lot for the Kel Tec because my brother doesn't clean his guns very often. ;)
 
Meh...At times this gets old.
However,I bought an LCP NIB last year on a GB auction for $239 before my $15 ffl fee and $15 shipping fee.
A great deal of little pistol for a very small advance of cash.
It is a smoother design and I find the ability of locking the slide back important enough to buy it over the slightly lower priced P3AT.
But yesterday I went to the gunshow with my brother to look at numerous pistols for conceal carry as he decided it's time again for him to do so after letting his previous license expire and the one small pistol he liked the most, and trust me he knows little about todays small pocket pistols, was the P3AT.
He actually liked the rough gritty grips of it over the LCP,TCP,Kahr(price floored him)of these other 380's.
So go figure.
I am letting him use my LCP and DB 380 next week at the range to really see if he truely wants a pocket 380 as he has never even shot one.
And just for good measure I am allowing him to also use my sweet little Kel Tec P32 that's has been as 100% as my LCP.
Dont be a hating the KT's guys,they are pretty nifty little pistols..And again,I carry a LCP pretty much daily.
 
Better to be ready to do a "fluff and buff" in the KelTek. The LCP is finished, at least inside, out of the box.
 
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