Price Check on Kel-Tec P3AT - Chrome

[goings_51]

My recently widowed grandmother came for a visit and mentioned that she felt the need for a pistol. Long story short, I'm light one P3AT. It's not the one I would have picked for her, but she picked it for herself.

Now I'm in a predicament. The gun show is this weekend, but I go to the same range all of the time and never buy anything there. It would make me feel good to give them the business.

What's a fair price for the Kel-Tec .380 Chrome that has to be special ordered to a small shop?

 

[ecureed]

my dad paid $270 for his hard chrome p32 at a gun show a couple months ago

 

[mjrodney]

I paid $299 because it was the only one I found within 50 miles and the gun show dealer wouldn't drop a penny.

He was well aware of just how scarce they are around here and he also knew it would be gone within an hour.

I was in the door at the opening bell and after a 12 minute jog around the tables, I put my hand on it.

Another customer had it in his hand when I came back to that table, but he put it down for a moment to look further down the row..... and like a cat after a mouse.....I pounced.

I may have paid a bit more than some, but so far, the handgun functions and functions well, so I'm content.

 

[denfoote]

If you want chrome, then you probably will do better to buy the blued gun than have it refinished somewhere!!
Tripp Reasearch is probably the best in the business.

http://www.trippresearch.com/index.htm

I do seem to recall a company that specialized in the Kel-Tec slide.
I can't remember what the web site was, though!!

 

[Catbird]

One option -

If you go to the KTOG forum and research, you'll see a reference to a guy who plates Kel-Tec slides in a satin nickel finish for $25. That seems very reasonable to me.

 

[bannockburn]

At a gun show last month, chrome slide was $279; same price for a blued PF9.

 

[goings_51]

Checked 7 local shops and not not one in town. Several told me they have been back-ordered for a while with no idea when they might come in. One guy told me he had a Kel-Tec .380 comming in today, but wasn't sure what finish it would be. He quoted me three something for blued and $349 for chrome or parck'd. Winced a little. Told him to call me if was chrome. The guy down the street wanted $350 for a heavily used blued P-3 AT. I mainly went by that shop just to see if it was still in business. Not really sure how, but it is.

Called Cabella's and they want $269 for blued and claim to have 9 in stock, but that is a 60 mile drive, and it's not what I really want. A small local shop that I thought would never have one in million years does, but it is also blued and costs $289. I decide that is still better than a 120 mile round trip to Cabellas.

Come home and check my e-mail. An out of town dealer who will be at the gun show e-mailed me back that he will have a few for $280 this weekend. I put one on hold.

Has this type of scenereo been a problem for anyone else? I really bent over backwards to try to help out the local small business, but they either don't stock, can't get, or outprice themselves out of the market on something you really want.

I feel bad because I really wanted to give this business to my favorite shop, but it sounds like it is out of their control as to when they would be able to get it if I ordered from them when I know I can get it elsewhere tommorow. This was a small purchase, but it has been a pattern lately.

 

[Wilson 17&26]

My small FFL checked his computer two months ago for his price on a Hard Chrome PF-9 (a few dollars higher than a smaller P-3AT). His cost was $219.95, so I said order me a bunch of them. He smiled and said “I’m too small to be allocated but check back in a year or two”. It seems that small Kel-Tec Hard Chrome pistols are in such demand that only high volume dealers or those with connections can buy them from most wholesalers. All Kel-Tec production is sold to Distributors so individual Dealers are at their mercy.

For several years I have purchased every problem P-3AT I could find that was priced right ($100-$125 blued/$145-$180 chrome) because I like to tinker with them. Suddenly my P-3AT rehab collection has turned into an financial asset although none are for sale

 

[quickcanary]

The guy down the street wanted $350 for a heavily used blued P-3 AT. I mainly went by that shop just to see if it was still in business.

Sounds like the local dealers around here...you can get a new one for less than $250. It's a shame that it's so hard to find good bargains there; I'd like to support my local businesses but I'm not going to pay ridiculous prices.

 

[Baneblade]

My local shop, which has fair but not great prices, sell the Blued for $289 and the Chrome for $300-$309.