I've carried my Kel-Tec P3AT for about 2 years now... and just sent it back to the factory for some "smoothing up" 2 weeks ago. A Kel-Tec representative told me it would be a
MONTH (YIKES!!!) before I got my little pistol back.
I was concerned about it "stove-piping" with Winchester "ball" ammo (with the semi-flat nose). However, I don't keep that ammo in the gun... I just bought it for practice. My self-defense loads that I carry in the pistol are Federal Hi-Shok hollow points which seem to function just fine through the little pistol.
I could have simply kept the little pistol "as is" because it DID work "ok", but I thought it might be prudent to have the factory do a "polishing & smoothing" job on it for "insurance" since I carry it daily and my life might one day depend on it working perfectly... AND... the original Kel-Tec owner (that's me) has a "life-time warranty", so why not make use of it?
When I first got the little P3AT 2 years ago, I had to put about 250 rounds through it before it stopped acting up (jamming, stove-piping, etc.), but since then (except for the blunt-nosed Winchester "balls" ammo), it has worked flawlessly when being actually "fired". However, when the slide was "worked" by hand, the slide "hesitates" slightly when loading the Federal Hi-Shok hollow points, but the rounds DO chamber. In actual practice (firing the gun), there is little or NO hesitation in the rounds chambering.
However, with Speer GoldDots (which came highly recommended by another P3AT owner), I had to "slap" the back of the slide forward on the first round in order to get the GoldDots to chamber when manually operating the slide. I didn't try the gun/ammo combination under actual "firing" conditions.
I fully intend to try some CorBon +P rounds in the little pistol and may very likely settle on that round as my new self-defense load due to it's higher (than the Hi-Shoks) muzzle velocity which gives about 10% more ft/lbs. of muzzle energy (220 ft/lbs vs 200 ft/lbs) compared to the other self-defense loads.
For all of the above reasons, I felt it would be a good idea to have the little Kel-Tec P3AT functioning as perfectly as possible since I intend to continue to carry it as my primary self-defense weapon once I get it back from the "factory".
Meanwhile, I'm back to carrying the original "light-weight" concealable pistol, my 1935 Walther PPK in 7.65mm (.32 ACP) which weighs 24.5 ounces loaded with 7 rounds of Winchester Silver-Tip Hollow Points.
Butttttttttttt... since I've carried the P3AT for 2 years now... I'm "spoiled" because my P3AT weighs only 10.6 oz. fully loaded with 7 rounds (6 in the clip + 1 in the chamber) of the more powerful .380 ACP vs. 24.5 ounces for the fully-loaded PPK in .32 ACP.
You can probably imagine the HUGE DIFFERENCE in sustained weight I'm experiencing at this point during an "all-day-carry"... I sure miss my little Kel-Tec P3AT and can hardly wait to get it back!!!
I've heard about & seen pictures of the new single-stack 9x19 model Kel-Tec is just bringing out and understand that it weighs only 14 ounces unloaded, but loaded, that pistol will still be about TWICE as heavy as my little P3AT (10.6 oz. fully loaded)... and when you carry a pistol in your pants pocket ALL DAY, the "difference" in size and weight can become a distinct factor in "desirability".
I've heard about and read a considerable amount about the superiority of the 9mm Parabellum vs. the .380... but the 9x19's advantage can be diminished somewhat through the use of the .380 CorBon +P ammo.
And, besides, where does this "stopping power thing" stop??? The same case could be made for the superiority of the .40 cal. S&W vs. the 9x19... or even a worse scenario, the superiority of the .45 ACP vs. the 9mm Parabellum!!!
In my opinion, the weight, size, concealability & "carry-ability" of the Kel-Tec P3AT together with the stopping power of the .380 ACP cartridge makes the little P3AT a "best buy" in the concealed carry department. And certainly, the combination of it's attributes makes the P3AT "THE" best all-around choice for me as the "weapon-of-choice" for concealed carry in a daily basis.
Now... I really NEED to get my "baby" back from the factory so I can put the PPK away again!
Just my 2ยข worth... I'm sure other's opinions will vary... but that's ok. According to my wife, I'm
NEVER "right" about anything! Of course, she's managed to live pretty darned well for the past 47 years without holding a job outside our home. :-)
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.
