Kel-Tec P-3AT Reviews

by **DrDanO** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 1:17 am

Good to Excellent concealed pistol. Lower good rating only because it isnt finished as well as many other pistols. My constant companion at present. Ive shot 350 rounds through it, various types, and not had even one jam or misfire. Very impressed. I use a hard carved piece of rubber that fits snugly behind the trigger as a make shift safety and cary in an uncle Mikes pocket holder.

by **psteele** » Wed May 31, 2006 5:35 pm

This gun is definately the ultimate in concealment + decent caliber. Mine has jammed a half dozen times out of 150 rounds. Not fun to shoot, but its not supposed to be. I give a 4, but I want something bigger for myself.

by **PackinLight** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:37 am

I have just bought this gun from my local gun store and already Im not crazy about it, even though I have not fired it yet. When I put the bullets into the clip, they rattle a little, and you have to push the clip in with enough force that I thought I was going to break it. Then when I tried to rack the slide, it took quite a bit of muscle to even pull it back, then when I had gotten it back, I had to push the slide forward to chamber the bullet. Maybe the slide is just tough because it is brand new, we will soon find out.

by **PackinLight** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:39 am

The size of this pistol is great for concealment, but I do not like the fact that it has no slide lock.

by **quikdrawmagraw** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 8:35 pm

At first I wasnt thrilled when I had to whack/slap the back of the slide to chamber the first round. I would have also liked a second magazine along with it. I changed my mind when I fired it. First 6 shots rapid fire at 25 feet made a group that could be covered with a coffee cup. I put two boxes (40 rounds) of Winchester 95 grain SXT through it without a single problem.

I still have to slap the slide home when chambering the first round. This doesnt pose a problem when I actually fire the gun, so I dont mind. It was clear & sunny when I went to the range, so the sights were not too bad. I imagine theyll be near useless in low light.

Ive heard of stove-pipes, rough triggers, and failures to feed. Mine had none of these problems. I just picked it up last week so I imagine Kel-Tec has worked the bugs out. As a decent back-up gun for $265, so far Im very happy with it.

by **Tucson** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 8:39 pm

Im not providing a rating yet because I have not been to the range with mine. I just picked it up a couple of weeks ago. I went to the KTOG site and followed the instruction for the fluff-n-buff as a reliability precaution. This little gun is certainly easy to conceal. I can fit it in the coin pocet of my jean so that the the grip is accessable. It fits in this little pocket snuggly to the point where the trigger guard meets with the grip. That type of concealability is nice to have.

by **PoliceOFC** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:57 pm

This is a no-frills close quarter combat backup or last ditch bail you out of trouble weapon. Extremely concealable. So far no failures or jamming problems using energetic ammo. Its not accurate from distances, however, if in a real situation, you are going to be in close quarter combat with this weapon. The only negative thing is that it seems so cheaply made, not sure how long it will last. I may pick up another one though while there still cheap.

by **Bretterator** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 12:23 am

I just bought my Kel Tec P-3AT after much consideration. I was very concerned with the reliability and the recoil hurting my hand. I was delightfully surprised, however, to find that with the 100 rounds I put through it there wasnt one hiccup. The little gun shot flawlessly! Also the recoil was very managable especially for a .380. I am very impressed with this little gun, and I suspect it with be with me as much as my Glock 19.

by **Tucson** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 6:23 pm

I finally had the opportunity to get this little gun to the range. I was surprised that I experienced no feed or ejection problems. I did not shoot the gun well (with any accuracy) at 7 yards I did hit the target. As the LEO below stated this is a last ditch bail you out of trouble weapon. I believe it will work for what it is designed for.