New Gun Range Report - Kel-Tec P-3AT
posted in Firearms |
I've been wanting one of these since I saw my cousin's P-32 a couple of years ago. I decided to get the .380 because of slightly better ballistics, and greater ammo availability.
I've been carrying it in my front pants pocket ever since I got it, and found that in slacks the outline gets broken up easily by my keys and a tube of ChapStick. The outline is a little more distinct when wearing jeans, especially when seated, but still not too obvious. The weight isn't enough to make it flop around very much, and I could probably be satisfied carrying it unholstered. I intend to get the belt clip anyway, and I'll probably build a holster like JF Ridgeway's, I've built a lot of holsters over the years, and they all add at least a little bulk, so it's nice that — for me, at least — naked in the pocket will work. I learned years ago that carrying concealed is largely a matter of mindset, so your mileage may vary.
I dissambled the pistol and cleaned it well with MPro7 yesterday before I ever fired it. (Is there an easy way to pull that assembly pin out?) I lubed everything lightly with MPro7 lube and reassembled it. Except for the initial assembly pin extraction, everything went smoothly. As far as fit and finish, it was what I expected from a small, inexpensive gun. Exterior finish is nice enough, and there are some tool-marks inside the slide and on the outside of the barrel. The inside of the barrel and the feed ramp are well finished, and barrel-slide-frame fit is nicely solid.
I finally got to shoot the P-3AT this evening after church. I bought a box of 50 95gr ball manufactured by American Ammunition when I bought the pistol, and bought a box of 100 88gr JHP manufactured by Remington UMC — their part #L380A1B — at Wal-Mart this afternoon. I anticipated having to break in the pistol, so first I shot through the whole box of ball ammo. No problems at all - no misfires, no feeding or ejection problems.
Next I tried the UMC JHP, and again, no problems at all. There was noticeably more muzzle flash, and I think there was slightly more recoil, too. It was getting dark, so I only shot 25 or 30 rounds of the UMC.
I shot mostly one-handed because that's probably how I'll use it, but with a two-handed grip, the muzzle flip was almost nil. I learned that a quick controlled pull worked better than trying to carefully squeeze off a shot. In fact, I tried raising the pistol from pocket level, starting the pull as I did so, and that got the best results of all. I was able to put three of five shots inside the target manufacturer's logo by that method, from 8 or 10 feet away. The logo is about the size of a quarter. Otherwise, most of my shots went high and left, in scattered groups of 3 or 4 inches. I'm pretty sure that's my fault, and I intend to practice quite a bit more, since placement is more important than bullet type in a .380. I'd like to be able to keep my groups mostly eyeball-size from 15 feet, and that seems reasonable after today's initial experience.
Speaking of practice, Wal-Mart had a box of 100 round-nose for under $21, but the box of 100 UMC JHP was only slightly more, still under $21. I can't think of a reason to buy any more ball ammo. In fact, since I believe shot placement trumps bullet design, I'll probably just stick with the UMC and practice regularly.
What would I change? Not much, really. As a habitual tinkerer, I'll be unable to avoid some polishing with the Dremel tool, even though I probably don't need to. I'll buy an extra magazine or two, and the belt clip, and probably finger extensions for the magazines. And I'm going to make some cleaning/lube changes. I'll use Gun Scrubber for the frame and firing mechanism (because I'm pretty sure I left some MPro7 cleaner in the firing assembly yesterday, and a rapidly-evaporating cleaner seems like a good idea) and MPro7 for the barrel and slide. The reps at MPro7 told me years ago that their lube is molecular, and actually binds with the metal to a limited extent, so when I first get a gun, I clean the barrel and slide thoroughly, then put a little too much lube on both and heat them with a blow-drier. I don't get them too hot to touch, and rub in/wipe off the excess lube. This procedure seems to make them easier to clean later. I used to use RemDriLube, a spray-on silicone lube that dries to a non-sticky powder after application (kind of like Arrid Extra Dry for androids), but so little MPro7 is required that I don't think lint accumulation is going to be an issue. I work for a computer company and canned air is everywhere, so I'll try to remember to blow it out occasionally.
My P-3AT cost just $245, by the way. It was marked $295, but the salesman gave me the discount right off the bat. He told me, "you have to be a real a$$hole around here for us to sell you something at sticker price." I'm glad I'm friendly…
Even at the Alpha Hotel price, I think this gun is a bargain. Other folks agree, too - check out the Kel-Tec Owners Group for more info.
***UPDATE - For the best Kel-Tec info from consumers, visit/join the KTOG group at Yahoo! Groups.
