[buckhunter]

My family and I are looking at buying my step-dad a pistol for christmas this year. Just to clarify it will all be done legally. Now he has a ruger 9mm but tells me that it is a little big and cumbersome for him to carry concealed (he has his permit). I have heard alot of guys on here speak of the Kel Tec guns and how fond they are of them and how easily concealed they are. We were looking into getting him a P-3AT, with a pocket holster. However recently I have been hearing that .380 ammo is becoming more expensive and harder to come by. So I decided to get some input from people that already own these guns. Can you provide some pro's and cons of the Kel Tec's, and if you were going to purchase one would you go with the PF-9 in 9mm, P-11 in 9mm or the P-3AT in .380auto. Are the 9mm Kel Tec's as easy to conceal and carry? Any particular model better than the others or any we should stay away from. This will be for a upper 60's gentleman to carry in his pants pocket or front jacket pocket on walks. Thanks for any info.

 

[firewacker17]

i carry a keltec p11 probably a litle big to put in a front pants pocket.i carry it on my hip and most of the time my girlfriend and buddys cant tell i have it untill they ask and i tell them.ive shot probably 300 rounds out of it with no problems.

 

[buckhunter]

thank you, he may carry on his hip some, but I know he'll probably want to carry in his pocket (pants or jacket) pretty frequently, so I appreciate the insight.

 

[valkrider88]

I have a Kel Tec 32 that shoots great and is so easy to conceal even in the summer with shorts. It carries well in the pants pocket (front or back) I find myself carrying this mouse gun even more than my others because it's so easy. I realize it's only a 32 cal. but because it's so easy to conceal my chances of having it on me when in need are pretty good. Never had any jams with it, just a neat little piece.

 

[BrownTrout]

I carry the P11 with a pocket holster year round. In the summer its easily concealed in front or rear pockets. And as of now I have around 600-700 rounds through mine without a problem.

 

[roland45]

I have had a p3at for about 3 years now. I bought mine just after keltec came out with the second generation of p3ats. My brother has a 1st generation for about 6 years now. he has about 500 rounds through his, I have around 300 or so.
We are both very happy with them. His didnt like the cheap russian ammo, but after I polished the feed ramp on the barrel with a dremmel tool, his feeds them fine now. 380 ammo can still be found, its just a little harder to come by since ruger started making a p3at copy called the lcp. The ruger does have a feature that holds the action open on the last shot to facilitate a faster reload, but I have never seen the need for this on a gun whos main selling feature is that it is sleek and light. I have the belt clip installed on my p3at, and to be honest, some times I forget I am even carring it.
All the little 380s made today require a few hundred rounds through them to break them in because they are made with such tight tolerences, but thats half the fun of breaking in a new carry gun. Just Oil the bejeezus out of them before breaking them in for a few hundred rounds.
keltech does have outstanding costumer service.
check ou http://www.ktog.org, its the keltek owners group website.
as far as ammo prices go 380 is not as expensive as say 9mm, or 45 acp. The 95 grn win wite box stuff is great for break in and practice, but I carry the corbon DPX 80 grain HPs for defence. they were made for, and tested in shot barreled 380s. they cost 25 bucks for 20 rounds, and I bought 2 boxes. 1 to make sure they function well, and one for carry.
I hope this answered some of your questions,
Roland

 

[BrownTrout]

Thanks for reminding me roland. When I first got mine from the gunshop it fired round nose bullets fine. When I tried JHP's it wouldn't let me chamber one. I sent it back to Kel tech in Florida and they removed some excess material and polished it. When I got it back I tried every type of ammo I could get my hands on to test it and it ate every round up since. It will shoot anything and is surprisingly accurate for such a small pistol.

 

[Andy1]

I really like my p3at. I carry it a lot and in most cases, I feel would do just fine in what I would need it to do.

All of kel-tec's are a little on the rough side, but usually function great and preform a prescribed task very economical. In fact, I often looked at getting one of their 9mm - PF9 I think - it is mid way in size from their P11 and p3at.

 

[BrownTrout]

Yeah the P9 is nice and lighter than the P11 I got. Its bascially the same height and length just thinner

 

[bownut]

I'm not knocking KelTec. I inherited my dad's when he died. I just couldn't shoot it well. But I never really put any time into it either. It had light primer strikes at first, sent it back and they fixed that. I just didn't like it for the fact it had no usable sights, and the DAO operation had a terrible, LONG trigger pull. It was GREAT to conceal though.

I traded the KelTec on this little gem (Sig Sauer P238). It was love at first sight.

It's a beauty to look at, a little heavier than the keltec (15 oz) and has good, usable night sights even. It's accurate (tennis ball sized groups at 10 yds ain't bad for me) and it eats everything I've fed it. It carries well. Plus it's a mini-1911 design. I'm a sucker for 1911's.

Price wise, it's a little more (about $500 for base models, $600 for this one) but it's a good, quality firearm, and one to consider.

bownut

 

[pafan]

If you're sold on something really small and really light, look into the Kel-Tec P3AT (or P32), the Ruger LCP and the Taurus TCP. They are all similarly priced pocket guns but what feels good to you might not feel good to your step-dad.

My advice is to have the cash ready to purchase a gun plus a few boxes of shells for him, but take him to the store to make sure he gets a gun that he feels comfortable holding. When a gun is this small and it's entire purpose is to have ready to go if it's needed, you want something you aren't going to hesitate to shoot because it holds funny.

I was dead-set on buying the Ruger LCP until I had a chance to play around with the Taurus TCP... I have larger hands and although it isn't much bigger than the LCP, the TCP has slightly different grips that allow me to shoot groups closer and faster than the LCP. For that reason alone I decided on the Taurus.

 

[wimp]

Nothing bad to say about my 3at.

 

[buckhunter]

Thanks guys I appreciate the info, I think were still leaning towards the P-3AT, but might see if I can somehow arrange for us to look at some together, because "I'm" interested in buying one in the coming months. I think between the group of us we'll probably end up with the P-3AT or PF-9, pocket holster, and some ammo for him, if I know him he'll invest in the laser sites they have for them to take any guesswork out of the equation.