P3AT results - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

**beardman2** · 06-30-2006, 07:00 PM

Well I finally got my P3AT to the range. Its fun to shoot! It really starts to hurt after a little while though. I have bursa magazine ends installed to give me the ability to fit a second sausage finger on the grip.

I got a little excited and started at 5 yards. I was impressed until I brought the target back and realized there were only 4 of the size shots on it.... So I brought it back too three and was able to get groups down to about 2-3 inches. 5 yards it still opened up a bit. I think with some practice I can get it down though. I think 7 yards is going to be max for this gun.

I used the lubriplate grease before I went to the range. Just on slide rails and contact points on the barrel. Kept it really lite and then wiped even more off with papertowel. It seemed to work really well.

I shot about 60 rounds and had no FTF or FTE.

and with my cell phone for size comparison.

Once I was done I picked up my XD 40 tac....it felt like a rolls royce!

I had jamming issues again! I think its my magezines. It looks like the next round is blocking the empt round from extracting. I'll save that for another post.

I also finally got to shoot my yugo SKS. It had some extraction issues. Week ejection. I'm thinking it probably just needs a new set of springs?

shermdo · 06-30-2006, 08:28 PM

My son and I both have a Kel Tec 3AT. I shoot only a few rounds through mine per range visit and I pretty much limit myself to 7 yards with this handgun so I have no idea how I'd do at longer. It does well at 7 yards though. My son however carries his as a BUG while on duty as a LEO. He lives in FL and sometimes carries the little Kel Tec in a belt holster as his off duty weapon. With this in mind he qualifies with it every 3 months including 25 yards. He can really shot the little thing. My point to sharing this with you is that the 3AT should be able to shot better than you have described. I would suggest that you pratice with it a little more and if it still does not perform well I would call Kel Tec in Cocoa, FL and ask to return it for them to work it over. I have heard that they do a good job in the customer service department.

Good luck with your Kel Tec. Mine is in my pocket at the moment. It sure is nice to have a dependable .380 that can be carried so easily.

Be Safe.

**beardman2** · 06-30-2006, 09:51 PM

oh I'm sure it will. after about 2K rounds I can keep my XD in about 3" at 10 yards and I know if I was really trying I could improve that greatly.

I'm sure this will get better with time. I bought all the stuff to "fluff and buff" but I wanted to see how it performed out of the box first. I was really happy with it for the first range session.

60 rounds was it though. I could have gone a little more but not much. When I'm shooting my XD my thumbs are usually ready to stop reloading before I'm ready too.

**Majk** · 06-30-2006, 10:02 PM

Nice gun, may have to go onto the want to get list.

**beardman2** · 06-30-2006, 10:16 PM

gracias. I had wanted the XD in OD but couldn't find one when I finally had the money.

so I saw this one and it had the cheapest shipping so I went for it.

Delija · 07-01-2006, 01:16 AM

I bought a P32 (after having my heart set on the P3AT) because it was the only Kel Tec in hard chrome I could find. (I since found out it's pretty cheap to have the slides re-finished in hard chrome).

Neither the .380 nor the .32 is a "range gun" or a target pistol. They are strictly for close quarters self defense. I've shot the P3AT plenty, and like you said, after shooting a gun that weighs 6 ounces, the XD (or any service size gun) feels like a Rolls Royce.

The .380 has a bit more punch, no doubt, so while I sometimes second guess myself and wonder if a .380 would have given me that little bit of extra power (there's really not that much difference, but there is some...I believe the .380 is closer in power to the .32 than it is to the 9mm Luger), the fact is that at "handshake" distances, even a .22 should do the job. When you can put a bullet in a bad guy's eye, or stick it in his ear, it doesn't matter if it's a .44 magnum or a .22 short.

As for the accuracy....I too thought at first that the Kel Tec was inaccurate. But that's not the case, it's a matter of adjusting to the tiny size. It requires a different way of holding the gun, pressing the trigger, etc. And of course getting used to the short sight radius. But this is a point and shoot gun, so the sights mean very little...at least IMO.

I found out very quickly using a rather unsteady rest, that the gun actually is surprisingly accurate. So try shooting from some kind of a rest if you want to know if it's the gun or if it's the shooter.

With just a pile of gun rugs, I am able to get very respectable groups at 30 feet....further than I would anticipate having to shoot this gun in self defense. And if I do have to...with eight rounds (I think 7 in the .380?) at least a few should find the target (or make him back off hopefully). In reality, if I have 30 or 40 feet between me and the threat, I'll be running away, or at least running for shelter. No matter what the BG is pointing at me!

I can't express how much I've grown to love my little Kel Tec. It's been super reliable, I haven't found ANY ammo it won't feed 100%, and most importantly, I ALWAYS have it in my right front pocket. No one can ever possibly know unless I tell them (which I never have), it weighs practically nothing (in fact the entire gun weighs right about the same as just one of my Metalform 1911 single stack magazines with seven rounds of 230 grain fmj).

Live with the gun Beardman.....you WILL grow to love it!!!

BTW, you mentioned "jamming issues". Where you referring to the XD or the Kel Tec? (wasn't really clear). Seemed more to me like you meant with the XD?...suprised either way.

Guess my cell phone is a little bigger that yours. But check out my Crayola job!!!

(New tonight...keeper? Or should I trash it? Or try another color?)

Peace,
D.

Delija · 07-01-2006, 08:06 AM

Is the white better? Opinions? Maybe just nothing and leave it all black? (I had the crayons out last night to re-do the XD, so....)

I know it needs a little cleaning up, but I ran out of patience. (I'll get there if I decide to keep it).

Thanks for input!!

Peace,
D.

a1XD9 · 07-01-2006, 11:07 AM

Nice looking gun, I really like the OD. You would be surprised at how good you get with that gun after a little practice with it. http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...c_target_2.jpg those are some groups I got with mine top from 7 yards bottom from 15 yards. The bottom is a bit scattered but all shots hit the target and I'm by no means a good shot. The only bad thing about these guns is finding cheap ammo.

Dicks sporting goods has a sale right now on Remington UMC for 8$ a box, if you have one around you. Here are also some useful links if you don't already have them.
P3AT DISASSEMBLY
http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/disassembly.htm

FLUFF AND BUFF PAGE 1
http://www.goldenloki.com/guns/keltec/prep.htm

FLUFF AND BUFF PAGE 2
http://www.goldenloki.com/guns/keltec/prep2.htm

LUBRICATION
http://www.goldenloki.com/guns/keltec/care2.htm

CHANGE GRIP
http://www.geocities.com/pocketguns/P32grip.html

P3AT FORUM
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=104

**beardman2** · 07-01-2006, 11:49 AM

I didn't mean to make it sound like I was unhappy with the gun. I am very pleased with it. Especially with all the "fluff and buff" talk out there. It put 60 rounds down range without a hicup.

I wasn't extatic about the grouping but going from a XD tac to this little bugger its going to take some getting used too.

For ammo I plan on either getting miwall reloads from outdoormarksman.com ($110 for 1K if they ever get them back in stock) or pick them up at the next gun show. By far the cheapest I've found and makes it borderline between saving money reloading. IF you calculate your time to reload miwalls seem to be the best deal by far.

Delija I'd go with white myself.

If I could get it down to softball groupings at 30 feet I'll be really happy with it.

yes the jamming is the XD. It started around christmas time with the case getting jammed in the chamber after firing. I finally got my wolf ammo replaced with a new batch and it had been fine. I haven't cleaned it since the last range session so it could be a dirty chamber but I realized the empty case was jammed against the next round in the mag. It looks like the extractor slipped off the case rim. I don't know if thats a function of the mag lips opening up and allowing the next round to be to high or if there is maybe an extractor issue and it simply tried to chamber the next round.

kart racer · 07-01-2006, 09:20 PM

I bought one last month and mine has been flawless.At 7 yards it's not problem to keep in 3-4 inch without trying.I was worried after reading some of the reports,but mine was finished nice and shoots great for what it is.

06-30-2006, 07:00 PM	#1
beardman2 XDTalk 4K Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4,950	P3AT results Well I finally got my P3AT to the range. Its fun to shoot! It really starts to hurt after a little while though. I have bursa magazine ends installed to give me the ability to fit a second sausage finger on the grip. I got a little excited and started at 5 yards. I was impressed until I brought the target back and realized there were only 4 of the size shots on it.... So I brought it back too three and was able to get groups down to about 2-3 inches. 5 yards it still opened up a bit. I think with some practice I can get it down though. I think 7 yards is going to be max for this gun. I used the lubriplate grease before I went to the range. Just on slide rails and contact points on the barrel. Kept it really lite and then wiped even more off with papertowel. It seemed to work really well. I shot about 60 rounds and had no FTF or FTE. and with my cell phone for size comparison. Once I was done I picked up my XD 40 tac....it felt like a rolls royce! I had jamming issues again! I think its my magezines. It looks like the next round is blocking the empt round from extracting. I'll save that for another post. I also finally got to shoot my yugo SKS. It had some extraction issues. Week ejection. I'm thinking it probably just needs a new set of springs? __________________ - He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself. ~Thomas Paine I will not be involved with the dreams of angry men. Founding Documents Freedom isn't free: http://www.anysoldier.com

06-30-2006, 08:28 PM	#2
shermdo XDTalk Newbie Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Delaware Valley, PA Posts: 28	Could be the handgun My son and I both have a Kel Tec 3AT. I shoot only a few rounds through mine per range visit and I pretty much limit myself to 7 yards with this handgun so I have no idea how I'd do at longer. It does well at 7 yards though. My son however carries his as a BUG while on duty as a LEO. He lives in FL and sometimes carries the little Kel Tec in a belt holster as his off duty weapon. With this in mind he qualifies with it every 3 months including 25 yards. He can really shot the little thing. My point to sharing this with you is that the 3AT should be able to shot better than you have described. I would suggest that you pratice with it a little more and if it still does not perform well I would call Kel Tec in Cocoa, FL and ask to return it for them to work it over. I have heard that they do a good job in the customer service department. Good luck with your Kel Tec. Mine is in my pocket at the moment. It sure is nice to have a dependable .380 that can be carried so easily. Be Safe.

06-30-2006, 09:51 PM	#3
beardman2 XDTalk 4K Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4,950	oh I'm sure it will. after about 2K rounds I can keep my XD in about 3" at 10 yards and I know if I was really trying I could improve that greatly. I'm sure this will get better with time. I bought all the stuff to "fluff and buff" but I wanted to see how it performed out of the box first. I was really happy with it for the first range session. 60 rounds was it though. I could have gone a little more but not much. When I'm shooting my XD my thumbs are usually ready to stop reloading before I'm ready too. __________________ - He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself. ~Thomas Paine I will not be involved with the dreams of angry men. Founding Documents Freedom isn't free: http://www.anysoldier.com

06-30-2006, 10:02 PM	#4
Majk XDTalk 2K Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Nebraska Posts: 2,641	Nice gun, may have to go onto the want to get list. __________________ --------------------------------------------------------- majkthreads Psalm 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped."

06-30-2006, 10:16 PM	#5
beardman2 XDTalk 4K Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4,950	gracias. I had wanted the XD in OD but couldn't find one when I finally had the money. so I saw this one and it had the cheapest shipping so I went for it. __________________ - He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself. ~Thomas Paine I will not be involved with the dreams of angry men. Founding Documents Freedom isn't free: http://www.anysoldier.com

07-01-2006, 01:16 AM	#6
Delija XDTalk 4K Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: South Florida Posts: 4,171	I bought a P32 (after having my heart set on the P3AT) because it was the only Kel Tec in hard chrome I could find. (I since found out it's pretty cheap to have the slides re-finished in hard chrome). Neither the .380 nor the .32 is a "range gun" or a target pistol. They are strictly for close quarters self defense. I've shot the P3AT plenty, and like you said, after shooting a gun that weighs 6 ounces, the XD (or any service size gun) feels like a Rolls Royce. The .380 has a bit more punch, no doubt, so while I sometimes second guess myself and wonder if a .380 would have given me that little bit of extra power (there's really not that much difference, but there is some...I believe the .380 is closer in power to the .32 than it is to the 9mm Luger), the fact is that at "handshake" distances, even a .22 should do the job. When you can put a bullet in a bad guy's eye, or stick it in his ear, it doesn't matter if it's a .44 magnum or a .22 short. As for the accuracy....I too thought at first that the Kel Tec was inaccurate. But that's not the case, it's a matter of adjusting to the tiny size. It requires a different way of holding the gun, pressing the trigger, etc. And of course getting used to the short sight radius. But this is a point and shoot gun, so the sights mean very little...at least IMO. I found out very quickly using a rather unsteady rest, that the gun actually is surprisingly accurate. So try shooting from some kind of a rest if you want to know if it's the gun or if it's the shooter. With just a pile of gun rugs, I am able to get very respectable groups at 30 feet....further than I would anticipate having to shoot this gun in self defense. And if I do have to...with eight rounds (I think 7 in the .380?) at least a few should find the target (or make him back off hopefully). In reality, if I have 30 or 40 feet between me and the threat, I'll be running away, or at least running for shelter. No matter what the BG is pointing at me! I can't express how much I've grown to love my little Kel Tec. It's been super reliable, I haven't found ANY ammo it won't feed 100%, and most importantly, I ALWAYS have it in my right front pocket. No one can ever possibly know unless I tell them (which I never have), it weighs practically nothing (in fact the entire gun weighs right about the same as just one of my Metalform 1911 single stack magazines with seven rounds of 230 grain fmj). Live with the gun Beardman.....you WILL grow to love it!!! BTW, you mentioned "jamming issues". Where you referring to the XD or the Kel Tec? (wasn't really clear). Seemed more to me like you meant with the XD?...suprised either way. Guess my cell phone is a little bigger that yours. But check out my Crayola job!!! (New tonight...keeper? Or should I trash it? Or try another color?) Peace, D. __________________ WWRD (sleep?) Last edited by Delija; 07-01-2006 at 01:20 AM.

07-01-2006, 08:06 AM	#7
Delija XDTalk 4K Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: South Florida Posts: 4,171	Is the white better? Opinions? Maybe just nothing and leave it all black? (I had the crayons out last night to re-do the XD, so....) I know it needs a little cleaning up, but I ran out of patience. (I'll get there if I decide to keep it). Thanks for input!! Peace, D. __________________ WWRD (sleep?)

07-01-2006, 11:07 AM	#8
a1XD9 XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: IL, FL Posts: 192	Nice looking gun, I really like the OD. You would be surprised at how good you get with that gun after a little practice with it. http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...c_target_2.jpg those are some groups I got with mine top from 7 yards bottom from 15 yards. The bottom is a bit scattered but all shots hit the target and I'm by no means a good shot. The only bad thing about these guns is finding cheap ammo. Dicks sporting goods has a sale right now on Remington UMC for 8$ a box, if you have one around you. Here are also some useful links if you don't already have them. P3AT DISASSEMBLY http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/disassembly.htm FLUFF AND BUFF PAGE 1 http://www.goldenloki.com/guns/keltec/prep.htm FLUFF AND BUFF PAGE 2 http://www.goldenloki.com/guns/keltec/prep2.htm LUBRICATION http://www.goldenloki.com/guns/keltec/care2.htm CHANGE GRIP http://www.geocities.com/pocketguns/P32grip.html P3AT FORUM http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=104 __________________ Signature

07-01-2006, 11:49 AM	#9
beardman2 XDTalk 4K Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4,950	I didn't mean to make it sound like I was unhappy with the gun. I am very pleased with it. Especially with all the "fluff and buff" talk out there. It put 60 rounds down range without a hicup. I wasn't extatic about the grouping but going from a XD tac to this little bugger its going to take some getting used too. For ammo I plan on either getting miwall reloads from outdoormarksman.com ($110 for 1K if they ever get them back in stock) or pick them up at the next gun show. By far the cheapest I've found and makes it borderline between saving money reloading. IF you calculate your time to reload miwalls seem to be the best deal by far. Delija I'd go with white myself. If I could get it down to softball groupings at 30 feet I'll be really happy with it. yes the jamming is the XD. It started around christmas time with the case getting jammed in the chamber after firing. I finally got my wolf ammo replaced with a new batch and it had been fine. I haven't cleaned it since the last range session so it could be a dirty chamber but I realized the empty case was jammed against the next round in the mag. It looks like the extractor slipped off the case rim. I don't know if thats a function of the mag lips opening up and allowing the next round to be to high or if there is maybe an extractor issue and it simply tried to chamber the next round. __________________ - He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself. ~Thomas Paine I will not be involved with the dreams of angry men. Founding Documents Freedom isn't free: http://www.anysoldier.com

07-01-2006, 09:20 PM	#10
kart racer XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 319	P3at I bought one last month and mine has been flawless.At 7 yards it's not problem to keep in 3-4 inch without trying.I was worried after reading some of the reports,but mine was finished nice and shoots great for what it is.

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