Kel-Tec 380

[ThomasT]

I just picked up this Kel-Tec 380 i won by accident off GB a few days ago. By accident I had typed in Kel Tec p32 and was looking at the 32s listed and saw this gun and didn't notice it was a 380 instead of a 32. I won the auction by one dollar over the other bidder.

But its mine now and I have to say its a solid feeling little gun. I just picked it up so of course haven't shot it. Plus I have no 380 ammo. I am debating relisting it and just buying a new KelTec 32 and maybe taking a loss on the 380.

Anyone owned one of these .380s and what was your experience and opinion of the gun? I had one of the original 32s and sold it. Now I want another 32. Plus I have a lot of 32acp ammo and I also reload for 32acp. Is it worth the difference to change up what I have?

I also got a few spare parts with the gun. An extra extractor and spring and another part I haven't figured out yet.

 

[unclenunzie]

If it were me I'd get the P32 before reselling the P3AT and then decide. The P32 has a better overall reputation, but the P3AT would be fine and easier/cheaper to feed factory ammo.

 

[Great Scot]

There are some real differences between the 2 pistols that you should consider. The p32 has less recoil, greater capacity, last shot hold open and lighter weight. The p3at has more potential stopping power and greater ammo availability and diversity. You also don’t have the possible issue of rimlock with the P3at. Hope this helps.

 

[Hugger-4641]

I used to cary the P3at until I bought a LCP. I think Ruger may have all but cloned the
P3at , but Ruger did a better job with trigger and finish.
There's nothing really wrong with P3at for what it is, it's just a little rough around the edges. I'd keep it until you get the 32 and decide then.
380 ammo is starting to become more available and for some reason is 1/2 the price of 32 ammo.

 

[Tallball]

I had a P3AT for five years or so. It worked fine. My FiL still has it. It still works fine.

I also have a P32. It also works fine.

They are not beautiful, heirloom-quality firearms, but they go bang.

They both have unimpressive triggers. The P3AT has small sights. The P32 just has an aiming trough. The P3AT was unpleasant to shoot until I learned to hold it correctly. The P32 is mild to shoot. I was more accurate with the P3AT, due to it having some kind of sights at least. I also prefer 380 to 32acp, so I carried the P3AT and left the P32 at home.

FWIW, 380 is pretty easy to come by in my area, but they haven't started stocking 32acp yet.

 

[sequins]

I have an LCP (exact clone of the p3at except marginally worse dimensions and a "better" extractor, at least in the gen 1 models like i have) and a P32. I like both. The p32 is a little easier to conceal but only barely. I think its a lot less recoil though and personally I will be carrying Speer gold dots in mine. If lehigh makes a solid copper 32 suitable I may attempt to reload those and see how they feed. I don't expect much expansion unless the target is unprotected entirely, if at all, so a good FMJ or monolithic might be preferable.

 

[ThomasT]

380 ammo is starting to become more available and for some reason is 1/2 the price of 32 ammo.

Good point but like I said I reload 32acp and have around 450 rounds of factory ammo on hand. The rimlock mentioned can be real issue with the 32acp rounds. I even had it happen to me with the 32 Kel-Tec I owned in the past. I was loading one of the 10 round mags and got a round rim locked and it was a bit of a problem to clear. So it DOES happen.

I need to buy a box or two of 380 ammo and test this gun out. I like it better than the Taurus TCP 738 I owned a couple of years ago. This gun feels more solid.

This new Kel-Tec feels really good in the pocket and as you can see in the photo it came with the clip already installed for clipping to a pocket if you want. I looked at a parts schematic and figured out the mystery part is a spare ejector.

 

[GBExpat]

Anyone owned one of these .380s and what was your experience and opinion of the gun?

I have carried mine since I bought it NIB in 2005. Found an excellent pocket holster that I was able to modify to carry a second magazine. In this setup it usually rides in the right-rear pocket of my jeans.



My P-3AT has always been reliable, manageable (enough) and accurate (enough). It is not designed as a range gun, so I never shoot it a lot when I include it in a session out back.

That said ...

Apparently, over its production history some things were changed. The one about which I have read that sticks in my mind has to do with the blued finish. During some periods the finish used (blueing was out-sourced, I believe I read) was unsat and rusting was a result. Mine, OTOH ... well, I cannot tell you the number of times in almost 17 years that I have removed that setup in the pic from my pocket, visibly damp with sweat. In almost every case I wiped it dry and put it in front of a fan to dry. Never a bit of rust.

FYI ...

 

[unclenunzie]

I have carried mine since I bought it NIB in 2005. Found an excellent pocket holster that I was able to modify to carry a second magazine. In this setup it usually rides in the right-rear pocket of my jeans.

By your picture I'm guessing as you grip the pistol the mag pivots out of the way as the holster flexes?

 

[GBExpat]

By your picture I'm guessing as you grip the pistol the mag pivots out of the way as the holster flexes?

Correct.

 

[bannockburn]

I have a P3AT and find it to be good enough as a BUG in my right front pocket. Trigger is heavy but manageable and the finish has held up pretty well over the years. Decent little, lightweight micro-.380.

 

[Steve762us]

Yup, the little squarish bit is ejector. Can drop out of frame easily, once P3AT slide is off.

The belt clip is a very useful complement on the pocket-size Keltecs. The triggers are
heavy enough and long enough--basically, DA revolver-like--that belt carrying with
the clip is as safe as a Baramai Hip Grip, on a revolver.

 

[Patocazador]

My wife has carried a P3AT for about 4+ years. She has had no problems with it.

 

[Mr. Mosin]

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so Ruger did some real serious flattery. My friend, it's as you said ... long as it goes *bang* when you pull the trigger, who cares how it looks ?

 

[ThomasT]

OK guys I was just told my Kel-Tec is not a DAO trigger but a single and a half action. Any thoughts about that one? I have never ever in all the years of hanging around guns ever heard of a single and a half action. Have I been missing something all these years?

This was after I told the other person that the Kel Tec and original Ruger LCP were both DAO triggers. But nope, I am wrong. They are a single and a half action. Just wanted everyone else to know so you don't embarrass yourselves in front of other shooters.

 

[Yo Mama]

I loved carrying the p3at, but I hated shooting it. Very snappy, was not fun, and 380 was harder to find so I sold it off. I had a pf9 that was easier to shoot.

 

[jr45]

Good pocket gun. Very small package easily disappears in the pocket or IWB holster. It’s definitely not a fun range gun. The small nub of a sight it worthless and the recoil is stout. However; I never had a single hiccup with it shooting lead RNFP, FMJ, or Federal HPs.

 

[cc-hangfire]

OK guys I was just told my Kel-Tec is not a DAO trigger but a single and a half action. Any thoughts about that one?…
.

I never heard it called that, but I know what it means. Some hammer fired guns partially cock the hammer with the slide rack and thus reduce the trigger pull weight; it’s not a true DAO since there is no second strike capability; the slide must be manipulated to partially cock the hammer before the trigger will engage.

Kel Tec‘s P3AT, PF9 (& I think the P32 too) use this system; S&W 3rd gen “DAO” wonder nines also used it, and I believe that current S&W Shield EZ’s use this system too.

 

[ThomasT]

I never heard it called that, but I know what it means. Some hammer fired guns partially cock the hammer with the slide rack and thus reduce the trigger pull weight; it’s not a true DAO since there is no second strike capability; the slide must be manipulated to partially cock the hammer before the trigger will engage.

Kel Tec‘s P3AT, PF9 (& I think the P32 too) use this system; S&W 3rd gen “DAO” wonder nines also used it, and I believe that current S&W Shield EZ’s use this system too.

Yes its just the same as a pre loaded striker like used on Glocks and all the copies of Glocks. But like you I have never seen or heard that term before. I have been reading gun magazines since 1982 and on the gun forums since around 2007 and have never heard it called that before. I would love to know where the person got that term from. But for all intents its double action trigger. Even with the pre-set hammer you still have a long trigger pull that finished raising the hammer until it falls just like a double action revolver.

 

[MedWheeler]

ThomasT writes:

OK guys I was just told my Kel-Tec is not a DAO trigger but a single and a half action. Any thoughts about that one? I have never ever in all the years of hanging around guns ever heard of a single and a half action. Have I been missing something all these years?

The forensics report portion describing the Kel-Tec PF9, which uses the same trigger mechanism, in a high-profile self-defense incident in Sanford, Florida refers to it as a "hybrid double-action."

For the benefit of others perusing...

The hammer is partially cocked by cycling of the slide; pulling the trigger completes its rearward travel and then releases it. If the hammer falls without the gun firing (dud round, empty chamber, etc.), the hammer will be fully at rest and the slide must be at least partially retracted to position it for firing again.

In a true DAO mechanism, pulling the trigger will cycle the hammer from fully at rest to fully to the rear, and then drop it, every time, whether or not the gun fires.

Kel-Tec's P11 is an example of one of their DAO guns. The advantage of the "hybrid" system is a trigger pull lightened somewhat by the partially-cocked position. The disadvantage is that it gives up re-strike capability.

 

[ThomasT]

I can go with Hybrid Double Action. That makes a lot more sense than a single and a half action. The single and a half story cracks me up. Especially because it came from someone who's only handgun is a Wrangle single action. Or maybe its a "half single action" because you still have to manually cock the hammer before it can be fired.

 

[bnolsen]

What does it mean to hold the p3at correctly? For me it's shoot a few mags then quit due to a beat up and perhaps bleeding trigger finger.

 

[unclenunzie]

What does it mean to hold the p3at correctly? For me it's shoot a few mags then quit due to a beat up and perhaps bleeding trigger finger.

It's the same but lighter than the LCP. I'm gonna go with it being jumpy, so hang on tight would be "correct"

 

[ThomasT]

It's the same but lighter than the LCP. I'm gonna go with it being jumpy, so hang on tight would be "correct"

Yes. you don't want to limp wrist any semi auto handgun. It can cancel out the action of the slide reciprocating enough to cause the slide to not pick up the next round or go fully into lockup. The smaller the gun the more likely this is to happen.

 

[halfmoonclip]

Well, we've battered the definition of the KelTec's trigger; personally think it akin to a striker trigger in Glocks and SIGs in feel, if not in mechanism.
Regarding the KelTec itself, OP, does your gun have a flat leaf spring that powers the extractor? This was typical on the later models, and they work well. The older ones had a different extractor; they didn't work well.
Yeah, rim lock can be an issue with .32s; careful magazine loading usually precludes this. FMJs generally won't cause the problem; it's the shorter HPs that can be troublesome.
Moon
ETA- revisited the OPs post, and his pictures clearly show the good type of extractor; you're golden.
M