May 16 2009 – Part 1 (Kel-Tec P3AT)

May 16 2009 – Part 1

My Gun-Blog will have to be split up into 3 parts today because there is a lot of information to record. Here in the first part will be the discussion of the Kel-Tec P3AT. Part 2 will be the Kahr PM9. Part 3 will be about my wife, the men she attracts and her new love. (You’ll just have to wait for it)

We have shot the Kel-Tec P3AT before but it went through a deeper exam this time. This is great .380 gun IF your only concerns are size and weight. Weighing in at 9.5 oz loaded, the P3AT is the lightest gun we have evaluated and, of course, the smallest. The size easily permits a pocket or purse holster as well as the traditional carry holsters. I don’t believe that anyone should ignore the .380 guns as self-defense guns either. Six rounds of SPEER GOLD DOT 90gr. .380 should stop any danger that an average person will encounter. There aren’t that many bears roaming our neighborhoods and few robbers are wearing body armor. The P3AT fires a fairly accurate pattern at 25 feet that would poke some serious holes in the center of an aggressor. This model we borrowed also has a laser mounted on it for quick “target acquisition”. The sights are a strange crescent where the front site finishes the pattern but I found I was better using the sights than using the laser. The sites would be completely useless in low light situations, giving the laser the +1 in those instances.

Shooting the P3AT is something akin to getting a flu shot. You know it is going to hurt but it is all worth it in the end. The trigger stroke is extremely long and that final “bang” just rips your finger to shreds. You actually get used to it and it isn’t so bad with a quick recovery to target. It is not uncontrollable and some practice would get a good shot groupings.
Disassembly is rather simple if you have a very strong grip in your left hand. Since this slide does not lock back, you must HOLD it back while removing the appropriate pin using the groove on one of the bullets. It is simple to take down and put back together. The barrel is different that most guns and looks more like a whistle than a gun barrel. It is thin and oddly shaped, but performs admirably. There was never a failure when shooting.

The Bad: I won’t rule out owning one of these as a “carry this because you can’t hide anything else with what you are wearing” type of gun. However, this gun is NOT pleasant to shoot or aim. I don’t think I would mind recoil if the choice were a knife in my belly, but I would MUCH rather carry something else. Sharon won’t even shoot this gun because it hurts.

The Summary: I would highly recommend buying one of these to have when there is absolutely no other way to carry a gun. A finger-killing .380 in your pocket beats a .45 1911 on the dresser ANY day.