Product Review: Kel-Tec P3AT (After 6 Years)

Shooting footage! YEET!

I've had this pistol since 2013 and ran it like crazy over the years, easily over a thousand rounds. What a wild ride its been. Today I will do my best to give an honest review and the history of my second EDC pistol.

photo by Oleg Volk

I purchased it in 2012. My first carry firearm was an Armscor .38 spl revolver, the M206. It was heavy, bulky, but it was adequate at the time. 

That wheelgun was on my hip and man bag for more than a year and I felt that a change was needed. 

Back then the Kel-Tec fever was in full swing as it revolutionized the pocket pistol world. Reviews of their guns were all over YouTube like Nutnfancy's P3AT Review. He's controversial, but I think he's a fun guy and has his heart in the right place.

Oleg Volk released iconic photography for the little pocket pistol.


RISE of the .380 ACP

The Ruger LCP made its debut soon afterward. Sites like Brass Fetcher, Poboyspecial and PocketGunandGear were around this era as well. Tests for the viability of the .380 acp helped a lot of firearm owners to rethink this cartridge.

Today it is considered to be the minimum caliber for personal protection.

Specifications

EDC lineup circa 2013

• weight: 7.7 oz

• overall length: 5.2 inches

• height: 3.5 inches

• width: 0.77 inches

• magazine capacity: 6

• caliber: .380 acp

Rough Start

I had to return the pistol to the company that I got it from for a week right after buying it. The gun had at least 1 failure to eject in every magazine for the first 200 rounds. That freaked me out. They fixed it and gave it back to me.

I started carrying it and trained with at least 100 rounds a month. That is a lot as far as pocket pistols go. 

Strong Points

This was indeed the lightest and most concealable pistol that packed a reasonable punch.

The P3AT was so light I could wear it on my BOXER SHORTS or go jogging with the help of that nifty belt clip and soft holster. It could even hide behind a big belt buckle with a little creativity!

As long as I'm awake, I could actually be armed 100% of the time.


Challenges

The pistol's sights were practically nonexistent but that wasn't a problem. I was determined to shoot it well and I was able to reach an acceptable level so it saw tons of range time.

The long trigger pull is part of the firearm's safety so it was a bit tricky for guys like me who are used to single-action triggers. Good thing the break at the end was predictable enough.

Recurring Problems

Trouble seemed to follow me in the form of infamous malfunctions such as the "P3AT Smiley". Google it or click that link to see what I had to endure. There were Failure to Feeds as you'll see in the video below and the FTEs had returned about two years later.

An old friend Huey's Gunsight also FTE issues but I'm really glad he was able to solve it.

not again

I also had light primer strikes, but they only happened on the reloads and magtech ammunition. 

The slide stop takedown pin also broke at least 3 times. I don't live in the USA so I had to wait a few months for me to travel to Oregon and order parts from Florida.

To their credit, Kel-Tek's customer service phone number people are VERY helpful. They even answer their email. I got a few replacement pins for free and I could hear their smile from the other side of the line. Thank you.

A few years after I mothballed the pistol it would finally light strike every single time. I believe the hammer spring had finally worn itself out. Sadly that would mean I would have to order parts from the plant again. 

The Good Times

When it was good, it ran well. Perhaps I was expecting too much out of this little gun. I was running it IPSC style fast and hard. I could ring steel plates at 15 meters, double tapping paper at point blank or in-between no-shoots. I was John-Wicking the thing because I needed to.

I made this video to remind me that there are many P3AT owners who have had nothing but good luck with their purchase. Perhaps they're the majority and I was just unlucky.


Hindsight is 20/20

I don't regret this whole experience even if I still feel a little bad about it because I wanted to make it work. And for a time it did.

This gun would have served me better if I had spare parts that could be delivered to me quickly. They're all minor parts. A few springs and pins, who cares? Well, I live in the Philippines. Oops.

For those who have proper support and who are among the majority of these pistols that work FLAWLESSLY, then you have an ideal backup pistol. There's loads of positive video reviews out there to prove it.

It was a tough relationship, but we made it WORK

All of this has taught me to put reliability out of the box at the very top of my requirements for any gun. Even if its a little heavier, I'll find a way. As long as I can trust it 100%, then its worth the minor inconvenience.

I still haunt the KTOG forums (Kel-Tec Owner's Group) and see that most of the guys there are happy with their purchase, especially with the later production models. 

Since then I've moved on to carrying a fantastic carry gun that has never ever let me down.


Stay vigilant!