Kel Tec P-3AT

The Kel-Tec P-3AT is a well made, highly functional .380 ACP, small conceal carry designed, DAO (double action only), spurless hammer, reliable, durable, and smartly priced. Wow, sounds like I’m trying to sell you some ocean front property in Arizona, doesn’t it? This neat little gun is high on thrills and low on frills.



Just to cut to the chase, I’ll give you the particulars on this little workhorse. The P-3AT is a .380ACP that is 5.2 inch in length, 3.5 inch in height, 2.7 inch barrel length, and a width of .77 inch. The sight radius on this gun is 3.8 inches, the magazine capacity is 6+1, the weight of the gun when it is empty is 8.3 oz., and 11.1 total weight when fully loaded. The DAO trigger pull is a little long, but is easy and smooth and breaks evenly at around 5 pounds. The slide and barrel are of solid steel construction, while the lower frame is a high resin polymer with an aluminum insert. The rails of this little carry gun are deep cut and should provide tens of thousands of rounds of practice………..if you can afford the ammo.



Stopping power for a .380ACP has always been the big question with many. The german military issue guns that fire an alike cartridge were all stamped 9MM Kurz, which interpreted is 9MM short. Basically, this little gun is about like a slow 9MM at about 250 fps slower rate downrange. This is the real truth, if you can accurately, you can stop someone with a pellet gun. I’ve got a .22 caliber 1000fps pellet rifle, but when I shoot a solid copper, cone shaped projectile in it; that projectile is the game changer. That projectile will go thru a ¾ pine board, thru and thru a rabbit, and it has laid more than one wild dog to rest. The same applies here. Do I own more than one .380ACP? Absolutely! Do I feel well armed with a .380ACP? Unquestionably! Do I use just any hollow point ammunition? Not on your life!(or mine) Would I own one of these Kel Tecs? I do.



The Kel-Tec P-3AT available with blued, parkerized, or matte chrome slide. The polymer frame is on the market in black, grey, navy blue, olive drab, and someone said that they saw even a pink. There were a couple of more solid colors, they were listed as \'Urban Blue/Grey\' and \'True Timber\' camouflage. Current production is that the second generation model, with small improvements over the first generation model. The most notable difference is in the extractor. Generation two pistols are easily distinguished by a button-head hex screw to the rear of the extractor that is at an angle to the facet of the gun.



You can practice with whatever ammunition you want, but if you think that there is even an outside chance that you’ll end up ever using the gun in self protection, then buy a box of 20 high performance personal defense ammunition. A box of 20 will probably cost $20. Shoot 6 of them to see how they feel and observe the pattern, and make a mental snapshot of it. If you can live with the accuracy that the round produces, then you’ll probably come home alive. If you don’t think that the pattern is good, try another brand. Manufactures and bullet weights are the key to finding a cooperative round. Once you find “your bullet,” try to buy about 3 boxes and just put them back. If you come home every night in one piece, you have fulfilled the first law of survival.