Drop Test!

[argo]

Do you guys know, Has there been any reports or study done on any KT's for drop tests?
Formal or informal ancedotes would be helpful also.




Yes I did Drop my P3AT!! only about 6" but it landed right on the serial numbers.

Thanks

[mr surveyor]

KT pistols in general have been extensively "drop tested". The design of the hammer block, and the ultra light firing pin make it virtually impossible to discharge by dropping. I believe there were a lot of discussions on this forum 5-6 years ago about the safety of the KT pistols related to drop on a hard surface.


surv

[argo]

Great! That sounds good, and puts my mind at ease. Thanks for the quick response.

[Popeye]

I personally do not know about any official drop test. However if Surv says there was one I believe it. I can say this for a fact though. I dropped mine from a jacket pocket down onto the garage floor. It did fall onto a carpet that did not have padding and bounced a few times. It did have one in the chamber and the mag did come loose and had a little chip taken off the plastic base plate of the mag.,but the pistol never went off. I would guess the height of the fall was about 4-1/2 to 5 feet,as I was kind of having trouble getting my heavy leather jacket over my shoulders that do not work as good as they once did. I do not know how it actually hit the floor because when I saw it ,it was on it's second or third end over end bounce. The good news is the pistol never went off and it still works as good as it ever did.
I've since learned to be a little more careful about how I put on my jacket when I have a pistol in the pocket. The only bad thing about the P3at is it's so darn concealable that sometimes I forget I even have it on me till I think I might need it.
Do not be supprised if one day I put on here that I put my P3at in the washer and have a report on how it all turned out. It's been close more than once.

[mr surveyor]

let me clarify my statements above just a bit. The P11, being of a bit different design, has different safety characteristics than the P32, P3AT and PF9. The P3AT, P32 and PF9 all have the hammer block and super light firing pin design. I'm not suggesting that the P11 is unsafe, but it could be more subject to a discharge due to inertial force of the firing pin striking the primer in a muzzle down drop (than the p32, p3at or pf9)

I don't have the time to research the archives for all the discussion related to drop tests, but I do remember a lot of information provided by users "yzguy" and "flyer". Another user name that may have been in some of the discussion is "golden loki"

The built in safety features of the P3At, P32 and PF9 are a large part of what make the line so popular.


surv


p.s. for what it's worth, my PF9 worked it's way out of a no-retention IWB holster while I was squirming around in an unfomfortable chair on the patio one night. It actually fell about 18" and landed on the top of the slide and broke the rear sight. I was much more concerned about having to replace/re-align the sight than I was the possibility of a negligent (not "accidental" since I should have had proper control) discharge.

[TucsonMTB]

Hey Guys!

To help put your mind at ease . . .

Here is a link to drop test information for the P-3AT and several other Kel-Tec's.

The same site includes a link with useful info on the excellent drop safety of the P-3AT even with a shortened firing pin spring!

TucsonMTB . . . who is a bit clumsy

[mr surveyor]

TucsonMTB


Thanks for posting the links... I had forgotten "1bad69" as a great source for KT info



surv

[TnRebel]

From Kel-Tec's web site on the P3AT

"The P-3AT has five main component groups: barrel, slide, firing mechanism, grip, and magazine. The barrel is made of SAE 4140 ordnance steel, heat treated to 48 HRC. The slide is also 4140 steel, and contains the firing pin and the extractor. The rectangular frame is machined from solid 7075-T6 aluminum and houses the firing mechanism. The trigger connects via a transfer bar to the hammer. The hammer is driven by a novel free floating extension spring. The light weight firing pin transmits the energy of the hammer to ignite the primer. After firing, the hammer block holds the hammer away from the firing pin, providing a mechanical safety."

[argo]

From Kel-Tec's web site on the P3AT

" After firing, the hammer block holds the hammer away from the firing pin, providing a mechanical safety."

Would that be the same as manually chambering a round?

[mr surveyor]

yes. Whether you chamber a round, or the next round comes up after firing, the pistol still requires the trigger to be deliberately pulled in order to disengage the hammer block safety. The lightweight firing pin, and firing pin return spring, I believe, are the central ingredients to the muzzle-down "drop safety" of the pistol.

surv