[Tangram]

Hi,

From reading the two KT boards it seems likely that all P-3ATs need work. Or... are there some folks that have put 500 trouble free rounds through their P-3AT.

.... once "fixed" are they reliable?

Sorry if this is a dead subject. I'm trying, however, to get a better idea of what I am planning to buy not get lots of my gun don't work stories.

Rick

 

[Flyer]

Tangram,
No, all P-3ATs DON'T need work out of the box.
They run just fine, naysayers be damned.
They CAN cause the smiley problem, and they CAN throw brass backwards...
But they work just FINE. A firm hold prevents brass to the head, and the smileys haven't been proven to be an actual problem, just an annoyance.
Buy a P-3AT with confidence. You'll be glad you did.
Flyer
P.S. THOUSANDS of rounds, and counting...
F.

 

[Guest]

I never did anything to mine except oil it before I took it to the range. I shot 230 rounds through it without a single problem. I've got a couple of pistols that cost a bunch more than this little one did in my gun safe that I wish were that dependable. I trust this gun now and It has been retired to my pocket holster where it'll be seldom shot unless I'm being attacked and hopefully that won't ever happen. These little guns are not target pistols and I see no reason to keep shooting one until it develops a problem from wear. It's a pocket pistol that I might shoot a couple of times at the range from time to time while I'm shooting my other guns just to make sure it still works but I don't see ever putting another 230 rounds through it for the rest of my life anyway.

Rook

 

[kraigster414]

Rook, I view my P32 in exactly the same way. Ditto for my P-3AT when it arrives (hopefully it will function as well). Once I am satisfied it feeds 200 rounds or so of a proven ammo, that's pretty much it for me. In the pocket it goes. A few more test fires now and then but no more.

 

[Tangram]

Thanks for the words. I bought a P-3AT today. The 200 rounds to be sure it works regime works for me. Think I will torture myself for a few weeks and wrap it as a present for the 25th. (Its a old family tradition of wrapping know gifts.) Here hoping for a successful test period.

 

[angebar]

Tangram,
Enjoy your P3AT!!! Mine has been great right out of the box.

 

[gazpacho]

Mine has been very good out of the box (200+ rounds), but I still get about 1 head banger per magazine.

The first "fix" you should do is put a 1rd extension onto the magazine. (The P32 one will fit, but now they have a P3AT available.) It gives you a better grip on the gun, lowering the instances of limp-wristing. In my experience, limp-wristing is responsible for 90% of all FTFs and FTE malfunctions.

The second "fix" you should do is not shoot through an entire box of ammo real quick. The P3AT really puts your hand through the ringer when you shoot it. Tired hands tend to limp-wrist a lot also.

The third "fix" you should do is not to expect a perfectly functioning handgun until after you've cycled/fired it atleast 200 rounds. Several companies (Kahr most notably) recommend a breaking period of 200+ rounds. Granted a good Fluff and Buff can drastically reduce this, but breaking it in should work fine. I have a P32 that has gone through 1000+ rounds (never F&Bed) that works just Jim Dandy Fine.

 

[Midiman]

Re:

Mine has been very good out of the box (200+ rounds), but I still get about 1 head banger per magazine.

Good to hear and welcome aboard. I'm still waiting to get my hands on mine... but all the recent reports are much smoother than the initial batch.

 

[dbracin]

No Problems with my 3AT

I am happy to report that my new P-3AT ( replacement for the one with the assembly pin that would not stay in ) just shot it's first box of Winchester FMJ with NO problems, NO FTE, NO FTF and the assembly pin stayed in. I am very pleased. While I was at it, I ran acouple of mags thru the P-32. It felt like a .22lr after shooting the P-3AT. Also shot the Kahr PM-9. The P-3AT has a little more snap to it than the Kahr, but the Kahr doesn't fit in the pocket quite like the P-3AT either.

 

[dbracin]

Pre shooting treatment

And all I did to the 3AT was polish the feed ramp, run a brush thru the barrel and lube it.

 

[sub2k]

Mine is fine

I haven't hit the 500 mark yet. I have 377 rounds through it and it is flawless with everything except speer lawman and Blazers. Silvertips and Golden Saber's have been flawless. All I do is clean, Lube and Shoot it.

 

[ppmd]

Re:

These little guns are not target pistols

I beg to differ, even with my crooked front sight. :lol: These are first 6 rounds shot handheld at 7 yards a few days ago from my re-stamped serial number 006xx P-3AT.

ppmd - factory front sight compensation courtesy of Kel Tec

 

[Midiman]

Re:

These little guns are not target pistols

I beg to differ, even with my crooked front sight. :lol: These are first 6 rounds shot handheld at 7 yards a few days ago from my re-stamped serial number 006xx P-3AT.

ppmd - factory front sight compensation courtesy of Kel Tec

Nice group... no one is saying the gun isn't accurate, just that a "target pistol" is a gun that's meant to fill a different role. Practiced with constantly... generally used in competition, and typically at far greater ranges than 7 yds. Very few people considering taking up IDPA shooting would choose this as their target gun.

 

[denfoote]

I love mine!!
100 problem free founds and counting!!
I plan another 120 rounds later today.
No smilies and it throws brass at least 10 feet to the rear with no bonks!! (Except the poor souls coming through the door to the range, as I was on the first lane!!)

 

[ppmd]

Re:

no one is saying the gun isn't accurate, just that a "target pistol" is a gun that's meant to fill a different role.

Point taken and I agree.

 

[Amanda]

mine has just about 500

no problems as of yet

 

[cloak]

I have about 400 thru my p3at and I am carrying it when I cant carry the jframe.

The first time I took it to the range, the p3at was spitting empty cases behind me and pinging off the bulletproof glass window they have for range observation.

the counter guy was saying he could hear the brass hitting the glass. the next time I went I was at the next to the last stall and the casings were up on the target prep area. 100 empty rounds, kind of funny to see that many rounds so high up

 

[megatron]

My brand new p3at fired 180 rounds of fmj ammo with any problems today upon my first time shoting it.

 

[customfret]

250 rounds perfectly without even being cleaned!

Both my wife & I have been shooting it, & although it kicks a little harder than our P-32, both of us find it more accurate.

Mine has been through 5 boxes of Magtech & white box Winchester without any problem at all except for one piece of brass conking my wife on the head & I haven't even cleaned it. I just wanted to see how well it would work out of the box. I'll probably find out in a couple of days, as I'm working up a load for reloading my empty cases using Unique. That should gum things up enough for SOME kind of malfunction before I need to reload them again!

My wife commented about how much harder the trigger pull is on the P3AT compared with the P-32 with f&b & over 1,500 rounds through it..... Be interesting to see if the P3AT accuracy improves any after I clean & f&b.

Just to put things in perspective last range visit, we took along the P-40......that P3AT is a REAL pussycat in comparison!

 

[LTCTed]

P-3AT Out of the box.

Worked the weapon for the first time this afternoon.

Hadn't qualified for six years, and then with a 1911A.

Could get time on a fifty foot (seventeen yard) range only.

At fifty feet, I got 25/36 on the fourteen inch square paper--about a 13 x 9 inch spread. Eleven flyers--Not good.

With Walmart Remington UMC, 95 grain jacketed cartridges, no malfunctions. Lots of "smileys" (Loaded six, fired five and checked the last chambered round) but it looked like the "smileys" were getting lighter.

Trigger guard bites my trigger finger if I am not careful with my grip. I won't be firing this one for fun. May try the extension.

Data suggest that at seven yards, an armed intruder would be unhappy for a short period, but I would be satisfied with the weapon.