# Question on the Kel-Tec .380



## Brevard (Jan 24, 2009)

A guy I know has a .380. It is silver with a blue plastic fram, a real small and thin gun very, very compact.

Anyway, he was going on a spill of how hard they were to get ahold of and that the .32 was the only one you would be able to pick up. Is there any truth to it? He also fed me some stuff saying the highway patrol in NC was going to be picking these up for backup pistols.


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

Brevard said:


> A guy I know has a .380. It is silver with a blue plastic fram, a real small and thin gun very, very compact.
> 
> Anyway, he was going on a spill of how hard they were to get ahold of and that the .32 was the only one you would be able to pick up. Is there any truth to it? He also fed me some stuff saying the highway patrol in NC was going to be picking these up for backup pistols.


The P3AT is easily found, I don't know what your friend is smoking, maybe he's talking about the two-tone being harder to find....but that's still a load of BS IMHO, I don't think I've ever been to a gun show and NOT seen a two tone P3AT.

I'm not aware of any Depts. that ISSUE backup guns but who knows.


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## niadhf (Jan 20, 2008)

They are very popular right now, and at least here in NY, and a bit difficult to get. Of course that is also because of the NY need for a fired casing for a new gun sales. But they can still be ound with a little looking.


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## Dynamik1 (Dec 23, 2007)

Perhaps its the silver slide/blue frame he meant? I agree that they are tough to get at the gunshops around Raleigh - but Gunbroker.com usually has a ton of them. Perhaps this color is a favorite around Chapel Hill!


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## Brevard (Jan 24, 2009)

He said to get them in the .380 not neccessarily that color. He also tried to tell me someone offered him $450 for it and he would take it.


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

Brevard said:


> He said to get them in the .380 not neccessarily that color. He also tried to tell me someone offered him $450 for it and he would take it.


Now that's funny, I don't know why anyone would pay $150 over average retail.

I think your friend is pulling your leg or is stuck in the ever tragic routine of talking up his gun to make himself feel better.


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## bmup (Oct 26, 2008)

I have one I bought for $269 gunshow in Fl. although it's blued with a black frame. The 2 tone was about $10 more IIRC. That was back in Oct. before Obamamania happened so yeah, there actually COULD be a shortage right now. I know ammo for it is getting harder to find.

Anyway, if you are considering the P3AT (which is a great little gun for CC) then you should check here: http://www.ktog.org/. There is a very well informed forum of users of all Kel-Tec products there. 
The only thing wrong with the Krl-Tecs is that they are so good, they tend to multiply. I started with a P11, bought the 3AT & I'm now considering the P9 which is only slightly larger than the 3AT but chambered for 9mm.

Good luck on your search! :smt023

Bmup


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## jonstar (Feb 16, 2009)

VAMarine said:


> Now that's funny, I don't know why anyone would pay $150 over average retail.
> 
> I think your friend is pulling your leg or is stuck in the ever tragic routine of talking up his gun to make himself feel better.


i aid $350 for my parkerized used since they seem to be quite scarce here in south florida... i have been on waiting lists at 3 different gun shops for over 6 months waiting for a stainless one... picked up this parkerized on in the mean time.


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## AC_USMC 03 (Apr 5, 2009)

VAMarine said:


> I'm not aware of any Depts. that ISSUE backup guns but who knows.


I work part time and the full timers get off duty weapons.

FFl dealers get these guns for 189.00 - 265.00 the rest is what they make on the gun. the reason i know is i just got done looking up these guns in friend's catalog. and had another buddy pay 350 for one at another dealers' shop


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

I know a fellow who works at Kel-Tec and he said they are 40,000 units behind for the .3AT alone. He also said the Ruger hasn't hurt their sales at all.


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## AdamSean (Mar 16, 2008)

I wouldn't say they are hard to find. I can usually go to at least one or two shops here and find one. Also, I usually see the price around $269. The most I have paid is $329 for one. I know it was way more than some areas, but I love this gun. The ammo on the other hand is hard to find right now.


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## JeffWard (Aug 24, 2007)

The P-3AT... EASY to find.

.380 ammo to feed it??? GOOD LUCK!

JW


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## imager67 (Dec 2, 2009)

*P3at*

The great P3AT drought is finally over. All of the gun stores in my area now have a stock of .32's and .380's from $249-$275. I saw these selling a few months ago for as much as $340. The ammo is still hard to find and when you do find it the price is inflated.


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## recoilguy (Apr 30, 2009)

Brevard said:


> He said to get them in the .380 not neccessarily that color. He also tried to tell me someone offered him $450 for it and he would take it.


If someone offered me $450 for any KT I would ask them how many they want. Of course I would have to go buy them then re sell them as I would never own another KT ......... ever!

I had one, it shot one round and never worked again. I am not sure about KT customer service, I was so discusted with the POS KT pistol that I gave it away and let it be someone elses problem. 2 things I find hard to ever trust again a cheating women and a gun that doesn't fire. Not in that order either.

RCG


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## jsmaye (Dec 14, 2009)

So it went <bang> one time but never again, and you *gave *it away, without even checking to see what was wrong or giving KelTec a chance to make it right, and you'll never own one again? That's pretty draconian, but I guess there are other guns that will suit you better...


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## recoilguy (Apr 30, 2009)

First let me say thank you for joining this board and for giving me the opportunity to respond to your first post here. here goes:

I don't like to type long drawn out stories. I thought a short readers digest version would be best in this situation. But so that you can ease your mind and to dispell the rumor of my brutal over reaction I will elaborate. 

I did what I considered enough to realize this was going to be an issue I did not want to deal with on an inexpensive pistol that I learned not to like. I hope you will take my word for this and not require an itemized list. Had I sent it to KT and recieved a brand new one that worked back, I would still have not liked it. Thats just me..... draconian as it may appear to some. I would have probably sold it though, as opposed to giving it away because it would have been working order. It wasn't worth it to me to do that. A young man in my office who really hasn't the means to buy a weapon and has a new family to support has been shooting with me. He has been borrowing one of my guns, and wanted a weapon to shoot and protect himself and his new family pretty badly. I figured if he would take the time and bare the expense to fix the defective weapon it might as well be his. This way he could afford a weapon, I would not have to deal with a gun I no longer wanted, and he could tell his wife it was free. It seem rational at the time.

I apologize to you for not liking KT and for appearing to handle the situation too harshly. If you still feel I have wronged the weapon, the manufacturer or you, there is little I can do as I have already done it and moved on. However, you are correct; there are other weapons that have and continue to serve me well.

I once sold a Bersa .380 because I could not find any ammo for it last spring. I have little time for machines that do not work or can not be activated. I do not miss either of the weapons and I am sure the 2 new owners are happier with their guns then I ever would have been. I did enjoy the Bersa while I could shoot it. It was fun and worked very well.

I bear no ill will towards any manufacturer and can see no reason someone should not own, shoot, and enjoy any gun they choose too, regardless. However if the experiance is not enjoyable, reliable, or fails to be functional, I also can see no reason to react in a fashion I, as the owner, see fit. Even if it is giving something to someone else and letting them fix it.

Still if someone offered me $450 for a P3AT I would still ask them how many they wanted and sell them however many they had $450 buck to buy, wouldn't you?

RCG


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

So let me get this straight...
You gave a gun you call a non-functioning POS to a friend for use as a self- and family-protection weapon?
What a nice guy you are!


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## recoilguy (Apr 30, 2009)

If you are trying to get it straight then please, get it straight. You validated my point as to why I normally like to keep as little detail in a post as possible. One can look at a situation and see it for what it actually is, or one can choose to try and get it straight and jump with both feet directly to the negative.

This is how both my co-worker and I see what happened:

I did not give my friend the POS to protect his family Steve, I gave a POS gun to a guy to try to fix it so if he did in fact fix it he could have a free and functioning gun. A unintended perk, he is also now is very fimiliar with his gun.

He took on that challenge because he wanted a weapon,yes, for the reason you described. He could not afford one otherwise, so he had nothing to lose and an opportunity to actual gain a weapon. 

I am sure if you asked him today if I was a nice guy he would certianly answer in the afirmative. I admit, I am not nice enough to give hime one I like, I shoot regularily, and that works. What's not nice about what happened? 


RCG


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

:watching:


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

:smt015


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## SGTRick1775 (May 7, 2008)

Hey Brevard, I wouldn't trust much from someone "bragging" about a kel tec. Yes they can make very a very good BUG but its far from a Nighthawk Custom, Les Baer or any super-quality firearm. I have some friends that swear by them. Others that can't stand them. As for them being rare in anyway, I'd say their as readily available as a set of knumb-chucks at a flea market


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## CollinsGTO (Feb 23, 2010)

i've been looking into .380's and this one is one of interest. i've come across no shortage of shops that have this piece in stock. just the ammo lol.


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## nailer (Apr 26, 2009)

I had a keltec .380. I shot it a few times and sold it. My hands were too big or the gun was too small. The slide was real tight and the feed unreliable. The only thing I liked was it concealed easily. I know many of you love them, but here is one who doesn't.


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## group17 (Jan 4, 2010)

Availability must be improving or buyers are trading them in.
I went to my LGD this past weekend and he had three used ones for $200 a piece. I picked one up and noticed how small in the hand they are. Too small. Than I noticed the rust on the bottom bar and crud inside the mag opening. Didn't look like it was ever cleaned and why a bar that rusts? 
I've read about the bite and not being much fun to shoot. Might explain why he had three. To each his own.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

Brevard said:


> He said to get them in the .380 not neccessarily that color. He also tried to tell me someone offered him $450 for it and he would take it.


Sorry buddy, but your friend does not have a clue as to what he is talking about. I bought mine new for 313$ and it is a two-tone. I put about four magazines thru it today as a matter of fact. I hate it when some guy does not know crap about a particular gun or just guns in general, but tries to tell you all about it.:buttkick:


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

What frequently happens, particularly with a tiny pistol, is that some inexperienced guy buys one, tries to shoot it, limp-wrists it into malfunction, can't hit anything with it (because mini-pistols are hard to shoot well), and finally sells it off as a malfunctioning, inaccurate, piece of...
But, of course, the real problem is the guy's lack of experience and poor technique.

That's where all of the cheap, used P3ATs (and other mini-pistols) are coming from.
The tip-off is the dirt and lack of maintenance.

They're actually pretty easy to shoot effectively, if you have previous experience with pistols in general, and if you apply a strong grip and really good trigger technique.
My wife, Jean, who stands under five feet high and weighs 100 pounds fully dressed and soaking wet, really likes her P3AT. She has no trouble shooting it well.
But I taught her very good pistol technique, using a full-size 1911, first.


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## JerryMac (Dec 4, 2011)

P3at .... dime a dozen around where i live, can go to local internet classifieds, that sells a little of everthing, and buy 3 or 4 any given day..........in the 200 dollar range for good used.....


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> What frequently happens, particularly with a tiny pistol, is that some inexperienced guy buys one, tries to shoot it, limp-wrists it into malfunction, can't hit anything with it (because mini-pistols are hard to shoot well), and finally sells it off as a malfunctioning, inaccurate, piece of...
> But, of course, the real problem is the guy's lack of experience and poor technique.
> 
> That's where all of the cheap, used P3ATs (and other mini-pistols) are coming from.
> ...


You are 100% correct. I don't ask more from my little P3AT than it can give me. I would only be using it from 7 or so yards and closer, so that is why I shoot and practice from that distance. Firm hold, aim over the top of the slide, put em' in there. Works for me.


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