# Kel-Tec P3AT sights



## vrodcruiser (Nov 19, 2008)

I bought a P3AT off a friend because he needs the money.
It shots fine but the front sights are invisable.
Is there anything that I can do, like paint, to increase the visibility?
If the ansewer is paint like I suspect, What kind of paint, any white work?


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

At the ranges for which the Kel-Tec P3AT is intended, no sights are required. Just sight along the top of the slide at any distance up to about 15 yards.
If you like, you could highlight the tiny front sight with nail enamel ("nail polish"). That's what I do to all of my pistols, including my P3AT. It helps sometimes, but not always.
Clean the sight with Energene or alcohol. Carefully paint only the back of the sight (the part you see when you're sighting) with the whitest nail enamel you can find. Don't slop over the top or over the edges. Let it dry for an entire day.
Now go over the white enamel with a coat of the reddest color you can find. Let that dry for a day. Then re-coat it with the red enamel, and let that dry for another day.
In low- or no-light, the red sight is black. In good light, it's bright red and easy to see quickly.

I suggest nail enamel because it's the toughest paint you can buy, and because it sticks to almost anything.
When you buy it, expect some cute backchat from the lady at the sales counter. If she, too, is cute, make good use of your opportunity. Who knows: you may get lucky, and she'll let you paint her nails.
:mrgreen:


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## vrodcruiser (Nov 19, 2008)

So red sites are better then white in your opinion?


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

A red _front_ sight (only) is better _for me_. To my eyes, a white front sight is _too much_ of an "eye magnet."
But far be it for me to tell you exactly what to do.
I find three-dot, two-dot, and bar-and-dot sights to be visually confusing. Further, I don't need a painted (or otherwise marked) rear sight. I just occasionally want some help seeing the front sight as quickly as possible.


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## Todd (Jul 3, 2006)

Those are sights on my P3AT? I thought they were little burrs that didn't get taken off in the finishing process. :smt033


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## rosie22lr (Mar 21, 2009)

If you are sighting with a P3AT you are in a bit of trouble. As said before in the first post, this pistol is not that kind of gun although a little nail polish cannot hurt--just don't get used to it. The gun is a last resort; you bring it out in the open ONLY when you are prepared to fire it, not to sight it. If you are fortunate, and I believe most of us are, you will only use the pistol and maybe the nail polish once every several weeks or months just to keep familiar and maintain its operability better than sitting in your pocket gathering dust and whatever. As for ammo, 380 for the P3AT is really NOT expensive--we are not talking about hundreds of rounds here--we are talking about perhaps a dozen rounds every several weeks or months and the "self defense ammo will, hopefully NEVER be used so it is a one shot purchase (pardon the pun). I may be wrong on these comments but that is why I purchased this pistol--something to carry but, hopefully, never use.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

rosie22lr said:


> ...[W]hy I purchased this pistol--something to carry but, hopefully, never use.


Yeah, I agree...
But, you still gotta practice with it, as often as you can. Your "once every several weeks or months" isn't often enough to maintain basic familiarity, let alone to make yourself save-your-life proficient with it.
First, you need to find out if it's dead-on reliable. That'll take maybe 100 rounds, or more, but not all at once.
Next, you need to become absolutely familiar with its workings and with where it hits at the closer, save-your-life distances.
Finally, you need to be able to get it into accurate action instantaneously and without a bobble.
All of that takes constant practice, so you need to do daily dry-fire practice with it. Then, every time you go shooting, which should be at least once-a-week, the little thing comes along too, and gets a short, carefully monitored workout.

You're absolutely correct about the sights, of course. (See my original post, about five posts away from this one.) But if *vrodcruiser* wants to paint (only) his front sight, it's not a terrible idea, and it might even help him at first.


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## wegriffin8642 (Apr 20, 2009)

*Sight Paint*



Steve M1911A1 said:


> At the ranges for which the Kel-Tec P3AT is intended, no sights are required. Just sight along the top of the slide at any distance up to about 15 yards.
> If you like, you could highlight the tiny front sight with nail enamel ("nail polish"). That's what I do to all of my pistols, including my P3AT. It helps sometimes, but not always.
> Clean the sight with Energene or alcohol. Carefully paint only the back of the sight (the part you see when you're sighting) with the whitest nail enamel you can find. Don't slop over the top or over the edges. Let it dry for an entire day.
> Now go over the white enamel with a coat of the reddest color you can find. Let that dry for a day. Then re-coat it with the red enamel, and let that dry for another day.
> ...


Steve,
I agree, but bright green works best for my eyes....and you can find almost any color nail polish at Wal-Mart. And if it wears off, you could probably re-paint the sight a hundred times or more as small as it is...


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## jsm190 (Jun 21, 2009)

I perfer Testors Flouresent Orange model paint. It is not really as flouresent as the expensive sight paint you can buy but it is bright enough. The problem I have with White is that if you are shooting at something that is very light in color there is no contrast and you will still "lose" your front sight. Translate that to a bad guy might be wearing a white shirt but odds are he is not going to be wearing a flouresent orange one.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

jsm190 said:


> I perfer Testors Flouresent Orange model paint. It is not really as flouresent as the expensive sight paint you can buy but it is bright enough. The problem I have with White is that if you are shooting at something that is very light in color there is no contrast and you will still "lose" your front sight. Translate that to a bad guy might be wearing a white shirt but odds are he is not going to be wearing a flouresent orange one.


Red, green, fluorescent orange...they're all good. But I still suggest that an undercoat of bright white be put on first. The white undercoat helps the top-coat color to reflect more useful light, when you need a bright sight.


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## T. Webb (Aug 28, 2009)

I like a day glo fishing jig paint. For me at least, it's better than nail polish.


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

We call them EENT's around here. Ears,Eyes,Nose,and Throat. I always got mine in my pocket.


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## mesz13 (Apr 13, 2008)

*try the above sponsor*

nightsiter which is a sponsor for here offers a solution to the problem, its a stick on florescent dot which is perfect for the 380. think the cost is under ten dollars and might solve all the problems.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

mesz13 said:


> nightsiter which is a sponsor for here offers a solution to the problem, its a stick on florescent dot which is perfect for the 380. think the cost is under ten dollars and might solve all the problems.


If you try it, or if anybody tries it, please report back.
Particularly, do they stay attached? And do they glow only after being exposed to light, or do they glow "on their own"?


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## recoilguy (Apr 30, 2009)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> If you try it, or if anybody tries it, please report back.
> Particularly, do they stay attached? And do they glow only after being exposed to light, or do they glow "on their own"?


To answer your second question first nite siters are photo luminescent, and not self luminescent which means they need light to work. They do light up nicely after 10 minutes of exposure and hold their light for a couple hours. I personally do not have them, a very good friend bought them and likes them. He is a big "I got this cheap and I like cheap" kind of person. Inexpensive to him is a remedy for many ills.......like they come off when exposed to a good cleaning solvent. To me thats not such a good deal. If you do not expose the sights to solvent they stay on pretty darn good though. They do light up very nicely too.

I know he likes them and recomends them to everyone who asks. He is a very good friend but I have not spent the 12 bucks. That is neither a recomendation or a condemnation just the way I see it.

RCG


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Thanks, *RCG*;
That was a very useful review, all in a nutshell.
Nitesiters are, according to your report, exactly as I expected them to be.


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## spongebobmac (Sep 1, 2009)

x2:watching:


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## imager67 (Dec 2, 2009)

*Sights*

On the P3AT I do not know why the company even bothers to put any sights on at all.


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## niadhf (Jan 20, 2008)

Steve,
My nitesiters have satyed on my p3at for the year i have had it. frankly i dont bother to charge them most of the time, but i do like the quick acquisition. I have some color blind issues (which damn glide path color is that) ..so... but something about the quality of the color (as in refelctive or absorbtive quality) hlpsme find them quick. Even with a light back ground during the day.

a 10 second blast with my 35 lumens $5 led keeps them visible from dark 30 till bedtime for me.

Yes the are inexpensive. and on my pa-63 they would not stay on. but i have them on 3 guns now and am...satisfied. If i get the M&P9c i am thinking of.. that will probablyt have tritium sights though.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Thanks!
It's interesting to know that they do, indeed, stay in place on some sights. It's even more interesting to know that they stay "illuminated" for a relatively-usefully long time, and that just a little time under a flashlight does the trick.

Hmmm...
It's against my better judgment, but I guess I'll have to try them for myself.


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## gtriever (Oct 17, 2009)

imager67 said:


> On the P3AT I do not know why the company even bothers to put any sights on at all.


Yep; for the intended use of this gun it's just as easy to point shoot or use the back of the slide to "aim".


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## niadhf (Jan 20, 2008)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Thanks!
> It's interesting to know that they do, indeed, stay in place on some sights. It's even more interesting to know that they stay "illuminated" for a relatively-usefully long time, and that just a little time under a flashlight does the trick.
> 
> Hmmm...
> It's against my better judgment, but I guess I'll have to try them for myself.


It does take a longer time under a normal flash. but my bright led lights or surefire work well. PM sent


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## eastlandb1 (Apr 26, 2009)

imager67 said:


> On the P3AT I do not know why the company even bothers to put any sights on at all.


Yes. It is a belly gun.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Try head-shots at 15 yards, and you'll know why the P3AT has sights.
For that matter, try _center_-of-head shots at seven yards, and you'll know even better.


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## rednecksportsman (Jan 2, 2010)

Are yall saying that the p3at is not accurate? anyone that believes that should put a set of the crimson trace laserguards on one, you will change your mind about it, its still as one guy said a ears nose and throat gun, but you can put it there from about 25 yards with that laser, It will definately hit where the litle red dot is easily from 25 yards, no problem.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

rednecksportsman said:


> Are yall saying that the p3at is not accurate?...


No. Quite the opposite.
It's accurate enough, at up to at least 20 yards, in my hands.
That's why I suggested using its sights.
You can't make head shots with an inaccurate pistol.


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## recoilguy (Apr 30, 2009)

rednecksportsman said:


> Are yall saying that the p3at is not accurate? anyone that believes that should put a set of the crimson trace laserguards on one, you will change your mind about it, its still as one guy said a ears nose and throat gun, but you can put it there from about 25 yards with that laser, It will definately hit where the litle red dot is easily from 25 yards, no problem.


Are you saying a laser makes a gun accurate? I am scratching my head. I would say that practice (amongst other things) will do more for your accuaracy then a laser. I may not understand a lasers function correctly.

RCG


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## rednecksportsman (Jan 2, 2010)

No the laser doesnt make it *MORE ACCURATE *but it does help in sight alignment, most people think that short barreled guns are not accurate when in fact it is just because you have a shorter distance between your rear and front sight, thus making it harder to get a good alignment on your sights, all I was saying is that a laser will help with proper sight alignment.


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## recoilguy (Apr 30, 2009)

rednecksportsman said:


> No the laser doesnt make it *MORE ACCURATE *but it does help in sight alignment, most people think that short barreled guns are not accurate when in fact it is just because you have a shorter distance between your rear and front sight, thus making it harder to get a good alignment on your sights, all I was saying is that a laser will help with proper sight alignment.


Tha makes sense. Thanks for clarification

RCG


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