Hi everyone, Great site! I've learned a lot already. I recently bought my p3at with the hard chrome slide and instantly fell in love with it. I got it out to the range yesterday for the first time and put 100 rounds of Prvi Partizan through it. There hasn't been much availability of .380 ammo in my area and the Prvi was $25 per box of 50! Prior to going to the range I field stripped the pistol and did a light clean and lube. I had read that the recoil of the p3aT was snappy and I think that is a very good description. Not bad, but snappy. I was very impressed with the accuracy of the pistol even out to 25 yards. I did have 2 failures to cycle out of the 100 rounds I shot. Both times the new round got hung up on the feed ramp and when I gave the slide a little nudge, it went into battery and functioned perfectly. Should I polish the feed ramp and do a F&B or will this work itself out during the break in process? I am really not all that handy and I'm always a bit reluctant to tweek my firearms. I purchased a smartcarry holster in extra small for the p3at and I am REALLY impressed with this version of deep concealment. It is virtually undetectable and very comfortable. Overall I'm very happy with the pistol. Thanks for a great site!
Do it, it's easy. I did it by hand, starting with 400 grit sandpaper,followed by 1000. Just sand lightly in the direction the round takes up the feed ramp till it's nice and smooth. Some use a dremel here, I just used the sandpaper and my finger as a form. If you are looking for a good price on ammo, Cabelas has the best deal going. Check the Herters thread here for details, still a couple of days to take advantage of the $20 promo: http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1262108953 Herters still in stock this morning, kind of surprising considering all the people all over the boards jumping on this deal.
My p3at never had any hangups during break in. I had bought a bunch of ammo before the shortage and just spent the day at the range shootin. To this day i've never had a problems with the gun just a lot of fun. If your not comfortable doing the sanding....just get a bunch of ammo and spend a few hours shooting. All of my Keltecs were broke in this way with no sanding...just lots of shooting.' P3at/P11/Pf9. Welcome.
Follow GoldenLoki's guide and you'll do just fine. Anyone can do the F&B, anyone. http://goldenloki.com/gunsmith/keltec/fullrp.htm. Don is a great gunsmith and he knows Kel-Tec guns as well as anyone. The most logical reason your P3AT had the two failures was the light cleaning ands lubing you did. It is vital the P3AT be very clean. It also needs to be properly lubed. GoldenLoki's lube guide is the best method, IMO. The P3AT needs oil and grease in the right spots. Grease is needed on the rails of the slide and frame, and the hammer interface. The grease stays put and doesn't attract as must dust, dirt, and lint while carrying it. The P3AT needs a thorough cleaning and proper lubing every time it is fired. If you take the time to do so, you'll have a gun that will not fail you. Shoot, clean, lube, repeat, and enjoy. BTW, congrats on your new pocket rocket and welcome to KTOG.
Welcome from South Florida (Palm Beach County) !!! You'll have fun here, and learn a lot, but, watch out, this place can become addictive !!! I got my P3AT a few weeks ago. I love tinker and make a mechanical device perform at it's best, be it cars, motorcycles, guns etc. So I figured thorough F&B was a good way to get acquainted with the pistol. Shot 100 rds with no problem, even if I tried to limp-wrist. I am not saying it should be done; it is my way, and we are all different ... fortunately, how boring would it be if we were all alike
Welcome aboard! I hear you about the SmartCarry for the P3AT. Though I much prefer pocket carry the SmartCarry has allowed me to carry in a certain place where I'd be uncomfortable carrying in any other method of carry that I've tried - even considering how easy the P3AT is to conceal. Take care...
Thank you for all the replys and information. I will give the F&B a shot and report back from my next range trip. One more thing I noticed...after my 1st trip shooting I noticed when I was cleaning the pistol that the inner recoil spring (the smaller one) was bent a little. I think I may have forced it in a little funny after my 1st cleaning. When it is assembled it doesn't seem to be out of alignment or anything. Does this really matter or should I order a new one? Thanks guys...again...great site!
That is perfectly normal, especially with a new, stiff gun. Once broken in and all the metal parts are mated, stuff like that goes away. Yes, a bit of judicious polishing can only help. That matters not. The springs often get a little bent up from the forces they endure. Once assembled, the guide rod will keep the springs where they belong. KT will tell you to install new recoil springs every 2000 rounds. Some folks like to do them a bit more frequently and others never change them. You can't drop that Glock in a shirt pocket, can you? Be safe and have fun with your new pocket rocket.
Here is what I do... when installing into slide, I rotated the outer spring CCW slightly. this "screws" the outer into the fit and helps it seat AND ensures the coils with the inner are not interleafed. does kink matter... good question, NO and maybe as far as the work the spring does, not really. But the location of the kink had to occur where there was room for in in the frame/grip at full recoil. If you turn the spring lenght wise, this kink MAY be a position where it has no room and thus prevent the slide from going all the way back (when you hand cycle during loading). During firing, it may develop another kink. I had a kink spring in mine for years, that I always put back the same way. the only reason It is not still in service, I wasted my money some aftermarket and they are in gun for the time being
Again, thanks for all the advice everyone. Good stuff. I'm ready to put another 100 rounds through it, but 1st I'd like to try the F&B. Again, I'm reluctant, but I guess I can follow the instructions posted. I went to Home Depot and the finest sandpaper they had was 400 grit I went to another location and managed to find 600, so I bought that. Is that fine enough to actually polish it, or should I start with a lower then a higher grit paper? I plan to get to the range soon so I will post the result of my post F&B session. Thanks again!
If you need finer paper, any auto parts store will carry up to 2000 grit. When I need a highly polished surface I start with 220, 400, 600, 800, 2000 and then follow up with a dremel. A lot of folks will say the dremel is good enough and it might be but I want a surface that is flat and smooth, not just shiny. Sears, Lowe's, etc. will have a Dremel or other high-speed rotary tool. I also used a stone to smooth out the inboard side of the trigger bar for smoother action and cut the mold lines out of the inside of the trigger guard and off the trigger itself so it didn't bite me when I fired it. Good luck!
Dremel: Latin for "watch me screw this up" ;D I used some 600 and 1000 grit paper followed by a felt wheel on my Dremel. If I remember right wrapping the sandpaper around a pen helped me get started. Just make sure you sand/polish in the same direction as the movement of the parts or bullet. Also follow the GL lube guide, KT's like a bit of grease. CJ
Hi, I Dremel lightly applied with Jeweler' rouge with the pointed tip is my preferred method of polishing the feed ramp, just avoid the chamber. Usually after polishing the feed ramp the functioning of the pistol improves a bit chambering even when the round is eased in. I use 400 to 600 grit paper to polish, any more and you can actually increase the friction. The micro-grooves act as a reservoir for lube and to fine a polish reduces that in my opinion. Best Regards
If you don't have a Dremel no worries. After you sand with 600 grit, a little polishing compound, a rag and a finger will give your feed ramp a mirror finish.
Re: 1st post, new p3at range experience-UPDATED Okay, I had limited time so I only worked on the barrell and feed ramp. I started lightly with some 220 grit and then on to the 600 with a pencil eraser. It looked good and felt smooth to the touch. I headed out to the range and put another 100 rounds of the same ammunition I used last time....Prvi Partizan. 100%!!!!!!!!!!!! Everything worked perfectly! Thanks KTOG! Now with a little more confidence, I will finish the rest of the F&B. I am amazed how accurate this little gun is...at least for me anyway. A friend of mine says that his is all over the place. I get the feeling that he is flinching in preparation for the firecracker-like bang in his hand. I am in love with this little sucker. Oh yeah, another question... I noticed that almost all the spent casings are dented in on one side? Is this normal? These are brass casings. Thanks again!
