[outfieldjack]

THIS IS A Rant!

Ok, I just got home with my new P3AT. Loaded the mag with some Speer Gold Dot and put the mag in. Went ahead to rack the slide... and you can guess what happened... slide lock. I had to push the slide forward to get it to close and the round loaded!

Ok, we'll try it again... I release the mag, rack the slide to get the round out.... reload the mag and rack the slide again.... STUCK! I looks like the round is holding up the slide from moving forward. Again I had to puch the slide forward.

BTW, I am "releasing" the slide, not slowly letting it go forward when I try this.

It has happened EVERY time I have tried to load a round. Right now I cannot find the digital camera to take pics... maybe later on tonight.

Now I know I have not tried the Fluff and Buff, but come on.... If a gun cannot even cycle a round out of the box, am I dealing with a lemon already?

I have owned KT's before and been happy, but I am really upset right now... this was my Father's Day present and my daughter is asking why my gun does not work.

So, fellas.... what should I do? Do I go fluff and buff or should I have KT get it in "working" order before I start messing with it?

I'd take it right back to the gun store but they do not normally carry KT's. This was a transfer that went bad and they were stuck with the gun.

Any help would be appreciated.

Rant off.

Jack

 

[outfieldjack]

BTW, now when the gun DOES cycle a round into the chamber, the mag drops out without me pressing the mag release! AHHHHHH

 

[RAT76]

First, if you really want help, be nice.

Second, if you have not cleaned and lubed the gun do so.

Third, having the first round hang up and having to nudge the slide to get it to go into battery when hand cycling is perfectly normal. Mine still does this even after several hundred rounds and a fluff and buff.

Fourth, take it out and shoot it. Check this site for packer's tips to avoid limpwristing. don't put 200 rounds thru it with out cleaning. 50 rounds, wipe the crud off & maybe hit it with a little clp and then another 50.

Fifth, if the above is too much trouble get a different gun.

BTW, welcome to KTOG.

 

[adamsesq]

Jack - no need to Rant.

What you are describing is very VERY normal for a new gun. In fact some P3ATs never do 100% load that first round without a bump to the back of the slide. Most end up doing so just fine after a good polishing of the feedramp and a few hundred rounds through them. I bet you find that if you really "slingshot" the slide by pulling back hard and letting go at the rearward most point rather than riding the slide forward with your hand it will load, but maybe not.

How it cycles by hand has NOTHING (ok - very little) to do with how it cycles when firing. These babies are very close to the line of power/weight/works/doesn't work and they are made to work with the explosive power of a firing, not with the weaker power by hand.

Some people even choose to carry 6+1, fire 6 and reload leaving one in the chamber just because they are afraid that extra bump could cause them trouble in a bad situation. YMMV.

But again, don't fret that at all until you have cleaned, lubed, polished and even then have problems firing. It will be made right. We will help you do it and/or KT will make it right if you and us cannot.

-Scott

 

[outfieldjack]

Sorry about not comming off as being "not nice", that was not my intention....

I have not been riding the slide forward... I have been trying to sling shot it.

So far it has happened with every round... and with the mag dropping out now, it is just becomming very frustrating.

Thanks,
Jack

 

[adamsesq]

Understand your frustrations.  Its a learning curve for you and this gun.  It is very peculiar - you will note that NO ONE else makes one this small and powerful, let alone this inexpensive.  It takes some work but it will all be made right.  If you don't want to go through that, its time to dump it before you get more frustrated.

-Scott

Edited to Add:  Not directed at you OFJ but at others that will pop their head off and say "I never had to put up with any of that with my XYZ brand pistol..."  Guess what, "XYZ" doesn't make one like this for a reason.  If Glock could make one of these with Glock reliability, believe you me they would.  Heck it took them 10s of years to make the 26/27 as a small backup gun and that doesn't approach the P11, let alone the PF9 or the P3AT - and yes, I do realize I am mixing apples and oranges with the 26/27 but I think the point is there.

 

[JFB]

I hear two sypmtoms of what could be a single problem

1) round leaving magazine locks slide
2) magazine drops out.

If the magazine is low in the frame, it will impact the barrel low and hang up. first thing is to get the magazine seated and latched. This is best done with the slide and barrel off. there might be some plastic flash that prevents the magazine from going into the grip all the way.

It is not recomended to slap the mags in. It is probably best to actually hold the release depressed while inserting and then releasing once the mag is being pushed hard into the grip.

the next is to clean and lube the barrel, slide and frame. I would try the slide only and ensure it slides freely. look for any dings on the frame rails that might be causing a drag.

AFTER you shoot it, there WILL be frame dings that need to be cleaned up to let the slide be free. If you shoot it too much before second cleaning, the frame dings WILL hold the slide on and it will be very hard to disassemble

 

[TucsonMTB]

+1 On what JFB said. You may already have a broken or damaged magazine catch. They are plastic.

If you insert the empty magazine and pull hard on the base plate, does it stay in? If not, just as JFB suggested, there may be something preventing full insertion. If there is no obstruction to proper insertion, you probably need a new mag catch.

Replacing the mag catch requires pulling the frame. If you don't have enthusiam for that process, find a Kel-Tec enthusiast or send it Kel-Tec.

If you plan to keep this pistol, now might also be a good time to buy some snap caps, both for this testing and get familiar with the trigger.

TucsonMTB . . . who has been there and now has a metal mag catch from Beach

 

[meathook]

Nothing you said could be misconstrued as not being nice. Nothing wrong with being unhappy that your gun doesn't function like you expect it to out of the box. You paid the price of admission when you bought the gun so in my view you can express your opinion.

This does seem to be a common issue. I have to rack mine hard to get the first one to go in the pipe but if I do it with even the slightest hesitation then it will hang up.

It has seemed to get better with a few rounds through it. If it doesn't clear up send it back to KT.

Enjoy your Fathers Day present.

 

[Wilson]

BTW, I am "releasing" the slide, not slowly letting it go forward when I try this.

My P-3ATs chamber best if I grip the ridges on the back of the slide with my left thumb and index finger. While maintaining an immovable death grip with my left hand, I with cat like quickness shove my right hand containing the pistol grip towage the floor as hard as I can. Sure it rips the skin off my left thumb from time to time but I never fail to chamber the first round

Wilson – who’s typing with only his right index finger while his left thumb gets all the rest it can

 

[TxCajun]

Any help would be appreciated.

Clean and lube the gun:
http://www.goldenloki.com/guns/keltec/care2.htm

Go to the range. Chamber a round. Make sure the mag is locked in.
Shoot! Then get back to us.

 

[jkoenig1980]

You know i have been seeing this alot lately my suggestion would be to lightly remove some plastic at the bottom of the grip to make it seat. W/ sandpaper or something.

Second my p3at loads the first round the same way unless i use true round ball bullets. not the flat nosed stuff.

 

[outfieldjack]

Thanks for all the suggestions and patience fellas... I called the gun store and they said "no refund, we'll send it back to KT for you if you like though"

So I now have to make a decision, work out the problems you have suggested or send it back right away. I'd prefer to try and fix it myself. Question, if I work on it and still have to send it back to KT, how are they to deal with? I do not mind the gun being gone for a while, just wondering what it would take for me to send it to KT myself if the problems I am experiencing do not get cleared up.

Thanks again for all the comments, after the Daughter goes down I'll look it over again.

Jack

 

[outfieldjack]

+1 On what JFB said.  You may already have a broken or damaged magazine catch.  They are plastic.

If you insert the empty magazine and pull hard on the base plate, does it stay in?  

TucsonMTB . . . who has been there and now has a metal mag catch from Beach

Well, that did not take long... when the mag does stay in, it takes very very little effort to pull the mag out without pressing the mag release. With that in mind, would it be best to just ship back to KT thru the gun store for fixing?

 

[adamsesq]

Question, if I work on it and still have to send it back to KT, how are they to deal with?  I do not mind the gun being gone for a while, just wondering what it would take for me to send it to KT myself if the problems I am experiencing do not get cleared up.

VERY AWESOME. When I had problems with a broken part internally I called them. THEY suggested that they send me the parts and that I could try working on it myself and if I couldn't fix it then ship them whatever pile of parts I had and they would fix it. I tried, couldn't, shipped them parts and got it back fixed with an appology for my frustrations.

What you need to do to work on yours won't even show to KT. It's not like you even need to tear it apart any more than a field strip - most likely.

-Scott

 

[adamsesq]

Well, that did not take long...  when the mag does stay in, it takes very very little effort to pull the mag out without pressing the mag release.  With that in mind, would it be best to just ship back to KT thru the gun store for fixing?

Assuming its new and you haven't slammed the mag home 50 times all it is (again most likely) is flash on the bottom base plate. Clean that up and it will start to seat fine is where my money is.

-Scott

 

[The_Fall_Guy]

As mentioned before, the gun not chambering a round in the chamber is NOT A PROBLEM. Mine does it all the time. That is yet another reason why everyone carries one round in the chamber.

As to the second problem (The Mag) you still have some questions to answer before you can get better input on fixing it or sending it in to Kel-Tec.

 

[rjhauser]

since you keep mentioning sending it back, it is probably best to do so at this point, then

1. clean and lube when you get it back
2. order a mag catch from beach so it does not wear out
3. lightly sand the mags bases with 600-grit sandpaper

take it and shoot it, break in is about 250 - 500 rounds.

then let us know.

 

[Rubb]

I too have "hollow point hang-up"
No problems with FMJ or rounded nose HP like Remington Express 88gr.

 

[adamsesq]

Just so I am clear (because I think RJ may be seeing something I didn't in the posts) IF you want to send it back you have enough reason to do so and they will F&B, clean up, etc. the stuff for you. You don't need to look harder for an excuse to do so. They are great and will take care of it.

I was assuming you wanted to try and fix it on your own. That is how you get A LOT of knowledge of this little guy by the way. If you wanted to fix it on your own you have the ability with the help of this group who will happily help anyone who asks nicely.

-Scott