Is the metal guide rod that Keltec sells aftermarket a good idea? I noticed when I took my P3AT apart the plastic one looks kinda flimsy. Sorry if this has been covered before, I tried a search and didn't come up with anything.
My P3at came with the metal guide rod, after about 100 rds the inner guide rod spring in hanging out the front of the slide. Maybe kel tec should have used a plastic one on this one to!
The problem you've had isn't related to the guide rod, it's actually the spring....causing what we called around here "peening" of the slide. A ring around the guide rod hole will start to appear, eventually the spring will pop out. It's a known factory issue...for P3AT's serial numbered between HZXXX to JBXXX. If yours is in that range, the factory should replace the slide. https://www.thektog.org/forum/f87/spring-came-out-front-peening-199228/ https://www.thektog.org/forum/f87/slide-peening-serial-number-range-199194/
Interesting about the metal vs plastic guide rods. The posts in the P-32 section discuss not using metal rods but the P-3AT's come with one. I've been playing with my P-3AT a little the last week or so and looked on the Kel-Tec website but didn't see a plastic one listed for a P-3AT. Does anyone know if they make them? My gun is KWF++ so it is not in the range for the above problems but I don't want to have any other guide rod related problems.
I don't believe they make one for a P3AT...but I imagine the P32 guide rod would work. Personally, I'd leave it alone.
Rick, I don't shoot the P-3AT enough to wear out the slide but thought it was interesting that they don't recomend using a metal one in the P-32 but it is stock in the P-3AT. I compared the one from my P-32 and my P-3AT today and they are different lengths, so there is not an option. By the way, Thanks for all the help you have given the members of this site. I know that you have answered a lot of questions I have had in the past. I noticed the number of posts you have made and I don't think I'm going to live long enough to make that many. Course mine would be questions and not answers like yours.
Huh, you're correct...I never compared the 2 side by side before. The guide rod for the P32 is a little shorter. Good to know. Believe me, the first couple thousand posts had a ton of questions mixed in. And I still ask questions. I can give some answers because I have a good memory, and I'm pretty good with Google.
