I have a habit of buying garbage guns. So many forum commandos decried the Bersa Thunder .380 and Taurus Model 85 as poorly made pieces of crap, but I bought them anyway. A thousand or so rounds through each of them, and they still run like champs.
So many forum commandos claimed that if I was ill-advised enough to buy guns chambered for .380 or .38 special, then I was bound to be way-laid by posies of meth-crazed Aryan Brothers, and me and my family would be violated in horrible ways, and it would all be my fault because I didn't buy a 25mm chain gun for self-defense. Many years later the meth-crazed crazies have yet to materialize and I have not yet been waylaid by zombies when walking to the neighborhood store for some milk. Nor have flocks of migratory sex offenders and mass murders swarmed my home because they sensed I only had a .380 and a .38 special (and a VZ-82 chambered for 9x18 Makarov - another sure kiss of death according to the commandos).
So it was with amusement that I read all the many horrible reviews of the P3AT: It's ammo picky, it has to be cleaned after 50 rounds or it jams, it's a hopeless jamomatic, it will blow up on me, it's inaccurate, it's unpleasant to shoot, and it's butt ugly. I suspected that they were probably without merit (for the most part) so I recently bought one just cuz I wanted to and because I really could use something just a bit easier to conceal than the snubby. (The price was pretty dang good, too).
I've carried it for about a week now, and ran 150 rounds (100 Remington and 50 Hydra Shok) through it today. Having done this, I'd have to say that the critics are right: it is butt ugly, it is uncomfortable to shoot, and it is not notoriously accurate (but in a snubby sense). Where they are wrong is that it is not a jamo0matic, it is not ammo sensitive, it is not prone to self-destruction, it is not inaccurate (yes, I know I just said it was), and so far I have not been violated by rouge Klingon crack addicts who sensed that I was carrying this pea-shooter. Verdict? it's a damn good little gun!
I suppose that if you tried to run poorly made reloads or uber hot self-defense ammo through it, right out of the box and off the dealer's shelf without cleaning it first, and you limp wristed it (.380's - regardless of gun or manufacturer - are prone to this) then so many of those horror stories might be true. It's even possible that a few substandard P3AT's got past the boys in quality control over at Keltec, I suppose. Maybe, even, a few of the early 1st Gen guns were problematic.
Mine is a 2nd Gen, and it was flawless except for two stove pipes that I can only attribute to the nine round magazine since I never had a single problem with the standard six round magazine. of course, I cleaned it first, I spent a goodly amount of time working the slide and cycling rounds, and I did not expect it to have Glock accuracy. It is what it is - a very concealable .380 self-defense pistol. Perhaps it should be better considered an auto-snubby, because it is an automatic pistol with snub nose revolver qualities.
With it's short barrel and practically non-existent sights, it's about as accurate as a snubby - and like a snubby, if you put in the range time and learn to work with it on it's own terms you will be rewarded with some damn fine groups. Just don't spend too much time expecting two inch groups at 25 yards cuz you probably ain't gonna get it. However, four inch groups at 10 yards I think is not an unreasonable expectation.
And that's the rub: After 50 rounds, this puppy will wear you out, but you really need to run about 150 rounds through it to break it in (just like you probably should with any auto-pistol). My experience was to focus as much as possible on accuracy with the first 50 rounds, and then just plink away for the other 100. I'm gonna guess that it's pretty well broken in at this point, and from then on devote 50 rounds per month to honing accuracy and shooting skills. Get some snap caps and practice dry firing and cycling and reloading - much like you would with a snubby. I really don't think there is anyway around this, and you probably shouldn't be packing a P3AT (or a snubby) if you're not willing to do this.
I broke it in like I would any automatic pistol, and it responded like any other automatic pistol. After 100 rounds of FMJ and 50 rounds of Federal Hydra Shok self-defense ammo (my preferred .380 carry ammo), I'd have to say that this little guy is completely trust-worthy, and I'll carry it with complete confidence that when it doe need to be deployed it will perform its intended function without flaw - the threat will be neutralized. It's not a range gun, it's not a beauty queen, and it does not represent the pinnacle of Old World gun craftsmanship - it's a self-defense work horse (or work pony, as the case may be). It delivers an acceptable punch from an ingeniously small package, and it really is a wonder of engineering.
So many forum commandos claimed that if I was ill-advised enough to buy guns chambered for .380 or .38 special, then I was bound to be way-laid by posies of meth-crazed Aryan Brothers, and me and my family would be violated in horrible ways, and it would all be my fault because I didn't buy a 25mm chain gun for self-defense. Many years later the meth-crazed crazies have yet to materialize and I have not yet been waylaid by zombies when walking to the neighborhood store for some milk. Nor have flocks of migratory sex offenders and mass murders swarmed my home because they sensed I only had a .380 and a .38 special (and a VZ-82 chambered for 9x18 Makarov - another sure kiss of death according to the commandos).
So it was with amusement that I read all the many horrible reviews of the P3AT: It's ammo picky, it has to be cleaned after 50 rounds or it jams, it's a hopeless jamomatic, it will blow up on me, it's inaccurate, it's unpleasant to shoot, and it's butt ugly. I suspected that they were probably without merit (for the most part) so I recently bought one just cuz I wanted to and because I really could use something just a bit easier to conceal than the snubby. (The price was pretty dang good, too).
I've carried it for about a week now, and ran 150 rounds (100 Remington and 50 Hydra Shok) through it today. Having done this, I'd have to say that the critics are right: it is butt ugly, it is uncomfortable to shoot, and it is not notoriously accurate (but in a snubby sense). Where they are wrong is that it is not a jamo0matic, it is not ammo sensitive, it is not prone to self-destruction, it is not inaccurate (yes, I know I just said it was), and so far I have not been violated by rouge Klingon crack addicts who sensed that I was carrying this pea-shooter. Verdict? it's a damn good little gun!
I suppose that if you tried to run poorly made reloads or uber hot self-defense ammo through it, right out of the box and off the dealer's shelf without cleaning it first, and you limp wristed it (.380's - regardless of gun or manufacturer - are prone to this) then so many of those horror stories might be true. It's even possible that a few substandard P3AT's got past the boys in quality control over at Keltec, I suppose. Maybe, even, a few of the early 1st Gen guns were problematic.
Mine is a 2nd Gen, and it was flawless except for two stove pipes that I can only attribute to the nine round magazine since I never had a single problem with the standard six round magazine. of course, I cleaned it first, I spent a goodly amount of time working the slide and cycling rounds, and I did not expect it to have Glock accuracy. It is what it is - a very concealable .380 self-defense pistol. Perhaps it should be better considered an auto-snubby, because it is an automatic pistol with snub nose revolver qualities.
With it's short barrel and practically non-existent sights, it's about as accurate as a snubby - and like a snubby, if you put in the range time and learn to work with it on it's own terms you will be rewarded with some damn fine groups. Just don't spend too much time expecting two inch groups at 25 yards cuz you probably ain't gonna get it. However, four inch groups at 10 yards I think is not an unreasonable expectation.
And that's the rub: After 50 rounds, this puppy will wear you out, but you really need to run about 150 rounds through it to break it in (just like you probably should with any auto-pistol). My experience was to focus as much as possible on accuracy with the first 50 rounds, and then just plink away for the other 100. I'm gonna guess that it's pretty well broken in at this point, and from then on devote 50 rounds per month to honing accuracy and shooting skills. Get some snap caps and practice dry firing and cycling and reloading - much like you would with a snubby. I really don't think there is anyway around this, and you probably shouldn't be packing a P3AT (or a snubby) if you're not willing to do this.
I broke it in like I would any automatic pistol, and it responded like any other automatic pistol. After 100 rounds of FMJ and 50 rounds of Federal Hydra Shok self-defense ammo (my preferred .380 carry ammo), I'd have to say that this little guy is completely trust-worthy, and I'll carry it with complete confidence that when it doe need to be deployed it will perform its intended function without flaw - the threat will be neutralized. It's not a range gun, it's not a beauty queen, and it does not represent the pinnacle of Old World gun craftsmanship - it's a self-defense work horse (or work pony, as the case may be). It delivers an acceptable punch from an ingeniously small package, and it really is a wonder of engineering.
