The gun shop where I was on a waiting list for a P-3AT just called, and one just came in with my name on it. I was quoted a price of $279.95 for either a Keltec or a LCP when I got on the waiting list a few weeks ago, but I'm not sure he will still honor that price quote with Keltecs and LCPs so hard to get now. I have never owned or fired a Keltec of any model and I have read on this forum about functioning problems with new ones until broken in with a couple hundred rounds. I only have about 20 rounds of S&B fmj ammo and about 25 rounds of 90 grain HydroShok on hand that I use in the Makarov .380 that has been my carry gun until now. There is no .380 ammo available in this area, so should I try the S&B first to see how the gun runs? I don't want to use all the HydroShoks for breaking in the new gun, but I don't have confidence in any semiauto that isn't broken in so I don't intend to carry the new gun until I can locate more fmj ammo for testing/breaking in. Also, do any of you reload .380 ammo for your Keltec, and if you do does the gun handle reloads OK? I have been reloading all types of ammo for over 40 years and I know from experience that some makes and models of semiautos don't like reloaded ammo. At the price of factory ammo now, if this one doesn't like reloads it won't be fired very often and I won't carry a gun that I don't have confidence in. Does anyone have advice for cleaning and prepping a new KT before firing it? Just going by what I have read here while lurking for a couple of years I won't be surprised if my P-3AT has feeding and/or other functioning problems. If it does, I am not an amateur gunsmith and I don't play one on TV, so I will have to depend on the factory to honor the warranty. I just hope that the factory personel are still as willing to help as you guys say they are because I wouldn't have ordered one if I had not read about how well KT honors their warranty. I know from long experience that some manufacturer's warranties, Taurus for one example, aren't worth the paper they're written on.
Just a cleaning, maybe a light Fluff & Buff, then lube before shooting. You could check http://www.ammunitiontogo.com/ for some 380 ammo. The Home Page says they are running 9-12 business days behind on shipping but I ordered some last Sun. and got it on Fri. John
Thanks for the advice. I will also try your suggestion for ordering ammo. There's none available on any of the suppliers' websites that I have bought from before and even the local Walmart is out of everything but some uncommon caliber rifle ammo and can't say when they will get any more..
John, Thanks for the ammunitiontogo website . I needed some .380 bullets and just placed an order there. My walmart and my common website vendors are all sold out. :-[ Axeman, I bought a couple different types of bullets and plan on trying them all out as well. I also recently picked up a .380. I had some cheap, surplus .380 bullets but they were crap and I don't blame my p3at for FTE on these bullets. Lube it up real good and check out: http://goldenloki.com/gunsmith/keltec/lube.htm Let us know what works best for you!
You may already know this but... Just wanted to give you a heads-up on using your .380 Makarov ammo in a .380 ACP gun (P-3AT and LCP). Most .380 Makarovs use 9 x 18 mm cartridges, while .380 ACP is 9 x 17 mm. The ammo you want for the P-3AT or LCP should say .380 ACP, .380 Corto, .380 Kurtz, or .380 Short on the box. Bobo
Strange wording you have here. If it's really a .380 Makarov, it will indeed say on the side that it takes .380 ACP. If it isn't, it will say 9 x 18 Makarov or similar. It depends on the maker, and the importer's stamp will also often specify it. Admittedly, true .380 Makarovs are probably much less common than 9 x 18 ones.
Thanks for the reminder Bobo, but actually my Makarov is one of the Russian built commercial IJ-70 models that were equipped with adjustable sights and chambered for .380acp ammo for the US market instead of the Russian 9x18 Mak ammo that the surplus military Maks are chambered for. I have had it since the early 1990s and I don't think they are legally importable now. Unless my memory is failing me, it's the only semiauto pistol I have owned over the last 50+ years (and that covers a LOT of pistols) that has never even once failed to function perfectly from the first round until today. Not bad for a pistol that I paid $125 for in 1993, brand new in the box with two magazines. I drove the 35 mile round trip to town and back through a wet snowstorm this afternoon to pick up my Keltec so the shop owner wouldn't have any excuse for letting it get away from me after waiting in line for 3 weeks. He also had another Keltec in his showcase, the first time I have seen that in a couple of months. I chose the one with a gray frame and blued slide, I just hope it works as well as it looks.
Axeman, I reload .380 and that is what I used to break mine in. I had to failures whatsoever. All I did to it before going to the range was field strip, clean thoroughly, sanded the sharp edges on the grip, polished the trigger, put electric shrink tubing on he trigger, and polished the outside of the barrel and feed ramp, oiled and greased it per Golden Loki's specs. It shot great. That may seem like a lot of work but it took about 30 minutes from start to reassembly. I'm no gunsmith either. All I did was follow the work of others as posted here on KTOG. It really isn't that difficult to do some of the work yourself though I don't have the guts to pull the frame out of any of my KTs.
Axeman, gratz on the new gun! I'm sure you'll like the way it shoots and you'll certainly like the way it conceals. I don't reload personally, but there are a few guys on another forum I'm on that do, and they do reload .380 with no problems and at least one of them fires it regularly in his P-3AT.
Thanks for all the advice guys, I think I'm gonna like having people handy to give me advice because I have always been a revolver man, (except for a fondness for Colt 1911 .45s,) and don't have a great deal of confidence in semiautos. I haven't had a chance to shoot the little bugger yet. I was down in Atlanta all day yesterday on business and today it's 10 above and snowing here so I won't be shooting any today either. I was tempted to carry it yesterday even though I haven't fired it yet, but my better common sense prevailed and I relied on the 1-1/2 lb Makarov, which means leaving it in the car when I go into an office because it's hard to conceal and I don't want bankers seeing a telltale bulge under my jacket while I'm sitting in their office. I live in the country so I don't have to go to a range to shoot, so the first day the weather is OK I will try it out and report what I learn.
In that situation of untested gun or nothing, I would have carried both and had untested gun instead of nothing for the office portion and walking in and out, just my take (which is where the P3AT shines imo). You will not need to do any major work on it. Look at my signature, I have had 5 total failures, all after 30+ rounds had already been fired and I have had zero in the last 300+ rounds (I did a light fluff and buff with 320 grit, and I mean light, maybe 5 minutes total). They are not as perfect as a revolver, but they will unload a mag or two in a pinch with no failures and that is all you will ever need
