I am the proud new owner of a Brown/blued P-A3T. I have a lot of different guns including several smaller "mouse guns" and a P-11 which I really love, but I have to say this thing just plain hurts my hand. When I first picked it up and held it in my hand it felt uncomfortable due to the stippling on the grip, and then when I shot it, yowza, gimmie a break! What options are there to make this thing more comfortable to shoot. I realize this is a hefty cartridge in a ultra light package. I am thinking about getting a rubber Houge grip jr. Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks!!
What you need to do is get hold of a S&W Airlight Ti .357 Mag revolver. Shoot two boxes of 158 grain mag loads, and then switch back to the P3AT. It's puny little recoil will feel like a maidens butterfly kisses. rc
Mine did the same thing when I first bought it. All those little points made it painful to carry IWB too. I first lightly filed those off with a micro file and then bought an Uncle Mikes slip on grip for about $10. I really like this option as it makes the gun easier to hold on to and carry. You can also cut up a bike inner tube and use that for an inexpensive alternative.
A better grip and/or a pinky extension will both help... Slip-On Grips for the Kel-Tec P-3AT Hogue, Pachmayr, and Glaser, make slip-on grips that fit the P-3AT. They are all a bit different. Some may need trimming. Glaser also makes “pads” that stick to the front and/or back straps to soften and slightly enlarge the grip. AGRIP and TractionGrips make pre-cut stick-on grips. Hogue HandAll, Jr These have finger grooves, are thinner at the front and back straps, have slight palm swells, and are textured on the sides. These tend to be a bit loose on the P3-AT, so a layer or two of bicycle tube or a bit of something sticky helps to keep them tight. http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/productdetail.aspx?p=6938&s= Pachmayr, Model 4 These have finger grooves, are the same thickness all around, and are textured all over. These tend to be a bit loose on the P3-AT, so a layer or two of bicycle tube or a bit of something sticky helps to keep them tight. http://www.pachmayr.com/slip-on-grips.php Glaser These grips have no finger grooves, are the same thickness all around, and are smooth all over. The pads are self-adhering and can be removed easily. http://www.ktaddons.com/ AGRIP http://www.brookstactical.com/Pages/fitlist.html Tractiongrips http://www.tractiongrips.com/ Or you can make your own: One good thing about doing it this way is that the material is thin and you can experiment by trying a different number of layers. Some bike tubes have ribbed areas, so you can make a ribbed or smooth grip. I got a couple of tubes free - went to a local bike shop and asked for any bad ones they were throwing away. The 20 x 1.75 - 2.125 worked best for me. http://www.ktrange.com/articles/a7/a7.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magazine Finger Extension Base Plates for the Kel-Tec P-3AT: The Bersa (smooth) and Scherer (textured) style extensions need no modifications. The NAA style extensions must be modified slightly. Instructions: http://www.geocities.com/PocketGuns/P32ext.html Another option is the Kel-Tec 1-Round Magazine Extension which extends the magazine and also allows loading an extra round. ============================================== You can get Bersa and Scherer here: http://www.yourgunparts.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=80&osCsid=f990bfb7dd63606aa2475a9c6148d347 http://www.condorsflight.com/products/index.php?cPath=80 Bersa (direct) here: http://www.bersafirearmsusa.com/parts_380lt_sat.php Part #48 Scherer here: http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/cart2/product_info.php?products_id=160 or here: http://www.e-gunparts.com/DisplayAd.asp?chrProductSKU=981590B&chrSuperSKU=981590&MC= NAA (direct) here: http://www.naaminis.com/guardacc.html#parts Two Finger Extension Base Plates for all Guardian magazines: $10.00 #MZ-FPK Two Finger Extension Base Kel-Tec 1-Round Magazine Extension (direct) here: http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/cart2/product_info.php?cPath=3_25&products_id=159 If you’re handy you could try this 3-round extension: http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1176394771/10 Bobo
Torrent, when you file the plastic does it turn white and look like crap?? Bobo, thanks man that was like an encyclopedia in gripology for this gun!!! ;D
I made my own grip from bicycle tire and installed two layers of shrink tubing on the trigger and I could easily shoot 50 rnds no problem. Also do the fluff and buff, clean all the sharp edges and "extra" material from the frame. Mine feels great now and shoots even better.
I've got the Bersa pinky extension and it makes that second finger on the grip feel comfortable instead of being just half there. That little hook can affect how much the gun prints in your pocket, too. So check it out for yourself.
This is a great thread. I have been wondering some of the same things myself. I looked at a pachmayr #4 today but I thought it wouldn't work. I guess I'll have to go pick it up.
I put a band-aid on my trigger finger and one in the crotch of my hand between my thunb and forefinger, I had a rubber on the handle but it ripped easily and did'nt want to pay another ten bucks to replace it. I do have a S&W 360 and agree with the remark on the recoil. I had my hand bleeding fron shooting some hot .357 ammo. I like the weight but the recoil is very punishing. Oscar
Bicycle tube will work, but the Houge Jr adds as finger groove. I've had one on my P-3AT for years and would not be without it. Just put it on to where it is comfortable and then trim it to size and trim around the magazine release. Then roll back the edges a bit, put a tiny amount of superglue gel on the edges, roll them back and let them sit for an hour or so and it will not move around anymore. If you take your time to get the finger groove in the right position below one finger below the trigger guard, then add the finger grip extention to the magazine, you wind up with a mini-pistol with two finger grips which makes a lot of difference in handling. For the whole package, on my Ruger LCP (which is the same configuration) I added crimson trace laser. Now it is a point and shoot with aiming and a good grip. I'll bet my .380 laser aimed mouse gun hit against their .45 miss any day of the week!!!
Take some 150 grit sand paper or something close (100 - 250 would probably work). Gently sand all over grip and rest of the frame, trigger guard inside and out, etc. until you feel it's comfortable enough. This will get rid of the plastic manufacturing flashing as well as the severity of the stippling. No slip on grip needed so the weapon stays slim and light.
The pinky extension is great and it can also be sanded down to the bare minimum for a two finger grip to minimize printing.
The Kel-Tec is not a heavy recoil gun...not even close. The most uncomfortable 380 I've ever owned/shot was a Walther PPK/S in 380...and the Walther weighed about 23 ozs! Boggs
I put a strip of padding from KTOG member "Ape" on the front and rear edge of my P3at and a Handall jr on top of that. I'm not bothered by recoil but the combination feels very nice in my hand. I also like the shrink tube on the trigger, my PF9 got that treatment. CJ
