I'm still breaking in my 3AT but have had about 20% failures. Some failures are Failure to Eject others are simple jams in the barrel. This is a second generation 3AT bought around the end of November 07. Are others having this experience? If I can't rectify this, the gun will not be useful for me.
Welcome to KTOG If you get a chance to read some of the past post, there is one now on page two "may 380 won't feed" that has a lot of suggestions. A very recent problem report was the spring leaf for the extractor being weak and broken. the tip of the extractor should be able to slide back and forth a little (.020" that is with extractor tip pushed towards the brreach face, a case rime should just slide behind, then be ablve to pull 0.02" away. BUT the tip should not be able to be pushed away from the rim (only with some force).
Welcome to KTOG Rich... Have you completed the Fluff and Buff? Have you polished the feed ramp? I had a similar experience with my first 3at and almost gave up on the gun. This board is very helpful. Try the fluff and buff and then report back. Also, some one will come along soon and tell you about limpwristing. Pay attention to that also, as shooting this very light .380 without the proper grip can cause problems.
Welcome 2 the board. Yes the P3AT can be a very reliable carry gun. Some of the units come from the factory shell we say a little fussy. But they will become very nice units. I had to send mine back 3 times to get it to be an extermly reliable carry gun. Also you should expect to put around 200 to 300 rounds though it to get it working at it's best. Shooting it will do most of what the fluf and buff will do. Or you can save the ammo and do the fluff and buff. Really can't say any more as it has been said again and again on this board. I think the real telling piont is when a person posts that they hate thier P3AT as it will not work, folks jump on the chance to buy the gun, if the person does not want to put the time into getting thiers fixed. The factory will make your gun right no matter what. And they will stand behind it for the rest of your life!
Welcome Rich, Yes to all the above,, Didn't see this point above, on quickly and fully pulling through the trigger, rather than trying to squeeeeze off a single action target pistol (like 1911). My 3AT feeds much better with a brisk full trigger stroke. My 1911 is more accurate with a gentle squeeze and still feeds ok.
My P3AT is one of the first 200 ever made. I've shot the dickens out of it with any cheap .380 I could find and I've had zero problems. I've shot the hottest (Santa Barbara) ammo that I could find, and it worked perfectly. IMHO, "limp wristing" is a problem with the P3AT as it was with the P-40. One thing that I did right out of the box was a complete disassembly, cleaning and lube. I found some material in the extractor channel that could have caused some problems, and sure enough, I lost the extractor spring in the process. I used a spring from my junk drawer so my extractor may have a slightly stronger spring than most.
Thanks for all the input. I took it back to the factory yesterday (I live in Orlando). They Fluffed & Buffed it first and then test fired it again. It still jammed so they replaced the slide and ramp. So far it hasn't failed to eject or feed. I plan to shoot at least 100 more consecutive-non-failing rounds to determine reliability.
Must have been a misprint about the ramp (or else you have a one of a kind detachable thingy there). Good luck to you and God Bless. Reggie
They replaced the RAMP?[/quote] ah haw, now I know why my 380 kt has been acting up all this time. Mine does not have the "ramp". :-/ :-/
Ah, whats the fun of showing your ignorance if you don't do it where everyone who knows more than you is listening. Sorry! They replaced the slide and barrel and buffed other parts. Thats all I'm gonna say.
heh, wer were just kiddin u. I get criticized, ribbed, slammed, u name it for my typos all the time. Such is life, just shoot it like u stole it, who knows maybe there was a "ramp" thing in there that shouldn't have been there, could have been some of the hard crust pizza left over by one of the empolyees after the kt pizza party back yonder. I've seen pizza crust, one could polish and feed rounds off of ;D ;D ;D Ignorance is when one stops to cease trying to learn :-/
I had problems with my .380 when I first got it and was very aggravated about it. After calling Kel-tec, they recommended I send it in for repair. It took 10 weeks to get it back but I could not be happier with the service and results. According to the repair work order enclosed with the pistol when I got it back, they replaced the frame, grip and/or mag catch, slide and/or barrel, replaced internal parts and polished the feed ramp. I have only run 50 rounds through it so far but it definitely feels like a different pistol (which I guess it really is) and hasn't had a problem so far. I definitely plan to shoot it some more soon but feel very confident carrying it now.
Sounds like the first one was made in a hurry...Did you notice in tomato sauce or peperrioni stains on the box
Well, I kinda figured it might have been made on a Monday or Friday but I didn't notice any pizza stains :-?
