keltec 380t

[Soundguy]

normally I carry a sig P230 in .380 as my regular carry gun. when i need discreet carry I have been carrying a keltec 32 using a NFA legal semi-wallet-style holster. I like the small frame.. but know it us undersized as a personal defense round, Recently, keltec came out with a .380 using virtually the same frame as the 32.. my wallet holster fits a bit snug.. but fits.. now my backup gun and carry gun are the saem ammo.. I feel much better about that.

one sacrafice is ammo capacity.. the keltec 380 is like 5+1 ..

I need to get a spare clip for mine.. but the things are so new.. I usually only see 1-2 at shows.. or stores.. and no spare clips.

I've also seen an extended clip that adds 2 rounds to the magazine AND a place for a finger rest.. as most of you know this is a small 'palm' gun, and the average man probably hangs 1 if not 2 fingers off the grip. I'd like to find either a spare oem sized magazine.. or a spare extended mag.

anyone seen them for sale?

thanks

soundguy

 

[BruceWard]

I assume you mean a Kel-Tec P3AT.

If so there are 117 mags available here
P3AT36-KEL-TEC 6 ROUND STANDARD MAGAZINE FOR .380 AUTOMATIC

The belt clips are a great addition.

 

[JB4310]

Soundguy, I don't want to get into a head bucking contest with you but just to play devils advocate, why are you carrying a .380 as a primary self defence weapon.

I use to be a bit of a gun nut and from what I remember the .380 has pretty dismal ballistics. I personally wouldn't even want a .380 as a back up these days, not that I ever carried 2 guns at once, hardly carry 1 gun anymore.

They make all these small frame 9's now. I have a .380 ppk still like brand, bought it thinking it would make a good carry gun, never liked it, I'm gonna trade it for one of the small frame 9's. your giving up very little as far as concealment goes and gaining alot in stopping power. Kel Tec makes one of the smallest 9's out there.

 

[gsganzer]

Soundguy,
We think alike. I carry a Sig 230 as a primary. I also have a Sig 226 for occasional carry or "glove box" backup.

I recently bought the 380 Keltec for times when it must be small enough to fit in a front pocket. I have both the belt clip, a pocket holster, extended mag and a High Noon Holster "Bare Assets" IWB holster.

I don't buy the ".380 is not enough gun" mentality. A .380 is plenty of gun to stop someone within 5 yards. If I had my druthers, I'd carry a full size 10mm, but it's just not practical. The best gun to have if the chips are down and you're in serious trouble, is whatever one you happen to be carrying.

 

[Dirtball]

plenty of standard keltec 380 mags around. extended mags may grab clothing upon withdraw- practice the moves....I was a Sig P230 guy for yyears, then downsized to AMT backup .380 with wallet type holster. Still use AMT 380 and their.45 backup regularly. I bought Keltec .380 when introduced due to light weight and a decent wallet rig. Only a few boxes thru my Keltec after 2 associates had their Keltecs fail with broken parts. Factory fixed like new..we heard it was growing pains in their manufacturing, so please test this weapon hard before you rely on it.

 

[Soundguy]

I don't carry both at the same time.. I have the p230 for when i have room to carry a medium frame and the keltec for when i really have no good means of concealed carry.

the p232 and p3at are pretty much the thinnes / smallest frame guns in that calibre that I have found. with the wallet holster, these guns literally print slightly rectangular and look like a walled.. slip intot he rear or front pocket all the way, even on short pocket jeans, so someone doesn't see the rear of the gun peeking out.. witht he shape o fthe holsters rounded edges, the draw is smooth.. no catching.. and really.. since most self defense is at close range.. if 6 shots of .380 hydrashock won't stop somebody.. then 9mm ammo likely wouldn't have made that much more of a difference.

I have carry rigs for some 45's.. but I've gotten tired of lugging something that weighs as much as a clay brick around inside my waistband,.. and as the 2nd rule of concealed carry goes.. if it's not comfortable to carry.. you will soon stop carrying it... if I'm accosted in a parking lot with my big strong hard to carry 45 in my car.. then it ain't doing me any good.

heck.. I've got a shoulder carry rig my .50AE fits into.. do I carry it? nooooo and I'm quite sure 1 shot would do it.. even if I just nick them...

I like the features of the sig p230/p232 good gun.. good company.. not too heavy.

the keltec is way light with a composite frame and metalic slide and bbl... weighs a couple more ounces than a wallet of similar size.

soundguy

Soundguy, I don't want to get into a head bucking contest with you but just to play devils advocate, why are you carrying a .380 as a primary self defence weapon.

I use to be a bit of a gun nut and from what I remember the .380 has pretty dismal ballistics. I personally wouldn't even want a .380 as a back up these days, not that I ever carried 2 guns at once, hardly carry 1 gun anymore.

They make all these small frame 9's now. I have a .380 ppk still like brand, bought it thinking it would make a good carry gun, never liked it, I'm gonna trade it for one of the small frame 9's. your giving up very little as far as concealment goes and gaining alot in stopping power. Kel Tec makes one of the smallest 9's out there.

 

[Soundguy]

yep... in a knife fight.. I want to be the guy with the 'underpowered' gun. I don't care how much pcp you got in you.. or how big you are .. dot the I's and that's the end of ya.. don't matter if you are andre the giant or van dam.. unless you can do the matrix bullet dance.. the underpowered gun is gonna eat up a soft eye socket/ entrance to central processing unit..

I plan on getting a spare mag.. plus an extended mag for a 'if needed' situation after the main mag is empty.. just in case there are .. oh.. 7 of them..

soundguy

Soundguy,
We think alike. I carry a Sig 230 as a primary. I also have a Sig 226 for occasional carry or "glove box" backup.

I recently bought the 380 Keltec for times when it must be small enough to fit in a front pocket. I have both the belt clip, a pocket holster, extended mag and a High Noon Holster "Bare Assets" IWB holster.

I don't buy the ".380 is not enough gun" mentality. A .380 is plenty of gun to stop someone within 5 yards. If I had my druthers, I'd carry a full size 10mm, but it's just not practical. The best gun to have if the chips are down and you're in serious trouble, is whatever one you happen to be carrying.

 

[dex3361]

Have you seen the Keltec 9mm it is the smallest 9mm that I have ever seen if I were going to get another carry pistol thats the one I would get. You all would laugh if you knew what I carry for a concealed weapon. I a NAA Mini Revolver in 22Mag. 5 shot. I know if I left the house and knew that I was going to have to defend myself I would take a bigger weapon but I can the carry the NAA and you don't know its there or should I say its not a burden.

 

[JB4310]

I totally agree with what you and gsganzer are saying. Any gun is better than none. Me and my buddy use to carry little Beretta .25's with the tip up barrels, I still have mine. we were skinny kids and couldn't conceal much more than that when wearing nothing but cut off jeans and a t-shirt or no shirt.

I can't find any gun that's comfortable to carry, that's been my dilemma all my life and like you said if your not comfy you'll leave it home or in the glove box etc.

The biggest draw back for me not carrying is having young kids, now young teenagers, "why does daddy have a gun" to much of a hassle with other kids parents or the in-laws.

The gun I'm most likely to reach for when I want to carry is a Glock model 27 that's their most compact .40 not small enough for a wallet though. I'll tuck it in my waist or use their light weight high rise belt holster and let a shirt hang over it. Also have the full size glock model 22, that's the gun I would want if I KNEW there was going to be trouble.

Never owned a Sig, I know they have a faithful following though. I've got a couple of guns I want to trade in so I should be able to walk out of the local gun shop with the latest and greatest for no out of pocket cost. I'll have to look seriously at the sigs but I doubt I'd ever buy another .380 unless I really fall in love with one.

 

[JB4310]

some interesting stuff here

Ruger LCP Pistol: Undercover Cool - Video

I like the look of this little Ruger, never liked Ruger pistols that much before.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aroWUQuPtU

this is the Kel tec review

.

 

[Soundguy]

Have you seen the Keltec 9mm it is the smallest 9mm that I have ever seen if I were going to get another carry pistol thats the one I would get. You all would laugh if you knew what I carry for a concealed weapon. I a NAA Mini Revolver in 22Mag. 5 shot. I know if I left the house and knew that I was going to have to defend myself I would take a bigger weapon but I can the carry the NAA and you don't know its there or should I say its not a burden.

my wife has one of those.. she uses it for her super discreet carry. normally she has a taurus 85/bobbed hammer in .38 with +P's.

While I agree the naa/22mag ain't alot of firepower.. it's usually hard to get volunteers to 'take the first one' once -ANY- gun comes out.. thus I'd rather have the .22 with me vs mano-mano with a street thug.

She has the grip set that the gun folds up into the extended black rubber grip.. gives you something to actually hold on to.

soundguy

 

[SkyPup]

One thing about concealed carry is that something that you have on you ALL the time is better than something only occasionally, so the one firearm that I at least ALWAYS have on me is my trusty ole Baby Browning .25 ACP:

One up from there is the SIG 232 .380 ACP, then the Browning Hi-Power 9mm, then the SIG P-229 .357 SIG, then the SIG P-226.

 

[Soundguy]

I totally agree with what you and gsganzer are saying. Any gun is better than none. Me and my buddy use to carry little Beretta .25's with the tip up barrels, I still have mine. we were skinny kids and couldn't conceal much more than that when wearing nothing but cut off jeans and a t-shirt or no shirt..

I used to carry that 25 as well.. stopped when I got the p230. as far as stopping power goes.. .25acp is on the bottom of the list.. I'd rather have .22lr any day... plus even that tip up gun is wide inthe grip.. and not extremely easy to carry.

I can't find any gun that's comfortable to carry, that's been my dilemma all my life and like you said if your not comfy you'll leave it home or in the glove box etc..

yep.. if it's hard to carry.. you won't carry it.. that's why I'm choosing certain guns.. first.. it has to be easy to carry.. plus I have to have a cary rig I can access without alot of hassle.. there are actually a couple small 9's I like.. but the regular for fit carry and paddle rigs for them are not convienient for me or my mode of dress.. down her ein florida.. we only get the luxory of wearing a coat for about a month.. and my work requires me to wear tucked in shirts.. etc. a carry gun that takes me more than 2 moves to get to won't likely save my life if the atacker is close.. that's why ilike that pocked gun in a wallet holster.. even if only .380.. I used good ammo and have 6 shots available... that has to count for something in a knife fight..

The biggest draw back for me not carrying is having young kids, now young teenagers, "why does daddy have a gun" to much of a hassle with other kids parents or the in-laws..

see.. now there's the first rule of concealed carry... it's got to be concealed. A gun or rig that 'prints' just ain't concealed good, and will draw attention.. like from kids and parents.

I carry -everywhere- that's legal to carry... only my friends know that I'm carrying.. and that's because they *KNOW* I'm carrying.. not because I'm printing. that's another reason I chose that small sig .380.. or the keltec's in .32.. now upgraded to.380.

The gun I'm most likely to reach for when I want to carry is ..

The one I want is the one I'm familiar with.. have hours on it, and can relaod, or unjamb.. etc.. etc.. or handle it well without thinking about it.. that's why i don't swap around carry guns alot.. I keep the 2 I know.. my thumb knows where any levers are.. and mag release.. and my finger knows the slide and bbl profile while I keep it out of the trigger guard till ready to send copper downrange.

Never owned a Sig, I know they have a faithful following though. ..

I like mine for many reasons.. safety as a #1 though. when I first got it.. I had a non form fitting holster.. I had chambered a round then used the decock and while trying to get it into the holster it tumbled out, and hit the floor.. it was all in slow motion.. I though.. wow.. first time I've ever dropped a gun.. and this ones loaded, and chambered... then nothing happened.. as the sigs are REAL safe once decocked.. after that I got a form fit paddle holster for it that holds it securely without a top strap.. never had an issue after that.

soundguy

 

[JB4310]

Well I come back to this thread with my tail between my legs,

After considering some of the wisdom shared in this thread I decided I needed a pocket pistol. And even after ridiculing the .380 caliber, ended up buying another one.

I haven't bought a gun in several years and haven't really kept up with things, I can't believe those featherlight revolvers now, Ruger even has a polymer frame .38spl.

I already had a PPK but never liked it as a pocket gun.
So I started comparing the .380 poly options. Kel Tec 3AT, Ruger LCP, Kahr P380 and Taurus .380, I picked the Kahr.

All got excellent reviews but the Kahr felt best to me, didn't care about price cause I had enough credit from 2 guns I traded in.
So I traded 2 safe guns for 1 gun that hopefully I'll carry more often.

Thanks for helping me see the "lite"

.

 

[GeneD14]

For a small concealed carry I use the Ruger LCP .380 cal. My wife and I both used to own KelTec .380's and noticed periodic trouble feeding rounds into the chamber. We changed brands of ammo and still no luck. Our local gunsmith was going to charge a small fortune to work them over so I opted for the Ruger. It is identical in size but much more reliable, which is very important in a life or death situation. My wife now carries a Beretta .32 cal Tomcat. So far it has been very reliable also.
For a slightly larger carry weapon I bought a Kahr PM40. It was feeding ammo in-consistantly, so I sent it back to the factory to be looked at. They lost the gun so they refunded my money. I bought a Springfield Ultra Compact 1911 .45 cal and couldn't be happier. I have put thousands of rounds through it with no issues.
My advice on any concealed carry gun is to put a least a few hundred rounds through it before you trust your life to it.

 

[JB4310]

My advice on any concealed carry gun is to put a least a few hundred rounds through it before you trust your life to it.

Kahr requires 200 rounds thru their poly guns to be considered ready to carry, according to their own break in procedures. so that adds another ~$100. to the total.

I saw those PM's, they say the .40 has a little to much recoil for such a small gun, the 9mm might be OK, they sure look and feel very nice.

It's a mad rush for these .380's as I've been learning, they're definitely the hottest items in the gun shops, good luck finding ammo.
Living in the "Gun-belt" we have it around here but it is scarce, usually 1 box per customer, per visit.

 

[Soundguy]

Must haqve been a bad feed ramp on that 3AT.. mine feeds fine with hydrashock hollow point, or FMJ.. same with the p32.

and yes.. .380 ammo is scarce right now.

I ordered a spare clip for the 3AT and picked up an 11 round extended mag for the p32, adds another 1.5" to the grip and looks the same as the oem grip.. actually makes a real comfortable gun out of the p32.. though ruins it for CC with the extra grip.. still if ya need the firepower, make that your spare clip.. etc.

soundguy

 

[JB4310]

Do you carry that sig in a holster on your belt? If so, for me, if I'm gonna wear a holster I'd want a larger cal and maybe higher cap gun.
I know, back to this again, but...

Anyway, when I asked the owner/gunsmith at the shop, which one out of the four .380's I was considering would he choose for a carry pocket gun, he said neither of them, he would rather have the Kel-Tec .32, he said that's the one that's been most tried and proven.

Just going thru some boxs of ammo and I found 2 boxes of .32 auto, had to think for a minute why I had that cal. Then I remembered the ancient little, turn of the century designed Mauser pistol an old timer gave me. I did shoot it awhile ago and it functioned flawlessly, can't believe how tight it is for 100+ year old pistol.

 

[Soundguy]

I have an inside the waistband paddle style form fit holster for the sig. it's quite comfortable, though you need a jacket or untucked shirt to conceal it.. that's why i like the p32 and p3at pocket guns..

soundguy

Do you carry that sig in a holster on your belt? If so, for me, if I'm gonna wear a holster I'd want a larger cal and maybe higher cap gun.
I know, back to this again, but...

Anyway, when I asked the owner/gunsmith at the shop, which one out of the four .380's I was considering would he choose for a carry pocket gun, he said neither of them, he would rather have the Kel-Tec .32, he said that's the one that's been most tried and proven.

Just going thru some boxs of ammo and I found 2 boxes of .32 auto, had to think for a minute why I had that cal. Then I remembered the ancient little, turn of the century designed Mauser pistol an old timer gave me. I did shoot it awhile ago and it functioned flawlessly, can't believe how tight it is for 100+ year old pistol.

 

[gsganzer]

I picked the Kahr.

JB,
How did the Kahr compare size wise to the Keltec? The Kahr site makes it look like it's the smallest of all the mini-380's.

Post a review once you shoot it a bit.