Kel-tec?

[Grey Bearded One]

I was a local gun shop today and saw a Kel-tec .380 for $199. The thing is tiny and lightweight.

I have no experience with Kel-tecs. Are they crap? Decent? Wonderguns?

[theunrulychef]

I had a P3AT that I loved. I just sold it to pay dues at my hunting club & since I moved back to carrying a mid-sized Glock. I like the Kel-Tec vs some of the other 380s out there because it's so simple, light & tiny. It was very reliable & as accurate as anyone would need a DAO 380 with no real sights to be.

[Emptymag]

I was a local gun shop today and saw a Kel-tec .380 for $199. The thing is tiny and lightweight.

I have no experience with Kel-tecs. Are they crap? Decent? Wonderguns?

All of the above. It just depends on who you ask.

It is what it is - a teeny tiny handgun that is better than nothing for up close and personal defensive shooting.

I've had a P32 for years because I wanted something light enough to wear IWB with elastic waist shorts.
I more recently (within the last year) snagged a P3AT from a forum member for $150. I had wanted to "upgrade" to the larger caliber for a while, but was just too cheap to do so. Couldn't pass that up though.

Ruger copied them. Most people prefer the Ruger it seems, but I really don't see what's wrong with the Kel Tec.

[RockIsland]

I would say they're decent, especially for the price. Some of the earlier ones had some issues, most of the newer ones seem to be pretty reliable and very accurate for what they are. The five foot trigger pull takes some getting used to. Just an up close defense pistol that works.

[pyld]

I have one of the original P32s that would only really feed hardball and silvertips reliably.

Since upgrading the magazines to the "flyerwire" standard, never had an issue. The sights are kind of a suggestion more than a precision instrument, but I can maintain angle-of-pie-plate at 20 yards on in, which is sufficient to the purpose.

For $200 in 2000 money, it's been a decent little mousegun. The logbook shows exactly 1823 rounds down mine lifetime. That took approximately 8 years of trigger pull to achieve......

[MOUNTAINORACLE]

I bought one when they came out and nothing but problems with that "mouse gun" It made three trips back to Kel-tec and still was a problem child so I sold the thing, got a Seecamp and never looked back.

[bripro]

Another vote for it being a decent little pocket gun with a homemade video to boot.
https://youtu.be/Di16BsFdE4k

[SwampFoxZ71]

Our many P32's have served us well and the LCP's we had worked well too. The 380 will be a little more snappy, though. After about 50 rounds, wife and I would begin to become fatigued. After 100, we were done. Anything beyond that became a chore.

Always felt confident with either the P32 or the LCP. Should be a good defensive pistol for you.

[hooknladder]

I have carried my P3AT for 5+ years. It even eats the 3D re-manufactured crap with lead bullets they made back in the 90's. I carry Speer Gold Dot. I went with the factory parkerized slide. It shows no wear, and I carry it with the Kel-Tec pocket clip. It is nice to carry when out walking with gym shorts. I added a Crimson Trace laser a few years ago. The adjustment screws are constantly rusting. I used a paint pen and painted the nub front site. My other warm weather gun is a Smith 638 with Crimson Trace. Cold weather carry is an XDs 45. I have zero complaints with any of them. Never had a malfunction with any of them. I have friends that bought the Ruger LCP and they weren't reliable until 200+ rounds. Many of them have zero finish left on the slide.

[PA1936MN]

I wont recommend Kel-TEC to you. My experience was not great.

1. The gun (PF-9) felt like a toy.

2. The gun (PF-9) recoil was horrid for a 9mm.

3. The gun (PF-9) could only get a two finger grip comfortably, even with pinky extension three was uncomfortable.

4. The gun (PF-9) nearly jumped out of my hands every shot even with a secure two or three finger grip.

If I were going to invest $199 into a handgun it wouldn't be a Kel-TEC. I'd start looking for used BERSA Thunder 380's. A BERSA just sold on this forum for around $215. Save your money and headaches and buy a solid piece.