Sound protection, even for the little guy.....

The P-3AT may be small, but it still is too loud to do much shooting without some ear protection. The most economical protection I have found are Howard Leight QB2HYG Quiet Bands Hygienic Banded Earplugs. I found some on Amazon for under $5, but you can buy a pack of 10 for $36. They work really well and are very comfortable. You can use them over and over and over again.

From Amazon: Howard Leight QB2HYG Quiet Bands

The actual Howard Leight site: http://www.howardleight.com/

Best 380 ammo prices

These are the best prices I can find for 380 ammo. Has anyone had experience with either of these?

380 Auto 100 gr FMJ New Ammunition from USAAmmo.

• 50 rounds @ $10.95
• 250 rounds @ $54.75
• 500 rounds @ $109.50 
• 1000 rounds @ $219.00

___________________________________________________________________________________

.380 Auto 100 Grain FMJ New Brass Ammo (50 Rounds) for $10.45 @ Reliant Ammo.

.380 Auto 90 Grain JHP XTP New Brass Ammo (50 Rounds) for $13.45 @ Reliant Ammo.

Pachmayr Tactical Grip Gloves

Just got a rubber handgun grip today from Pachmayr for the P-3AT (same one fits the Ruger LCP and Taurus 738 TCP). Very easy to slide on the grip of the gun with a snug fit. Wow, I cannot wait to shoot with this on the grip. Amazing the difference it seems to make, very comfortable, good grip feel, and somewhat cushioned. I expect it will even absorb some recoil.

Pachmayr Tactical Grip Gloves: http://www.pachmayr.com/home/

I bought mine for $9.95 from Midwest Tactical Supply: http://www.midwest-tactical.com

Exploded schematic for the P-3AT

If you are new to the Kel-Tec P-3AT, here is the schematic of this little pistol. About as many pieces as my Glock. The pictures below are from the Kel-Tec P-3AT users manual which can be found here:p3atv2manual.pdf.

Hammer Spring Replacement for P3AT/P32

Here are some handy instructions if you ever need to replace the P-3AT hammer spring. These instructions come via Kel-Tec themselves. Thanks Kel-Tec.


The hammer spring can be purchased for $4 here: http://www.keltecweapons.com/store/p-3at-parts/

Hammer Spring Replacement for P3AT/P32

1.       Disassemble the pistol per cleaning instructions, making sure there’s not a round in the chamber. That is, remove the slide, barrel and recoil rod and springs.

2.       Carefully grab the hammer spring by inserting a narrow, pointed L-shaped tool, like a scribe, between the hammer spring and hammer spring catch pin.

3.       Carefully pull down on the hammer spring, while turning it 90 degrees and slowly relieve the tension by letting the hammer spring retract into the mag well.

4.       Drive out both polymer frame pins (not the steel pin).

5.       Remove the inner frame from the grip.

6.       Remove the hammer axis.

7.       Remove the hammer and hammer spring from the aluminum frame.

8.       Do in reverse order to reinstall new hammer spring.

Note: When reinstalling the aluminum frame into the grip, make certain the hammer block is pushed forward of the hammer just before the frame is flush in the grip.

Online Kel-Tec resources

Below are some Kel-Tec resources that have been helpful to me. Please add your own using the comment  section below. Thanks.
___________________________________________________________________________________

The Kel-Tec Forum: http://www.ktrange.com/

Kel-Tec Owners Group: http://www.thektog.org/forum/index.php

The grip, aka, the receiver without the action.

Kel-Tec sells replacement grips for the P-3AT for $34 (P-3AT grips) in black, green or gray. But with an affordable little pistol like this, why not have some fun. Order a grip and then paint it yourself. I am going to try this and see how well it works. Caution: use an appropriate paint! From all I have read, for the paint to last and not rub off, you need a duracoat paint. There are gunsmiths out there that will do this for you, but I found this dealer, Lauer Weaponry, that sells a turn-key system called Durocoat Shake 'N Spray for $29. Let me know if you have any experience with this product and I will make a post once I try it.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Lauer Weaponry's example video of how Shake 'N Spray works: example video

Gunsmith professional example of durocoat examples: Golden Loki

Field strip and clean

By simply removing one pin, you can do a field strip of the P-3AT. Once the pin is removed, the slide easily comes off.

The pictures below are from the Kel-Tec P-3AT users manual which can be found here:p3atv2manual.pdf.

This little pistol seems to perform at its best when clean, so I recommend cleaning it regularly. It takes very little time to do this and will help keep your gun dependable and in good working order.

This is a good time to mention the best cleaning product I have know of, ballistol. Ballistol came recommended to me from an old-timer that had used it for decades. It is a cleaner, lube and preservative, all in one. There are others out there, but ballistol is my pick. You can find it at http://www.ballistol.com/. You can read the complete ballistol story here, beginning in Germany in 1904, the ballistol story.

A good little pocket pistol

I recently bought my first KelTec pistol. Although somewhat skeptical about KelTecs, from things I had read on the Internet, I decided to try the P-3AT. The things I considered were the price ($239), size (8.3 oz - lightest in its class), width (.77"), easy field stripping, easy full disassembly, parts available direct from KelTec (http://www.keltecweapons.com/store/p-3at-parts/), easily concealed, and good customer service.

As mentioned by others, the P-3AT polymer frame is "rough" from the molding process in areas around the trigger guard, which can actually cut your finger during firing. This can be easily fixed however, with a dremel tool or some very fine sandpaper. I used my dremel and within minutes had this area completely smooth and looking good.

My first impression after a box of bullets... a great little gun, it is a keeper! The recoil was less than what I have experienced on a comparable Ruger LCP and S&W BG 380.

Next time I will post something about the cleaning process.