P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

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rjsixgun
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P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

Post by rjsixgun »

Can anyone post a side by side photo of the P64 and the Kel-Tec P3AT .380?
Been thinking about buy'n a Kel-tec but only if its smaller than the P-64
stover
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P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

Post by stover »

Here ya go:

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stover
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P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

Post by stover »

I bought the P64 hoping to replace the P3AT. I still find myself carrying the P3AT when I need a back pocket gun.
rjsixgun
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P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

Post by rjsixgun »

Thanks!!!!
I've been looking for a small pocket pistol, I saw the Kel-tec at a fun show last weekend and kinda liked it as a pocket gun, My P-64 is just a wee bit to big and heavy for my pockets. But that looks like it will fit the bill just right, and in .380 its a nice round.

What do you think of the Kel-tec? Is it quality and reliable?
stover
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P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

Post by stover »

I bought mine used for $189.00 at a local gun store. First trip to the range was a train wreck. Slide stop pin kept working loose and eventually fell out -- it wasn't safe to shoot. When I got it home and took it apart it: I found severe frame damage and I assumed the pistol was a total loss.
I took it back to the store I had bought it from and they sent it to Kel-Tec for repair. About a week later I got the pistol back. They stamped the serial number of my gun on a new P3AT. It was obvious that they had test fired it too before sending it to me. Postage was all paid by Kel-Tec.
This pistol has now had about 500 rounds through it and functions flawlessly. It is very small, light weight and extremely comfortable to carry and shoot. It is accurate although not in the same class as the P64. I fully trust the P3at and Ke-Tec based on my experience. I used to carry it in a pocket holster when another gun wouldn't be practical or as a back up. That is until my wife absconded it. Now I have to borrow it.
stover
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P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

Post by stover »

If you get one read the manual carefully. There are two parts that can be easily lost when you field strip the pistol. I forgot to mention I lost the ejector on the second version on my Kel-Tec with in about two days of getting it back from Kel-Tec. I called them and told them what an Idiot I am, the rep just laughed and sent me the part for free along with a second magazine I purchased.
I continue to be impressed with the service they provide on a <$300.00 pistol. IMO you can not go wrong with a Kel-Tec product, even if your an idiot or get a lemon they will take care of you.
gunneyrabbit
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P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

Post by gunneyrabbit »

Kel-Tec has come a long way in the last three years with all of their pistole's. They went through a very rough period when every thing they were making was of questionable quality, even members of the Kel-Tec owners group had given up on trying to defend the indefensible and were returning their pistole's. Broken extractors, ejectors and chinking were the issues of the day and were not limited to the P3AT only.
Kel-Tec was paying attention and was scrambling to correct the quality issues of pistole's that had worked so well in the past. End result is that they are now again making fine little pistole's that work. My P3AT is an excellent concealed carry pistol that has replaced the P32 that I've carried and trusted during warm weather for years.
The only draw back to the P3AT is that it will never equal the muzzle velocity or the foot pounds of energy produced by the P64, something we all have to consider when we carry concealed.
Also the P3AT will never be as fast or controllable as the P64, something that comes with pistole's of size and weight.
G.R.

PS.
If Kel-Tec would make a 9x18 pistole based on the P3AT design with a seven round mag and a three and a half inch barrel they would again pull off a first in the industry, thin, flat, controllable and powerful is a hard equation to beat.
G.R.
Last edited by gunneyrabbit on November 7th, 2009, 12:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
jbabbler
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P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

Post by jbabbler »

It's really unfair to compare the two guns.

The P3at is a very stripped down basic gun. It's a basic tool and works well as a backup gun.

The P64, on the other hand is a full featured military/police gun. It is a DA/SA hammer fired weapon with a decocker and manual safety. The hammer is a rebounding hammer which adds an extra degree of safety if the gun is ever dropped. She's built like a brick shithouse and is quite a bit heavier than the P3AT but offers a lot more gun for the added weight.

My wife's P3AT fits well in her purse an will only get fired once or twice per year. I can't imagine her using up the 200 rounds I bought for her in the next two years. I have been known to grab the little bugger and toss it in my pocket when I'm running out to the gas station in the summer.

All of that being said, her P3AT took a few hundred rounds to become reliable whereas my P64 has been a pleasure to shoot since upgrading the springs. It has never failed me and I trust it every day.

For primary carry the only two Keltecs I would ever consider carrying are the P-11 or the P40. I carried a P-11 for 10 years and put over 10,000 trouble free rounds through it. On the flip-side, my PF9 was a junk from day one. The P3AT I got my wife is very promising but not enough gun for me to carry daily.

Here's a shot of my wife's P3AT with a kydex holster I made for it
Image
Last edited by jbabbler on November 6th, 2009, 2:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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rottenrick
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P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

Post by rottenrick »

jbabs, I don't know what it is, but I just can't join the 'Made by Mattel' bandwagon. Guns ARE SUPPOSED TO BE METAL, with wood grips. Guess I'm getting senile.
elgoatropo
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P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

Post by elgoatropo »

I plan to do a shoot-off between the LCP (like a 3AT) and the P-64. I suspect the P-64 will outperform the Ruger all around, especially at 25 yards and longer.

I am pretty happy with my P-64, carried IWB with clipdraw. It might be nice to have the option of pocket carry (needs to be lighter), but your shootability is going to suffer with a pocket gun.

The long-range accuracy of the Polack gun makes it much more interesting to me. Drilling shotgun hulls at 30 feet is a blast.
jbabbler
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P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

Post by jbabbler »

rottenrick wrote:jbabs, I don't know what it is, but I just can't join the 'Made by Mattel' bandwagon. Guns ARE SUPPOSED TO BE METAL, with wood grips. Guess I'm getting senile.
I hear you Rick. My two Steyr pistols are the only two tupperware pistols that I like to carry anymore. The P3AT is my wife's and I'm just happy I can get her to carry that. I no longer own any other polymer pistols. My CW9, P11, PF9, G27 and SW40VE have all been sold off. I like my P64 for daily carry and never feel under-armed.
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probyt
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P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

Post by probyt »

I carry a composite framed gun at work because I have to. On my time I carry a 1911 or a revolver only becuase don't own a P64 yet. I can't imagine my grandchildren owning my old glock and saying"My granddad carried this old gun when he was a cop,and it still works!". ;)
envy
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P64 VS Kel-tec P3AT??

Post by envy »

If you want composite coupled with reliability go with a Sig, Glock or H&K I would not trust my life or the lives of my family to a cheap plastic POS. Thier is a reason that the three listed above are the main suppliers for police and military world wide RELIABILITY.

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