# Ruger LCP 380 or Kel-Tec P-3at 380



## greatprohunter (Jul 25, 2001)

Im torn between these two guns... I know the ruger is more costly but feels better to shoot. The only Kel-tec that I have shot failed to feed proper on the 2nd shot.
But the Kel-tec is cheaper.. 
I will be consealed carrying this lil gun for summer use.
Anyone with hands on experiance with both of these guns please chim in and tell what ya think.


----------



## bad400man (Oct 3, 2005)

the kel tec is a nice gun and shoots great, the lcp shoots just as good and is a nicer fit and finish also has a slide hold button which is nice. the only downfall with both of them is finding ammo, i have a few .380's and just bought the new Sig p238 but cant find ammo and my stock pile is getting low.


----------



## BASSNTAZ (Nov 10, 2003)

I have had my LCP for almost a year now and have had no problems with it. I would highly recomend it for a summertime carry gun.


----------



## SNIPER17HMR (Jan 11, 2008)

Kel tec is the way to go the ruger has a better finish but kel tec has been makeing the style of gun longer and the ruger has already been recalled


----------



## Hoppe's no.10 (Sep 16, 2007)

A good friend who is very knowledgeable when it comes to pistols and revolvers once said to me: "If a mugger ever sticks a gun in my face I pray to God that it's a Kel-Tech." 

Why trust your life to the cheapest pistol you can come up with? .

Hoppe's no.10


----------



## SNIPER17HMR (Jan 11, 2008)

The kel tec 380 is one of the most common pocket pistol out there and i dont think that would be the case if they didnt shoot i have shoot mine few hundred rounds and can hit the center of the target a 30ft which i more than good enough


----------



## KalamazooKid (Jun 20, 2005)

Hoppe's no.10 said:


> Why trust your life to the cheapest pistol you can come up with? .


Kinda my thought too.


----------



## CMR (Jul 25, 2003)

Hoppe's no.10 said:


> A good friend who is very knowledgeable when it comes to pistols and revolvers once said to me: "If a mugger ever sticks a gun in my face I pray to God that it's a Kel-Tech."
> 
> Why trust your life to the cheapest pistol you can come up with? .
> 
> Hoppe's no.10


In that case, to your logic, I would take a Kel Tec over a Hi-Point ANY day. Which, BTW, I have two Kel Tec's..a P-40 and a PF-9. Haven't had any problems with them and carry the PF-9 almost on a regular basis.


Back to the topic, I'd pass on either one....and take a long and hard look at the PF-9. Its a little bigger than the P-3AT but still slim for carry. Plus, its in 9mm. (More ammo available out there than the .380 right now.) Got mine in my shorts pocket while typing this. Its my "summer gun".


----------



## Hoppe's no.10 (Sep 16, 2007)

CMR said:


> In that case, to your logic, I would take a Kel Tec over a Hi-Point ANY day. Which, BTW, I have two Kel Tec's..a P-40 and a PF-9. Haven't had any problems with them and carry the PF-9 almost on a regular basis.
> 
> 
> Back to the topic, I'd pass on either one....and take a long and hard look at the PF-9. Its a little bigger than the P-3AT but still slim for carry. Plus, its in 9mm. (More ammo available out there than the .380 right now.) Got mine in my shorts pocket while typing this. Its my "summer gun".


Can't say I'm familiar with a "Hi-Point" handgun - actually never heard of it. 

1. If you are buying a firearm - in this case a handgun - to carry as a defensive weapon then somehow you feel that there is a possibility that this handgun may be called upon to defend your life.

2. *If *you agree with the above why would you seek out the most inexpensive handgun available or one of the most inexpensive handguns available to defend your life?

2a. You have obviously and probably somewhat arbitrarily chosen an economic threshold that you will not go beyond when it comes to purchasing a handgun that may be called upon to defend your life - what is this economic threshold - and how did you arrive at this figure?

3. If Kel-Techs etc. are such reliable handguns then how many cash strapped public safety departments across the nation have chosen them as daily carry or back-up guns?

4. This is not directed at anyone on this post in particular. And I've written this many times _ad nauseam_ and will continue to do so _ad nauseam_ because it just may save someones life someday. It never ceases to amaze me the number of respondents on this and other similar forums who spend untold $$$$ on the "perfect" bird gun, latest magnum rifle for "...elk and bear...out west...." and spend much time, effort and money practicing with it, custom handloads for it etc. But when it comes to a personal defense handgun "...don't want to spend a lot of money...," "...probably never shoot it much...," etc.

But as it relates to Kel-Tech supporters on this thread I have little doubt (and if I'm wrong I stand corrected and will publicly apologize) that they've bought firearms and ancillary equipment (scopes etc.) many times the price of their Kel-Tech to use in pursuit of deer, grouse, pheasant and other large and small game but when it comes to a carry weapon that - God Forbid - may be used to defend their lives or the lives of their loved ones they go cheap. Does anyone else see the irony in this? 

Hoppe's no.10


----------



## greatprohunter (Jul 25, 2001)

Well on thrusday I put a deposit down for what ever gun came in first, Kel-tec or the Ruger LCP. The gun shop(I will leave unnamed) said it might be a few weeks before either of the guns may be avalible. No problem..
Well today I was out looking for ammo and went into the Flint Gander MT. to look for ammo.
Went to the counter and looky there Ruger LCP! I waited a short time to talk to one of the employees that often speak too. I asked about the LCP and He said, "Yup.... Started today with 6 of them and there is 2 left"! SO my reply was " why are not writing me up a sales order!!!
Within 10 min the other was sold as well!!! This are HOT lil guns for sure!!!!
Now for the problem............ NO AMMO!!!!!! I called and went all over the Flint area looking!
I hope that I can soon find some and shot the lil bugger.... I love how it fits in the pocket. 
After I find ammo I will have to give the M&P 40cal a short rest till colder days.


----------



## Hoppe's no.10 (Sep 16, 2007)

greatprohunter said:


> Well on thrusday I put a deposit down for what ever gun came in first, Kel-tec or the Ruger LCP. The gun shop(I will leave unnamed) said it might be a few weeks before either of the guns may be avalible. No problem..
> Well today I was out looking for ammo and went into the Flint Gander MT. to look for ammo.
> Went to the counter and looky there Ruger LCP! I waited a short time to talk to one of the employees that often speak too. I asked about the LCP and He said, "Yup.... Started today with 6 of them and there is 2 left"! SO my reply was " why are not writing me up a sales order!!!
> Within 10 min the other was sold as well!!! This are HOT lil guns for sure!!!!
> ...


Good for you for buying a quality handgun as opposed to a K-T.

Hoppe's no.10


----------



## glockman55 (Mar 9, 2006)

Makes good sense to me, Why buy a gun that failed to feed on the second shot. I would never feel safe with a low price/quility hand gun for self defence. I like the Sig. P-232


----------



## UPhiker (Jul 13, 2008)

The Ruger is a _copy _of the Kel-tec. The Keltec is maybe $30 cheaper. My personal view is that I wouldn't carry either one. I have no problem concealing my 642 in shorts and a t-shirt, so why go smaller?


----------



## glockman55 (Mar 9, 2006)

Not all of us can carry a larger weapon with shorts and a tee shirt, that's why I have more than one carry gun.


----------



## greatprohunter (Jul 25, 2001)

Went to the range this afternoon, I was very happy this LCP shoots! At 7 yards there were 3 inch groups. I stepped to the 15 yard and put 13 shots in a 8 inch patern. I didnt think that was all that bad for the first time shooting the LCP. 
Only one thing to change...... I think Im going to add some glow in the dark white paint on the front sight. Its a lil hard to see being all black.


----------



## frostbite (Dec 22, 2004)

Kel tec is a decent weapon and so is the ruger. Some Kel tecs have mis feeds and others don't. Kahrs have misfeeds too. If thats a worry than buy a wheel gun, they go bang everytime you pull the trigger.


----------



## slowpoke (Jan 30, 2001)

It's a fine gun. Misfires??? Whats that. Mine did misfire 1 time. That was in the first 10 shots that I fired it, now after over 250 rounds it's golden and boy what tight gropes it shoots. It's so small I hardly know I'm carrying. I got some power balls bullets in it for carry. I can't find any bullets to buy for it is the only thing I don't like.


----------



## Hoppe's no.10 (Sep 16, 2007)

frostbite said:


> Kel tec is a decent weapon and so is the ruger. Some Kel Tecs have misfeeds and others don't. Kahrs have misfeeds too. If thats a worry than buy a wheel gun, they go bang every time you pull the trigger.


Define "decent" in terms of a weapon whose only legal purpose is defensive and meant to be used in defense of one's life. Would you really bet your life on a "decent" weapon as opposed to a "very good" weapon or a "really good" weapon? Would you put your children on a school bus that had "decent" brakes as opposed to "really good" brakes? If your son/daughter joined the U.S. Army and was headed for combat in Afghanistan and his/her issued sidearm was a Kel-Tech would you say something like: Yeah, that's cool it's a "decent" firearm. I bet not.

I have no argument with inexpensive firearms used for hunting or even defense within their limitations. If you buy an inexpensive H&R/New England Firearms single shot shotgun that "cheap" firearm will undoubtedly fire every time you pull the trigger in spite of it's crude fit, finish and trigger pull for decades to come - why because it's been designed to do one thing and one thing only at a very low price - that one single thing - to go off every time the outside hammer is cocked and the trigger is pulled.

Problems arise, however, when crude and cheap firearms are meant to do a multitude of tasks - like actually fire the chambered cartridge when the trigger is pulled, clearly eject the spent cartridge, cycle cleanly and fully re-chamber a cartridge from a questionable and inexpensive magazine etc. It is this multitude of tasks that highlight the shortcomings of inexpensive firearms - be they pistols, semi-auto Turkish/Russian shotguns (slam-fires) SxS with single triggers (failure to re-set) and the like. It's not a design defect so much as it's a shortcoming in quality control - poor fitting of parts, bad metallurgy etc. Which is why you get respondents to threads like this who've never had a problem and others who've witnessed catastrophic failures with these cheap firearms ( as I've witnessed more than once). 

Once again I pose this question: Why would you ever depend on a "decent" handgun at best or the "...what's the cheapest semi-auto handgun out there..." at worst when it comes to defending your life? 

Hoppe's no.10


----------



## GIDEON (Mar 28, 2008)

Hoppe's no.10 said:


> Define "decent" in terms of a weapon whose only legal purpose is defensive and meant to be used in defense of one's life. Would you really bet your life on a "decent" weapon as opposed to a "very good" weapon or a "really good" weapon? Would you put your children on a school bus that had "decent" brakes as opposed to really good brakes? If your son/daughter joined the U.S. Army and was headed for combat in Afghanistan and his/her issued sidearm was a Kel-Tech would you say something like: Yeah, that's cool it's a "decent" firearm. I bet not.
> 
> I have no argument with inexpensive firearms used for hunting. If you buy an inexpensive H&R/New England Firearms single shot shotgun that "cheap" firearm will undoubtedly fire every time you pull the trigger in spite of it's crude fit, finish and trigger pull for decades to come - why because it's been designed to do one thing at a very low price - that one single thing - to go off every time the outside hammer is cocked and the trigger is pulled.
> 
> ...


 According to Federal Firearm laws, (revised 1972), a pistol being that it is 100% concealable cannot be deemed a defensive weapon.( I never said the laws made sense).

In twenty some odd years I have never had to resort to use a pistol in a defensive manner, and being that I own a couple closets full of them, i would say that the ones that I own main purpose is recreation.

And in response to your third question, the cheaoest of the two closet full of pistols, will stop some one just as fast as the most expensive. If It ever came down to defending myself with a pistil. a high point will kill some one just as dead as a kimber, Colt, Sig. And the real up-side is that the bad guy will never know that he was done in by an inexpensive hand-gun.


----------



## Hoppe's no.10 (Sep 16, 2007)

slowpoke said:


> It's a fine gun. Misfires??? Whats that. Mine did misfire 1 time. That was in the first 10 shots that I fired it, now after over 250 rounds it's golden and boy what tight gropes it shoots. It's so small I hardly know I'm carrying. I got some power balls bullets in it for carry. I can't find any bullets to buy for it is the only thing I don't like.


If you're firing "tight gropes" you're firing to slow. You do not want or need tight groups or "accuracy" in a tactical encounter. You want to be able to put a number of shots very quickly in a "pie plate" sized area - center mass. 250 rounds ain't "s--t" for reliability. Shooters who are serious about using a firearm in defense of their lives fire that many rounds in an afternoon. Go to an I.D.P.A. (International Defensive Pistol Assoc.) regional match and participants will easily shoot 100-150 rounds in a few hours - week in, week out month in, month out . What do they shoot - Glocks, S&W MPs, 1911s, Sigs, H&Ks, Hi-Powers etc. and even more than one Ruger here and there but nary a Kel-Tech in sight . Why do you think this is? - Reliability.

Hoppe's no.10


----------

