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P-3at finishes

2K views 28 replies 21 participants last post by  Mainspring 
#1 ·
I'm 20 years old (21 in August) and I live in south Florida.
I was raised pro gun and honestly cant even remember why or how I came across this forum but I'm glad that I did. I've been hanging around for a while and reading almost all the post, asking questions, and doing some research.
I am just waiting to turn 21.
Thanks all for the advice and knowledge you all share on this site.

Looking at my choice of clothing (and monetary concerns) I've decided that my first personally bought gun for cc will be the p-3at for front pocket carry.
Considering the 3 different slide finishes which would you all suppose would show less wear and tear and corrosion resistance.
 
#2 ·
I've had no problem with my blued P3At. It is hot and humid here, and salt spray is also aproblem. I wipe the gun with a silicone rag every so often (daily in the summer), and it still looks new.
 
#3 ·
My blued P3AT is starting to show some wear after daily pocket carry in the winter, and clipped IWB in the summer. When I got mine, I was more concerned with finding a P3AT rather than what color it was.

Like obxned, I wipe it down often, daily in the summer.
 
#6 ·
I've had my P32 for 7 or 8 years now. The blueing is almost all gone, I carried it daily in my pocket for about 5 years, only sometimes now. I'd suggest getting the hardchrome, but then again... its a Keltec, not a Colt. It really doesnt matter much.
 
#8 ·
Industrial Hard Chrome or Electroless Nickel would be your most durable finishes.

My P3-AT factory finish on the slide did not hold up very well at all.
My slide started showing wear on the slide within 2 weeks.
It's not rusting but, it is down to bare metal in large areas.

I'll probably have mine Chromed at Tripp Research but, any place that does decent firearm refinishing could easily handle the job.
 
#10 ·
Chromanated !!!!
For the best protection get the hard chrome, or better yet save another C note and get a SS NAA Guardian and never worry about the finish!!
If you still want the P3AT make sure you get a third generation model, and make sure you put a few hundred down the pipe before you carry it, same goes for any carry piece.
Good Luck
NCH
 
#11 ·
Buy the "parkerized" finish. It will last longer than blue, probably not as long as chrome. The parkerized finish is dull, so it won't show as much as the other two----easier to conceal. The Kel-Tecs are not Kahr's, but they don't $ as much and there is not much easier to conceal. You will like it.


Z
 
#12 ·
I can't respond from personal experience about what finish you should go with, but everyone says the hard chrome is the best for corrosion resistance....good luck finding one though. I'm also from the south Florida and I frequented quite a few pawn shops and had no luck finding one. Your best bet is stalk them on gunbroker and gunsamerica until you find a good deal.

What I can recommend is trying out the suncoast gun show at War Memorial Auditorium. They just had a show last weekend, and they usually do one every few months. The next one is scheduled for 2/23 & 2/24. It's $8 to get it and $5 to park. I would try to get there on Saturday as soon as they open(9:00am) because it fills up rather quickly and gets pretty uncomfortable to look around by 12:00. Heres the website:

Florida's Best Gun Show - Suncoast Gun Shows

I went this past weekend and picked up a blued P-3at for $275, maybe not the best price in the world, but far from the highest. When I was looking the prices ranged from $275 - $329 for blued. They also had a couple hard chromed models with the navy grip, but they were asking $359 and $369. I happily settled for the blued, I figured I can get it nickel plated through Jack if I want to.

I took it to the range Monday and put 100 rounds through it without a single problem. 50 rounds of S&B and 50 rounds of Remington FMJ. I don't know if you've seen this site yet but it's got tons of info:

KTOG Forum - Index

Good luck man, and don't forget to get your concealed weapons license!
 
#14 ·
The blueing on them is honestly crap , I dont have experiance with the other finishes , but will say that with proper care the parkerising is likely to be more durable than the nickol . Nickol requires a proper application that can be toutchy or it will flake off in a few years, and i simply dont have faith in kel-tec to do a good job . parkerising on the other hand is with proper care more durable and easer than even blueing to apply .
 
#16 ·
i would go with the blue. the reason i say this is i lived for 12 years in miami and never had any problems with my duty gun and/or "bug". they both were blue. even when i was out on the boat i had no problems. just wipe them down once a week, no problem. i ilke the p3at. i got a 2nd gen blue one with the belt clip. in the summer it gets wet. here again, no problems. just wipe it down, insides and out.
 
#18 ·
+1 on the NAA Guardian. Also a little heavier for the .380 round and a little more control for the modest recoil. It is just a better finished gun.
 
#20 ·
Lots of knowledge here; complete KelTec nerds (that's a good thing) over at the Kel Tek Owner's Group.

Odd, I thought there was a third generation, too, but I seem to find only first and second mentioned on their site. Maybe I'm thinking of S&W (I have one of their third generation pistols). The second generation P3AT apparently solved many of their problems with unreliability, though I would still look closely at the "fluff and buff" instructions.
 
#22 ·
Mines got a "black slide" (i'm colorblind),so I assume its "blued". I don't like chrome finishes. Too "flashy" for a CONCEALED peice,and besides in a SD sitatution,the glare could give you away easier (or the position of your weapon,a glint from hard chrome,...)
 
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