A lot of people are agape here at SHOT Show at the new PR-3AT. If you’re a fellow Florida Man like me, you know that this isn’t George Kellgren’s first stripper clip .380 ACP pistol. The Grendel P10 came out decades ago and Kellgran was the man behind it. The Grendel used a stripper clip to feed an internal magazine. The new KelTec PR-3AT takes that same idea and refines it.
The PR-3AT is a mishmash of the P3AT — say it slow — and the Grendel P10. The PR-3AT is a .380 ACP pocket pistol with an internal magazine design that feeds from a purpose-built stripper clip similar to that of the PR-5.7. The PR-5.7, introduced last year, also famously uses stripper clips to load a 20-round internal magazine.
Now that same idea has come (back) to the .380 ACP pocket pistol world. The stripper clip design loads the internal magazine thorough the top of the gun. KelTec’s stripper clips aren’t what I’d call disposable. They’re polymer with a shelf to press cartridges into the internal magazine with ease. With the PR-3AT, you get seven-round clips.
The PR-3AT comes in two configurations. There’s an uber-small grip that holds ten rounds and delivers a hanging pinky. The other model has a slightly extended grip that picks up that pinky and allows a 13+1 capacity. The lack of a magazine ensures that even the 13-round variant is less than an inch wide overall. It’s smaller than the LCP MAX and offers three more rounds.
The PR-3AT – Little Gun, Big Potential
The quasi double-action, hammer-fired pistol is listed as .944 inches wide at its thiccest point, and 4.67 inches tall. It weighs only 15.2 ounces loaded and 9.66 ounces empty. That gives you a lot of lead at that weight point. It maintains the PR-5.7’s rotary barrel design to reduce recoil and create what’s a fairly soft-shooting gun.
The PR-3AT comes with a set of decent-sized sights. The Defender model offers you red dot capability with a Viridian red dot factory attached. That combination makes a very capable pocket pistol.
The trigger pull length is double-action, but the weight is much lighter. Additionally, the trigger doesn’t offer second strike capability. If the gun goes click when it should go bang, you have to rack the slide to reset the hammer.
The idea of running a reload with a pocket carried gun doesn’t seem to be all that relevant. How likely am I to shoot 14 rounds from a pocket pistol and then reload? For pocket pistol duties, reloading really isn’t a concern for me…or, let’s’ be honest, most other EDCers. With that said, the .380 ACP might offer some substantial recoil for its small, lightweight design. Call me old-fashioned, but wouldn’t this gun be a little better in .32 ACP? Or maybe that’s just me.
Sadly, no one will purchase one of these in .32 ACP, so we are stuck with more recoil with little ballistic improvement. Still, the KelTec PR-3AT seems very promising for those looking for a simple pocket pistol for daily, deep concealment carry. KelTec even teamed up with Rounded Gear to have a holster ready at launch. For me, though, this is a pocket gun and I’m excited to try it out in that role.
32 acp and 32 Smith and Wesson are the way to go. Unfortunately the industry keeps marketing 9mm duty guns to civilians.
Which are heavy and difficult to conceal.
And yes, you have the civil right to buy the wrong gun.
Might not be the most moronic thing I’ve ever seen…but it’s a contender.