:: Bersa Talk ::

I was always told Kel-Tecs were low quality unreliable jam-o-matics. These 3 I just bought are nothing like that. They are built just fine and the finishes are fine too. They do not jam at all with several different kinds of ammo. I have not shot 1000s of rounds in them but a few hundred tells me the internet legends are mostly false. Believe me, I am Murphy's Law in the flesh. I had only 2 minor issues that kel-tec fixed pronto.
Just thought i'd run that by ya'll.
toni

I have 3 thanks to BT members makeing me spend money doing research for them All have been fine .

 The KT is is junk crowd is  mostly same people posting over and over.   More, lots more, KT's that work than those that don't

Saw on another board several links to people who have a broken trigger on their new Ruger LCP One as low as 17 rounds  But thats ok its a new gun and a Ruger  Not a junk Kel Tec. . Just like their SR9 recall on all made from Oct 07 to Apr 08  Seems their a problem with them. But thats ok because its a Ruger and they never have trouble Unlike those junk Kel Tecs . This just a little mistake.

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"Just say "Lay A Way"

"WWJBD" What Would James Bond Do?

"Hokey religions and plastic glocks are no match for a good 1911 at your side, kid."

Toni and MT,

Agreed, I carry it every day even when the big boys are hanging from the belt, never had a hiccup on my P3AT, Plus they are fun to shoot!

RC

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pocketauto:

They are built just fine and the finishes are fine too.

I'm leaning towards a P32 but to be honest I wasn't impressed with the finish of the polymer frame.  All the edges still had flash on them that should have been trimmed at the factory.  It really was a very sloppy and poorly finished piece (have no comments on functionality, just finish).

Bronson

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"Anybody worth shooting is worth shooting five to seven times"
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Thunder .380
Browning HiPower
Kahr CW40
Kel-Tec P32
Ruger MK I
Ruger GP100
S&W 60

I have mixed feelings about KT's nowdays; but I believe in general they are fine weapons.  As has already been said, there are lots more that work than don't... and the people who call them junk probably never owned one.  They are one of the best values on the market.

I own a P40.  Don't bother searching the KT website for it, it isn't made anymore (nor the even rarer P357).  It's a .40S&W version of the P11.  Back when it was listed on the website, the description said that it was at the upper-most threshold of what a human could endure (pain).  It's quite the little firecracker, and not for inexperienced shooters!  So the pistol takes a pounding too.  Well, it was reliable for years, and then it reached a point where it just suddenly stopped working... a sheared slide catch so the slide could never be locked open, magazines that wouldn't free-fall anymore, recoil spring sticking out the front of the slide and jamming the weapon (which I've heard _is_ a common problem), last round in the magazine wouldn't feed... just lots of little stuff all at once.  Kel-Tec customer service is some of the best in the industry, by the way, so naturally I sent it into them for TLC.  When it came back, they had put a Parkerized slide on it (which I wasn't happy about since I can't stand two-toned guns, and the blued slide matched the black polymer frame very nicely).  I'm surprised they sent it back, though, because the magazines still don't free-fall anymore (at least not 100% reliably), and the slide sticks when being retracted, especially when trying to reassemble the pistol.  Sigh, I never bothered to even take it to the range since receiving it back, that's how disappointed I am with it.  So the end of the sad story is that the P40 is now a safe queen, because I have totally lost confidence in the weapon.  It has been replaced by a Kahr MK40... which is fine with me because the all-steel Kahr is a heck of a lot easier to control than the P40, not to mention a superior trigger pull, but I sure hate giving up half my magazine capacity by making the switch!

So I guess there's a reason the P40 was discontinued, huh?   I'd send it back to the factory again, but the last time I shipped a handgun it cost me $65 one-way!  No thanks, that's a little too steep for my blood, just to throw away on shipping.  I mean, it's not like the pistol weighs 300lbs or anything!

But the P11, P3AT, and P32 are top-notch as far as I'm aware... and the only bad thing I've heard about the SU-16 (from friends who own them) is that the "bipod" is, well, not very good (a good concept, though).  Everything else about the SU-16 is great.

So bottom line: Buy a Kel-Tec!

John

John,
 check your pms
Toni

The P3AT that I picked up was 100% clean new in the box. It had been test fired at the factory as evident by the marks on the breach face. Great little pistol that fits my pocket and sometimes I almost forget it is there. Kudos to Kel Tec.

Yeah but, bronson, i don't know of any other 32 that comes close to the diminutive size of the P32. Plus there is no recoil so to speak. mine only had a small amount of flash on it. My P3 and P11 had none. I think they are made pretty good. Maybe you just saw a badly finished one?   Maybe I got nice ones? 
Toni

My KT P3AT is a beater. She shoots stright every time. She may not look perfect but for the price and convenience ya cant beat her.

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Bersa Talk isn't perfect.. But we are perfecting the art of imperfection...

A little flash you can knock off in a couple seconds . Their not pretty So what they live in your pocket  or a safe Not a BarBQ gun. Basic simple pistol. That works.

Most of the people I see that are so in love with the Ruger also are in love with the looks . Looks don't protect you  and a little flash here and their can be removed

Like I said its a pocket pistol not a show piece

Once again why buy a copy When you can have the real thing cheaper and debuged  I still think the Ruger is a rip off  and will stand by my Kel Tecs.

If Ruger copies the Bersa  and offers at a higher price Bet you would jump ship their also Just because of Ruger name.  Bersa isn't recalling their pistols like Ruger is.

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"Just say "Lay A Way"

"WWJBD" What Would James Bond Do?

"Hokey religions and plastic glocks are no match for a good 1911 at your side, kid."

My EDC is my Kel-Tec PF-9.  Could the finish be nicer?  Yes.  Could the slide fit be better?  Yes.  Was it tight a a fiddle string out of the box?  Yes.

But, a couple of points.  I didn't pay a Beretta price for it so I did not expect that level of finish.  It's going to nock around in my pocket and car console every day, so I don't really care.  And the thing has been dead reliable.  I have not had a single failure to feed, failure to fire, or jam since I bought it, and I have practiced with it until my hand can't take it any more.

The KT critics can say what they want, but I'm sold.  By the way, I like my T380 a bunch too.

DET

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DET

pocketauto:

Yeah but, bronson, i don't know of any other 32 that comes close to the diminutive size of the P32. Plus there is no recoil so to speak. mine only had a small amount of flash on it. My P3 and P11 had none. I think they are made pretty good. Maybe you just saw a badly finished one?   Maybe I got nice ones? 
Toni

True enough, which is why I'm leaning towards it for a pocket gun.  Perhaps the one I saw was just a bad one but to be honest I wouldn't buy a dish drainer at the dollar store that had that much flash left on it.  Bear in mind I'm talking about THAT particular gun.  If I saw another one that was better I'd be sorely tempted to pick it up.

Why does everybody get in such an uproar when a quality control slip up is pointed out?  I'm not making any accusations about the functioning of the weapon and I'm certainly not saying the Ruger is the end all be all of the pocket polymers (they don't even make .32).  I'm just saying that in my opinion KT should watch for this a little better and they should be the ones who are trimming the flash off their products and not their customers.

Bronson

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"Anybody worth shooting is worth shooting five to seven times"
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Thunder .380
Browning HiPower
Kahr CW40
Kel-Tec P32
Ruger MK I
Ruger GP100
S&W 60

Hey pocket,

Michael T's opinion is well respected here and you can take what he says with confidence as he does his homework. You many also want to check out Jeff's reviews at www.gunblast.com on the Kel-tec products. Although I do not have the expertise or broad experience of either of these guys, I have also had a flawless experience with my Kel-Tec P-380.

 

 

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Bersa Thunder 380 Duo Tone
Bersa Thunder 380 CC Black Matte
Kel-Tec P-3AT
Glenfield Model 25 .22 Rifle
Marlin Model 25 .22 Rifle

we say grace and we say ma'am and if you ain't into that we don't give a damn - Hank

Hey Bronson,
 I hope you didn't think i was being obtuse about keltec quality control. remember, i had to send 2 of mine back for QC issues right off the bat. i was like you, leery of them.....but i took the plunge and am not sorry in the least. the only gun i have found that is smaller is the NAA tiny revolvers and 22 is too small IMHO for self defense. I shot a white oak snake yesterday with my ruger 22 and it just bounced off the snake!!!
 i had to kill him with a shovel. for all those no-kill nature lovers: i had to do something as he was going up the tree to a woodpecker nest with babies in it. i couldn't 'just let nature take it's course'.
 I like the little LCP too but it is too hard to get right now for a decent price. what size is the NAA guardian? I have never seen one in person.
Toni

Bullwinkle:

I have mixed feelings about KT's nowdays; but I believe in general they are fine weapons.  As has already been said, there are lots more that work than don't... and the people who call them junk probably never owned one.  They are one of the best values on the market.

+1. I have a FP-9, P-3AT and a PLR-16. None of them are pretty guns and no K-T I've ever seen had a fit & finish that could be remotely called high end, but they all work when I want them to and that's the bottom line for me.

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Thunder 380 & 380 Concealed Carry
Thunder 9
Ultra Compact 9 (2+)
Ultra Compact 45
... among others