One of the ever popular debates in the gun world is “What is the right firearm to carry for your daily carry?”
That question has another layer to complicate it as we get towards warmer weather, which is when people are more likely to be wearing fewer layers of clothing and less covering in general in an attempt to feel comfortable in warmer temperatures.
For those unfamiliar with why that is an issue, when weather is cooler and people are wearing multiple layers of shirts and sweatshirts and jackets, etc., it’s easier to conceal a much larger pistol because you’re often wearing more clothing and, specifically, baggier clothing which hides shapes against your body (like that 1911).
But when weather is warmer, clothing layers and jackets are much less likely, especially the closer to the equator that you live. In that situation, working out the best gun to carry concealed takes on a new bit of difficulty because it has to be small enough to hide without multiple layers of clothing.
Which is a big reason why people may consider carrying a small .380 like the pistol that we’re talking about today: the KelTec PR-3AT. Paul Peterson gives us details:
While this would not be my go-to tactical or even home-defense gun, the PR-3AT does offer an affordable option for those looking to add an extremely lightweight gun with a generous 13+1 capacity to their EDC rotation.
It can be ammo-sensitive, so you will need to give it a break-in period to find the ammo that works best. But I mainly find myself drawn to the PR-3AT for its unique design. It’s mechanically interesting, and the rotary barrel combines with the internal magazine to achieve some impressive capacity and weight specs compared to the competition.
Now, Peterson specifically mentioned that this pistol prefers FMJ or non-wide hollowpoints to avoid feed issues. Another reviewer also complained about the pistol having feed issues when he used defensive ammunition.
Does that mean that the PR-3AT is a bad choice for concealed carry for you? I’d argue that it causes this pistol to not be the ideal choice for most situations, but if you’re in a situation where small size and concealability are the biggest factors, having a small pistol that can only really use FMJ is better than not having any pistol on you at all.
