If you thought KelTec’s top-loading, stripper-clip PR-5.7 pistol was a one-time thing, you were wrong. Apparently, this design has been very successful. So, at SHOT Show 2026, the Florida-based innovators presented the PR-3AT – a stripper-clip .380 ACP pistol.
If the name sounds familiar, that’s intentional. The original P-3AT was the grandfather of the modern pocket .380 – the gun that basically inspired the Ruger LCP and the entire micro-pistol craze. But this new PR-3AT isn’t just a reissue. KelTec took that legacy DNA and mashed it up with the “top-loader” tech from last year’s PR-57. The result is a dedicated concealed carry pistol that feeds from the top, not the bottom.
What Makes It a Great Carry Pistol
Because there’s no bulky magazine well inside the grip, the frame remains incredibly slim – under an inch wide. The capacity is 13+1 rounds of .380 ACP in a package that weighs just 9.66 ounces unloaded. For context, that’s lighter than a Ruger LCP Max, but you get 3 extra shots. If you carry all day, you know that shaving off some weight and width actually matters by 3 PM.
The “no mag” thing might sound sketchy for a defensive gun. But think about how often you actually swap mags in a self-defense scenario (statistically: never). And you know as they say: if you can’t hit the target with 14 rounds, capacity isn’t the real problem.
You load this thing through the open action from the top, either thumbing rounds in one by one or using the included seven-round stripper clips.
Other Things to Know About
KelTec kept the controls minimal. There’s no manual safety; instead, the pistol relies on a heavy double-action trigger pull. And, of course, Keltec made it optics-ready.
Since .380 pocket pistols can be snappy, the PR-3AT features a rotary barrel system that helps smooth out recoil.
- Capacity: 13+1 (10-round versions available for restrictive states)
- Weight: 9.66 oz empty / 14.24 oz fully loaded
- Barrel: 2.85″ Rotary Barrel
- Dimensions: 5.58″ long, 0.944″ wide, 3.93″ high
- Color: Black, tan, or green.
- Price: $399.99 MSRP
For $400, this might just be the most interesting pocket pistol we see all year.