My new 380 range report

[gm412]

Sunday I took out my new p380 to test shoot it. Did the prep listed on this site. The first 50 rounds went OK. 3 light strikes which I put back in the clip and they fired the second time. First 3 clips went through without a hitch. That was with PMC 90 grs. FMJ.
Now the next 100 rounds with American Eagle 95 gr FMJ. First clip OK then the trouble started. 2 stove pipes, 2 jams with a bullet in the chamber and another one trying to load and 10 - 12 light strikes. The last 50 rounds a strange pattern set in. The next to last round in the clip failed to fire. They loaded but did not go off. Put them back in the clip and bang. This happened consistently with both magazines (the one that came with it and one bought directly from Kahr – I have the California model). Not sure why it was the second to last, but that was it almost every time.
Pros – fun gun to shoot. Even after 150 rounds my hand was not the least bit sore. I would have put another 100 rounds through it but had to leave. I did not worry about accuracy since I was just trying to break it in.
Cons- the problems listed above.
I hope with a couple hundred more rounds these problems will go away. It’s cleaned and ready to go again.

[jocko]

I would give it a 100 more no more than that if it doesn't straighten itself out, call kahr and have them pickthe gun up. U have IMO put enough roundsthrough the gun that it sholdnot be gertting worse but better. I think u have an internal problem with the gun,possable a trigger bar out of spec. I am assuming u cleanedthe strikerchannel well before thisrangeshoot. If there is crude in that channel it could effect reliability big time. For a round the chamber and not fire to me indicates striker related issues. check your striker channel if u can take that slide apart or at leat use that clean out hole and just spry the hell out of that striker channel.

documentto kahr like u did for us if the gun has to go back so that they have a starting point..

[teammazza]

The only advice I can give you is sell it as fast as you can. They still get good value in a trade or sale. My .380 had nothing but issues, I also dropped one of the full magazines and the bottom plate went flying, I had bullets everywhere. If that happened in a life or death situation I would have been done. Until Kahr finds out what the problems are with these .380s I wouldn't take one for free. My CW9 has been perfect and the K9 is a classic. For the price these cost it in no way should give you as much trouble as they do. If you want a project gun buy a Kel-tec. Upgrade to a CM9/PM9 which isn't much bigger and is a much better gun.

[Cokeman]

My advice, keep it and break it in. P380s are awesome. Try different ammos. Your gun might like some better than others.

[gm412]

Second day at the range., Fired 100 rounds of PMZ. 7+ light strikes, 2 stove pipes and 1 failure to load. I was hopeful as the first 4 clips went off without a hitch. Not sure if I will try again Saturday or send it back. Serial Number RC*****.

Not giving up on this gun. Excellent shooter. And even this gun prints in my pocket. Any bigger will not work.

[Tinman507]

Contact Kahr CS and include photos if possible. Be as detailed as you can.
They'll make it right. Don't give up on it yet.

[jocko]

the light strikes are not good. I think ur wasinting good ammo now, call kahr and ask them to send a prepaid pick up on the gun, Let them get it right.

[Cokeman]

Read through the old P380 threads for lots of good advice. That will show you that lots of P380s do this at first, but get better. I wouldn't send it back until I had shot at least 400 rounds. When you get light strikes, is the slide not completely forward? Look at the back of the slide each time you shoot to make sure it's completely closed. If not, push it shut until broken in. Mine did that at first. I polished the inside of the chamber because I couldn't easily drop a round in. The round would almost fall all the way in but not all the way. After polishing, they dropped in freely. The first four mags always work great. After that, the non-broken in gun gets dirty and things don't slide as easily.

[kerby9mm]

I disagree with putting 400 rounds through a gun that malfunctions. 380 ammo around here is about $20 a box so that would be $160+ possibly wasted. When I got my first p238 I had problems with premature slide lock. Called Sig right away and they sent a different recoil spring. The gun has never failed since. With all the posts on the p380 in my opinion it is best to send it to Kahr on their dime so they can make the gun right for you.

[Cokeman]

Explain to me how ammo is wasted by shooting it. I see people saying this all the time and just don't get it.

[jocko]

there has to be a time for everyone when enough is enough 400 rounds IMO is more than enpough. Would be IMO far different if the P380 was basically not a gun that gave issues, but we know that is just not true "yet". I guess maybe calling it wasting ammo is not the best word for it, but IMO it is wasting time on an issue that more thna likely i snot going to go away with more rounds. Just sayin..

There is no disgrace in sending a gun back for an issue..

[kerby9mm]

You might as well practice with an empty gun if the gun are practicing with malfunctions. Either way there is no lead coming out of the barrel.

[Cokeman]

Kahr and everyone here says that there is a break in period of at least 200 rounds. So, if your gun has any problems during that break in period, you should send it in? Some take longer than 200 rounds and are fine. The OP has shot 250 rounds and may or may not be out of a break in period. He can do what ever he wants, but I would give it a little more time. His does seem to be getting better.

Kerby, read posts 1 and 5, do some math and then tell me that "no lead" was coming out of that barrel.

[kerby9mm]

I don't see how jams,stovepipes and light strikes make lead come out when they happen. All I was saying if it was my gun it goes back to Kahr with recurring malfunctions after breakin. If I had to sell off my guns the last ones to go would be my mk's.

[rogerthedodger]

I have a Cali version of th P380. It has been a long journey to get to where I can now trust it as a carry weapon, which is the only reason to have one (my opinion).
Here is the my journal:
Purchase gun, first 200 rounds, lite strikes. Clean and oil religeously, 3-4 sessions.
200 more rounds, 3-4-sessions, more cleaning and lubing still lite strikes.
Kahr sends new recoil spring set, another 250 rounds, clean and oil religeously, still lite strikes.
Send gun to Kahr, six weeks later it returns, new frame and striker assembly & extracter.
Start new break-in with new frame. 200 rounds, 3-4 sessions, lite strikes every 75+ rounds. I now notice it does not always go into battery, especially if I let slide go slowly unloaded.
Kahr sends new recoil springs. another 150-200 rounds, cleaned and oiled religeously, no failures, last 2 sessions I have shot Hornady CD, which is my preferred carry ammo.
I have also polished barrell hood, replaced mag springs with Keltek +10% which has cured failure to lock back on last round.
My point is, are you willing to go thru this? If yes, go for it. If not, sell it and move on. I was willing to work with it, because I like mechanical challenges, and am retired with lots of time on my hands. Now, it is 100% and one of my fav handguns. I new, from reading on this site, there were problems with the P380, so no regrets.
Roger

[Tinman507]

I shake my head when I read some of the new gun stories and see someone with a brand new gun whining about break in issues.

But I gotta tell ya rogerthedodger: you have one hell of a lot more tenacity than I would have. That gun woulda gone back with an insistence it be replaced after about round 3. God Bless you for your patience. Mother Teresa is shaking her head.

[Cokeman]

I don't see how jams,stovepipes and light strikes make lead come out when they happen. All I was saying if it was my gun it goes back to Kahr with recurring malfunctions after breakin. If I had to sell off my guns the last ones to go would be my mk's.

Every round didn't have a jam or light strike and stovepipes do make lead come out. Light strike rounds can be shot again. I agree about sending it back after break in, but I disagree about sending it in during or when break in should end. Shooting those wasted break in rounds, you still learn how to shoot the gun well and how it works. Mine had FRTB, light strikes, and a few stovepipes that went away after the break in period which was more than 200 rounds.

[rogerthedodger]

Well Tinman507, If I was still age 35, wife + 4 kids, full time job, that P380 would not have been mine, my patience is WAY too short!! LOL

[kerby9mm]

I'm not a Doctor so I don't have any patience either!

[jocko]

allcomments are IMO on target. My point would be after 200 rounds, really could mean nothing if progress was being made with reliability. Some guns do need more TLC to get right, some no matter what will not get right without a trip back to the factory. Who can make that decision. ONLY U THE OWNER/SHOOTER should know if ur making any real progress towards reliability. That is why I feel the propper prepping kahr is a good one to go by for a new gun. IMO if a person reads it all and goes through his gun before that first shoot and eliminates what possably could be little pcky issues, then he is way ahead of the game for that first shoot. Then after 200 rounds if progress is going backwards, I think it is time to go back. What Rogerdogger did was commendable, I would not expect any owner to go through what he went through. Undoubtely he loved the P380 enough to know that no matter how much time it took, he was going to make a good gun out of it for him. I really do think the P380 is one of the nicest guns on the market WHEN THEY WORK RIGHT. It shoots great, feels great, looks great, top quality BUT THE FOKKER MUST WORK. I must admit before the coming of kahr for me, I owqned 3 kel tecks and at the time they were about the only game in town for such a small as sultra copact 380 or 32. I wanted to love those guns to death, but after 17 times back to kel teck to get right, I finally had to face the fact that my 3 kt;'s were just never going to be reliable for me to keep. So in a way I know what Roger dogger went through, only for me it was 17 times all total. Turned out to be a total waste of my time, energy, frustration, cost

Some ownesr we know take a gun right out of the box and shoot it and if it screws up, it goes back. to me that is putting the cart before the horse. A clean gun is a good gun, Some kahrs come out of the box so full of sh-t that it is a wonder they worked through the kahr test fire even. I persnally feel every gun u buy, especially a semi auto should be throughly cleaned and lubed properly and some basic things just checked out to be sure it is all right. Good example is mag springs in backwards, its gonna cause issues, Many new owners would not have thought about checking that part of the gun out, for he expects it to be right. 99.995% are right but if u get one that is not and u box it up and send it back, then shame on you for now doing alittle homework urself. I have no doubt that this forum has helped literaly hundreds on new owners with piddly issues that normally a new owner without coming to this forum would have boxed the gun up and sent it back and been very unhappy about it.

but the reality is for me also is THAT NO MATTER WHAT, SOME GUNS NEED TO GO BACK. aT WHAT TIME THAT ROUND COUNT STOPS AND THE owner boxes it up and sends it back is an individual choice.. Just sayin..:popcorn:

[jaggedx]

Get a can of Gun Scrubber, put the plastic tube on it. Jam it in that little hole on the underneath middle section of the slide and blast it clean. Don't put any oil in it when your done cleaning it.

I could be wrong but I'd make sure the striker channel was clean and dry before anything else.

[LMT42]

I agree with Coke and think you should be patient up to four hundred rounds. I think new owners would be better served shooting no more than fifty rounds at a time, then clean and repeat. It doesn't do any good to keep running these 380s when they're dirty. It takes several outings and cleanings before they smooth out.

If the gun still won't function after 350/400 rounds, request a new recoil spring from Kahr. I'm sure they'll be glad to send one, free of charge. Give the new spring 50 rounds and if it still won't function, send it back to Kahr. IMO it's a waste of time to return it without exhausting all possibilities first.

[rogerthedodger]

I agree with Coke and think you should be patient up to four hundred rounds. I think new owners would be better served shooting no more than fifty rounds at a time, then clean and repeat. It doesn't do any good to keep running these 380s when they're dirty. It takes several outings and cleanings before they smooth out.

If the gun still won't function after 350/400 rounds, request a new recoil spring from Kahr. I'm sure they'll be glad to send one, free of charge. Give the new spring 50 rounds and if it still won't function, send it back to Kahr. IMO it's a waste of time to return it without exhausting all possibilities first.
What you say is right on, only run 50 no more than 75 rounds, then clean and lube, run another 50-75. they are tight when new, lots of lube, and spray out the striker. 200 is a minimum, but maybe 400 is more realistic for these little tight guns.
Roger

[Cokeman]

allcomments are IMO on target. My point would be after 200 rounds, really could mean nothing if progress was being made with reliability. Some guns do need more TLC to get right, some no matter what will not get right without a trip back to the factory. Who can make that decision. ONLY U THE OWNER/SHOOTER should know if ur making any real progress towards reliability. That is why I feel the propper prepping kahr is a good one to go by for a new gun. IMO if a person reads it all and goes through his gun before that first shoot and eliminates what possably could be little pcky issues, then he is way ahead of the game for that first shoot. Then after 200 rounds if progress is going backwards, I think it is time to go back. What Rogerdogger did was commendable, I would not expect any owner to go through what he went through. Undoubtely he loved the P380 enough to know that no matter how much time it took, he was going to make a good gun out of it for him. I really do think the P380 is one of the nicest guns on the market WHEN THEY WORK RIGHT. It shoots great, feels great, looks great, top quality BUT THE FOKKER MUST WORK. I must admit before the coming of kahr for me, I owqned 3 kel tecks and at the time they were about the only game in town for such a small as sultra copact 380 or 32. I wanted to love those guns to death, but after 17 times back to kel teck to get right, I finally had to face the fact that my 3 kt;'s were just never going to be reliable for me to keep. So in a way I know what Roger dogger went through, only for me it was 17 times all total. Turned out to be a total waste of my time, energy, frustration, cost

Some ownesr we know take a gun right out of the box and shoot it and if it screws up, it goes back. to me that is putting the cart before the horse. A clean gun is a good gun, Some kahrs come out of the box so full of sh-t that it is a wonder they worked through the kahr test fire even. I persnally feel every gun u buy, especially a semi auto should be throughly cleaned and lubed properly and some basic things just checked out to be sure it is all right. Good example is mag springs in backwards, its gonna cause issues, Many new owners would not have thought about checking that part of the gun out, for he expects it to be right. 99.995% are right but if u get one that is not and u box it up and send it back, then shame on you for now doing alittle homework urself. I have no doubt that this forum has helped literaly hundreds on new owners with piddly issues that normally a new owner without coming to this forum would have boxed the gun up and sent it back and been very unhappy about it.

but the reality is for me also is THAT NO MATTER WHAT, SOME GUNS NEED TO GO BACK. aT WHAT TIME THAT ROUND COUNT STOPS AND THE owner boxes it up and sends it back is an individual choice.. Just sayin..:popcorn:

I agree 100%.

[TriggerMan]

Explain to me how ammo is wasted by shooting it. I see people saying this all the time and just don't get it.
The premise is that you must shoot a large number of rounds to prove that a gun functions reliably before you carry it. For some thats 200 flawless FMJ rounds followed by 100 HP rounds, for others its 400 FMJ rounds followed by 20 HP rounds. YMMV

When a gun malfunctions AND later is fixed by changing a part that normally requires break-in, logically, you start your round count over. Anything shot previously does not help satisfy your personal criteria for flawless break-in. Therefore, if you know the gun is getting new parts, rounds shot before you send it in to CS are wasted.

There is one sense in which they are not wasted, if you simply enjoy shooting the gun....and your budget allows you to buy all the ammo you want.

Hope that clears it up.

[TriggerMan]

As addendum to my last post. I typically use the 300 FMJ, followed by 100 HP rule for break-in of a carry gun. First, these guns tend to be small and seem to need more break-in. Second, I do modify my own little rule by what I know of a gun.

For example, I got a replacement Sig P238 because it developed a stripped grip screw thread. I considered it ready to carry after only 200 FMJ rounds and 50 Gold Dots. I knew this model had all its bugs worked out a year earlier. It helped that it was carried mostly as a BUG.

Second, my Nano. From reading the Beretta forum, I knew that I might need 400-500 rounds to get reliable FMJ performance. To be safe, I didn't start testing SD ammo until the gun started to improve over those first 400-450 rds. I shot 100 Federal HST 124gr flawlessly and was ready to carry. I still have occasional FTEs with 115 gr FMJ ammo which is low powered. Feedback from Beretta and other owners, convinced me that the key to success was 124 gr with above average velocity.

My point is each gun is different, even within a given company and certainly across different models despite coming from the same company.

YMMV

[Cokeman]

I see your point but don't see it that way. But that's OK. Your "criteria for flawless break in" is right on. People are expecting this and get beyond pissed when it doesn't happen even though Kahr and everyone here tells them to expect issues at first. At that point the gun is a POS, the rounds were wasted, and they're going to bash the gun every time a P380 thread is started. Mine had issues at first but shooting those first 200 rounds taught me about the gun and how to shoot it well. They can replace the entire gun but can't take that away from me. I know you're giving me reasons and examples which are probably not your opinions and I'm not aiming this at you. Thanks for your explanation.

[TriggerMan]

I see your point but don't see it that way. But that's OK. Your "criteria for flawless break in" is right on. People are expecting this and get beyond pissed when it doesn't happen even though Kahr and everyone here tells them to expect issues at first. At that point the gun is a POS, the rounds were wasted, and they're going to bash the gun every time a P380 thread is started. Mine had issues at first but shooting those first 200 rounds taught me about the gun and how to shoot it well. They can replace the entire gun but can't take that away from me. I know you're giving me reasons and examples which are probably not your opinions and I'm not aiming this at you. Thanks for your explanation.
I was just explaining, although I suspected you knew what was meant by "wasted rounds". I share your opinion that getting acquainted with a new gun and how to handle malfunctions isn't wasted time, however, I have a decent ammo budget...so far. I also tend to do enough research so I go in eyes wide open, the PM9 being an exception. I should have sampled that trigger before buying one.

[Cokeman]

What do you mean about the PM9?

[cesande]

allcomments are IMO on target. My point would be after 200 rounds, really could mean nothing if progress was being made with reliability. Some guns do need more TLC to get right, some no matter what will not get right without a trip back to the factory. Who can make that decision. ONLY U THE OWNER/SHOOTER should know if ur making any real progress towards reliability. That is why I feel the propper prepping kahr is a good one to go by for a new gun. IMO if a person reads it all and goes through his gun before that first shoot and eliminates what possably could be little pcky issues, then he is way ahead of the game for that first shoot. Then after 200 rounds if progress is going backwards, I think it is time to go back. What Rogerdogger did was commendable, I would not expect any owner to go through what he went through. Undoubtely he loved the P380 enough to know that no matter how much time it took, he was going to make a good gun out of it for him. I really do think the P380 is one of the nicest guns on the market WHEN THEY WORK RIGHT. It shoots great, feels great, looks great, top quality BUT THE FOKKER MUST WORK. I must admit before the coming of kahr for me, I owqned 3 kel tecks and at the time they were about the only game in town for such a small as sultra copact 380 or 32. I wanted to love those guns to death, but after 17 times back to kel teck to get right, I finally had to face the fact that my 3 kt;'s were just never going to be reliable for me to keep. So in a way I know what Roger dogger went through, only for me it was 17 times all total. Turned out to be a total waste of my time, energy, frustration, cost

Some ownesr we know take a gun right out of the box and shoot it and if it screws up, it goes back. to me that is putting the cart before the horse. A clean gun is a good gun, Some kahrs come out of the box so full of sh-t that it is a wonder they worked through the kahr test fire even. I persnally feel every gun u buy, especially a semi auto should be throughly cleaned and lubed properly and some basic things just checked out to be sure it is all right. Good example is mag springs in backwards, its gonna cause issues, Many new owners would not have thought about checking that part of the gun out, for he expects it to be right. 99.995% are right but if u get one that is not and u box it up and send it back, then shame on you for now doing alittle homework urself. I have no doubt that this forum has helped literaly hundreds on new owners with piddly issues that normally a new owner without coming to this forum would have boxed the gun up and sent it back and been very unhappy about it.

but the reality is for me also is THAT NO MATTER WHAT, SOME GUNS NEED TO GO BACK. aT WHAT TIME THAT ROUND COUNT STOPS AND THE owner boxes it up and sends it back is an individual choice.. Just sayin..:popcorn:

I can NOT agree more with this post......
Do your research...
Buy what you want / need for the purpose...
Put in your time with prep and break in....
IF you have an issue take it as a challenge and go in with a positive attitude and use some mechanical prowess to meet the challenge and overcome it....
Then...
Shoot the fokker like you stole it !!!

As Jokko knows ...

NOTHING beats rounds down range .....

Wring it out ... I don't care what manufacture you are dealing with....
A trusted adviser once told me ...

If you can't make 500 trouble free rounds through it ... don't carry it....

[TriggerMan]

What do you mean about the PM9?Hate long DAO triggers. I shoot SA so much better.

I'm puzzled by a review of the CM9 in Combat Handguns (I think that's right, its a cover story). They had the trigger at 5.4 lbs. I have read that all Kahrs are at 7.5#, my PM9 certainly was. I didn't buy the issue but will double check that it wasn't the new MA/CA model.

[Cokeman]

So you hang out here and don't even have a Kahr or like them?

[TriggerMan]

So you hang out here and don't even have a Kahr or like them?Oh, I like 'em, just not in love with 'em. Bawanna created a folder just for me, "Other Firearms". I wander out of there at times.

[Cokeman]

Got it. Good to have you around.

[gm412]

I agree with Coke and think you should be patient up to four hundred rounds. I think new owners would be better served shooting no more than fifty rounds at a time, then clean and repeat. It doesn't do any good to keep running these 380s when they're dirty. It takes several outings and cleanings before they smooth out.

If the gun still won't function after 350/400 rounds, rePquest a new recoil spring from Kahr. I'm sure they'll be glad to send one, free of charge. Give the new spring 50 rounds and if it still won't function, send it back to Kahr. IMO it's a waste of time to return it without exhausting all possibilities first.


I think this is good advice, but I have a shooting problem, as long as I have ammo I can't stop. The gun does a much better job on the first few mags and gets worse after that. This gun seems to get dirty fairly quick.

I talked to Kahr and they said try a couple different types of ammo and put another 100 rounds through and if that does not fix it to call back. They said they do not recommend the Korean ammo I tried. Use only US made ammo. I think the Korean ammo was dirty. Lots to clean after every outing. it is hard to find 380 in this area. So far could only find the 2 brands from my earlier report.

I will say that this is a report and not a complaint. I can tell this wil be an excellent gun. It shoots like a dream. I know many people will not carry anything under a 9mm, but I would not want to be on the recieving end of the p380. It shoots like a much larger gun.

Last time I shot I tried for accuracy. This is accurate for such a small gun. And it seems like I had less malfunctions, pro ally due to holding the gun tighter when trying to shoot accurately.

I will let you know how the next outing goes and I will try not to put so many rounds through it. If I can, hard to stop when there is still ammo in front of you. Now you know why I don't drink often anymore, it was always hard to stop when there was still beer in the refrigerator.

[Cokeman]

I would put as many rounds through it in a session as you want. How are you going to know if the gun is breaking in and functioning or not if you only run a few rounds through it and then stop. You want it to work right when you run 50-100 rounds through it. Mine now works fine and I have shot some dirty crap. I've been cleaning the gun and thought to myself "is this sucker ever going to come clean?" "I can't believe it didn't jam." I wonder if a dirty gun breaks in faster because of the grit and crap grinding between the metal parts.

In my experience, it doesn't matter where the ammo is made unless the rounds are just plain out of spec and won't chamber. I think it matters how much power the rounds have.

[LMT42]

Last time I shot I tried for accuracy. This is accurate for such a small gun. And it seems like I had less malfunctions, pro ally due to holding the gun tighter when trying to shoot accurately.

This may be the cause of your failures to return to battery and light strikes. You don't need to crush it, but you definitely need to hold it with authority. If you limp wrist it at all, you'll lose slide energy and it'll cause problems. Good luck and keep us posted.

[druryj]

The only advice I can give you is sell it as fast as you can. They still get good value in a trade or sale. My .380 had nothing but issues, I also dropped one of the full magazines and the bottom plate went flying, I had bullets everywhere. If that happened in a life or death situation I would have been done. Until Kahr finds out what the problems are with these .380s I wouldn't take one for free. My CW9 has been perfect and the K9 is a classic. For the price these cost it in no way should give you as much trouble as they do. If you want a project gun buy a Kel-tec. Upgrade to a CM9/PM9 which isn't much bigger and is a much better gun.

Wow. Remind me to never buy a gun from you.

[gm412]

I went for the third time to the range with the p380 today. This time with 50 rounds Remington followed by 50 of American Eagle. First 4 clips had feed problems at least once a clip. This was followed by 4 or so clips without problem. Then, 1 stove pipe and several more failures to feed. No light strikes until the last 20 rounds where there were 4.
I tried to call Kahr today but they are closed. I will try to call tomorrow. That is 450 rounds and although the gun runs good for short periods - too much is going wrong, I think. I will see if Kahr wants me to ship it back.

[Cokeman]

You've done your part.

Which ammo was better? Either? Mine liked AE better than Remington,

[gm412]

The Remington seemed to be slightly better but that might be because I used it first so the gun would have been a little dirtier by the time I fired the AE.

[Cokeman]

Interesting. I would expect the Rem to cause the failure to feeds over the AE.

[DKD]

I being an old timer to both shooting and reloading over several decades and as such have seem alot of things. After pondering some of the young pups comments about the this gun problem and that problem have come to a couple conclusions : first comment, half the time its just plain old operator error or shall I call it from my Army days operator head space & timing issues. Does the old adage "This is my weapon and this is my gun, one is for shooting and one is for fun" Now that we got that out of the way...keep your damn weapon clean and properly lubricated...you take care of it and it will take care of you. Don't handle your weapon like a light in your loafers ****** you Jackwagon!
Now that thats out of the way.... Alot of practise with small amounts of ammo with realistic practical drills is better than occasional practise all day. In all my years +49 years of shooting and 36 years of reloading I had only one instance of a bad shell and it was caused by a bad primer. Now thats just once out of tens of thousands of rounds down range. However with the volume of rounds fired with all this inexpensive, mass produced range fooder I have experienced dozens of poorly loaded factory ammo due to damaged primers from loading process, and faulty primers. The next time you want to blame the damn firearm for soft primer strikes , first check the indentation strike on that primer.....just might be that crappy ammo & not the weapon. If not that clean out the firing mechanism, in the Kahrs case that damn striker pin & spring area.
Take care of you weapon like it was your boys & that third leg with polio in your britches and it will take care of you.

At ease!!!! Carry on!!!!

[gm412]

Well I talked to kahr and they are sending me a box to ship my 380 back to them. I will let you know when I get it back and make it to the range.
I have been shooting since 1966 so not new to guns at all. When the light strikes happen you can see the dent in the primer. It has happened on all 3 types of ammo I tried. Put the bullet back in and she goes bang the next time. That said I know some of the failures to feed have been enhanced by my operator error. But in no way have all the problems been caused or enhanced by operator error. This gun does take a little getting used to.

[DKD]

My post was not directed to you GM412...just a general statement aimed toward the general mass' out there. Your poblem could be in the striker assembly or possibly an out of spec or damaged trigger bar. Most having problems on this site are caused by simple things that are easily corrected with proper prep, maintenance or crappy ammo which is under powered.
Hope they get things right for you...let us know when it returns and you have had a chance to fire that puppy up.

[HDoc]

I being an old timer to both shooting and reloading over several decades and as such have seem alot of things. After pondering some of the young pups comments about the this gun problem and that problem have come to a couple conclusions : first comment, half the time its just plain old operator error or shall I call it from my Army days operator head space & timing issues. Does the old adage "This is my weapon and this is my gun, one is for shooting and one is for fun" Now that we got that out of the way...keep your damn weapon clean and properly lubricated...you take care of it and it will take care of you. Don't handle your weapon like a light in your loafers ****** you Jackwagon!

At ease!!!! Carry on!!!!

But in the Brown Shoe army you only had to remember to replace the flint
that hit the striker pan.....

[gm412]

DKD, I did not take any offense. Reread my post and it was not worded properly. I was agreeing with you. This gun is funny to handle and I know on more than one occasion I caused the problem. Not holding it tight enough and getting my hand in the way of the slide. I had fewer problems when I was doing rapid fire or trying to be very accurate because I was concentrating on the shots. Still had problems but not as many.

[gm412]

OK I just got a call from Fed Ex. My 380 will be back tomorrow from KAHR. Hope everything is working now. I will take it to the range this weekend.

[DKD]

Hey man I would be interested in that range report on Kahrs fix on your p380. Please let use know what Kahr did and how she performed. You don;t need adeath grip on it either, just a firm grip and lock your wrist, cause these small wepons ned something to push against with thos stiff recoil springs. Should your arm act like a shock absorber, they will surely short stroke the slide causing FTF and or FTE's.

[DKD]

HDOC,

Give me a break man, I missed the Brown Boot Army...did wear jump boots though. We weren't issued Flint Locks, I was using them new fangled percussion cap muzzle loaders I'll have you know. ;) Our snipers used Sharps Buffalo Rifles.
I suppose you think I was old as dirt...? NOT.... maybe old as rope though.:D

[jocko]

I think when most here suggest possable shooter error it is not meant to be in harm but a suggestion It does happen and withg these small ass guns it certainly happens alot more than with the big ones. When I suggest it, I am merely saying to eliminate that possability and then move on to the next thing to try to look at and or eliminate. We never want to send back a gun that really works for kahr can'tr fix what ain't broken, so one just needs to heed all information given on this forum as a suggestion, nothing more. I read soemwhere today where a owner had a 380 and shot it Ok but when recleaning it etc, he decided to check to see if the magazine spring was in OK. and it was in backwards.., why it worked OK in the first place is strange but it was a "failure" WAITING TO HAPPEN. sometimes a person over looks the obvious and in the propper prepping thread it does mention to check your magazaines for we had one owner who had all 3 of his magazines with springs in backwards. IT DOES HAPPEN. Would be a shame to send a gun back for issues when merely checking to see if the springs ar ein right or wrong might be the issue.

I remember when I owned my 3 kel teks and was talking to one of their inside tech people and he told me that 50% of all their guns that are sent back that they tested out OK. Believe it our not, I am just the messenger. These little guns can cause head aches that the big guns would never dream of doing..That is what makes this forum so different than most. WE ARE HERE TO HELP, NOT CRITICISE.

[TominCA]

Sounds like its dirty - Fed Red box seems to produce more fouling in mine and these little guns are very susceptable to fouling in the striker channel and extractor areas. I even ultrasound my slide every few cleanings to bust up the striker crud and of course I blow it out with solvent every time I clean it.

Try more powerful ammo - Corbon 90, speer gold dot and magtech +p 85 grain work very well in mine. When I look at chrono tests of 380 on the internet it is obvious that the ammo that works best in my 380's is also the most powerful. If you clean it real good and it still doesn't shoot corbon, speer or magtech +p then I'd call Kahr.

To add to Jocko's post above - one time I was shooting my PM9 - for some reason I didn't get the magazine all the way in ( about 1/8" from latching) The gun actually went for 3 rounds before it jammed. That was my PM9's only jam ever - but it does show you how operator error can make a gun seem bad. I also found I was limp wristing my P380 by letting it flip to the right (I'm a lefty) under recoil. I learned this by watching the ejection rather than the target. It was easy to correct. But my P380 don NOT like low powered ammo!

[gm412]

I received my P380 back from KAHR. Not sure what they did. The invoice says polish feed and update parts as needed. Test Fired:Good. It is much easier to rack now. Slide is not nearly as stiff. Hope to make it to the range this weekend.

[flashman]

Hello All.

We have two P380's. I have a black/stainless and I bought my wife a Pink P380. The stainless was purchased 3 years ago. It took about 100 rounds to break in. She just got the Pink 380 a few weeks ago.The Pink 380 had few FTF and stove pipe. It has about 100 rounds thru it and seems to get better as more rounds are put thru it.

I purchased a new Taurus TCP 738 before I took over her black/stainless P380. The TCP 738 was snappy and not comfortable to shoot. The gun would jam a lot as I was breaking it in. I went to Taurus armed dot net and found a subject called TCP Realiability enhancements. It was about polishing the ramp and smoothing the MIM extractor claw and breaking the sharp corner on the slide stop. After I performed these minor modifications. The 738 was perfect. No jams etc. It even ate that Russian ammo (Toule) without a problem. I usually do not shoot that ammo, but I had a box of it. The gun was now dependable for carry. But I sold it last week and I now carry the Kahr P380(not the Pink one). I posted the link below about the modification. I wonder if this modification can be done to the Kahr P380 to speed up the break in process?

http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/smithing/40279-tcp-738-reliability-enhancements.html


Joe Flashman

[gm412]

OK Final range report. I went to the range for the first time after getting my p380 back from KAHR. 200 rounds of Federal 95 grain FMJ 380 Auto followed by 25 rounds of Federal Premium 90 grain HYDRA-SHOK JHP. Not a single problem. Shot perfect every time. It was great fun to shoot. Still need to practice. The p380 is very accurate and tight groups when I shoot it correctly but I am not consistent at all.
Also put another 100 rounds through the new PM9. Now it has 300 rounds through it with almost no problems. I am enjoying both of these guns.

[Cokeman]

Did I not tell you...or did I? Hmmm. :spider:

[gm412]

Did I not tell you...or did I? Hmmm. :spider:

Why yes you did:D

[Cokeman]

:53: