View Full Version : New in box P380, RA49XX serial #
ebnub
02-22-2013, 01:08 AM
Hey guys, first post here. I just picked up a P380 for $499 today and didn't bother researching serial numbers before purchase and now I'm thinking that I probably should have after reading a couple threads here detailing serial numbers. Anyway, the serial number I have is in the RA49XX range. It's a brand new pistol and I haven't gotten to shoot it yet.
If you were in my boots what would you do here? I paid $150-200 less than these typically go for in my area right now so I really don't want to bring it back.
What kind of warranty should this pistol have since it's probably a few years old? Or should my warranty begin today ..?
I have 250 rounds at home I could shoot, so maybe I'll clean/oil it and then bring it to the range and give her a good breaking in. Anything specific I should be on the lookout for that the RA serials are known for?
Cokeman
02-22-2013, 05:18 AM
Where did you buy it? If it's really new, it will have a warranty. It will probably be fine.
ebnub
02-22-2013, 05:28 AM
It's from a local owned gun shop. Originally I thought it was a Used gun because of some wear on the barrell from the slide being racked a bit but I don't see carbon anywhere and there is a small amount of amber colored grease in some spots that I assume is from the factory... They had it tagged as new though and the contents of the box were sealed and tidy as well.
adamog133
02-22-2013, 07:32 AM
If it is brand new, Kahr offers a 5 year warranty from the day you register it with them I believe. Others may know more than me about it.
The warranty is stated on the back of the manual.
:amflag:
http://www.kahr.com/PDF/kahrmanual.pdf
jocko
02-22-2013, 09:00 AM
It's from a local owned gun shop. Originally I thought it was a Used gun because of some wear on the barrell from the slide being racked a bit but I don't see carbon anywhere and there is a small amount of amber colored grease in some spots that I assume is from the factory... They had it tagged as new though and the contents of the box were sealed and tidy as well.
but it is also in the 4000+ model make to, so it should be anOK gun. Some gave issues back then and kahr corrected them, keep ur receipt and everything in case it needs to go back u have a 5 year wearranty. Do the propper prepping of ur kahr thread and the lube sticky to, and u should be good to go.
expect maybe a few issues at first but it should decline rapidily to.Get a good grip on that gun though so to eliniante ay chances oflimping the gun. It is easy to do with such a small frame. Great gun, IMO the best when it does as designed. Startwith fmj ammo. don;'t mess with high price defense stuff until u are sure it is OK. Keep ur sessions short. 50 rounds would be suffice, a shooter gets tied and then things happen to..
PREP THE GUN FIRST THOUGH.
ebnub
02-25-2013, 02:47 AM
Well, It appears that I purchased a reliable gun. I put about 100 rounds through it today and between Magtech, Blazer Brass, and PPU rounds I didn't have a single issue whatsoever. I think I'll get back to the range in the next day and get another 100 rounds of FMJ's through it and give a magazine or two of Hydra Shok's a try just to be sure they're going to work well with the weapon.
JFootin
02-25-2013, 09:46 AM
Sounds like you got a good one! I use Hornady Critical Defense as my carry round in my Taurus 738 TCP. The conical shape of the bullets help to ensure perfect feeding, even if you limp wrist it a bit. Gives just a little extra bit of confidence about reliable functioning WTSHTF.
ebnub
02-26-2013, 12:51 AM
Yeah, it appears that I picked a reliable one.
I was roaming WalMart yesterday and saw they have a new type of TulAmmo brand .380 that I haven't seen before called Brass Maxx so I picked up a box. I brought it to the range today and found that my P380 won't feed it into the chamber. Comparing the Brass Maxx to the other rounds that I had luck with it seems the tail of the casing that the extractor grabs onto is slightly thicker than the rest. I tried about 12 rounds and couldn't get a single one to feed, it would just jam everything up.
jocko
02-26-2013, 03:27 AM
My K9 even hated Tul ammo. I just for a few bucks saved, now stay away from some of that "junk" ammo. It might work in some but it is whatit is. I realize right now we ae buying what is o the shelf, with little chances to be picky even. My local wal mart has not one round on the shelves of anything.The gal told me they sold out of ammo tha thas beenon the shelve for years and some of their old oll stock dies even, are gone. U bought a dandy P380, feedit good food and it will not let u down..
Good tip on the Brass Maxx. That brand just appeared at my WM, as well. I'll keep my distance based on your experience.
ebnub
02-26-2013, 07:39 PM
Know if people are having luck with Fiocchi ammo with the P380? My local Gander has it on the shelf for $15.99 on sale.
edit: I suppose I could search the forum a bit too
Cokeman
02-26-2013, 10:41 PM
Ask all the questions you want. If anyone tells you to use the search or Google, tell them to suck it. :D
There have been mixed reviews on Fiocchi .380.
TheTman
02-26-2013, 11:26 PM
I only shoot Russian Ammo in Russian or Soviet style guns. I know too many people that have had trouble with Tul, Wolf, and other Russian ammo in non Russian guns that are otherwise very reliable with good ammo. It seems to work fine ins SKS and AK's.
adamog133
02-27-2013, 06:57 AM
I have used for the p380 as follows: fiocchi fmj round nose 95 grain, buffalo bore +p hollow points-90 grain, critical defense hollow points-90 grain , winchester white box flat nose fmj 95 grain and federal round nose fmj 95 grain . All have performed flawlessly (After the break in period).
:amflag:
ebnub
03-01-2013, 02:24 AM
No luck with the Fiocchi unfortunately, it's doing the exact same issue I had with the TulAmmo Brass Maxx where the collar (or whatever it's called that the extractor hangs onto) is slightly thicker than ammo that feeds correctly. I really wish ammo was more readily available so that I could actually compare some things in the store.
On a brighter note, I picked up a Crimson Trace LG-433 Laser Guard brand new on eBay for $60. :D
ebnub
03-01-2013, 07:40 PM
This guy seems to have the exact same issues with Fiocchi and TulAmmo with the P380. There's a definite difference in the casing shape near the primer that these two brands share so I guess I know what to look out for now. I'll get a picture up for future reference.
http://mousegunaddict.blogspot.com/2011/07/great-380-fmj-jhp-ammo-test-results.html?m=1
jocko
03-01-2013, 07:43 PM
these little guns leave no room for error. My P380 didn't like 102 golden sabres, so I juyst moved on to what worked right for it. I certainly was not gonna loose alot of sleep over it when there are so many good American made rounds ourt there. I tend to take foreighnammo with a grain of salt.If it works and it is kcheap as hell, then that is OK but I don't loose alot of sleep over some of this off brand foreighn **** that does not work. My K9 did not like tul ammo..
adamog133
03-02-2013, 11:57 AM
out of all the firearms that I have sampled, the Kahr's are the tightest tolerances that I ever have dealt with but Quality all the way. After 400 it is singing sweet tunes with any ammo so far.
The problem was with the plastic on the frames becoming deformed, causing malfunctions.
Save your receipt. If there's a problem, Kahr will make it right.
You might not see any issue at all, or it may show up after some shooting. Maybe you should have some fun "testing" the pistol some more :)
ramblynman
09-08-2013, 09:46 PM
I am in a similar position. Put a used P380 on layaway at a local gun shop for $450 and will pickup in about two weeks. Serial number is RA39xx. Should I be concerned or go ahead and pick it up. I know It was used but not much at all and came with night sites. I do not know at this time if there is any type of warranty on the gun since I purchased used but really do not want to pay for fixing up a lemon. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
willyd
09-09-2013, 11:04 AM
I didn't buy one, but I traded my Sig p238 for a Kahr P380. I really like it as a pocket carry. I just could not get past the cock/lock concept of the Sig. Interesting, the msrp showed the Sig $30 higher than the Kahr. Pretty close $value trade.
Shutterbug
09-12-2013, 10:53 AM
I had a problem with Herters steel ammo (TulAmmo) 380s chambering in a Taurus TCP and also would not feed in my Bersa Thunder 380. Simple fix. I ran the rounds through my Lee Full Length Factory Crimp die. Problem solved and they work in all 380 pistols I have tried. I don't have a Kahr 380 yet because I am waiting for a CW380.... I feel quite sure they will chamber in that pistol too.
SGT5711
09-12-2013, 06:55 PM
Fiocchi 95 grain FMJ works great in mine.
jocko
09-12-2013, 07:03 PM
Hey guys, first post here. I just picked up a P380 for $499 today and didn't bother researching serial numbers before purchase and now I'm thinking that I probably should have after reading a couple threads here detailing serial numbers. Anyway, the serial number I have is in the RA49XX range. It's a brand new pistol and I haven't gotten to shoot it yet.
If you were in my boots what would you do here? I paid $150-200 less than these typically go for in my area right now so I really don't want to bring it back.
What kind of warranty should this pistol have since it's probably a few years old? Or should my warranty begin today ..?
I have 250 rounds at home I could shoot, so maybe I'll clean/oil it and then bring it to the range and give her a good breaking in. Anything specific I should be on the lookout for that the RA serials are known for?
has sure beensitting in the back room of some gun store for a long time.that is in the firsr RA serial umbers of kahrs little gun. The early models gave alot of issues but yours in in the 5K serial numnber, so lets hope they had the bugs out of it by then. Kahr will make anything wrong, but I would advise doingt the propper pepping of ur kahr for sure and shoot good ammo, and indeed give it 200 roundsw before getting to excited.
muggsy
09-13-2013, 11:21 PM
No luck with the Fiocchi unfortunately, it's doing the exact same issue I had with the TulAmmo Brass Maxx where the collar (or whatever it's called that the extractor hangs onto) is slightly thicker than ammo that feeds correctly. I really wish ammo was more readily available so that I could actually compare some things in the store.
On a brighter note, I picked up a Crimson Trace LG-433 Laser Guard brand new on eBay for $60. :D
That thing that the extractor hangs onto is called the case rim. Try PMC or Blazer brass ammo. I should work with no problems. Full metal Jacket (FMJ) aka ball ammo works best in the .380.
wyntrout
09-14-2013, 01:33 AM
I received my new P380 with night sights on 31 March 2010. It's serial number is RA61xx. I don't know how they run the serial numbers but it could be 3+ years old. If you bought it as new from a dealer that should start your new gun warranty... I would think!
Wynn:)
wyntrout
09-14-2013, 01:52 AM
I bought a second P380 for my wife and it had a bad extractor. Kahr sent for it and fixed that. The claw of the extractor was pretty much lying on the breech face and the case rims couldn't get underneath. I could chamber a round by pushing the slide closed, but it was just blowback operated then, if the case ejected. The extractor is supposed to hold the case rim from the time the slide goes forward pushing the top round into the chamber, until the slide travels to the rear with recoil and the back of the case hits the ejector to knock it out of the chamber.
Lock the slide back and look at the clearance between the "claw" that grips the case rim and the breech face and see if it's sufficient for a case rim to slide under the claw.
I've shot lots of brass Herters and MFS... all made by Fiocchi in Ozark, MO. I've really shot a lot of S&B(Sellier & Bellot) 92-gr FMJ made in the Czech Republic... thousands. My last buy was 2 full cases last year. They might have a few hard primers in a hundred or two requiring a second hit, but I've had no real problems... certainly not with feeding. Stick with brass or aluminum factory ammo. I want something that's softer than my gun's parts!
Those and other brands, I use in all calibers in the Kahrs. I try to get the best deal online... lowest price, no tax, and low or free shipping with case lots. S&B has been the lowest I've found... that 2k buy was $11.99 a box delivered. Now it's twice that or more.
Wynn
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