Jammed Kahr P380

[JWyatt]

I posted the below on another forum last week and it was suggested I go to this forum also.
__________________________________________________ _____

Got my new Kahr P380 yesterday. Bought a box of WPA Military Classic ammo, made in Russia as suggested by the folks I bought the pistol from.

Had not shot the gun, the gun jammed, could not eject the unspent cartridges. Called Kahr Tech support and the gunsmith suggested just shooting it to clear it. He suggested it may be bad ammo. Took it back to the gun shop, told them what was happening. They could not unjam the gun for a while, but finally did.

Then we reloaded it - took it home and shot 6 through it no problem. Loaded it again and every other round jammed with the slide partially open.

Gun shop guys offered to keep it over the weekend ... go shoot it .. and use different ammo and try to figure out WTF.

__________________________________________________ ___

Folks on the other forum make a case that I do not the correct ammo for the pistol and that is why I had problems.

Hopefully today the guys at the local gun shop where I bought the pistol will have answers for me.

[gb6491]

Welcome to the forums:)

As to your P380:
FWIW, Kahr recommends a 200 round "break in" cycle for their pistols.
I mention this because I believe you should use quality brass cased ammo during this period to achieve the best results from your pistol.
I've used WPA quite a bit in my AK and several pistols (9mm and 45ACP).
I've not had any issues with it in the rifle or my 45ACP pistols. I have had it cause failures to feed in double stack 9mm pistols. It would bind in the magazines of these guns. My diagnosis of the problem was that there was too much friction between the steel cases; rolling the ammo on a cloth sprayed with lubricant prior to loading the magazines cured the issue in my pistols. I suspect the higher friction of the steel cased ammo could be causing the problems you are having.

There is also a chance that the OAL or bullet profile of the WPA is causing the bullet to engage the barrel's rifling before the round is completely chambered. Not only will this cause feed issues, it can make the chambered round difficult to extract.

My suggestion would be to read the sticky thread in this forum that details properly prepping Kahr pistols (http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1521) (in particular the lube points for them), then trying some quality, brass cased ammo in your P380.

Regards,
Greg

[muggsy]

Sounds like the rim of the cartridge case is not slipping under the ejector properly. Try ammo with a brass case.

[wyntrout]

Steel cases are unyielding and not as malleable as brass... and rough to be using for break in ammo, especially in the P380!

Good luck!

More info:

Welcome to the Kahrtalk forum supported by K a h r Arms.
Here are a few essential links and things to do BEFORE you take your new pistol to the range, and ESPECIALLY BEFORE taking it apart and trying to re-assemble it! The Kahr is a different design… 6-7 unique patents cover the Kahrs. I’m not trying to imply that you don’t know anything about guns, but many don’t know anything about the Kahrs and some of the things you can do to damage or cause malfunctions of your new, or new-to-you Kahr pistol.

First, if you don’t have a manual, yet, or one didn’t come with your pistol, you can view it and/or download the pdf file here:
http://www.kahr.com/PDF/kahrmanual.pdf

Please watch one of these videos FIRST! These videos can point out possible problem areas and emphasize correct procedures!
Take down and re-assembly videos:
T, TP, CW, P, & PM/CM Series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=G2cZgVg_SwA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G2cZgVg_SwA)
MK series:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...mSCnIOaUk#t=0s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zXmSCnIOaUk#t=0s)
K series:
http://www.kahr.com/Pistols/Kahr-K9-Elite.asp

There are many links on fixing problems listed in several places… under the New Member or Kahr Tech sub-forums. To start, a very good one:

Proper Prepping of a new Kahr:

http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14748

A very handy one is the Kahr Lubrication Diagram:
http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14750

Many of your questions can be answered in these areas and you can learn how your Kahr works and not damage it with improper handling.

Another great resource for information on Kahrs... Archives of Magazine and Internet Reviews for Kahr pistols by industry experts. They test these pistols and report on their views and the ammo they tested in it. This is a good way to find ammo that might fit your needs along with accuracy and feeding in the pistol... usually from a rest with velocity and energy, as well as penetration and expansion sometimes... very informational.

http://www.kahr.com/product-reviews.asp

Frequently asked questions: http://www.kahr.com/faq.asp?

One very important bit of advice: Hold the Kahr pistol firmly when firing OR CHAMBERING a round. These compact pistols need all of the force they can get from the slide to get a round into the chamber successfully. If you don't hold the pistol firmly, part of the needed momentum is transferred to MOVING THE PISTOL and the top round will DIVE and jam into the right side of the feed ramp. The weak hand, over hand rack method gives the best grip and a firm rack will give you the best chance at chambering a round.

Use the weak hand fingers over the slide(clear of the ejection port), thumb along the slide and pointing to the rear. Use the gun hand to simultaneously firmly push the gun as you give a vigorous rack with the weak hand and cleanly release the slide as it reaches the rear limit and is "snatched" from the weak hand. This approximates a real rack from firing and beats the slide release method WHEN executed properly. Much more strength can be exerted when this is done closer to the body.

Here's a video on that. The first part is what I'm talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=hjLbFOw8sow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=hjLbFOw8sow)

There are many helpful members here most of the time who might be able to help you, but as anywhere, there are many opinions and not all are correct. Be mindful of this before doing anything drastic to modify your pistol!


Wynn:)
Aka wyntrout

PS: I keep thinking of stuff to add and help new members... and am trying to cover most of the popular subjects. Yes, it's repetitious to many, but possibly not to all new members. This approach is easier than having to look up every tidbit for each new member or question that arises. :)

[gunshinestateCW9]

I posted the below on another forum last week and it was suggested I go to this forum also.
__________________________________________________ _____

Got my new Kahr P380 yesterday. Bought a box of WPA Military Classic ammo, made in Russia as suggested by the folks I bought the pistol from.

Had not shot the gun, the gun jammed, could not eject the unspent cartridges. Called Kahr Tech support and the gunsmith suggested just shooting it to clear it. He suggested it may be bad ammo. Took it back to the gun shop, told them what was happening. They could not unjam the gun for a while, but finally did.

Then we reloaded it - took it home and shot 6 through it no problem. Loaded it again and every other round jammed with the slide partially open.

Gun shop guys offered to keep it over the weekend ... go shoot it .. and use different ammo and try to figure out WTF.

__________________________________________________ ___

Folks on the other forum make a case that I do not the correct ammo for the pistol and that is why I had problems.

Hopefully today the guys at the local gun shop where I bought the pistol will have answers for me.

Hey glad to see u took my advice(jrizzlep95 from the other forum) welcome and there is a lot of helpful and knowledgeable folks here. GL!