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gun papa
04-25-2014, 10:31 PM
When my Wife got her Kahr P380 in around September of 2013, there were few Kahr P380's around in the flesh to handle. We ended up getting the gun new from a gun store off of Gunbroker for $550. After shipping and transfer it was $600.
We did the break in thing, and the gun fed everything I threw at it. If you sling-shotted the slide correctly and held the gun firm, the gun functioned as it should. The only nagging failure being that of the slide not locking back consistently. The gun has about 500 rds of all types through it now, and I am very fond of the gun and look lovingly upon it as you would a tiny puppy. Even though I offered myself to do the work of breaking the gun in, and I could shoot it to my heart's desire, it was not mine. I wanted one of these guns for my very own.

Since Glock screwed up with the large G42, I again found that the dimensions of the P380, and my want of a Browning locked breach, the P380 was the only gun right for my intended purpose, pocket carry. However, $600 did not sit right with me. That is WAY TOO MUCH $$$ for a pocket gun.

This AM I rousted my FFL dealer out of bed so I could transfer to me, the CW 380 I had sent to him. This gun the CW 380, like first, was a Gunbroker purchase from a gunstore. The price $311. After shipping and transfer, it was $350. A $250 reduction over the P380. MUCH BETTER!

I inspected the little gun with a jaundiced eye for flaws, but found none at all.

Now that I have the two guns side by side you would think I would be critiquing the places that resulted in the cost savings, the exterior. But no. I do not think that the exteriors are all that much of a big deal. Sure, the sights are different, and some of the machine work is fancier on the P380, big deal.

Here is what I see between the two guns.
1. The magazine release, though the same, is easier to manipulate on the CW380, where the P380 requires a bit of concentration.

2. Lock up on both pistols is tight and just the way I like it.

3. The CW 380 does not have the 1/8" out of battery, weak recoil spring feel that the P380 did. The CW 380 returns to battery fully, every time I cycle the gun, even when riding the slide.

4.The trigger on the P380 is less pull weight and length of travel than the CW380. (This may just be that the P380 is broken in with 500rds. I hope so, because I love the P380 trigger. We shall see.)

5. I have discovered that the magazine of the CW 380 when placed in the P380, pushes the P380 slide lock further up, and THAT may be the cause of the failure of the P380 to slide lock. It may be a follower issue. I will test and find out, (See pics below of the slide lock position with each magazine. There is a gap as the slide lock is not pushed up by the follower of the original P380 magazine. It leaves the slide lock in an area where the slide can decide to lock or not on its whim.)

6. I have not fired the gun yet, so I cannot say anything about function. I have sling-shotted every different kind of ammo I have available, and the gun goes into battery with everything, no issue.

Those rounds include.
Fed Hydra Shok
Winchester flat nosed white box
Aguila 95gr HP
Blaser 95gr FMJ
Remington 95gr FMJ
Hornady Zombie bullets
95gr TMJ Handloads

7. The CW380 may be 1/8" longer of a slide than the P380.

VIDEO of first shooting is UP!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcKTOb0D_PY

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/gunpapa/photobucket-11069-1398478432462_zps56c12c49.jpg (http://s4.photobucket.com/user/gunpapa/media/photobucket-11069-1398478432462_zps56c12c49.jpg.html)
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/gunpapa/photobucket-812-1398478384059_zpsabd7b278.jpg (http://s4.photobucket.com/user/gunpapa/media/photobucket-812-1398478384059_zpsabd7b278.jpg.html)
The picture appears that the P380 is shorter, but it is not. That is just machining differences.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/gunpapa/photobucket-10906-1398478333148_zps2512db0d.jpg (http://s4.photobucket.com/user/gunpapa/media/photobucket-10906-1398478333148_zps2512db0d.jpg.html)
NOTE that the slide stop is not elevated fully using the original magazine in the P380, leaving the slide stop not to lock the slide open. the magazine did the same when inserted into the CW380.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/gunpapa/photobucket-11083-1398478240949_zps7df1f7bf.jpg (http://s4.photobucket.com/user/gunpapa/media/photobucket-11083-1398478240949_zps7df1f7bf.jpg.html)
Note the fully elevated slide lock when the CW380 supplied magazine was seated into the P380. This may be the issue of the intermittent slide locking open with the P380 that the gun has had since aquirred.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/gunpapa/photobucket-5631-1398478176624_zps3c6d833d.jpg (http://s4.photobucket.com/user/gunpapa/media/photobucket-5631-1398478176624_zps3c6d833d.jpg.html)

VIDEO IS UP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcKTOb0D_PY

Rm7pr
04-25-2014, 11:05 PM
Nice looking pistols. I was looking at the p380 and went with the PM40. I eventually sold it and bought a K9 which I love. Thanks for the review.

DavidR
04-26-2014, 06:07 AM
Nice review and great pictures. Hope your CW380 is as trouble-free as your P380.

Pointblank
04-26-2014, 06:55 AM
Very informative.

Bill K
04-26-2014, 07:20 AM
Very nice.

skiflydive
04-26-2014, 07:26 AM
My P380 didn't lock back a few times. I took the mag spring out and stretched it a couple inches. Now it locks back every time.

Jollyrogers
04-26-2014, 08:08 AM
Interesting. I like the beveled front on the slide of the CW380 better. One LGS offered up a P380 to me yesterday for $525, and my favorite LGS (where I got my PM9) said they could get me a CW380 for $325. Yes I am shopping for a pocket pistol, and think I will go with the CW soon… Looking fwd to you range reports on your CW380!

gun papa
04-26-2014, 08:11 AM
Interesting. I like the beveled front on the slide of the CW380
I agree.

gun papa
04-26-2014, 02:57 PM
Function update: CW380

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcKTOb0D_PY

Well, I could not wait. After a night of racking the slide and dry firing, I had a sliver of time to fire the CW380 this cold AM.

Please note* that I only stripped the gun once and swabbed the barrel dry. I added a few drops of CLP to the slide rails.

* I did NONE of the preshooting prep recommended on this site. That is not to say that the preshoot prep is not good advice, I was just "antsi in my pantsi" to try this gun out. After a nights handling and sling-shotting rounds sucessfully into the chamber, I was fairly confident that the gun would feed.
Of course, I have been burned by that method of establishing feeding before.

It was 32 degrees and powdered sugar snow flurries were falling this early AM. I brought with me 17 rounds of ammo. Aguila 95gr HP, WinWhite Box (truncated bullets), and Blaser 95gr FMJ. Why not 18 rds? Blame that on insuffiecient coffee intake.

Anyhow, I loaded 2 rds of each brand in the magazine until capacity, and sling-shotted the slide closed.

The gun was fired both from a two handed grip and a one handed grip. All rounds fed and fired without a problem. The slide DID NOT lock back.

Not bad considering some of the problems others have reported. I think this one is a keeper and I am looking to shoot the Hell out of it.

Hopefully I can get a video up this evening. GP

mitchell4198
04-26-2014, 03:57 PM
Looks like yours is starting out better than mine did.


Hopefully you got a good one.


It appears that the "bad" ones were from early production runs. Mine was manufactured in November, 2013, which was the second month of production for the CW380.

gun papa
04-26-2014, 04:30 PM
I believe mine is a RH serial number.

handlebar
04-26-2014, 04:54 PM
mine has a lock up issue on occasion, but otherwise it has been fine. Mine is also an RH6XXX serial number. Got it 2 weeks ago.

gun papa
04-26-2014, 10:07 PM
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcKTOb0D_PY

Jollyrogers
04-27-2014, 08:03 AM
Watched the vid. All the ammo you are shooting through it is crap, so though it didn't lock back on the empty mag, I too would consider that successful, especially after how my wife's BG380 handled the Aguila junk (it didn't). Her BG380 does fine with everything else though. Also, check to be caertain the mag spring is tight enough to push the slide stop up correctly. My PM9 will not lock back with lighter loads on occasion also, but I have worked up some hand loads that function 100% with it (and my G26) for some steel in the backyard. I had a blast yesterday right before dark shooting the PM9 in low light.

So shoot a couple mags of some SD rounds and give another report, bet it locks back with those.

wyntrout
04-27-2014, 09:33 AM
Thanks for posting the video, gun papa.

A few things to check... strip down the magazine and clean the tube inside and out. With fine sandpaper de-burr the follower and mainly use the fine sandpaper to find any burrs on the feed lips... DON'T round the magazine retention slot, though. Lightly oil the spring and reassemble with a free end of the spring to the front of the follower... to give maximum lift where needed. You will have done everything you can to insure max upward pressure on the follower to help with slide lock back.

Check the slide lock lever is all the way in and also check that the SL spring is in good shape and fulfilling both functions... slide lock retention in the detent on the pin and holding the slide lock down until its downward pressure is overcome by the follower and spring rising on empty magazine. DON'T overtighten the slide lock screw holding the washer down over the spring.

I love my P380... had two... got one for Wifey, but she couldn't rack it. I had slide lock back with ammo left in the magazine with both of them. Both went back to Kahr for other problems but both reached reliability. It wasn't weak or limp wristing, either. You really need a good grip Kahrs for chambering a round and firing. All of the slide's momentum is needed for proper operation and any transferred to moving the pistol can allow failures to feed... which isn't your problem.

Wynn:)

gun papa
04-27-2014, 10:20 AM
I am not complaining so far, for an out of the box CW. I am pretty pleased not to have the issues others have described.

mitchell4198
04-27-2014, 11:23 AM
Serial number for mine was RH16xx, so it was early production. Hopefully many of the functional problems have been worked out by now.


I have serious doubts that Kahr would ever been able to make mine 100% reliable.


Just noticed on the box that mine was returned in there was a sticker with 3 boxes to be checked off for: First Attempt, Second Attempt and Final Attempt. Leads me to believe that THEY EXPECT many of their pistols to be returned for rework. Production QA must be somewhat lacking.

gun papa
04-27-2014, 12:51 PM
I would not mind if my gun does not like certain ammo, that it is not abnormal for most guns. They may not feed or performs poorly. I dont even think Glock could produce a locked breach gun of this diminutive size that digests everything. Realistically, the gun I purchased is for an emergency 7 shots or 7 extra shots to back up my primary carry gun. If it feeds one type of ammo successfully 100%, then I am happy. Slide lock is an extra that I feel will work when broken in.