P380 & Ruger ARX Ammo

[jmil2732]

After seeing some of the Internet reports on the new ARX ammo I found some at my local Cabelas. Based on the Internet reports, I was hopeful that this could be my new carry ammo. Owners know the P380 can be finicky about ammo. I assumed if there would be a problem it would be feeding. I made it to the range today and was very disappointed. The rounds chambered fine, but I couldn't get the rounds to fire (bad primers or weak striker?). Tried a couple of rounds - with multiple attempts on each round - no ignition. I tried some Buffalo Bore +P and Hornady Critical Defense and they performed as you would expect. After about 50 rounds of premium ammo that worked fine, I tried some cheap target ammo. Those rounds had a couple of failures to fire out of 50, but those two launched on the second go around. Has anyone else experienced problems with Ruger ARX or weak strikes with their P380?

[muggsy]

Light strikes have been noted in some P380s. It could be indicative a head space problem, cocking cam problem, striker or striker spring problem. It could also be an ammo related problem. As I understand it ARX ammo has a polymer rather than a brass case. All 380's headspace on the case mouth. Do you routinely clean the striker channel? Have you tried the pencil test?

[jmil2732]

Thx for the response. My first thought was the potential for a headspace issue. This particular ammo has a standard brass case, but the polymer/metallic dust bullet. In 380, the bullet is 56 grain. The light bullet is what is supposed to generate the increased muzzle velocity. Please explain the "pencil test" - I'm not familiar with that term. The striker had enough juice to fire the Buffalo Bore (80 grain)/Hornady (95 grain) just fine. Over time, the P380 has become my default EDC. Just a great carry package.

[jmil2732]

Correction: The Hornady is 90 grain....

[muggsy]

You drop a pencil down the barrel of your unloaded P380 eraser end first. You then pull the trigger. If the striker is working properly the pencil should be ejected from the barrel. A dowel rod works just as well. You can also look at some of your expended ammo an note the appearance of the primer it should be neatly indented with some primer smear caused when the brass was ejected.

[SlowBurn]

Somebody posted a similar complaint in the comments to the AR article. But one response suggested the commenter was a "plant." All I can say is they fed and fired perfectly in mine

[jmil2732]

Thx. I have heard of the technique, just not described with that name....I'll give it a go.....

[jmil2732]

Thx. Hope I get it figured out - and then build up enough confidence in the round to carry...

[muggsy]

I wouldn't trust my life to any unproven cartridge. I'd like to see how these bullets perform in human flesh before I put them in my gun. Just sayin'.

[DavidR]

There's a discussion about this ammo on the RugerPistolForums. In one guys LCP these rounds left some shavings and a chunk that jammed the pistol.


Dave

[muggsy]

If you go to the Ruger pistol forum you'll find numerous questions concerning FTFs FTE, light strikes, broken strikers, striker springs, etc. Just sayin.

[SlowBurn]

There's a discussion about this ammo on the RugerPistolForums. In one guys LCP these rounds left some shavings and a chunk that jammed the pistol.
Dave

Dave - If you're still carrying the LCP, before trying this ammo you'll want to check out whether, like most LCPs, it has the 'smiley' issue.

Many LCPs, including the one I used to own, make a dent in the face of the bullet as its loading into the chamber from the magazine. During recoil from firing the edge of the feed ramp slams into the nose of the top bullet in the mag before the round gets picked up and chambered. The only way to know if its happened is to stop firing and unload the round in the chamber, something you'd never do routinely, then inspect the bullet nose to see if it has a curved dent like a "smile."

I was uncomfortable carrying a gun with that design flaw, which both Ruger and Kel-Tec have. It doesn't happen with Kahr 380s. Most LCP owners just live with it and don't care much about a dent in the chambered bullet. But ARX bullets are not metal cased, they're made of a polymer/copper blend. If the edge of the feed ramp strikes one on the nose, it seems likely it wouldn't make a curved dent, but would instead cause the bullet to crack and flake. I'm pretty sure that's whats going on with the LCPs.

So, ironically, looks like the Ruger ARX 380 is not well suited for a Ruger LCP. I hope this gets Ruger finally to address the smiley issue.

[SlowBurn]

I wouldn't trust my life to any unproven cartridge. I'd like to see how these bullets perform in human flesh before I put them in my gun. Just sayin'.

Probably have to pay the subjects of that study quite a bit to participate.

[DavidR]

Thanks Slowburn, that's very interesting. I don't plan to use this ammo as I'm very happy with Lehigh Defense XP and XD.


Dave

[muggsy]

Probably have to pay the subjects of that study quite a bit to participate.

I don't think that they would have much to say if you stiffed them. :)

[DavidR]

If you go to the Ruger pistol forum you'll find numerous questions concerning FTFs FTE, light strikes, broken strikers, striker springs, etc. Just sayin.

and numerous former Kahr 380 owners who are thrilled to now have a pocket pistol that works. just sayin [emoji4]

Well, truth be told, not numerous but there are a few, including me.


Dave

[TimtheRef]

I bought a Kahr P380 because I absolutely love tiny pocket size pistols for their ease of carry and concealability. However, my Kel-Tec P3AT was a pain in the hand to shoot. If I was lucky I get through 25 rounds before a large blister would form. Since it wasn't pleasant to practice with, I often didn't. My Kahr has seen sessions of 150-200 rounds without the blister or pain of the KelTec. And, I've now shot it enough that I don't have any issues with reliability at all. I have several hundred rounds through it right now without failures of any type, with either ball or defense ammo. Plus, I think the Kahr's shape is much more pleasant in the pocket when sitting down than the Ruger/KelTec design.

[SlowBurn]

I bought a Kahr P380 because I absolutely love tiny pocket size pistols for their ease of carry and concealability. However, my Kel-Tec P3AT was a pain in the hand to shoot. If I was lucky I get through 25 rounds before a large blister would form. Since it wasn't pleasant to practice with, I often didn't. My Kahr has seen sessions of 150-200 rounds without the blister or pain of the KelTec. And, I've now shot it enough that I don't have any issues with reliability at all. I have several hundred rounds through it right now without failures of any type, with either ball or defense ammo. Plus, I think the Kahr's shape is much more pleasant in the pocket when sitting down than the Ruger/KelTec design.

In that case, unless you're waiting for the human flesh study like Muggsy, you might give the ARX a try. A little added plus is that 7 rounds reduces the loaded weight by about 0.6 oz. Barely noticeable, but every little bit helps.