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OldBoldPilot
12-14-2016, 04:17 PM
Let me say at the outset that I'm very familiar with and love Kahrs, as my other primary self-defense pistols are a PM9 and a K9. The new P380 is meant to round out the size/weight selection. I picked up the P380 yesterday and got it to the range this morning. Prior to the purchase I'd done a ton of research on both the pistol and the ammo, so I had some idea of what to expect.

I started out with the intention of shooting 200 rounds, the designated breakin. Based on many reviews, I had bought Remington target ammo, as well as Hornady Critical Defense and a couple of boxes of Lehigh Xtreme Defense.

From the moment I released the slide stop to chamber the first round, the session was nothing but a comedy of errors. Every malfunction known to man (I won't name them all) occurred repeatedly, to the point where for the first 50 rounds I couldn't fire even one magazine without multiple malfunctions. The second 50 rounds went a bit better -- I managed to get through a full six round magazine two or three times. Although I'd intended to shoot 200 rounds, it took so long to get through 100 rounds that at that point I (almost) quit. Oh, and the included 7-round magazine was completely hopeless, mirroring my experience with the extended magazines for the PM9 and the K9.

On a whim, I loaded two magazines with the Hornady Critical Defense...and there it was! The pistol I'd hoped I'd bought! Not a single malfunction. Thinking to press my luck a little, I then loaded two magazines with the Lehigh Xtreme Defense, a known tricky round. And again, two mags, zero malfunctions. I went from :( to :).

Naturally, 100 rounds doesn't prove anything about the pistol. But based on my experience it's safe to say that my particular pistol does not like Remington target ammo. I could search for some target ammo my pistol does like, but since I will only shoot it once or twice a month I think I'll just practice with what I carry -- the Hornady and to a lesser extent the Lehigh.

I love the ergonomics. It's an easy gun to shoot and even easier to conceal. If I have one negative, it's the extreme difficulty (for me, at 73) involved in racking the slide. I have other Kahrs that are tight, but this one is ridiculous. I know it will get easier in time, but still...I've owned Sig P238s that a child could rack without difficulty, so I don't think it needs to be this hard.

Overall, I'm pleased with my purchase and look forward to many more hours on the range.

Bawanna
12-14-2016, 04:29 PM
It may after a time develop a taste for the Remington target stuff. New and tight, it just might not have enough boom to make it run properly.

OldBoldPilot
12-14-2016, 05:02 PM
When I was new and tight, I had plenty of boom. Now I'm old and loose, and don't have enough boom to make anything run properly. ;)

Merry Xmas :)

Bawanna
12-14-2016, 05:25 PM
My twin brother separated at birth. They used to call us the Boom boom brothers. I was the good looking one, you got all the brains.

Sure like to tighten up a bit and get some of my boom boom back myself.

dsk
12-15-2016, 12:04 AM
Once you get this pistol broken in I suggest investing in some of the MagGuts follower and spring kits. My P380 stopped having FTF issues entirely once I swapped those into my mags, and the added round was just a bonus. Kahr's mag follower design is terrible and the OEM springs don't last long either. Also you might want to invest in a Lakeline replacement striker as well, which is a more durable unit than the OEM Kahr striker. The P380/CW380 have the potential to be wonderful little pistols, but out of the box they have some serious design flaws which fortunately the aftermarket is starting to address.

dustnchips
12-15-2016, 07:06 PM
Is there a design flaw other than the striker and the extractor being tight?

dsk
12-15-2016, 11:51 PM
The strikers are known for breaking. The extractors have way too much tension and they can break as well. The magazine followers and springs are awful as I already mentioned. The slightest amount of gunk or brass shavings in the striker channel can result in misfires. The recoil springs go kaput in very short order and need to be replaced frequently. Did I miss anything?

The thing is, when a Kahr .380 actually works it's unbeatable as a pocket-sized defense gun. The triggers and sights are excellent, recoil is very manageable, and hit probability out to 25 yards rivals a compact service pistol which is unheard of for a tiny pocket pistol. That's the whole reason why I continue trying to debug mine and not simply get rid of it. When you're lucky enough to get one that works all the time you have the best .380 option on the market. Unfortunately not enough of us have been that lucky.

dustnchips
12-16-2016, 08:16 AM
I put in the Lakeline when the original failed. I do plan on getting magguts soon but that was really for the extra round as I have not had any mag problems. I disassembled the slide and cleaned the striker channel after 100 rounds. I flush it after every trip to the range via the spray through the hole. I took the slide apart after another 500 rounds and swabbed the striker channel and found no debrees. I hadn't planned to do anything to the ejector as it works fine with my range and my carry ammo but maybe I should relieve it a bit. Springs are cheap. I love the pistol and carry it most of the time. I am trying to carry the PM9 more, but the size of the 380 is so much more convient. I plan to change to Underwood XP soon and that may force the extractor issue. I love the gun and have 700 trouble free rounds through it. The first 100 sucked though.

CPTKILLER
12-16-2016, 09:04 AM
Good info.

Radio
12-16-2016, 02:05 PM
Thanks, good to know.

OldBoldPilot
12-16-2016, 05:44 PM
Addendum to my first post: I went to the range again today and shot 80 rounds of Remington, 40 rounds of American Eagle, 20 rounds of Lehigh Xtreme Defense and 20 rounds of Hornady Critical Defense. The experience couldn't have been more different than the first 100 or so rounds.

Toward the end I had two FTF with the Remington, but in the main that ammo, which was totally problematic initially, shot very well. Those were the only failures except for one with the Lehigh where the slide didn't go fully into battery after operating the slide stop to load the round. The Hornady, as yesterday, was still flawless and is now loaded in the pistol. I've just ordered another 250 rounds from SGAmmo.com, my supplier of choice. The American Eagle was also flawless. The 7-round mag still was problematic, and won't ever be used.

I did have MagGuts springs and followers in a 9mm S&W Shield that I've since sold (they had a recent recall on the followers but not the springs for the S&W). At some point I might add MagGuts to the P380, but at this point I feel that the pistol is so close to where I need it to be that I'll pass for now. I'll be interested to see if they go to the single-spring setup like they did with the S&W and Glock, rather than the cockamamie dual-spring set-up they have now.

My P380 isn't quite carry-approved yet, but if after one more range visit it continues to be perfect with the Hornady, my intended carry ammo, it will receive its graduation certificate. Terrific little pistol.

dsk
12-16-2016, 11:45 PM
Hornady's Critical Defense seems to be the go-to ammo for the Kahr .380s as it usually feeds the most reliably. That's what I use as well. Just be sure you've got all the demons exorcised from your pistol before it goes into your carry rotation. If you can consistently go 200 or more rounds without a failure then you're GTG. Unfortunately mine can't go more than 50 without suddenly going "click" instead of bang. As a result it has been removed from my carry rotation until I figure out what is wrong.