P380 Break-in FTF almost every magazine 100 rounds

[dice974]

Hello all, just purchase a new P380. I was expecting some FTF and failure to return to battery but man not every magazine, multiple times. So to break in I cleaned as soon as I got it and gave it a generous lubing. Racked slide a couple of hundred times. Made sure I had a firm grip and wasn't limp wristing at range. Took some American Eagle FMJ and Precision One FMJ (slight flat nose which I know the P380 doesn't like) to range. So out of 15 magazines only got two mags to run without an issue, ironically one of the two was the last mag I shot and put some Federal hollow points in. So should I send to Kahr or put another 100 rounds through so I hit the 200 round break in? I mean I probably had 30 FTF or return to battery out of 100 rounds (really didn't seem to get better toward the 14th magazine, 15 mag with hollow points, made it all 6 rounds without issue). I had a few issues with my PM9 but nothing like this. Thanks for any suggestions.

[dsk]

Unfortunately Kahr is probably going to tell you that you need to put 200 rounds through it before it starts working right, which of course is bull but try telling them that. Make sure you have it thoroughly cleaned and well-lubed, then take another crack at it. Mine didn't stop having FTF issues until I replaced the magazine internals with MagGuts kits, which use a steel follower that not only adds an extra round but also stops the rounds from nose-diving during feeding.

[dice974]

Thanks dsk, yeah I will go ahead and put another 100 rounds through it. I like the looks of the MagGut kits a little pricey but worth it, half the time it doesn't hold the slide open on the last round, even with a empty mag I have to manually apply the slide lock sometimes. I should probably number my magazines.

[Bawanna]

The fact that it ran the Federal hollow points tells me the other practice stuff might not have enough horsepower to cycle things as they should.

Given more rounds it should cycle those just fine and dandy but for now it's balking on ya.

I don't know what practice ammo is the hottest but Kahrs like full power stuff especially at first.

[dsk]

If you haven't already done so, retract the slide and leave it that way for a day or two before heading back out to the range. That should help break in the recoil springs faster.

[SlowBurn]

Respectfully, make sure your wrist is really locked. Revolvers and full size semi autos are much more forgiving but with micro semi auto pistols any looseness at all will absorb enough of the recoil that you get those issues.

[dice974]

Thanks everyone

Bawanna- The weird thing about the Federal HP is they were marked low recoil on box (granted I only ran 6 rounds through it). Thought about running some Buffalo Bore +P through it, not a big fan of +P in .380 though.

dsk- Yeah I left the slide open for a couple of days before shooting, maybe I will do it again before shooting again (also manually racked the slide a couple of hundred times before shooting).

SlowBurn- I had wrist locked and a death grip on pistol as I know how susceptible these small pistols are to limp wristing.

I guess the good thing is Kahr seems to be pretty good about fixing issues in their guns. Anymore suggestions are welcome. I think I will try another brand of ammo that has some good kick to it, any suggestions?

[Bawanna]

With todays spring technology, locking the slide back and leaving it will have very little benefit but it can't hurt.

Shooting it, working that spring gets r dun the best.

I'm also not a fan of +P in anything myself. But you need full power, non girlyman loads at least for break in.

[dice974]

Update: Next time at range seemed to get better. FTF every third magazine. Took home cleaned again, used a dremel with soft-wool tip and Glitz to polish ramp, barrel, breach face, magazine (also installed magGuts in one magazine, Nice!). Also someone on another post was insistent on using grease on the recoil springs as they sometimes bind so I did that. Went to range shot another box of federal 90 grain Hydra-shok flawlessly (2nd box of hydra-shok never had an issue). Also ran a box of 50 Remington FMJ and only had one FTF. Headed in the right direction!

[dsk]

You remind me of me. By the time you've burned 3,000 rounds through your pistol you should have a reliable carry piece. :p

Seriously, this is ridiculous. Kahr should make guns like yours and mine the rare exceptions, not the rule.

[Bawanna]

Actually they probably are the rare exceptions. As many as there are sold the vast majority still run right out of the box, despite the wise 200 round break in recommendation.

[dsk]

I realize that this isn't a scientific analysis, but I've never seen so many threads on a forum that continually pop up with owners complaining about malfunctioning issues with a single brand or model of pistol. Heck, I sometimes visit the Kel-Tec (KTOG) forum and don't see nearly as many. Yes I know that *most* of them work fine, but I'd be willing to bet that the failure rate is much higher with Kahr .380 pistols than with most other similar firearms. I keep seeing the same thing over and over... "I've fired XXX rounds out of my brand-new pistol and it still jams.. when is it going to start working right?".

Lest somebody call me a Kahr basher, I finally have mine running right and it's back in the CCW rotation. It's a fabulous little gun that hides easily and is easy to shoot accurately out to any reasonable distance. But that's the only reason why I put up with it malfunctioning for so long. If it was as hard to shoot as a Ruger LCP I'd have thrown it in a deep lake a long time ago.

[Ed M]

dsk - you've got to be the prize winner for determination and patience in getting your Kahr to run right. Sharing your experience will also help others who may have a "problem child" 380.

In the end, most problems with these little 380s have solutions posted here on this forum, and one can always fall back on Kahr's service to make things right. Is every problem fix easy? No - not even for Kahr. There's always gonna be a few examples that are just difficult to correct their issues. Every manufacturer produces some of these "lemons".

Putting things into perspective though - how many true "lemons" are posted on this forum involving Kahr 380s? Lets pick an arbitrary number of 100. Probably on the high end. How many THOUSANDS of Kahr 380s are sold every year? See my point?

No matter what Kahr does to improve their quality control or product testing before shipping out a firearm, there are things that can and will happen that can cause the end user to experience problems.

Many folks complain of the 200 round break in recommendation, but even if not needed for the weapon to be considered reliable, its also sound advise to allow the end user to become familiar and proficient with something they're gonna trust with their life. As you are aware, a reliable Kahr 380 is truly one of the very best 380s one can own, for so many reasons. How many issues reported here are due to the user running cheap foreign ammo in their firearm? How many issues can be solved with a simple slide stop spring adjustment? How many issues are due to an improperly assembled magazine? How many due to poor cleaning and/or machining debris left in the firing pin channel? How many due to improper grip/limp wristing, and/or hitting the slide stop with the thumb? Eliminate just these problems, and the list of "lemons" shrinks dramatically....

I have a suspicion that a lot of the issues concerning Kahr's service and quality control has been impacted by moving their production and service facilities. They're bound to lose long time, experienced employees. It takes time to replace people like that. It'll take time, but I really believe things will improve a lot in Kahrville. Seeing their incredible new facility firsthand, and knowing the caliber of the available workforce in the area gives me great hope for the future. The people in that area have a long history of hard work and excellent craftsmanship. They historically have contributed mightily to the industrial revolution and development of this country - beats the hell out of outsourcing to someplace like Mexico, IMO...

[dice974]

dsk I agree. Seems like a lot of post on the Kahr .380's FTF issues, more than most guns I reviewed in the .380 before purchasing. I hesitated for months because of all the negative reviews. I have a Kahr PM9 and absolutely love it (not one issue). I'm probably a little over the 200 round mark on my P380 and I can live with 1 FTF out of 70 rounds. First 100 rounds it was a jamamatic lol. Thanks for the help everyone.

[dsk]

Has your pistol jammed at all using the magazine with the MagGuts kit installed?

[gun papa]

Mine runs fine now, but only after making the realization that bullet shape was everything, conical bullets were a must for reliable feeding in my gun, and a reliable firing pin was also required before I bet my life on it. ymmv.

[Ikeo74]

I have 2 Kahr 9mm, a CM9 and an MK9 and love them both, but I had to skip the Kahr 380 in favor of a Remington RM380. I have never had a misfire from day one or any failure to fire or failure to load on any brand of bullets.

[dice974]

dsk - Pistol has ran great with the MagGuts kit. One of the magazines (without MagGuts) won't hold open after last shot.
Gun papa I agree I think the P380 is very finicky on the ammo and it seems like each P380 is different. My jammed with American Eagle, Precision One FMJ and HP, Remington FMJ was hit and miss got better around the 150 round mark, never jammed with Hydra-shok or Hornady CD. Now that it is broke in I will shoot more Precision One HP to see if it still jams. I like Hydra-shok so I will probably carry with it.

[dsk]

The reason why I asked is because my pistol had occasional FTF's until I switched all the springs and followers in my mags with the MagGuts kits. The stock followers in Kahr mags allow the bullets to nosedive during feeding, especially the first few rounds. That's why you normally can't sling-shot a Kahr slide on a full mag. With the MagGuts I can actually do it now, and the bullets don't nosedive which means it's actually been awhile since my pistol had its last misfeed (of course now that I said that it'll probably choke next time out). Along with the Lakeline striker I consider them must-haves for anyone relying on a Kahr .380 for defense. Note that I didn't even mention the extra round of capacity, which to me is just a bonus.

[1stnamebassist]

I don't have a p380 or cw380, but I do have the excellent ct380. I had a few issues in the beginning but all is well now. As far as Magguts, I have 2 magazines with them installed with at least 100 rounds through each magazine with no issues. Plus its nice having 8 plus 1 in a weapon I can toss in a sticky holster in my back pocket and feel confident it will go bang when and if it's needed.

[dsk]

I don't have a p380 or cw380, but I do have the excellent ct380. I had a few issues in the beginning but all is well now. As far as Magguts, I have 2 magazines with them installed with at least 100 rounds through each magazine with no issues. Plus its nice having 8 plus 1 in a weapon I can toss in a sticky holster in my back pocket and feel confident it will go bang when and if it's needed.

I've always wanted to handle a CT380 and see if it might be something worth buying, but alas not a single gun shop in my state has ever carried one that I can tell.

[1stnamebassist]

I was fortunate to run into one to handle before I purchased mine. I had been looking for that gun specifically to try, but the shop wanted 400.00 for it so it was a no go. I found mine at an online site for around 310.00 and a local dealer who charged 20.00 for a transfer, so that's how I got mine. I saw one online recently for about 275.00 which is an excellent price. I believe mine was money well spent. Even though I invested in the Magguts, Lakeline striker and Galloway spring kit, I find it was worth it for the extra reliability, capacity and excellent trigger on an already excellent weapon. Plus I can wrap 3 fingers around the grip and pocket carry with no issues. Whats their not to love?!

[markg]

i just picked up a new P380 on thursday, and by friday i ran 200+ rounds through it of various types (including federal) with not one failure to feed.
alternated between 3 magazines (stock 6 shot, stock 7 shot extended, and magguts 6 shot conversion to 7 shot) and they all fed fine.
only issue i had were a few failures to keep the slide back.

dont know if this is normal or not, but i too delayed buying it due to the negative posts, but so far i love it!

[jtsmall]

Even though I invested in the Magguts, Lakeline striker and Galloway spring kit, I find it was worth it for the extra reliability, capacity and excellent trigger on an already excellent weapon.

Galloway​'s aftermarket parts are interesting especially their trigger kit for the BodyGuard 380.

You mentioned a Galloway spring kit for the CT380 or for my CW380. I did not see these Kahr models listed in their spring selections. Can you provide a link?

Thanks.


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