Hello from E. Texas

[feilixm]

Got a ct380 last week. First Kahr, I have been a long time shooter. I have neuropathy in my hands so the slide is very hard for me. I have cleaned and lubed it. took it out last weekend and shot 225 rounds on Saturday and 164 rounds on sunday. I shot Remington brass fmj, Had lots of jams with the Remington. Shot 150 rounds of monarch brass fmj not one single jam, but it is dirty ammo. I also shot 14 rounds of Hornady cd. with no issues. I shot a total of 389 rounds. and the slide is still almost impossible for me to slide I used the slidestop method to load all rounds. I love the gun. I thought the slide got easier to rack the more you shot it. Any suggestions on ammo. Thanks I like the atmosphere of this forum.

[Bawanna]

Glad you found us. Kahrs are a might stiff and will never be what I call easy to rack. I think they do get a bit easier. Might be loosening up or might be building up ones hand strength.
I know my hands are showing wear and tear and sometimes aggravate me on cold mornings.

Kahrs do like full power loads especially at first, they will like most everything given time.

I steer completely clear of the steel stuff out there, any other name brand or brand that you find works well is the one to go with.

I'm no expert on 380 but the above applies to most all Kahrs. Contrary to what some say, once they are good and broke in they really aren't ammo fussy.

[dpierce]

Welcome to the forum!!

Got my CT380 last Dec! love the gun but had a lot of FTF and FTE when i first got it breaking it in with numerous factory Ammo? still had to many after the 200 round recommended break-in and found this site and did the mod on the extractor cleaned it per the recommendations here and did the 500 plus hand racking recommended! I now have around 700 rounds thru it with factory and my reloads and have not had anymore issues and find the thing pretty accurate at the 5-10 yard distance? Unfortunately it is still hard to rack and i try to do 200 hand racks after cleaning to try to loosen it up! It seems to help a little but fortunately I don't have any hand issues except age creeping up on me!!

[CCHGN]

Welcome, is that bad weather about over out there?

[feilixm]

Nothing bad as yet. possible rain later.

[feilixm]

Thanks I will try the mod.

[feilixm]

Thanks, appreciate your input.

[Wlfman13]

feilix,

I understand how hand-neuropathy issues can affect your ability to rack the slide, especially on that particular gun. I own one, and have 175 rounds through it, and it is still hard to rack. I think mine will take 250 more rounds to fully soften up, but mine is a cerakoted one, which may tighten the tolerances and make it stiffer.

To help with racking the slide, I found a product called the "Slide Spider". It is essentially skateboard grip tape that is cut to fit in the slide serrations and add extra grip. This would be similar to the benefit that a golf glove provides. It allows you to have a grip, without as much effort in your hands.

Kahr offers them on their website (with Kahr Arms painted on them), or you can find them on the Arachnid Slide Spider website in black or red, with or without the Arachnid logo. I chose to go without a logo, and plan to install mine this weekend. I wish I could already provide a review, but my expectation after handling them is that it will be $20 well spent. For $20, you receive two sets, just in case you screw up when installing the first set.

-wlf

Lastly, WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!

Edit: After two neck/spine surgeries last year, hand-racking the CT380 five hundred times is not in the cards for me, unless I spread that out over a LONG period of time. Just bein' realistic. So, THAT is why I am expecting another 250 rounds in order to fully break the gun in, and soften the recoil spring.

Back when I first joined, after buying a P380, I was able to follow the hand-racking advice, and hand-racked that thing about 800 times over a week and a half, if I remember correctly. THAT definitely softened the recoil spring up on that gun. I did the same thing on my CT9, and both guns are flawless. I expect the CT380 to get there, also, albeit a bit slower.

[feilixm]

Thank you so much. I will check it out. Just what I need.

[BirdsThaWord]

Feilixm, first let me say welcome from another new guy...WITH NEUROPATHY! Or, I should say kind of neuropathy. I had it bad, barely able to walk (like walking on shards of broken glass), constant feeling of bees stinging every joint in my hands, elbows. BUT...I went raw vegan about 6 months ago. I eat NOTHING that came from animals anymore. Doctors will tell you "no cure", "just manage the pain", etc. Hogwash!!! I am about 90% healed as I type this. I strongly urge you to read up (youtube) on veganism and raw veganism. It changed my life! As a side benefit, I got rid of my extremely high blood pressure and diabetes. Yep! You can get your life back man!!!

[BirdsThaWord]

Side note, I also take 600 mg Alpha Lipolic Acid per day. Onlynthing proven to help heal those damaged nerves.

[CCHGN]

Well I hate to be the wet blanket, but the rack is hard on purpose. JMB designed the 1911 to have a 5" barrel. If you've had the chance to rack a 5" 1911, you'll see that it's alot easier to rack.The mass of the slide and strength of the recoil spring is a specific formula, in order to recoil, strip the round from the mag and shove it into the chamber, especially in rapid fire. When you shorten the barrel (and the slide) the less mass causes trouble with reliability, so they have to put in a stronger recoil spring to make up for the less mass. Pro shooters have to put in new recoil springs on a regular basis. Just know that when you lessen the recoil spring or weaken it, to make it easier to rack, you're messing with the reliability. The only real solution is to strengthen your grip and pulling power, or get a bigger gun.

[feilixm]

Thanks for the information. I do need to get my grip stronger.

[mr surveyor]

I'm in East Texas myself. Not always much of a help, but usually available if need be.


jd

[CPTKILLER]

Howdy.

Lube the slide and clean it often. It will loosen up some with use. All small .380s tend to be ammo sensitive. Find one that is reliable and accurate and stick with it.

I gave up on small .380s and have the police surplus CZ83 in .380 that is a winner. They are of production. I picked it up a couple of years ago for $200.

[feilixm]

Nice gun. Good shooting! I love the ct380. It is a great small shooter. I just need to get where I can rack it better. I am going to try the arachnid tape. I am going to keep it. Thanks for your input.

[AIRret]

Nice gun. Good shooting! I love the ct380. It is a great small shooter. I just need to get where I can rack it better. I am going to try the arachnid tape. I am going to keep it. Thanks for your input.

If you are patient and have the steadiness of a draftsman you can buy some skate board tape and do it yourself. My Hubby filed serrations with the tape and added a strip on the front of the grip. It works very well for me!
I seriously doubt I would be successful with that kind of work…..I can't even draw a straight line with a ruler, we each have our talents.

Welcome to the forum