View Full Version : Kahr P380
Glockman4
07-07-2018, 11:44 AM
Hello all, new to the forum here. I picked up a used P380 in a local gun shop for $250. I know these tend to run about $550 new. I got everything from the factory including a flush fit mag and an extended mag so I considered it to be a good deal. Now that I’m reading about it I see that a lot of these guns had problems and I’m thinking maybe that’s why I got it so cheap. The gun looks new, but has been fired.
I guess my question is who has one and does it work well for you? I really like the size and it was a complete impulse buy so I hope I didnt get burned. I won’t know how well this one works until I fire it sometime this week, I will have to report back.
gale155
07-07-2018, 01:31 PM
I'm new here, and my first Kahr is still in the hands of FedEx. :( However, as a veteran of the Seecamp forum I can tell you that several people there own a P380 and love them. In fact, the guy I'm getting my CW380 from bought it as a backup for his P380. After break-in 3 years ago, he put it in his safe and never fired it again because his P380 has been perfect. Another guy at Seecamp, who owns more high-dollar guns than you can possibly imagine, says his P380 is by far his favorite .380. He doesn't carry a .380 often, but when he does it's the Kahr.
I'm just a Kahr newbie, but for $250 it sounds to me like you got a pretty sweet deal. Although it's coming with factory-installed night sights and an extra 6-round mag, I paid $280 for my CW380 shipped...and consider that a fair deal.
Glockman4
07-07-2018, 01:52 PM
I'm new here, and my first Kahr is still in the hands of FedEx. :( However, as a veteran of the Seecamp forum I can tell you that several people there own a P380 and love them. In fact, the guy I'm getting my CW380 from bought it as a backup for his P380. After break-in 3 years ago, he put it in his safe and never fired it again because his P380 has been perfect. Another guy at Seecamp, who owns more high-dollar guns than you can possibly imagine, says his P380 is by far his favorite .380. He doesn't carry a .380 often, but when he does it's the Kahr.
I'm just a Kahr newbie, but for $250 it sounds to me like you got a pretty sweet deal. Although it's coming with factory-installed night sights and an extra 6-round mag, I paid $280 for my CW380 shipped...and consider that a fair deal.
I have a Seecamp .32 as well. It’s just a little too small size and caliber wise in my opinion to be used effectively. That’s why I jumped on this .380 when I saw it. Hopefully your CW works well.
Glockman4 - don't let the few bad reviews scare you.
With all the thousands of Kahr 380s sold, the few reports of ones that have troubles are a small percentage.
I own 2 CW380s and a P380. None of them liked Fiocchi FMJ (and Perfecta which is made by Fiocchi). It's not made to SAAMI specs, and Kahrs are.
Stick to quality domestic made brass cased ammo and you'll likely be fine. There are a couple of fixes to allow any ammo to run fine in the Kahr 380s here on this forum.
The problem is too much extractor tension to allow the extractor to fit over the oversized case rim on some foreign made ammo. The end result is failure to return to battery, failure to eject and failure to feed.
All easily corrected in just a few minutes. The last one I did took me 15 minutes to do. All my Kahr 380s now run perfectly with any ammo I've tried.
A P380 for $250? Helluva deal......
dustnchips
07-07-2018, 07:35 PM
Even though it's used I would run through the "prep for a new Kahr" thread found in the new Kahr owners forum. I did it on my CW380 and never had a problem so I did it on my used PM9 and it has run perfectly to. You'll love the gun.
Bobshouse
07-07-2018, 09:17 PM
A whole lot more people complain than complement. The old saying "If you're satisfied, tell 10, if you unsatisfied tell 100." is true.
Glockman4
07-08-2018, 04:55 PM
Well, I hate to say it but the gun has issues. For starters it wouldn’t even chamber an XTP from the mag when hand cycling. Then the Remington UMC ball ammo I had would lock it up. Round would jump up like it was going to chamber, but it would be at such a hard upward angle that it would get stuck. Ok, so I figured I’ll just shoot it until it starts to work. As the gun got dirtier, the rounds started to nosedive as they hit the feedramp, or just plain get stuck horizontally with the slide pushing on the back of the casing with the nose of the bullet smashed into the bottom of the ramp. This was causing the gun to lock up at least once a magazine. The 7 round mag is totally unreliable, and too loose in the mag well. When your finger applies pressure to the base of the magazine extension, it causes the mag to shift and make the gun malfunction.
Im not too happy about this one guys, looks like my fears have been realized. I fired 175 rounds through the gun and it got worse as I went on. Any tips or tricks I can try myself? If I send it to Kahr they’ll probably charge me for any work as I am not the original owner of the gun.
markman
07-08-2018, 05:00 PM
http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?31227-New-cw380-first-shots
Mike_usn_ret
07-08-2018, 08:34 PM
Don't give up markman. You got a good deal. The people in this forum and the post you read solve most problems, and Kahr customer service is I think really good in taking care of Kahr owners. Although I sold my CW 380 and bought a CM9 (9mm ammo much cheaper than 380 acp was the reason mostly....and it was a little small for my hands) ....it took me almost 700 rds to break mine in....much more than the usual. I sold it to my neighbor and he has had no problems with it in over 500 rds shot.
SlowBurn
07-08-2018, 08:47 PM
If I send it to Kahr they’ll probably charge me for any work as I am not the original owner of the gun.
If they do, you still got a good deal. But I had a used P380 I had to send in several times before they figured it out, and they never asked if I was the original owner, they just fixed it.
Well, I hate to say it but the gun has issues. For starters it wouldn’t even chamber an XTP from the mag when hand cycling. Then the Remington UMC ball ammo I had would lock it up. Round would jump up like it was going to chamber, but it would be at such a hard upward angle that it would get stuck. Ok, so I figured I’ll just shoot it until it starts to work. As the gun got dirtier, the rounds started to nosedive as they hit the feedramp, or just plain get stuck horizontally with the slide pushing on the back of the casing with the nose of the bullet smashed into the bottom of the ramp. This was causing the gun to lock up at least once a magazine. The 7 round mag is totally unreliable, and too loose in the mag well. When your finger applies pressure to the base of the magazine extension, it causes the mag to shift and make the gun malfunction.
Im not too happy about this one guys, looks like my fears have been realized. I fired 175 rounds through the gun and it got worse as I went on. Any tips or tricks I can try myself? If I send it to Kahr they’ll probably charge me for any work as I am not the original owner of the gun.
This sounds like weak mag springs to me.....
Bawanna
07-09-2018, 09:33 AM
Or possibly spring installed backwards. Saw that happening for awhile.
Good call, Colonel.
Whatever it is, it sounds like the rounds aren't being pushed up into position to feed properly.
Before I'd send it in for service, I'd at least replace the mag spring in the 6 round mag.
A new spring is a bit over $12 from Kahr. Some folks replace the spring with one from the CT380 magazine (longer).
I'd suggest going with a MagGuts conversion spring setup - this will make the 6 round mag a 7 round mag. The changes are all internal so the mag still is a flush fit.
The MagGuts kit is like $20, and I've heard many good reports of improved performance in Kahr 380 mags. They've proven reliable for me.
Don't give up! It'd be a shame to miss out on the great performance a P380 is capable of because of a couple of tired magazine springs.
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