Are 2023 P380's and CW380's reliable?

[In2Deep]

For a number of reasons I've been searching for an uber-small small pocket pistol.. I know the P380 / CW380 had their share quality issues for years, but are they good to go now?

Does the P380 now come from the factory with the Lakeline striker? Or has Kahr figured out how to manufacture reliable strikers on their own?

I've got a PM9 (circa 2019) and I've not had a single problem with it.

[DavidR]

I have a CT380 purchased in early 2018 that’s been totally reliable through 900 rounds.

[In2Deep]

Does the P380 now come from the factory with the Lakeline striker? Or has Kahr figured out how to manufacture reliable strikers on their own?

[DavidR]

Does the P380 now come from the factory with the Lakeline striker? Or has Kahr figured out how to manufacture reliable strikers on their own?

I don’t know if they come with the Lakeline striker. I had no problems with the original striker but I put a Lakeline in anyway after maybe 500 rounds.

[lesptr]

I don’t know if they come with the Lakeline striker. I had no problems with the original striker but I put a Lakeline in anyway after maybe 500 rounds.
I never knew there was a problem with the oem striker.

[DavidR]

I never knew there was a problem with the oem striker.

Some owner’s experienced broken strikers. Lakeline developed a more robust striker that can be bought directly from Lakeline or from the Kahr website.

[In2Deep]

Is Kahr putting lakeline strikers in New production (2023) P380's?

[DavidR]

Is Kahr putting lakeline strikers in New production (2023) P380's?

Try calling or emailing Kahr.

[King Rat]

Is Kahr putting lakeline strikers in New production (2023) P380's?

I doubt Kahr is placing someone else's parts into their firearms. I have two 380's and never a issue. Maybe there was a bad batch at one time or some owner's would dry fire the heck out of them but I do not believe there is anything wrong. I have quite a bit of ammo fired from both, at least a thousand rounds through both and never a issue. I did buy a lakline but have not put it in. (If you had to send it back for whatever reason for warranty service, you would have to take it out).

Reminds me of the Beratta Pico. Some internet guy did not read directions which clearly stated to not dry fire them, He goes and dry fires his and breaks the firing pin. Then goes on to bash the gun because of this. Then the internet goes viral and before you know it, all pico's are breaking firing pins. Lol, I have three of them and a whole lot of ammo through them and never a issue. I did purchase a spare pin along with other parts to just keep on hand, but never replaced one.

[DJK11]

My post from 2011:
The firing pin on my P380 broke at about 900 rounds. I seldom would dry fire with out a snap cap. I don't like the fact Kahr's design does not incorporate a striker rebound spring. Kahr CS sent a new part ASAP.

At about 2600 rounds the P380 extractor broke while at the range. Kahr CS replaced it but gave me a hard time claiming I was using poor ammo. I guess Blazer Brass, WWB and Federal is not good enough.
http://www.kahrtalk.com/images/misc/paperclip.png Attached Imageshttp://www.kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3953&stc=1&d=1308834236

[King Rat]

My post from 2011:
The firing pin on my P380 broke at about 900 rounds. I seldom would dry fire with out a snap cap. I don't like the fact Kahr's design does not incorporate a striker rebound spring. Kahr CS sent a new part ASAP.

At about 2600 rounds the P380 extractor broke while at the range. Kahr CS replaced it but gave me a hard time claiming I was using poor ammo. I guess Blazer Brass, WWB and Federal is not good enough.



http://www.kahrtalk.com/images/misc/paperclip.png Attached Imageshttp://www.kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3953&stc=1&d=1308834236


Interesting. I do see that was over 10 yrs ago. The good news, if you owned a LCP you most likely would have destroyed the entire gun by then. Grant you, Ruger would replace it. Small 380's do take a beating when shot. A extractor and new firing pin is cheap. I use one 380 for range and one for edc. I have many spare parts just in case of failure. I guess a extractor can break in any firearm, but never had one in a Kahr. In fact with all the LCP's I owned, the entire gun would get cracks in frame, splint rails and on and on, but never had a extractor failure. Kahr is smart that they use a Heavy recoil spring. I most likely will over haul my 380 range gun and replace a lot of parts just for the heck of it. Will put in a new extractor, springs and firing pin. I make sure my recoil springs are in good working order.

[DavidR]

If I recall correctly there were a few cases of striker failure from forum members.

Here’s what I think (with absolutely no facts to support it):

- Kahr’s 380 strikers are more likely to fail than their 9mm strikers

- Kahr has not reengineered the 380 striker as they haven’t engineered anything new since the 20th century (not actually true as they did make some changes to the 380 extractor)

- Kahr recognizes that the Lakeline striker is an improvement which is why they offer it for sale on their website

All that being said, if you’re considering buy a Kahr 380 I wouldn’t worry at all about the striker. If the gun functions well and you like it you can always easily replace the striker.

[King Rat]

If I recall correctly there were a few cases of striker failure from forum members.

Here’s what I think (with absolutely no facts to support it):

- Kahr’s 380 strikers are more likely to fail than their 9mm strikers

- Kahr has not reengineered the 380 striker as they haven’t engineered anything new since the 20th century (not actually true as they did make some changes to the 380 extractor)

- Kahr recognizes that the Lakeline striker is an improvement which is why they offer it for sale on their website

All that being said, if you’re considering buy a Kahr 380 I wouldn’t worry at all about the striker. If the gun functions well and you like it you can always easily replace the striker.

Just out of curiosity, did you get the 365 striker upgrade, one of many? Or just keep the OEM? I think they make them for just about any gun out there these day.

I doubt Kahr has given up on quality control. If there were bad strikers being put out they would have fixed it. Much cheaper to change the part than to do constant repairs with labor, shipping etc.





Sig Sauer P365 Striker Kit

Code: KIT-365-STRIKER



$57.42

[DJK11]

King
I did own an LCP and Ruger replaced it. Then I sold it. The thing with parts braking is one generally doesn’t get a heads up before it brakes. Look up my story about my first time PM9 trigger bar braking. Almost like I had a premonition. The second time I spotted a crack in the bar so I guess it was a heads up. My PM9 is my least trustworthy Kahr because of the broken trigger bars.

[DavidR]

I did not replace the OEM striker in any of my 365s as they were all bought after the early 365 striker issue was resolved.

I’m not aware of any changes that Kahr made to their OEM striker but that doesn’t mean they didn’t make changes. Obviously you haven’t had any issues with a crap ton of rounds through your P380s - hence my advice that the OP shouldn’t worry about the striker.

[King Rat]

King
I did own an LCP and Ruger replaced it. Then I sold it. The thing with parts braking is one generally doesn’t get a heads up before it brakes. Look up my story about my first time PM9 trigger bar braking. Almost like I had a premonition. The second time I spotted a crack in the bar so I guess it was a heads up. My PM9 is my least trustworthy Kahr because of the broken trigger bars.

I do not know much about a Kahr trigger bar beaking. I guess they do although I have not had one break. That said, My favorite gun of all time is the Nano and Pico. if a trigger bar were to break, or I though it was necessary to place a new one in periodically, no problem. It is a $5.25 part. And so easy to replace a child could do it.

https://i.imgur.com/BluYt2r.jpg?3

https://i.imgur.com/JBUJpFN.jpg?1

[In2Deep]

Thank you all for your input!

I did it! I bought a factory new (2023) P380. I also ordered a Lakeline Ultimate Striker kit and a few Magguts +1 magazne kits. I guess I could have just shot my P380 and replaced the striker if/when it broke, but knowing they have a propensity to break, I decided to change it out before firing my new pistol. I can understand why so many shooters have experienced broken strikers, because MIM parts typically don't like 90 degree angles, such as with the factory strikers. The Lakeline Ultimate Striker is made out of hardened D-7 tool steel- which holds up to impacts very well.


Maybe I should have just fired it 200 rounds and carried the P380 without worrying about potential failures, but Id rather spend $80 for enhanced components now, instead of spending a few hundred bucks in ammo, then spending $80 for enhanced components, then spending more money on ammo to retest after installing each new component. Right or wrong... I decided to do all the upgrades now so I can put the pistol thru break-in and testing hopefully one time.

[DavidR]

Nice!

Please let us know how the first range session goes. I have the Lakeline striker in my CT380 and Magguts in the magazines. The Magguts have worked well.

[FreeMe]

Thank you all for your input!

I did it! I bought a factory new (2023) P380. I also ordered a Lakeline Ultimate Striker kit and a few Magguts +1 magazne kits. I guess I could have just shot my P380 and replaced the striker if/when it broke, but knowing they have a propensity to break, I decided to change it out before firing my new pistol. I can understand why so many shooters have experienced broken strikers, because MIM parts typically don't like 90 degree angles, such as with the factory strikers. The Lakeline Ultimate Striker is made out of hardened D-7 tool steel- which holds up to impacts very well.


Maybe I should have just fired it 200 rounds and carried the P380 without worrying about potential failures, but Id rather spend $80 for enhanced components now, instead of spending a few hundred bucks in ammo, then spending $80 for enhanced components, then spending more money on ammo to retest after installing each new component. Right or wrong... I decided to do all the upgrades now so I can put the pistol thru break-in and testing hopefully one time.


.
Makes perfect sense. Enjoy the new pistol!

[In2Deep]

Thank you! I have high hopes for this one.

[In2Deep]

Oh... I forgot. I also ordered a new stainless steel guide rod from the Kahr's website. I don't know if it was necessary, but I figured I'm this far invested into the pistol; it couldn't hurt.

[XFlyboy]

I did buy a lakline but have not put it in. (If you had to send it back for whatever reason for warranty service, you would have to take it out).
.

This is not correct. I went through two stock P380 firing pins in the first 500 rounds of ownership and thought, screw it, and just installed the Lakeline myself. The gun has been back to Kahr for warranty repair at least twice since then with the Lakeline installed. Kahr honors the warranty and also respects the Lakeline firing pin. I imagine if they thought it needed replacing they would replace it with another Lakeline. If in doubt, you can chat with repair guys via email. They are pretty easy to talk and usually get back to you the next day.

[dao]

Kahr actually sells the Lakeline striker assembly.

https://shopkahrfirearmsgroup.com/ultimate-strikers-for-kahr-p-cw-ct380/

[King Rat]

This is not correct. I went through two stock P380 firing pins in the first 500 rounds of ownership and thought, screw it, and just installed the Lakeline myself. The gun has been back to Kahr for warranty repair at least twice since then with the Lakeline installed. Kahr honors the warranty and also respects the Lakeline firing pin. I imagine if they thought it needed replacing they would replace it with another Lakeline. If in doubt, you can chat with repair guys via email. They are pretty easy to talk and usually get back to you the next day.

I stand corrected. Must have been thinking back from post years ago. As far as the original question from OP "are they reliable". Answer is a big yes. (other than certain ammo). In fact if I were in the market for a used gun and heard someone complaining about their gun not working, it would be IMO a gun to offer to buy and get a great deal. (for a number of reasons)

[Halfmoonclip]

Realize there are quality aftermarket parts out there, but I tend to trust OEM stuff (aftermarket folks don't have the means to test things to the same degree as the manufacturer). Same reasoning applies to magazine modification.
Panics do spread about certain parts; SIG went through this with strikers, which continued with efforts to eliminate primer drag marks....which customers assumed were resulting in the firing pin breaks.
I'd test hop it in its original configuration, before 'improving' things.
Moon

[Chaplain]

Years ago I had a striker break in a P380. I bought lakeline strikers for both p380s I had at the time. Recently a bought two CT380s (that are identical to P/CW380s in the parts going into the slide. Next time I have them apart I will check again, but it seemed to me that my newest Kahrs had strikers that are more robust than the OEM P380s from years ago.

At any rate, I have one lakeline in stock in the spare parts inventory (and I kept the broken and non-broken OEM strikers) so I need to really compare.

EDIT ******

OOPS - nope. I don't have a lakeline in stock - but ordered qty 2 "Ultimate Strikers" for P/CW/CT380. I have 2 OEM strikers in the parts bin, along with one that broke in P380. Will compare again what is installed on new CT380s (at least recent purchase) against what will be shipped in, but suspect they are just the same as old stock.

If fired the lakeline strikers in a P380 for years - no problem.

[djd100]

I too am considering a P380 to go with my EDC PM9, but was wondering about reliability with fluted ammo such as the Underwood Extreme Defender and Extreme Penetrator?

Anybody with P380 run these types of ammo, and if yes, how's reliability?

Also, any thoughts on Magguts +1 mag springs and followers for the P380? I run the Magguts in both types of mags in my PM9 and they've been flawless for years.

Thx!

[SlowBurn]

Not metal bullets, but I've shot a lot of fluted ammo with polymer composite bullets such as ARX in a P380 and CW380 with no issues at all. Used to be able to buy them in bulk for almost the same price as regular fmj, so during that period I used them for range ammo. Now, its my SD ammo only but I still shoot a mag or so at the range occasionally to be sure it will work if needed.
Same with Magguts in the mag. Adds a round, works fine. Its a pain to install or remove for cleaning, but thats the only issue.

[djd100]

Not metal bullets, but I've shot a lot of fluted ammo with polymer composite bullets such as ARX in a P380 and CW380 with no issues at all. Used to be able to buy them in bulk for almost the same price as regular fmj, so during that period I used them for range ammo. Now, its my SD ammo only but I still shoot a mag or so at the range occasionally to be sure it will work if needed.
Same with Magguts in the mag. Adds a round, works fine. Its a pain to install or remove for cleaning, but thats the only issue.

Good info!

BTW, you're probably aware, but if not the easy way to assemble the Magguts components is to stick them in and hold them fully inserted with your thumb, then put a small punch or screwdriver through the bottom round count hole, then you only have a small portion of spring to depress while adding the base plate. Finally, remove the punch or screwdriver and you're done.

Thanks!

[Chaplain]

Years ago I had a striker break in a P380. I bought lakeline strikers for both p380s I had at the time. Recently a bought two CT380s (that are identical to P/CW380s in the parts going into the slide. Next time I have them apart I will check again, but it seemed to me that my newest Kahrs had strikers that are more robust than the OEM P380s from years ago.

At any rate, I have one lakeline in stock in the spare parts inventory (and I kept the broken and non-broken OEM strikers) so I need to really compare.

EDIT ******

OOPS - nope. I don't have a lakeline in stock - but ordered qty 2 "Ultimate Strikers" for P/CW/CT380. I have 2 OEM strikers in the parts bin, along with one that broke in P380. Will compare again what is installed on new CT380s (at least recent purchase) against what will be shipped in, but suspect they are just the same as old stock.

If fired the lakeline strikers in a P380 for years - no problem.

Just the other day I installed lakeline strikers in my 2 CT380s. What comes OEM on the CT380 is the original Kahr striker from years ago. Perhaps Kahr has made improvements in the MIM process, but still the design of the OEM looks like there is not quite enough 'beef' compared to the lakeline. I bought the lakeline from the Kahr parts website. If I were going to use the 380s as range guns, OEM is probably fine. But I carry them. So, lakeline is installed in all my 380 kahr's (and my buddy's too).

The CT has such easier to use sights than the P/CW 380.

OK Kahr, how about an Aluminum or Steel frame CT380?