Kahr P380 success stories?

[Mokumbear]

I had a great weekend at the range.
My P380 fired rounds 100 through 200 with zero malfunctions!

I did change one thing after corresponding with Jay at Kahr.
Per his advice, I switched to brass case, American made, factory fresh ammo.

The 1st 100 rounds were frustrating.
I switched to Winchester White Box after Jay's advice and the second range trip was better than I ever expected!

I know you tend to read about problems and returns to the factory here.
What I want to know is if there are P380 owners out there who have have had no problems after the 200 round break in and never had to return the gun to Kahr or get sent recoil springs, etc?

I want to like this gun, it's not at all punishing to shoot and can
fill the niche when my compact 9mm is a little too big for the occasion.
I can pocket carry the P380, if necessary, not an option with my compact 9mm.

Tell me something good? :music:

[linksrds]

I have a P380 that was mfg. in July of '08. I ahve had absolutley np problems with it at all.

During the initial shooting session, I had two FTF and one FTE and that was in the first 25 rounds. After that, absolutely ZERP trouble.

One thing I don't like about it, is it is a test to reassemble after cleaning. That spring on the frame alwasy seems to give me trouble, but I do get it together and it works fine.

I mostlyy shoot WWB ammo in it for range sessions. I like the truncated cone of the bullet and have never had a feeding problem.i also shoot MaagTech ammo in it as well at the range. I do carry CorBon PowrBall as a primary and the WWB as the secondary loading.

I have tested all loads that I shoot through it and have had abolutley no problems as stated earlier.










I bought 3 extra magazines, giving me a total of 5. They are all numbered and I have shot the pistol using each magazine and again all fine.

I am very satisfied with this pistol and while I consider my CW9 as primary CCW, i do have the P380 as a backup or I also feel very comfortable with cargo shorts and the P380 in the DeSantis pocket holster.

Before I bought the Kahr, I fired the Ruger LCP and while it was less in price, I truly did not care for compared to the Kahr.

The felt recoil of the Ruger was uncomfortable and I guess the best wayt to describe it was "snappy"

I also did not care for the fact that the slide did not lock back when the magazine was empty.

For me the Kahr was worth the extra price.

I find both my CW9 and P3890 very easy to shoot and both hit to point of aim. I acutally find that I seem to shoot the little .380 a bit better thatn the 9mm.

I feel very confident with both the Kahr pistols and would not hesitate to tell someone that they are a good personal protection firearm.

[ZeeGerman]

I have a P380 that I picked up a little over a year ago that I've had flawless firing operation since round #1. I'll touch on flawless firing in a moment. My break in ammo was Federal American Eagle FMJ. Prior to any firing I did a breakdown and thorough clean and lube. I then ran 100 rounds of the American Eagle through it, followed by 50 rounds of Winchester Ranger T JHP. (I'm a L.E.O. and my department issues Ranger T for all on and off duty weapons.) I was actually pretty amazed that there were no FTEs because: 1) Kahr recommending a 200 round break-in and 2)Racking the slide, it did have a tight and "gritty" feel to it, especially compared to my Kimber TLE. After that range session was another breakdown / clean / lube.
Next up were 100 rounds of Ranger T for qualifications - Again no hiccups. Somewhere during the next 100 rounds during a later qualification session (after a midnight shift) I had one FTE which I'm pretty sure I limp wristed, esp since I was shooting strong hand only. Other than that one, no FTFs or FTEs.
Now, the reason I highlighted firing operation is I have had issues with FTRB ONLY when the slide is locked back and I'm loading from a full mag with the Ranger T. The method I use stems from my combat shooting training: The weapon is held about chest height, and using the support hand, use a "C clamp" grip on the slide and with authority rack the slide. Not to be confused with "slingshot-ing" where the weapon is usually held low and the slide is pulled to the rear like a sling shot. Having researched this and re-reading the manual...Kahr does not recommend this method and using the slide catch it loads up fine. If the engineers at Kahr (or anyone else) can explain the physics behind this quirk I'd love to hear it. And I do concede also that the Ranger Ts are a heavy slug for the caliber (95gr.) which makes for a longer slug, plus I bet Winchester seats them to near max overall length to cram in enough powder for a self defense loading.
Suffering the same tinkering affliction as my father, I have done some 'smithing to help with this, though. I did find slight contact of the slug against the slide catch, which was remedied by about .020" of filing. I did install a set of new recoil springs (inner and outer), and gave the feed ramp a quickie polish with some Flitz. The new recoil springs were noticeably longer, but felt only slightly stiffer to rack. Doing all this has helped and I can rack the slide to load, though it does hang up now and again. I'm going to check the extractor tension and do a little more polish work with a dremel and it should be good to go.

[bonjorno2]

they have great re-sale value!

[Jimmers]

I got my P380 this past January, and after the initial break-in, and figuring out how to hold it without causing the slide to lock back all the time, it has been great. I don't think there has been a single issue since that first 200 rounds or so. I have now put about 800 rounds through it. It's a great little gun. I shoot mostly WWB and Remington Golden Saber.

[rogerthedodger]

Ok, how do you hold it without causing the slide to lock back??

[Ljutic]

I love the one I have now. It's been great. The first one I had gave me problems.

[Jeremiah/Az]

I've had my P380 for 2 years & it has a few hundred rounds through it. Ammo for it is still hard to find here. It has never malfunctioned. I'm not a big fan of the .380 for a primary SD gun, so I carry my PM9 everyday. The little P380 gets to go along sometimes on the off side. The accuracy of both is unbelievable for such small guns.