Another P380 Range Report

[Native]

After my P380 came back from Kahr, I put 200 rounds through it with just one stovepipe on round 198. I put a few more rounds through it, cleaned it and waited for my order of Fiocchi that it seemed to like best, to arrive. Took it out today and had another stovepipe on round 48 of 50. Obviously the stovepipes are late in "range sessions" so it could be shooter related. I have however come to the conclusion that this gun will never be a carry piece should I ever be in need of a mousegun. Just too temperamental. For those with no issues, I'm very happy for you. I just think Kahr pushed the envelope a little to far with this gun, at least in my hands. In no way am I bashing Kahr. Both of my PM9's are ticking like a fine rugged Swiss watch.

[Cokeman]

Total history of the gun?

[jocko]

totally agree! a real shame to

[HadEmAll]

Native,

Not much I or anyone can say to make you feel better. By now, you've heard it all, both here on this forum and from Kahr about the P380. But you are not alone. There are some of us vocally unsatisfied with our P380s, and I almost guarantee there are some silent sufferers, or those who don't know that failures aren't just part of the game, and some who have just gotten rid of theirs.

The only reason I have not sent mine back a 3rd time is that I know that if I did, and received it back with that repair ticket that says "blah blah blah blah - SHOOTS GOOD" and it had the same malfunctions that it left with, I might be heading for Massachusetts with malice in mind. They need to get a real gunsmith in the P380 repair section, not just a fricken parts changer. You can talk to Jay or whoever all you want, the real deal is the person who actually puts his hands on your gun. And you don't get to talk to that person. So nothing Jay or whoever says
on the phone means much about changing the way your pistol works. For all I know, they chuck it up in some kind of test fixture to test fire it, and that would change the whole way the gun works.

Here's what I did to keep my sanity: (long and really only care for comments from other P380 owners who do not have a 100% P380. If you do, congratulations, you don't need to read further. I really am pleased for you.) There should be a special section here for P380 owners with continued problems.

We have already established that the P380 has its own set of problems and is not typical of other Kahrs. I have 3 others that work great.

I went and bought another LCP. By now, with $600 in the P380, and damn near $500 in ammo through it trying to get to trust it, we've already established that I really wanted to give it every chance. And I was prepared to throw money at it in that attempt.

After the 1st range test, I had established that my 2nd LCP was as reliable as the 1st. It shot everything the P380 was choking on. So now I had a pocket 380 that could shoot anything. $300 and kind of takes the pressure off.

Now that pile of .380 ammo I had accumulated is useful.

Premature slide lockbacks mid mag are not going to happen with the LCP. I had cured the P380's by doing my own filing on the slide stop.

My ONLY remaining P380 problem was stovepipe jams. The slide closing on and catching the just ejected casing. I want my P380 to eject like Hickock's on YouTube. That does not seem to be within Kahr's repair shop capability or give a damn factor.

So I realized it was either resolve it myself, or get rid of it.

Having established that my P380 had only NOT choked on Speer Gold Dot 90 grain JHP. I was hoping to find a FMJ load that it would work with. It had already failed (stovepipes) with S&B 92 grain FMJ, Winchster 95 grain FMJ and several other types of JHP.

Last time I ordered ammo, I ordered a couple of boxes of .380 CCI Blazer 95 grain FMJ. In other calibers (9mm,.40,.45), the Blazer is among the hotter range loads.

I have only put 65 rounds of the Blazer through the P380, but I was happy with the way they ejected. The lighter aluminum cases seem to get tossed further up or out from the gun, and we know that the case clearing the pistol is what prevents stovepipes. I will be putting more through the P380 in the near future. I ordered a case of them.

So now I'm carrying the LCP and the P380 on alternate days as a BUG. I carry the LCP with anything I feel like.

I carry the P380 with the CCI Blazers. I know it sounds funny, high dollar .380 pistol, cheapest ammo available, but it works (so far). It also works with the Speer Gold Dots, but right now, I'm kinda liking carrying FMJs in the P380. They have the best ejection pattern of anything I've shot, even the brass Gold Dot cases.

Here's the kicker: there is not a single person out there who can say whether 3 90 grain JHPs to a felon's breadbasket or 3 95 grain FMJs is going to be more effective. All the reading I have done has seemed to be split as to whether JHPs or FMJs are more productive for a short barreled .380.

In the P380, approaching 1,000 rounds, I've not had a single failure to feed. That tells you that some aspects at least, are designed right. And it's just plain pretty.

So, in the LCP (I suck at analogies, so I apologize in advance) I have the equivalent of a F150, can go on pavement, off road to a degree, will take the cheapest gas, and will get me there.

In the P380, I have a Lamborghini, tempermental about the gas, limited to paved roads, a little finicky, but pride of ownership, good looks, and the dangling possibility of perfection make me keep it. It's splendid when it works.

Here is the last, and possibly the most important thing I have to say about the P380 as I see it. I realize that if I ever have to use it, it's going to be the 1st magazine full that save the day. Or one of the 2 spare magazines I carry with it.

I now confine my P380 practice to carrying it in the pocket as I would normally, where it is at body temperature.

I pull it and go with 3 double taps, or 2 triple taps. Same for the 2 spare magazines full. THEN, for me, the P380 has done it's job for that day. Any further shooting is taking it out of the range of my use for it. Your hand will be different than it is in the 1st 3 mags full. The pistol and components will be at a different temperature than when you first pulled it. AND, it is not a range gun.

There's my thoughts. Good luck to you in however you choose to proceed.

[jocko]

nice comments can't dispute one word. I feel in my heart that the P380 is kahrs problem child. Ruger lcpo went through it growing and teething pains, their recall in the end didn't h7urt their reputation IMO. I see no comparision in the P380 and the lcp. the P380 is just a nicer shooting gun BUT BUT the fokker must go bang every time to or it is just a paper weight. Mine now does that after one trip back to the factory. I turst it, but I really don't carry it, I try to shoot it kwhen ammois availalbe at prices that I feel compfortble shooting into paper. Would I buy a P380 based on what I know today and have experienced. NO. Would I buy an lcp knowing what I now today and based on experience to, probably not. Which one would I trust to go bang though???THE LCP.

I really don't have any use for a 380 owing my PM9 that works and is just so comforatable to shoot and poer is nicer to. Course I also owned 3 kel teks to and they had to go back a total of 17 times before they got good enough to peddle, so it just an't kahr with little gun issues. I read horror stores on the sig (Pony) 380, . Not aht makes it right whenyou buiy a kahr either. cost should not even be a factor, if YOUR GONNA MAKE A GUN FOR THE SHOOTING PUBLIC FOR 50 BUCKS OR 700 BUCKS THE FOKKER MUST WORK..

[Native]

Well boys (presumably) I had another day and several boxes to play with so here's what I did: It's seems similar to what Hademall has done. Since this thing fits so good in the pocket, I just put it there and ignored it except when I walk from the house to the barn and back. Between which I've got my double tap and double tap plus 1 targets set up. When ever I walked past there I'd give it a double or triple tap or two. In total it amounted to 73 rounds without a problem. Previous to shooting this time I cleaned up my mess of brass that was there and stood in the same spot each time. I wanted to check where it threw the brass when I wasn't paying attention. Lo and behold, all of the brass was a few feet to the right as one would expect. When I was trying to do it, paying close attention to everything, they would eject all over. Go figure. So for right now I've got it in my pocket as sort of a backup to whatever real gun I'm carrying. Probably not necessary, probably overkill, since my everyday guns perform as they should. But, it's so easy to put in your pocket I figured why not. BTW, the Fiocchi I've got in it is hardball. No way this old boy can run through boxes of expensive defense stuff at the rate I have. One nice thing I noticed was around in the house at night, where I might not normally carry a bigger gun I have it in my pocket. The LCP does the same duty, but it's not as pretty or accurate.:D That's another thing that keeps me playing with this gun, its accuracy. That part is absolutely unbelievable. Thanks for all the advice and taking the time with your posts.

[HadEmAll]

Lo and behold, all of the brass was a few feet to the right as one would expect. When I was trying to do it, paying close attention to everything, they would eject all over. Go figure.

That is extremely interesting. You may have drilled down to something there.

Maybe some imperceptible difference in the way your hand grips the gun when you first pull it from the pocket versus intentionally and carefully gripping the gun in a "target mode", coupled with the flex of the polymer frame versus the .380 recoil impulse. Or some combination of those factors. :o

I trust mine enough with the Blazers to carry it out of town this weekend as a pocket backup to some bigger pistol.