New P380 (sn RB6xxx) issues

[kahrlover123]

A couple weeks ago, a lady friend of mine bought a black P380 KP3834 with SN RB6xxx.
I was telling her to buy mine stainless steel one but she insisted all black.
Anyway, yesterday, we went to the range for test drive her new piece.
I did all the necessary prep steps for it.
We tried 250 rounds of Remington UMC (the yellow box). It had some FTF and FTE. What surprised me was "just about every other rounds it got a light strike (no bang)". After the first few "light strike", I found out that the slide did not go all the way back. It's about 1/4" short. I had to push the slide forward in order for the trigger to lock in go bang when pulled.
I think there is definitely something wrong with this pistol because my stainless P380 did not do that.
For some of you say "need 200 rounds break in", it's not quite the case because it continued to do that after 200 rounds (maybe Kahr should add another 0 :D in the manual?)
Well, I did a little research and found that a lot of Kahr pistols with sn RB6xxx had issues. I think I will ask her to call Kahr for replacement.
What do you guys think?

[Bill K]

I think it sucks! Especially if your friend had high expectations for the gun being without issue after the break-in period - personally I wouldn't for any pocket .380. My guess is that Kahr will want to do a repair not a replacement.

[garflys]

There is something wrong with these p380s. If you shoot more then a few mags a month, i think the gun will have problems. There should be a recall on all. I know some will say, you have give it a chance, but something in the design of these is not right. Way to many guns have to go back to company. IMO

[kahrlover123]

The weird thing is I also have a P380 (stainless) and have zero issue with it. Maybe I just got lucky?
After digging around the net, it looks like almost all RB6xxx pieces have problem.
I'm brave to say that STAY AWAY from RBxxxx serial number. They're troublemakers.
She called Kahr and they will send her a label to ship the gun back to them. Is it with the box too or she has to get her own box?

Anyone here with that sn and has no issue, raise your hand?

[garflys]

I do think you got lucky, how many rounds have you shot? I sent mine in the Kahr box, that i put inside another box, just the way i got it. I hope it works out for her. I got mine over the internet through Davidsons, they have a lifetime warrenty that they are standing by. I just took it over to the FFL to ship back. I will be getting another Glock. Will have to pay if there is any difference. Very fair deal. I sent an email, got reply from Diane Anderson who made this all happen, she went out of her way to help me. Davidsons is a great company to deal with.

[LMT42]

There is something wrong with these p380s. If you shoot more then a few mags a month, i think the gun will have problems. There should be a recall on all. I know some will say, you have give it a chance, but something in the design of these is not right. Way to many guns have to go back to company. IMO

I disagree and think this about guns built with tight tolerances. You see nothing but problem guns in the forum because they're the ones that people complain about. I wonder how many thousands of these have been sold that you don't hear about?

You'd probably have better odds of a getting a functioning gun by buying a Kel Tec or LCP, but we know how sorry their triggers are and how much they kick. This is just part of the trade off for buying a well built and tight gun.

That being said, I'm picking up my 380 on Saturday and if it doesn't run right, I'm done with Kahrs. Kahrs are like dating strippers; it seems like a great idea at the time, and can be a whole lot of fun, but it can also be very expensive and make your life a living hell. :)

[Matthew L.]

My P380 has a RB5xxx serial #. With the first 150-200 rounds through the gun I remember maybe 1 or 2 FTE's with the gun. I recently purchased some PowR Ball ammo for the gun for carry ammo. I shot a whole box of 20 to see how the gun did with it and I had 3 FTE's in that box of 20. The guy at the local shop said to put another 100 rounds of target stuff through it for a better break in of the gun and then try the PowR Ball again. I am hoping it's just the ammo but he said it is high quality stuff so I don't know. I will put another 100 rounds through it and write down my findings and see how that goes.

[kahrlover123]

I don't know about you guys but to me, any concealed weapon that gives ONE FTF or FTE is NOT reliable. It does not matter if it's 1 out of 10, 1 out of 100, or 1 out 1000.
So far, I'm pretty lucky, knock on wood, with my stainless P380 and PM9. But if I ever experience any FTF or FTE, I sell the sucker.
The reason we spend good money on Kahr is for something we can depend our life on.
It's not just for the range. In case of a gun fire, if you have one FTF or FTE, you're as good as dead.

Back to my friend's story, she received a label in email and shipped it out today. I told her that it would probably take a few weeks (according to my internet search) for her to get it back.
When she gets it back, if it still gives her FTF or FTE, it's time for her to say goodbye to that P380 and get a LCP or TCP.

[TominCA]

I have 2 and had 3 - one was good after a few rounds the other had to go back and was replaced and then took a long time to really break in. A couple of things can help:

Shoot good ammo - Black Hills, Corbon, Speer Gold dot (not lawman) These little guns need some power to work.

Watch your grip. Shoot 1 hand and concentrate on the empty - not the sight or the targert (takes some practice!) you will quickly correct a bad grip!

Clean and oil it! especially at first - they like to run wet when new.

Do the prep work!!! (sticky in Kahr Tech section)

Watch the mafazine follower - A lot of the p380s have mag buttons that protrude too far into the mag and hit the flollower slowing it down and causing a nasty jam at shot 3/4 You need to shave the follower or file the button.

They are really great guns - I haven't had a jam for so long I forget what its like!

[jocko]

I don't know about you guys but to me, any concealed weapon that gives ONE FTF or FTE is NOT reliable. It does not matter if it's 1 out of 10, 1 out of 100, or 1 out 1000.
So far, I'm pretty lucky, knock on wood, with my stainless P380 and PM9. But if I ever experience any FTF or FTE, I sell the sucker.
The reason we spend good money on Kahr is for something we can depend our life on.
It's not just for the range. In case of a gun fire, if you have one FTF or FTE, you're as good as dead.

Back to my friend's story, she received a label in email and shipped it out today. I told her that it would probably take a few weeks (according to my internet search) for her to get it back.
When she gets it back, if it still gives her FTF or FTE, it's time for her to say goodbye to that P380 and get a LCP or TCP.

1 in 1000 and ur gonna sell the gun. wow, have u thought that maybe it could be that one rounbd that was not a good round but still went bang, or possably that one round was even "shooter " error. Low and behold that does happen u know. I think u were probalby trying to make a pont here to about reliability but 1 in 1000, that IMO is not gun related... Myh G19 IMO is the most reliable gun I have ever owned but it has hic-cuped before and I sure didn't peddle it..

[kahrlover123]

1 in 1000 and ur gonna sell the gun. wow, have u thought that maybe it could be that one rounbd that was not a good round but still went bang, or possably that one round was even "shooter " error. Low and behold that does happen u know. I think u were probalby trying to make a pont here to about reliability but 1 in 1000, that IMO is not gun related... Myh G19 IMO is the most reliable gun I have ever owned but it has hic-cuped before and I sure didn't peddle it..
It's just me I guess. I have owned many guns before but any guns that fails on me is a gonner. It's my life that depends on it. What if that 1/1000 happens when U need it at most?
Do U want to bet ur life on it?
I wouldn't.

[garflys]

so lmt42 you dont agree, and tight tolerance, yea so tight it fails to go back to battery. you dont have one yet and disagree? well mine had a least 1000 rds and they gave me new frame and everything else, it was almost as bad as when I sent it back. then you go on to say you will give up on Kahr if urs has problems. what happened to what you said at first. i got rid of mine yesterday and glad i did. no more small guns for me. hope you enjoy yours.

[jocko]

first of all, we have no controls over if that gun is going to fire on the next trigger pull. could be bad round, striker spring broke on round 1000 . I would not bet my life on any fokking gun to go bang on the next trigger pull. all one can do is prep his gun propery, and 99,.995% of the time it will go bang on the next round but DO U REALLY WANT TO BET UR LIFE ON IT.

[garflys]

No I would not Jocko, nor would I sell a gun to someone if it is not working right. thats way i went to the range with it, just to make sure. And it was just as bad. I would have loved to have it work. Its just a great little gun, but 2 strikes is it for me. I never would have trusted it again.

[LMT42]

I apologize if my post seemed contradictory. While I don't have a 380 yet, I have owned a PM9 and am familiar with Kahr's failings. Kahr produces more lemons than Kel Tec and Ruger due to their tight tolerances. However, I don't believe they need to do a full recall, nor do I believe it's an inherently bad design. When you buy a small Kahr it's a crapshoot. I know how frustrating it is to pour a lot of money into a gun that doesn't work.

Nobody is trying to tick you off. If you're finished with Kahr handguns, sell yours and be done with it. That's what I'm going to do if my 380 is a POS. Due to their superior sights, trigger, perceived recoil, and accuracy, I'm willing to take a chance.

[garflys]

No need to apologize, I was just stating what I think. You dont have to agree with me. I do think there is a design flaw. When I said I went back to the range and it was worse, its the truth. I dont think you should have to hold it one handed or not to tight ect. Those are just excues to me. I am not bashing Kahr. I really like there guns and think there well made, I just dont think they can be made that small and be reliable. I hope yours turns out to be a keeper and not a pos. I also hope Kahr can get it right, its just a perfect little pocket gun. But i do stand by my words.

[kahrlover123]

Here is what I see (myself):
1) Gun for range - I don't really care if it has 1/10, 1/100, 1/1000 failed ... it's just for the fun of it.
2) Gun for home defense - 1/100 maybe acceptable depending on what it is or how it is
3) Gun for pocket carry - if there is any failure (due to the gun's problem), it needs to be fixed once for good or be gone.

Remember all this pocket carry pistols are used in a very close encounting situation. If you have one failure, not only your mind is lost, your life is lost as well. The chance you ever need to use it is very very rare (0.0001% of your lifetime) and this is even a high number.

This is why I'm very allergic to any of my pocket carry pistol that's failed.

[R H Clark]

I just picked up my P380 last week it's an RB6XXX only one box of 50 Blazer Brass through it but "0" problems for me.It did jam when my wife shot it but it was surly because of limp wristing.

I did remove a burr on the slide at the edge of the ejection port and do a clean and lube when I got it home before shooting.I really love this little pistol.It's very accurate and a sweet shooter.I'm really glad I didn't find this forum before my purchase as I wouldn't have bought it.Sorry to hear of the troubles you folks are having.

[HadEmAll]

First welcome. Always good to see a new, enthusiastic P380 owner. I hope you have continued reason to stay that way.

Next, unfortunately, since we're talking about serial #'s in this post, the root of what you said was that you have had no problems in the less than 50 rounds you fired. Your wife may or may not have been the culprit for the others out of that 50.

My P380, RB1XXX, which is still problematic at 1000+ rounds, didn't have it's first malfunction until round 74.

Please come back and update this after you get a couple of hundred more rounds through it.

Got my fingers crossed for you, but you aren't there yet.

[HadEmAll]

I went back and read my 1st P380 range report of 3/2011, and it was actually premature slide lockbacks at rounds 61 and 66, and my first stovepipe at round 90, after taking the pistol down and cleaning it at round 60 during the range session.

[R H Clark]

I surly understand your frustration and was hesitant to post with only 50 trouble free rounds fired.I seriously doubt I will ever fire 1000 rounds through my P380.I didn't buy this for a range gun.I have other pistols better suited to that role.I will however fire a couple hundred before I fully trust it to carry and follow up with a few now and again after each cleaning.

There has to be a reason a pistol would fire 74 perfect rounds and suddenly start having problems.Wear of a part would seem the only logical conclusion if you eliminate ammunition and human error.

I had my P380 on layaway for 3 months and during that time I found this forum.I was very worried about my new purchase.The one thing the forum did help with though is that it caused me to examine my P380 very closely.The burr I spoke of at the edge of the ejection port would have ate the polymer rail in short order if I had not removed it.It was a very sharp curl left over after machining the ejection port.

Was there no evidence before your P380 started malfunctioning such as metal or polymer particles?

[HadEmAll]

Sadly enough, between me and Kahr, about 700 of those expensive little .380 rounds were sacrificial just to keep assessing its reliability. They'd still be in boxes and I'd be .380 rich if my P380 hadn't been such a dog.

Logic does not apply to the P380's problems. I've solved many pistol problems over the years, some quickly, and some more drawn out and painful. But I've always either fixed 'em, or got rid of 'em. Mostly fixed.

I have a LCP and BG380 that each have about 300 flawless rounds through them. I KNOW they work. They might not ever see their 500th round. A quick mag full every now and then. That was my plan for my P380 too. I too, didn't even consider it to be a range gun. Pocket carry pure and simple.

You won't see a P380 kept more particle/residue free than the way I keep mine. That is in no way any part of the problem. I never went more than 32 rounds without cleaning it up. I wanted it to be just like it would be out of the pocket when I shot it.

Anyway, didn't come here to rain on your parade. Just wanted to remind you that Kahr doesn't call them broken in until you've got 200 rounds through them. I seriously hope yours proves to be a good one.

What HAS kept me encouraged about the P380 over the 1K rounds is that I have not had ONE failure to feed or light strike. That shows SOME good engineering.

My story isn't that unique on here. There are a few of us "sufferers". I hope to swing to the other side when mine gets back this time.

[kahrlover123]

There is some interesting point I want to bring up.
I talked to Rick at support about the RBxxxx (specially RB6xxx) problematic frame.
He was laughing and flat out denied about it.
He said there was no such a thing as "bad batch".
He even said that these pistols are not made in sequential order of serial numbers.
You still can get a brand new made P380 with RB6xxx serial (which my lady friend has).

Is he just blowing smoke to me?
What do U guys think?

[jocko]

never seen one blowing smoke but I think they are smoking something there that isn't right...

[HadEmAll]

There is some interesting point I want to bring up.
I talked to Rick at support about the RBxxxx (specially RB6xxx) problematic frame.
He was laughing and flat out denied about it.
He said there was no such a thing as "bad batch".
He even said that these pistols are not made in sequential order of serial numbers.
You still can get a brand new made P380 with RB6xxx serial (which my lady friend has).

Is he just blowing smoke to me?
What do U guys think?

That's Rich you're talking about, and yes, exactly the same stuff he told me. Told me the serial #'s were "random".

Anyway, my RB1XXX is off to them for the 3rd time. While on the phone, Rich talked to the gunsmith and told me my frame would be replaced. :confused:

Be interesting to see what people are saying about the P380s a year from now.

[jocko]

ask um at kahr if they will send u a pound of what they are smoking inside the building. I don't buy the random serial # stuff. Why is it then in 2002 kahr had a barrel recall on the PM9 and the recall was in #VA0003-VA9999

and VB0004- to VB0999., the VA recall was for 10K barrels, not a random thing I would say, maybe not all were bad in that 10K either but they narrowed it down to that sequence of numnber of barrels.

Now if they mean they have maybe 300 P380 already boxed up and ready to send out, Imo TROSE GUNS ARE ALL SEQUENTICAL IN SERIAL NUMBERS BUT LETS SAY dAVIDSONS MIGHT get 100 of them and they pick that 100 at random instead of just grabbing 100 in serial nsequence. If that makes sense. It sometimes eliminates dealers from advertising consecutive serial numnbers etc and maybe getting a few bucks more, but other than that I just don't buy the "random" sh-t.:7::7::7:

[HadEmAll]

I've been on the phone with Beretta, and knew I was being lied to. I've been on the phone with Ruger and knew I was being lied to. The customer service rep has to deliver the party line, or I'm guessing no job tomorrow. Or maybe moved to junior head cleaner.

As long as they deliver the goods, and I get the shipping label, and/or parts, I only vaguely care what they say anyway. The last guy at Kahr I was talking to about my P380 had never shot one. He was talking to me about how his Springfield .45 kicked.:rolleyes:

One thing I myself keep from doing but sure would like somebody else to try, call a customer service rep a fricken liar on the phone and be sure to let us know how your results are.

[kahrlover123]

Well, he even dared to say something like "You should not listen to a bunch of whiners from blogs and forums. We sold thousands of guns and very few have come back. Those whiners from internet only represent a very very small percentage of Kahr owners."

[garflys]

Whiners my ass, they are not cheap guns and one would think they should run right out of the box, we still give them benifit of doubt. Im very happy Davidsons took mine back, bought a very nice glock. 3 hundred rds and no problems. They can keep those 380s, there are to many problems with to many pistols. Hope I didnt piss anyone off, just telling it how it is. Only speaking of 380s, dont have any other Kahrs.

[kahrlover123]

What's the average waiting time on phone you guys experience with Kahr?
My lady friend called them today and had to wait for almost 2 hours on phone to find out that they have not looked at her pistol yet. They said that they are so backed up that it would take them at least two weeks to even look at it. She was getting mad (at Kahr and me) now ...

[TheTman]

I was going to trade my Beretta .32 Tomcat off at the Gun Show, but the guys I wanted to trade it to weren't interested in it. Was trying to trade it for some "big iron" but got no interest. I thought maybe about selling it outright and buying something like and elsie pee or kel-tec, since the P380's seem to have so many problems. I've seen so many posts on the P380 that I thought I might as well take my chances with a Kel Tec. Also came across another American product, the I.O. Hellcat .380 that can be had for around $200. It has mixed reviews, like any of the other small .380's. Not a big fan of the elsie pee, my brother has one and I don't like the trigger at all. I just figured if I'm going to have a pocket pistol I might as well move up to a .380 rather than the .32. They're about the same size. Don't really want to spend over $500 (P380) on a pistol I'll seldom use. 2 or 3 hundred sure sounds a lot better. I might take a chance on the Hellcat for $200. They are supposed to have good customer service. Anyone else have a pocket .380 they are happy with that's not a Kahr? Here is a picture of it: Looks like it's a mirror image of the right side. Height and length about the same as an elsiepee.
http://kartalk.pccomps.com/hellcat380.jpg

[MW surveyor]

Gotta be a mirror image or the image is reversed as the lettering is backwards. If it isn't, hope that you are left handed :).

Looks like a reverse engineering or outright steal from both Kel Tec and Ruger. I have seen something about them, know it wasn't good but I can't swear to it. Google is your friend!

[TheTman]

I was just thinking, that's pretty bad to compare a P380 to a Kel-Tec, but seems like you are gambling by purchasing either that you get a good one. It just seems like there are about 5 posts about the P380 for every 1 of any of the other Kahrs. And I'd rather gamble 2-3 hundred rather than $500+

[jocko]

looks like a kel tec to me, even with that butt ugly extractor spring, not similar to the ruger lcp.. being kt had not patent5 protection what so ever on that gun and ruger has osme intgernal patent protection, my betis that they just copied the kel tec. reverse engineering sure on target with this gun..

[Bawanna]

I don't want to be the negative here but if that gun were on a table at the gunshow on special 80% off, I wouldn't pick it up. Just no appeal to it for me.

Course the others it's cloned after have no appeal either.

[jocko]

humm: what is that emblem on the grip was a HORSEHEAD, wold that bend ur crank any??

[TheTman]

Here's a bigger pic of it, made in Monroe NC and Kel-Tec P3AT to compare. Might as well throw in a pic of and elsiepee
http://kartalk.pccomps.com/hellcat380a.jpghttp://kartalk.pccomps.com/keltecp3at.jpghttp://kartalk.pccomps.com/ruger.jpg

[Bawanna]

Well the shiny slide helps it a little bit. I might be able to trade it for some blankets at the next rendevous or maybe a **** skin cap. Mines plumb wore out.

[Bawanna]

Yep! But, my wife or I carry them very seldom. I just sold an LCP that ran perfectly to a clean cut college kid for $250. That's the going rate for a good one around here. I believe you can pick up a Kel-Tec P-3AT for about $230 new, but it's been a while since I checked. The two we have run like nasty little clocks. :)

I have 1800 rounds of .380 ACP ammo I would like to sell and have advertised it on our local shooting board. Even at $12 / box of 50, it has not attracted much interest. I'm guessing pocket .380's are losing market share.

http://viewsfromtucson.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/American-Eagle-Ammo.jpg

Maybe you could string a bunch of em on a piece of string or leather and sell em as necklaces? Maybe I should have been in marketing. Ya think?

[TheTman]

I added a pic of the Kel-Tec P3AT and an LCP above, they sure look a lot alike. Of course people were accusing Ruger of doing copying the P3AT when the LCP came out.

[jocko]

well Ruger sure fokked up then for they copied that kel tec to damn ear every partr, except that butt ugly kel teck leaf spring on theoutside of the slide. And Ruger paid a big price for their laziness to. They had to recall over 50K due to a drop safety issue,. Only differene IMO was that once Ruger realized they had s dropsafety issue they immeditately stepped up to theplace and had a recall. Kel tec knew they had the same issue but never did a recall, they fixed it and when a gun was sent back to them for repair they installed their "new" hammer black.

I would hope Ruger learned from that but this Hell cat looks so so similar expecialy the slide. I think kel tecs today are a pretty good working gun, just tha tnow they are not the only game n theblock and their sales has to be way way down, for they are what they are to.. They have a good warranty though, if that means anything..

[kahrlover123]

Wow, y'all hijack two pages of my threads with some cheap stuffs.
Let's go back to Kahr and P380.

Does anyone have problem with their phone support waiting time or their pistol waiting period at Kahr?

[FLBri]

[QUOTE=thetmanski;100997] ...Anyone else have a pocket .380 they are happy with that's not a Kahr? ]

My wife has a Sig P238 that has been flawless through 150 (well a couple stove pipes but that was probably me trying to get it to malfunction). I loved the accuracy so much, and was so impressed with it, that I bought one for myself ... and have yet to even fire it. Still trying to decide if I want to keep it ... but not because of reliability.

I would love to have a P380, but the issues seem to be way to unnerving still. Just my opinion.

[JFootin]

Here is a very interesting new .380 from Magnum Research, The Micro Desert Eagle. It is an all metal gun with a gas delayed blowback system, and it is quite a bit smaller than the rest of the .380 crowd. It is a licensed copy of the Czech ZVI Kevin, with minor cosmetic changes, made in the U.S. by Magnum Research. So, it is not a brand new, unproven design. Jeff Quinn does a good report on it, saying the accuracy was quite surprisingly good from a 2.3" barrel: http://www.gunblast.com/MicroDesertEagle.htm

http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee486/John_England/Miscellanious%20Guns%20and%20Holsters/MRBabyDesertEaglewithBullets.jpg
http://i1230.photobucket.com/albums/ee486/John_England/Miscellanious%20Guns%20and%20Holsters/MRBabyDesertEagle.jpg

Sorry for the thread hijack, but with the high dissatisfaction with the P380, some other options need to be looked at. I want a pocket .380, but as pretty as the P380 is, I am not going to wager my money on getting a good one. This, IMO, looks like a viable alternative, and even more concealable than the others. Much less expensive than the P380, too.

[TheTman]

That MSRP on that Desert Eagle is $535, almost as much as P380.
FLBRI the SIG is SA and I want to stay away from SA pistols. Don't like cocked and locked these days, they are great little pistols though. Well seems like anything that says SIG on it is pretty good. If I had bigger pockets, I'd get the CM9 and call it good.

Sorry to hijack your thread Kahrlover123, I've not had excessive wait time on the phone with Kahr, and they had my CW45 back to me in one week. The P380 is whole 'nother animal though and I've seen posts where people have waited like a month or more for their 380 to come back, and spent quite a bit of time on the phone with customer service. BTW I guess I'd rather spend money on a cheap gun that worked, rather than one that had to be repeatedly sent back to the factory for fixes. Don't get me wrong, I like most of the Kahr line, put the P380 has me a little leery of buying one. I think a CM9 would be a much wiser investment, now if I only had bigger pockets.

[FLBri]

Yep, I know the debate about "cocked and locked" is one that has to be considered. I'm comfortable with the safeties in place that the P238 has, but it is truly a personal thing and I would never try to talk someone out of their own conclusion in the matter.

My PM9 is great for looser shorts in the summer, and my preferred, but jeans for the winter time dictates something slightly smaller. It would be a P380 if I could trust it. P238 til that time.

[jocko]

is that desert eagle 380 any more proven out than the rest of the sub 380';s out there?/ One never hears anything about them, I would venture tosay sales are very very low for this gun to,so probalby not alot of feed back on this gun.

[TheTman]

I really want to like the P380, but after hearing all the horror stories, and reading about month long or more waits, I think I'll pass on it. Of course this is the place to go if you're having problems, but the P380 seems to have a lot more than the rest of the line combined. So, I guess I'll keep looking at the el cheapo alternatives. I never thought I'd see the day I'd consider a Kel-Tec over a Kahr, but it's happening.

[JFootin]

That MSRP on that Desert Eagle is $535, almost as much as P380.


It is in stock at Impact Guns for $429. Slow moving on Gunbroker.com, so I bet one can get a deal there for under $400.


is that desert eagle 380 any more proven out than the rest of the sub 380';s out there?/ One never hears anything about them, I would venture to say sales are very very low for this gun to,so probably not a lot of feed back on this gun.

Here is a review after putting 1000 rounds through one. 500 dirty reloads before he stopped to clean it, although it was cleaned and lubed before the range session. It was flawless.
http://www.dayattherange.com/?p=1230

[jocko]

I really want to like the P380, but after hearing all the horror stories, and reading about month long or more waits, I think I'll pass on it. Of course this is the place to go if you're having problems, but the P380 seems to have a lot more than the rest of the line combined. So, I guess I'll keep looking at the el cheapo alternatives. I never thought I'd see the day I'd consider a Kel-Tec over a Kahr, but it's happening.

choose the lcp over the kel tec, no doubt in my mind, they might have copied the kel tec but theyt certainly refined it. They didn't put that butt ugly leaf spring on the side of the slide either....:third:

[TheTman]

OK, Thanks Jocko. Also kind of looking at the S&W .380 with the built in laser. Saw some good and some bad about it, about like most guns you research.

[Bawanna]

Are you looking for a strictly pocket gun or what's the main purpose? Gotta be small as possible?

[TheTman]

Yes, something I can slip into my pocket. Small as possible. Relatively inexpensive.
Something to carry where I'm pretty certain I won't need it, but don't like leaving the house unarmed anymore.
I may go try and find a PM9 and see if that fits, if it does, might order a CM9.

That's a pretty good review on that Magnum Research Jfootin. And the street price is close to $400, and I do like all metal guns. I'll have to consider that one.

[JFootin]

That's a pretty good review on that Magnum Research Jfootin. And the street price is close to $400, and I do like all metal guns. I'll have to consider that one.

I just looked and Jet Guns has it in stock for $389 -
http://www.jetguns.com/magnum-research-micro-de-380-nkl-p-351.html

[kahrlover123]

Other 380 I would recommend (from friends who own one) is the TCP.
It's the only Taurus model that is made in USA and has excellent review.
It also has lifetime warranty.

[kahrlover123]

Just an update. Yesterday, she called Kahr and they said that "it's still on the list for the gunsmith to work. It probably will be looked sometimes this week."
Basically, it's still in the air for service.
It's been more than 2 weeks at Kahr now.
It's not good at all.

[JodyH]

Kahr called me two weeks ago and said my p380 was done and being shipped to my ffl.
I called yesterday to see where it was... they hadn't shipped it yet.
Wtf?

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

[kahrlover123]

The status as of today is "it's in the gunsmither's queue to look at".
The other status "it's still on the list for the gunsmith to work. It probably will be looked sometimes this week" two weeks ago was a total lie to get her off the phone.
Damn, this is bad. The pistol is at Kahr almost 4 weeks now and nothing happened.

Who in here said the turn around time for Kahr is 2 weeks? This little pistol is already AT KAHR for almost 4 weeks and still not looked at. I would say 2-month turn around time at this point.

[JodyH]

Mine took 3-4 weeks to finally get to a "gunsmith", a week to be repaired, then two more weeks to be returned to me.
And it still doesn't work.

[racuda]

Mine has been at Kahr for one week and I asked for an update today. They said turnaround time is three weeks. This is the third trip back.

[kahrlover123]

Mine has been at Kahr for one week and I asked for an update today. They said turnaround time is three weeks. This is the third trip back.
That's what (3-4 weeks turn around) they told my friend initially before she sent the pistol. Then, once they received it, they said 3-4 weeks for gunsmith to look at. Now it's more than 4 weeks already (up to today) and it's still the "gunsmith to look at" queue.

I've read one thread that a guy sent in a CW9 for repair and got it back less than a week. This is bizzare. Does it mean only few gunsmiths in Kahr are qualified to work on P380 and there are tons of P380 there for them to work on?

[kahrlover123]

Status updated as of today:
Gunsmith looked at it, replaced the frame (I could tell him to do that even before he looked at it :D), upgrade the extracter / trigger (not sure what the heck "upgrade" means there), polish the slide, and did a 100 round test fire (I doubt this very much). They requested her to send in the FFL info for them to ship out. Hopefully it will be done by this Friday. So far, it's almost 5 weeks. It looks like 6 week turn around (the day the pistol departed and arrived).

Best of yet, I seriously doubt that this is the one and only trip to Kahr (finger crossed). I've told her if it fails again, just sell the POS. Not worth the time to mess around with it. And definitely not worth her life to depend on it.

I will keep y'all update once she got it and made the trip to the ranch.

[kahrlover123]

She already got the TCP few weeks ago and it's been flawless in the last 2 trips to the range. She may decide to use the TCP as CCW.
Surprisingly, I like that TCP too. It's the Fiber Carbon frame type. It looks slick and feels good in the hand.

Once received the little booger back from Kahr, we would make another range trip to see if it's a "good to go" or a "good to sell" :D

[kahrlover123]

I owned a P380 myself and sold a few weeks ago. I would say it's the best 380 pistol out there (recoil, accuracy, look) but only if it works 100%.
My P380 was good. The person I sold too got no complaint.
But if it's a little booger and not reliable, the other three (recoil, accuracy, look) mean squat ...

[kahrlover123]

An update reported on the new frame P380:
My friend got the pistol back on Monday with the new frame, new recoil spring, new catcher.
We went to the range yesterday and tried 200 rounds (100 WWB, 100 Remington Luger).
This time, it shoots a lot better but still troublesome.
This happened to both of us:
Once in a few mags, there is a FTRB. The slide does not go back fully. We had to 1) either push it up, or 2) rack the slide back a little and let go forward.
We had 4 different mags and it happened to all of them (I doubt if it's the mag's issue).

Another interesting point we found out is: if we do rapid fire, it seems to go through fine.

Overall, it was not as bad as last time but it still a trouble booger.
I advised her to sell it and let someone else worry about it. She still wants to keep it (because the look?)
She already had the TCP and it eats any ammo without issue. She would have it in her purse :D

What do y'all think about the FTRB issue?

[Whaleman]

Kahrlover, How are you recieving these "updates". Are you calling or is there a way to check status online? Dan

[kahrlover123]

Based on the rapid fire results, it sounds like this particular pistol is a little too sensitive to how it is gripped. That may improve with additional shooting but if you already have another pistol that works well, it's hard to justify the investment in time and ammo.

Last week during a match at the Pima Pistol Club, I had the first failure to return to battery in the last 1000 rounds with a PM40. A quick racking solved the immediate function issue. In looking back, I am almost certain that I was paying too much attention to my next move and firing with too relaxed a grip because I was not concentrating. If a fully broken in Kahr, with more than 1000 flawless rounds can FTRB because of inattention to grip, you can imagine how easy it is for a smaller, lighter P380 to do the same. YMMV ;)

You hit the correct point, "A quick racking solves the issue". But heck, if it's "my grip issue or paying too much attention to my next move", then how come I did not have this problem with my ex-P380 and my current PM9 (I pay all the attention to get the one-inch group, lol).
Anyway, should she call Kahr and ask for a different recoil spring?
I'm surprised Kahr told her that they did a thourough test before they send it back to her. Before she received, I already predicted that it would still have some issue :D

[kahrlover123]

Kahrlover, How are you recieving these "updates". Are you calling or is there a way to check status online? Dan
I hate to tell you this but there is NO "online status" for you to check.
The only way you can find the status is "CALLING KAHR" and it's not pretty.
Sometimes they would give you a very broad update (your pistol is in the queue for gunsmith to look at) or lie (it will be shipped out the end of this week) to get you off the phone.

[Bawanna]

I would definitely go with more rounds myself. Choke the chicken, good solid grip. Run it a little wet.
I use Clint Eastwood when I help woman shooters. I tell them ya just gotta get a little mad dog mean and picture that target as a person that's gonna make you do something you don't want to do, like wash dishes or vacuum or iron and such. Sorry ladies, I hate myself. Perhaps picture them harming your children or some otherwise thing that would tick you off really bad. Aaah, perfect picture the target as bawanna telling you you have to iron and vacuum and wash dishes, that oughta do it.

Seriously, get serious.

I don't get the phone call being not pretty. I had occasion back in my barely hearing days to call and there was no issue, polite friendly, and honest. Now that I hear about as good as a cedar stump I'm stuck with email and that has netted me very good results also. We get mixed reports on that lately.

I think quite often the projection for getting the repair done is far longer than it usually really is. Better to predict long and deliver short rather than overrun the promised date. I suspect the standard IN Queue to see the gunsmith is probably code for it's getting done but I'm not sure when as in it's happening but I'm clueless perhaps.