Anybody else here with a p380

[misunderestimated]

have you gotton any range time with it. I have a bout 400 rounds thru mine. I love the gun . I purchased a Ruger LCP to keep as a pocket gun and beside dealing with the callback I was unhappy that the slide did not remain open on the last shot and the trigger stroke was so long.

I purchaced the p380 and think its a great gun so far. My only concern is the mag doesnt eject with the button so easy and I have a touch time pulling it out as I cant get a grip on the base plate and dont have any finger nails to get under it.

[Milty]

I just purchased mine on Thrusday. RA13XX. Here is a list of the bugs during the 200 rd break-in:

Break-in bugs.
FTF 60% of the time for both types of ammo
FTE once

Bugs fixed when I replaced mag:
Mag would drop when fired.
Slide would no lock into rear position after last round.

Now all the bugs seemed to be worked out. The accuracy at both 14ft and 21ft was very impressive.

Rounds used: 100 X Remington UMC, 100 x Import Ammo

[casecloer44]

So how d you guys like the p380. And how does the size compare to a p3at or lcp.

[Milty]

I love my P380. I can't help you with the size comparisons but there are a couple youtube videos that may help you out with that.

[misunderestimated]

So how d you guys like the p380. And how does the size compare to a p3at or lcp.


Me personally absolutely love the gun, fits my hand perfect,recoil is comfortable,Nice trigger stroke,useable sights,acurate,size allows me to never leave the home with out it regaurdless of what summer close I wear.

I would have to lay them side by side to see if there is a size differance. I stopped carring or taking the LCP to the range shortly after realizing the slide did not stay open after its mag was empty

[Jeff00042]

I have had five Kahrs over the years. Three had to be returned to Kahr because of reliability problems. I have 1300+ rounds through my P380 and, after two trips to Kahr, it is still behind the LCP in reliability. The P380 has a better trigger and sights as well as less recoil. Concealability is slightly better for me with the LCP because of grip length and shape. However, reliability trumps all of these. We'll see.

[misunderestimated]

Jeff

WOW thats alot of rounds to put thru the gun,I am just wondering where you were able to find that much 380. I only have 150 target rounds left

[Jeff00042]

I searched the Internet incessantly until I found a source. I also
ordered from suppliers who would allow backorders. Cabelas often has ammo. I will never again buy from Cheaper than Dirt because of their recent exploitive pricing. Good luck.

[WMD]

I have a P380 and love it. I have not had any issues at all. I probably have 500 or so rounds through it so far. I found out it does need to be cleaned a bit more frequently then the larger guns. After a couple hundred rounds the ramp gets pretty dirty.

[Diocoles]

I've seen the new ads for the .380 and would like it for a bug, but I think I may hold off till more responses come in. I really like my CW9, but so far the .380 is sounding iffish.... Is it grip issues or really design issues? :confused:

[lawndart]

Mine works great. Zero problems. Come to think of it, I've never had a Kahr FTF, FTE....I'm either lucky, or good ;)

[Joe from N.Y.]

Jeff

WOW thats alot of rounds to put thru the gun,I am just wondering where you were able to find that much 380. I only have 150 target rounds left

Plenty here on Long Island, NY. Two weeks ago at the local D i c k's Sporting Goods i got Remington UMC value-pak of 250 rounds for $89. Also that serbian brand is around for about $19 for 50 rounds.

[kahrcrazy]

have you gotton any range time with it. I have a bout 400 rounds thru mine. I love the gun . I purchased a Ruger LCP to keep as a pocket gun and beside dealing with the callback I was unhappy that the slide did not remain open on the last shot and the trigger stroke was so long.

I purchaced the p380 and think its a great gun so far. My only concern is the mag doesnt eject with the button so easy and I have a touch time pulling it out as I cant get a grip on the base plate and dont have any finger nails to get under it.

On my P9 Covert had the same problem. Sent it back to Kahr, they filed the inside of the magwell and fixed the problem. Mags should and now do drop freely.

[Joe from N.Y.]

.
.
Here are excerpts from a letter I sent to Kahr:


Enclosed herewith please find my Model P380 serial # RA05xx in the original hard case, along with the two original magazines. This item was bought by me new (yesterday) on June 24, 2009. I went to the range the next day (today) to put the recommended two hundred rounds through it in order to properly break it in. (I used ball type ammo. for the entire incident). I must say that it was a very discouraging experience. Right from the first round, I experienced jams with numerous failure to feed instances. At first, the magazines would not feed with more than four rounds loaded. They seem to have loosened up after a while, to actually feed while loaded with six rounds. Upon closer inspection, after a while, I was able to observe that as one inserts a loaded magazine, the end of the slide stop was protruding into the magazine well, and contacting the top of the round, basically obstructing it and thereby preventing the round from loading into the barrel chamber properly. Also at the range, as well as later on the phone with your tech. support department, while attempting to chamber a round from the magazine, I also experienced several instances where the round would jam at about a 45 degree angle between the barrel and rear of the slide. Occasionally the round would make it further into the barrel before jamming with the slide stuck partially back. This necessitated a sharp blow to the rear of the slide with the palm of the left hand to get the slide closed properly.

After researching my problem and symptoms on the internet, I read that there are others who experience the same type problems with this model and they mention who by name at the company (Sean) helped them resolve their problem. There is also a lot of Kahr bashing and experiences described followed by suggestions that one should not buy a Kahr pistol due to reliability issues regarding jamming, FTF's, etc..

I decided on going with your brand yesterday, I hoped to find quality in your product, but was quite a bit put off by the problems I encountered. I had hoped to carry this pistol with me everywhere, and never have to worry about it, but as of now, this is not the case.

I appreciate your quick assistance on the phone, and hope you can get this pistol to load, shoot, eject, and cycle properly. It is a bad feeling to have paid quite a bit more for a Kahr P380 than for a P-3AT or an LCP. I would like this beautiful little gun to get working properly. am going to post my experience with your company on the internet, and I would really like to show all the Kahr-bashers that they are wrong, and that your service is above Kel-Tec and Ruger, and indeed if you spend the extra cash to get the Kahr, it is worth it, and you get what you pay for.

See the next post for a follow-up

[Joe from N.Y.]

I called Kahr, and their customer service was excellent. They kept it about three weeks, and when i got it back, i could not believe it was the same gun. When I got it back, it was flawless. It is smooth, and reliable. The gun never jams, no FTF's, no FTE's, totally reliable. Compared to my Seecamp 380, this Kahr is a pleasure to shoot. Nicely balanced in your hand, very little recoil, nice and light to carry. I have this little gun in a nemesis in my back pocket all of my waking hours, and it is the only gun on me everyday taking the subways under the streets of Brooklyn. I put about 800 rounds through it, it is smooth as silk.
I am so impressed with the reliable functioning of this P380, that i recommend it to all my friends. All my original complaints have been addressed and resolved. If you have a problem with yours, call them and send it back. You ship FedEx overnight and get it back the same way. Kahr gets an A++ from me for customer service. I guess you do get what you pay for.

Here is the letter i got back with the gun describing the work done:

http://i982.photobucket.com/albums/ae310/photospotxx/P380ServiceLetterfromfactoryMedium.jpg

[Rogereh]

Please see my comments in this thread:
http://kahrtalk.com/p-cw-series-pistols/189-ammo-selection-p380.html

My gun seems to not like Rem/UMC ammo too much. I've read elsewhere on the Web of others making the same comment about Remington ammo in various makes of guns. (especially 22LR) My Glocks will eat just about anything (like my dog).

So far I really like the little P380.
~ROGER~

[Spank the Monkey]

I got my P380 last week. Only 70 rnds through it so far, but more range time today. No failures at all so far with mixed ball/jacketed. It feels a little larger to me while carrying (front pocket) than my LCP.... :)

[Rogereh]

So how d you guys like the p380. And how does the size compare to a p3at or lcp.

Here's some comparison photos that I originally posted on the Kel-Tec forums comparing the P380 to a P-3AT.

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt276/rogereh/scales.jpg
http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt276/rogereh/380s.jpg

~ROGER~

[Kahrdog]

Really nice work here Roger. The pictures tell the tale from every angle. The scales are a nice touch too. Good Job!

[Spank the Monkey]

I got a chance to put another 50 rnds through my P380 over the weekend. No problems whatsoever! It seems like this little pistol is going to be a breeze to break in. :)

[kpm9]

To me, the quality difference is readily apparent.

[camper]

Got mine in February 09, SN under 200, and have over 650 rounds through it. I use Gold Dot as the carry ammo. No problems to date.

[shooter521]

I don't (yet) own a P380, but got the chance to test-fire one for a friend of mine a couple months ago. Here's the review I posted on a local forum:
____________________

Hey, all!

A co-worker of mine bought a Kahr P380 a couple months ago, but has been unable to shoot it due to ongoing health and scheduling issues. So he brought it to me along with a couple spare mags and some ammo, and asked if I'd wring it out and report back to him. Duh, OK. ;-)

So this afternoon I happened to be down at lovemywoods' place doing some troubleshooting on a couple of guns in preparation for NFA Day, and figured I'd shoot the little Kahr alongside my customized Colt Pony Pocketlite and do a bit of comparison/contrast. lovemywoods and esrice graciously agreed to help out. The P380 was unfired prior to today, beyond anything done at the factory before shipment. The Colt had a documented 725 rounds through it.

The Kahr and the Colt:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i188/shooter521/misc%20guns/p380_pony.jpg
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i188/shooter521/misc%20guns/p380_pony2.jpg

esrice shooting the P380:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i188/shooter521/misc%20guns/evan_P380.jpg

My results:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i188/shooter521/misc%20guns/p380_target.jpg

Some thoughts:

SIZE
The Pony's grip is nicely hand-filling while the P380's seems almost too thin (think Kel-Tec P3AT or Ruger LCP here). Both guns only allow two fingers on the grip. The P380, being slimmer and lacking the beavertail found on the Pony, is a bit more concealable. Capacity on both guns is the same, 6+1. Advantage: None.

SIGHTS
The P380's sights are of the "bar-dot" pattern but are extremely low profile. They are better than what pass for sights on the P32/P3AT/LCP, and are even preferable to the standard Pony sights (rear notch and integral front blade), but the custom Cylinder & Slide front sight on my Pony was much easier to pick up. Plus, the P380 shot consistently low at 7 yards.
Advantage: Pony.

TRIGGER
The P380 trigger "feel" is identical to that on my P9... smooth DAO with about 1/4" of take-up, ~6# break and a long reset. No surprises there. It blows the stock Pony trigger pull out of the water, and is shorter and lighter even than my C&S tuned example. That said, I felt I could manage or "stage" the Pony's trigger more easily. lovemywoods also preferred it by a small margin.
Advantage: Pony.

RELIABILITY
The P380 burned through 110 rounds including 3 types of FMJ and 2 types of JHP, without a single malfunction. The Pony had 1 malfunction in an equal number of rounds.
Advantage: P380.

ACCURACY
Despite the fact that it shot low at 7 yards with all ammo types, consistency and accuracy were outstanding. Average group sizes with the P380 were smaller than with the Pony, and I had multiple holes touching on several occasions.
Advantage: P380.

In closing, the Kahr P380 would make an excellent backup or deep cover gun. It has usable sights, is small enough to conceal easily but has enough size and mass to be a comfortable shooter, has a good trigger, is quite accurate for its size class, and is boringly reliable. As esrice said, "it's everything Kahr, only smaller." :-)

The P380 with factory night sights is supposed to be available by year's end... I will have one.

[jocko]

you forgot to mention the weight difference. I think that is what separates the two guns, Both are qualiity and will shoot tillthe cows come home but the P380 is lighter by far.

[shooter521]

Both are qualiity and will shoot tillthe cows come home but the P380 is lighter by far.

Weight difference is negligible. The P380 weighs in at about 10oz. with no mag, while the Pony Pocketlite runs about 13oz. In the pocket, they feel about the same.

[Orphanedcowboy]

Picked mine up this morning, if it is half as smooth as the P40, I will be happy.

Have to wait on the rain to stop so I can head to the farm to break it in and have fun.