P380 break-in

[The1gun]

First 50 rounds. I followed the break-in advice.

One round failed to go into battery completely but tapped in easily. I'm sure it was my grip. While a firm grip is definitely necessary this is a fun gun to shoot.

Used both mags but did not load +1. Mag-tech ammo.

Q-tip lubed with Ballistol.

It seems that I had to let the front sight stand a little proud to get right on the money elevation wise. Left/right was perfect.

All in all I think the gun is flawless to this point.

[RRP]

Very nice report. Glad to hear you are building confidence in the P380. It's a fine little pistol.

Welcome aboard!

[The1gun]

Round count 51 thru 100. Stuck with Magtech. Used the flush mag and intended to load 6+1 but at the end I had 2 rounds left so I must have loaded loaded 5+1 on one of them.

I concentrated on my best gorilla grip and not accuracy. Of the 7 magazines I fired 4 had a failure to go fully into battery on the next to last round. A soft tap was all that was needed to get the slide fully forward. Interestingly enough, on the last magazine I watched the slide stop about a 1/16 of an inch short of full battery but before I could tap it, it slowly went into battery.

I'm still sure that my grip could have prevented the "failures" because every magazine after it happened were malfunction free because i think i just instintively clamped down harder.

Now I'm going to clean and relube for the next 50. I'm also going to run it a little wetter.

[RRP]

You're doing all the right things. Yes, it's a good idea to lube it well during break-in. Keep doing what you're doing. If you haven't taken your mag apart, I would break it down and clean and lube lightly with Ballistol.

[MW surveyor]

A little wetter for a new gun is probably good.

and........Welcome to the forum

[The1gun]

I forgot about taking the mag apart. Will do.

[The1gun]

Round count 101 thru 150. Switched to grease after 100 round cleaning. Cleaned and lubed mag. Stuck with Magtech. Loaded 6 mags 6 rounds each. 2 mags 6+1.

No malfunctions.

Bumped the mag release once and locked the slide back. Glad it happened.

Will not clean for next 50.

[RRP]

~
Switched to grease after 100 round cleaning. ~

No malfunctions.
~

That was a good idea. I use Ballistol, too, for reasons that go beyond function of my guns. But I admit, it's not the best lubricant because it breaks down quickly, especially in the presence of moisture. That's not usually a problem for me, because I clean and lube after every use. But your experiment gives some hint that grease is a better lubricant for break-in.

Glad you found the right combination to eliminate malfunctions. With each range trip, your confidence in the P380 will increase. Keep doing what you're doing. Good job!

[The1gun]

Hickock45 got me using Ballistol but I just can't seem to bring myself to lather it on like he does. Also his gorilla grip is much more gorilla than mine. He doesn't seem to show recoil no matter what he shoots. My hands are not big but even so the p380 feels really small. I am resisting inner tubing the grip because I don't want any drag pulling from my pocket. I'm sure if I tube it I won't go back to the stock grip.

Thanks for the mag advice.

[The1gun]

Rounds 151 thru 200 Magtech

For absolutely no good reason I cleaned and relubed with Break Free. 30 rounds trouble free this run of 50 which made 80 rounds trouble free since the last malfunction. I then experienced 20 rounds of hit and miss function. Might have been grip, might have been my right thumb clipping the mag release, might have been the Break Free. So I field stripped, cleaned a bit, went back to grease and soldiered on.

I had 3 brands of PD ammo with me so I thought since I'm having problems let's see what the JHP performance would be like.

Since I was half way expecting at least one of the brands to malfunction, i decided to alternate brands each mag. I loaded 6 each time. Flawless performance and accuracy 65 rounds. Since I think slide speed is the main issue with my p380 perhaps the hotter ammo helps. I also really concentrated on tucking my right thumb down and away from the slide. Normally my two hand technique is both thumbs free and pointing downrange.

The ammo brands were CRITICAL DEFENSE, GOLD DOT AND CORBON. I really can't say my accuracy comparison was definitive, but my best groups seemed to be with the Hornady.

So 265 rounds downrange no malfunctions with PD ammo (last 65)

Also, as I have said before, this little gun has to have a solid grip to function. Still have not tubed the grip.

I really love shooting this little gun...

[yqtszhj]

I remember post in the past where the hotter ammo has worked better for the P380's.

Sounds like your's is running good.

[Geobob]

Hello, 1gun - assume you are joining this group since this is the new member subforum, so......welcome from Missouri to a really great forum!
-----------------------------------
Geologist Bob
US Navy P-3 Pilot, Army Guard Huey & Blackhawk Pilot (ret.)

[The1gun]

Thanks geobob, liking my first kahr.