New Kahr P380 w/Tritium night sights: my review
Hi all, from Dallas-TX. I'm fairly new to guns, and my only other gun is a like-new Taurus 24/7 Pro 9mm for home defense.
After 4wks & countless hours of extensively scouring internet forums for CCW weapon reviews, range reports, gun/size/caliber/brand comparisons, I finally took the plunge and splurged with my top choice - a new Kahr P380 with factory-installed Tritium (Trijicon) night sights.
My gun serial number is RBXXXX. I have found others posts about their guns being serial # RAXXXX, but had not yet seen anyone to date post with an RB (vs RA) number, so I believe my piece must be very new. It is a two-tone (nickel slide) P380. I got a pretty good deal from the local gun range shop for a total discounted price of $679 - discounted because I also bought a cheap annual membership to the range for discounted range fees.
I won't do a detailed range report or detailed review of all aspects of the gun; rather, just the things that stood out for me, from my first use of the gun today.
When I bought the gun, my initial impression was that it felt VERY light (MUCH lighter and smaller than the Kahr PM9 - so much so that I found it definitely worth getting the P380 over the PM9 - since weight/ concealment was a higher priority for me than caliber size)
I also was sold on the gun after a lengthy discussion with the range officer/CHL instructor, who also has the P380 and ranted & raved about it, and attested to its flawless operation and service as his only CCW.
I shot two boxes (100 rounds) of Winchester .380 95gr range ammo with the P380 today.
First impression was that the .380 is not a pipsqueak slap-on-the-wrist type round. In spite of the naysayers who tried to dissuade me from getting a .380 pistol (to instead opt for a larger caliber for CCW), I'm very happy that I stayed true to my initial desire to get a .380 / super compact pistol. It would be no picnic to get hit with a .380 round, that's for sure. This was my impression after my firing several range ammo rounds (for the first time). It packs plenty of punch and "pow factor" to suit my needs just fine.
Before going to the range, I took apart the pistol and thoroughly cleaned & lubed it - it was very easy to strip, clean, lube and put back together. All under 10mins, for the 1st time field stripping of this pistol.
At the range, the gun was extremely easy to hold, acquire a sight, and extremely accurate. It was very easy on my hands (I have smaller hands), and left very little impression on my right hand after shooting 100 rounds. It is an extremely pleasant shooter, with very little/manageable recoil. I could easily have put a few more boxes of ammo through it with no hand fatigue.
At the end of every empty magazine, the gun always locked the slide back. It was extremely easy and fuss-free to thumb-flick the slide-release lever to chamber the 1st round, upon inserting a full magazine.
About 5 times out of the 100 rounds fired, I had the slide not go all the way forward after firing a round. It stayed back about 1/8th of an inch. This did not seem to cause any performance issue as it always fed/fired the next round. The range officer advised to casually be aware of it - and if it happens, just thumb the slide all the way forward before shooting.
The trigger is so perfect - it has just the right amount of weight to it to inspire confidence that it won't accidentally discharge. And the pistol has a long trigger pull - something to get used to, but also gives you pause every time you squeeze the trigger - as if to ensure that you are really are certain and intentional in firing the weapon.
I had 1 failure to feed ("FTF") - where the action/breech stayed open - after the 3rd round fired from the new pistol. It took a simple tap/rack/bang motion to fire the next round. In the 2 boxes of range ammo I've gone through so far, I had a grand total of 3 FTFs. This is a remarkably low number of failures for a gun that has a Kahr-recommended breakin of 200 rounds before it's 100% reliable. 3 FTFs surely exceeded my expectations. After about 80 rounds, I had no FTFs at all. I do plan on going through the 200 rounds total, before completely trusting/relying on it as my full-time CCW.
I was quickly and consistently able to get 2-3" groupings at the 3 and 7yd range distance.
From the reviews I read online before purchasing the gun, I'd heard of people having a lot more than 3 FTFs in their breakin period. This simply was not an issue for me. I had lowered expectations from the many issues I'd found in my research on the P380 from various internet sites - glocktalk, youtube reviews, etc.
Aside from the few FTFs, the gun (practically always) fired no matter how I held it - limp wrist, "gangsta" grip*, one-hand, two-hand, etc. (*just to test not holding it correctly: I'm not advocating improper use)
I had no FTEs or other malfunctions aside from the FTFs mentioned above.
Bottom line, when you pull the trigger, it will go bang. I very STRONGLY recommend the Tritium night sights – even at the range (daytime) it greatly aids in very quickly acquiring a sight and accurate aim.
This pistol really felt and stayed true to its reputation as the Rolls Royce of micro/compact CCW suitable pistols. The only con I can think of is the mid to high price point.
For an extremely pleasant, accurate, easy to shoot, reliable gun you could "trust your life with, if it depended on it" - you cannot go wrong with the Kahr P380.
It has exceeded my expectations, and I will be treasuring this piece and exercising it a lot at the range over the next several months. Feel free to comment or ask any questions. Thanks!
