My new P380 is now 100% reliable, until it gets dirty. Would you carry it?

[In2Deep]

After doing some work on my P380 (2023 mfg. date), it is finally 100% reliable until it gets filthy dirty; which is usually after 100 rounds. After that it begins to suffer stove-pipes. I've put a total of around 600 rounds thru my P380 and it doesn't appear to be ammo-sensitive. It cycles Underwood Xtreme Penetrators perfectly, which is my preferred carry round (for this pistol).

My other carry guns are 100% reliable 100% all of the time- even when they get filthy. Is this type of performance even possible with the P380? Would you feel comfortable carrying it at this point, or should I continue with my quest of making it 100% reliable 100% all of the time? My OCD would like to hear your thoughts. Thanks!



Some work I've done to date:

-I installed a Lakeline Ultimate striker

Note: My first Lakeline striker was deflective. The tip of the striker protruded past the breach face about half as much as it should have; causing light primer strikes. I emailed the folks at Lakeline and they send me a replacement striker with a postage paid return envelope within a few hours of emailing them. Lakeline gave me amazing customer service. The replacement is perfect.

- I replaced the factory guide rod with stainless steel guide rod (polished it mirror-bright)

- I polished the feed ramp and chamber (also mirror-bright)

- I repositioned the inside recoil spring, which was installed backwards by the factory

- I installed a Galloway Precision stainless steel striker guide

- I've cleaned every nook and cranny (a bunch of times) and keep it well lubed

[berettabone]

IMHO, no. I don't think that any small semi auto is 100% reliable. Too much going on in such a small area. You can cut down the possibilities of an issue but never totally eliminate the possibility of a malfunction. It sounds like you've done just about everything you could do/change. Even after all of that, you'll probably have to continue doing what you're doing as far as cleaning and carry a totally clean firearm. I think most of us do that anyway......................

[AJBert]

Keep it clean?

[In2Deep]

For those of you with reliable P380's.... after how many rounds fired does yours begin to fail?

[King Rat]

Small 380's and 9mm's are as reliable as any firearm no matter what the size up to 200 rds of continuous shooting at which point they become dirty.. I know this from having thousands of rounds through different guns and shooting the standard 200 rds per session for years. For a 380 pocket gun to be reliable are just a few things. Keep them clean and change out the recoil springs and know how to shoot them. Also do not over lube them.
My guess is about 98% of any issues are dirty guns, bad recoil springs and USER ERROR. Limb wresting, riding the slide etc.

[iWander]

I don't see the problem to be honest. Are you ever going to carry it in the field and fire 200 rounds before having a chance to clean it? Probably not. If a compact or full size gun, like a police officer's duty gun, failed within 200 rounds of cleaning we'd have a problem because the expectations are different. But the tolerances are so tight on micro guns like the P380 you should EXPECT it. Heck, most high dollar 1911s and other custom guns have similar tolerances and they don't last more than 200 rounds before they have to be cleaned.

I wouldn't worry about it. Keep it clean and change the springs on a regular basis.

[FreeMe]

This is why I always bring CLP to the range when I expect to be doing a lot of shooting. While it's more normal for some pistols to function perfectly after 100+ rounds than it used to be, it's still not the rule. And those that do tend to have loose tolerances. Experience tells me to expect lower power calibers to be less tolerant of fouling.

[Bawanna]

I don't see the problem to be honest. Are you ever going to carry it in the field and fire 200 rounds before having a chance to clean it? Probably not. If a compact or full size gun, like a police officer's duty gun, failed within 200 rounds of cleaning we'd have a problem because the expectations are different. But the tolerances are so tight on micro guns like the P380 you should EXPECT it. Heck, most high dollar 1911s and other custom guns have similar tolerances and they don't last more than 200 rounds before they have to be cleaned.

I wouldn't worry about it. Keep it clean and change the springs on a regular basis.

I'm bawanna (basically a nobody) and I endorse this message.

[DJK11]

I would continue the quest for 100% reliability because at some point it will have a hiccup. That hiccup may be out of your control. If it balks past 100 rounds due to gunk buildup, don’t fire more than that. You best have a good reason to fire that many in a SD situation.

[SlowBurn]

After doing some work on my P380 (2023 mfg. date), it is finally 100% reliable until it gets filthy dirty; which is usually after 100 rounds. After that it begins to suffer stove-pipes. I've put a total of around 600 rounds thru my P380 and it doesn't appear to be ammo-sensitive. It cycles Underwood Xtreme Penetrators perfectly, which is my preferred carry round (for this pistol).

Are you going to carry more than 17 loaded mags every day? If so, it kind of defeats the advantage of pocket carry. If not, what difference could it possibly make that the gun gets dirty after the first 100 rounds?
If your P380 is reliable, and the convenience of carrying a really great pocket gun is worth the trade off of its limited capacity, then carry it. That's what I do.