Kahr P380 Problem

[hawkeye10]

I have a Kahr P380 and it is stove pipeing about 3 or 4 times per 100 rounds. I have been careful to not limp wrist it and my hand is not touching the slide. I have looked on several web sites such as Kahr Talk but I have not got any help. Thanks for any help. Don

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

First we need to define the term. In firearms parlance, it refers to a fired case that does not fully eject, is caught by the returning slide and trapped in the ejection port with the base down and the mouth sticking up, resembling a stove pipe or a smokestack. If it is something else, please describe. How many rounds have been through the gun? A few stoppages can be forgiven in the first 200 rounds, Kahr's specification for a break-in period. (That many stoppages is excessive, though.) What ammunition are you using?

 

[hawkeye10]

I have have shot a total of 300 rounds through the gun. The first 200 was a mix of ammo all brass case. The last 100 was CCI Blazer aluminum case ammo. The empty shell case is getting trapped between the barrel hood and the slide. Thanks for any help. Don

 

[71Commander]

Do you have a little finger thingy on the mag or is it the stock base plate?

 

[hawkeye10]

Yes I have a Pearce Grip on it. Don

 

[71Commander]

Take it off and try it again. I kept having feed issues with mine. I sent it back to Kahr twice. Both time I sent it with a stock mag. It worked perfectly for them. They sent it back saying nothing was wrong. Finally I tried it with the mag I sent them and it worked fine. I took the finger thingy off of my other mags and they worked too.

I determined that the finger thingy kept the mag about 1/2 a mil from being completely seated. It would lock up but just out enough to create a timing issue. The round being stripped from the mag would hit the frame instead of the ramp, causing a feed/extraction problem. The solution is to take off the finger thingy and rub the top part over sand paper to allow the mag to seat all the way or just leave it off.

 

[Zerodefect]

Use more powerful ammo. During practice with FMJ you should expect about 3 malfs per 100 rounds, maybe more.

Get 100 rounds of Corbon DPX or Powerball. I've noticed that hotter ammo makes the Kahr much more reliable. Mines 100% on Corbon.

 

[71Commander]

During practice with FMJ you should expect about 3 malfs per 100 rounds, maybe more.

What a crock! Feeding issues are associated with all bullet profiles except FMJ ammo.

If I had 3 FTF with every 100 rounds, I'd get rid of the gun. I have 38 handguns and everyone of them perform without any problems. I shoot over 2,000 a month. My Para P18 LDA and STI Trojan is in the 20,000 round without a problem range.

 

[kokapelli]

What a crock! Feeding issues are associated with all bullet profiles except FMJ ammo.

If I had 3 FTF with every 100 rounds, I'd get rid of the gun. I have 38 handguns and everyone of them perform without any problems. I shoot over 2,000 a month. My Para P18 LDA and STI Trojan is in the 20,000 round without a problem range.

These little pocket guns with their very short slides are much more sensitive and timing is far more difficult. Your comparing full sized guns and that's apples and oranges.

With that said, any failures on a self defense gun is unacceptable. I'd call Kahr and insist they fix it.

 

[71Commander]

My Kahr has close to 800 problem free rounds through it. It was sent back to Kahr 2 times. The problem was a creation of my own design. Keep the recoil spring changed and these mouse guns should be good to go.

All of my rounds are handloads.

 

[kokapelli]

My Kahr has close to 800 problem free rounds through it. It was sent back to Kahr 2 times. The problem was a creation of my own design. Keep the recoil spring changed and these mouse guns should be good to go.

All of my rounds are handloads.

I agree that that these little pistols need recoil springs changed more frequently than full sized pistols but he has only 300 rounds through his P380 and it should not need a recoil spring change yet.

 

[71Commander]

No it doesn't. I think his problem is with the base pad.

 

[fatcpa]

My P380 has over 800 rounds through it. It doesn't like Fiochhi hollow points but other that that it hasn't missed a beat when I've shot it, even during break in. My wife has experienced a few problems while shooting it, but we determined it was her grip. The little gun likes to be gripped firmly, otherwise it stovepipes.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I have have shot a total of 300 rounds through the gun. The first 200 was a mix of ammo all brass case. The last 100 was CCI Blazer aluminum case ammo.

OK, did the stoppages happen only with the Blazer, or with all of the ammo? Sometimes the Blazer's lighter aluminum case does not get thrown clear, which has happened to my CZ.

 

[Lonestar49]

Round count is, could be, key

These little pocket guns with their very short slides are much more sensitive and timing is far more difficult. Your comparing full sized guns and that's apples and oranges.

...

When I owned a Sig P232 SL 380acp, I found that with the dirty blow-back action that it had, from a totally clean start, 180 FMJ rounds and from that point on, any JHP's would jam after the 1st or second shot, each mag, like clock work - Gun had to be totally cleaned including mags interiors).

Then I made note that the gun could go aprox 220 rounds with FMJ only, then, like clock work, same type jams mentioned above per mag there after, without fail.

The cure was clean gun at or before the above given round counts and it worked flawlessly but to try and go above the noted round counts and without fail, the numbers didn't lie, nor did the fact that even using good, clean, 95gr FMJ the gun had a limited number of rounds it could continue to fire before it got so dirty in the top 1/3 rd of the interior of the mags, the feed ramp (solid, shinny, steel) was black, along with the barrel chamber was black, and there was no getting around the dirty blow-back action and the reliably factor within the known round count starting with a fresh, cleaned gun..

Might want to count, then clean, then count, to get a verification/reason of your possible jam problems..

Also, polishing the feed ramp and barrel chamber using Flitz gun polish will help..

Luck,


Ls

 

[Zerodefect]

What a crock! Feeding issues are associated with all bullet profiles except FMJ ammo.

If I had 3 FTF with every 100 rounds, I'd get rid of the gun. I have 38 handguns and everyone of them perform without any problems. I shoot over 2,000 a month. My Para P18 LDA and STI Trojan is in the 20,000 round without a problem range.

You can't compare a gun smaller than a wallet to a Para or STi 1911! The Kahr p380 is tiny, and has a strong dual recoil spring setup. You can't expect flawless reliability with poor ammo and these little guns.

Poor quality, weak ammo like WWB will not cycle it with complete reliability. More powerful defensive ammo will. (with most Kahr p380's and pm9's I've seen)

Also check the crimp/fold on the bottom of your mags, make sure that base plate is tight.

 

[71Commander]

I have small guns as well. They all work. If they don't, I find out the problem and fix em.

My P380 and Sig 238



My P380 before paint job and my PM9



KT P3AT



Colt 380 Gov't



NAA Guardian (It's a beast to shoot)

 

[hawkeye10]

Just got back from the range and shot 100 rounds. I shot 50 CCI Blazer aluminum case and 50 Remington brass case. The Remington had four stove pipes and the CCI had none. As far as feeding they all fed perfect. I am beginning to think it is an ammo problem. Don

 

[ddc]

During practice with FMJ you should expect about 3 malfs per 100 rounds, maybe more.

I don't understand that statement at all. Are you serious?

With respect to K9's:

I have two K9's (I bought both used) that I shoot with a variety of FMJ (S&B, American Eagle, etc.) and I don't think I've ever had a failure.

 

[Zerodefect]

I don't understand that statement at all. Are you serious?

With respect to K9's:

I have two K9's (I bought both used) that I shoot with a variety of FMJ (S&B, American Eagle, etc.) and I don't think I've ever had a failure.

Yup completely serious.

So far the FMJ I've been shooting has noticably less recoil and flash than my JHP rounds. WWB is very weak feeling and fails at least 3/100. Corbon is 100% reliable in mine. My p380 has a fairly stiff recoil spring setup.

Allthough I tend to push the limits of these tiny guns, odd positions, potentially bad grip, etc. I have no doubt that more expensive JHP rounds are far more reliable in my p380.

 

[kokapelli]

Something is wrong here.
I shoot a lot of WWB 380 in my two P-3ATs, TPC, Micro Desert Eagle, Bersa and P238 and have never had a misfire in any ofnthem with the WWB 380 ammo.

 

[Girodin]

Use more powerful ammo. During practice with FMJ you should expect about 3 malfs per 100 rounds, maybe more.

I would consider that an unacceptably high malfunction rate. Neither my LCP or my mustang do that. Nor, to the best of my knowledge, do the LCPs of two friends I shoot with regularly.