KAHR P380 - Advise, thoughts

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triplebike

triplebike

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Any experience owners or have knowledge of this firearm. My son is looking for a small pocket pistol. My LGS posted the above on their facebook page this morning. It was priced right and would fit the bill for my son perfectly so I put it on layaway. Any ammo tips or other recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
 
Happy with mine,
some thoughts on mine
1. Recoil spring is stout, slide is not easy to rack, make sure you can do it . (some people with weak hands might have an issue)
2. Mine was not really happy till I had about 100 rounds thru it. I seem to recall Kahr mentioning a break in period
3. When new all my reloads with starting to mid range charges would not function, nothing but Full power stuff would, after 2-3 hundred rounds this problem went away
 
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That size .380?

Have an LCP, the original one. Don't like to shoot it much at all. I keep it around because of the very few times something like that is the only thing that can be carried. And, at this point, I'd never get back remotely what I have in it, selling it off.

I have some experience with Kahrs, none with their .380. Magazines are pricey. Paying more for the P instead of the budget line gets you a couple extra mags from the get go, which is good.
 
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Hope your luck is better than mine. It’s a great little gun in theory. In reality, by far the worst gun I’ve ever owned. Four trips to the factory for warranty service for nearly every problem under the sun, and mine still isn’t trustworthy.
 
Dudedog said:
Happy with my,
some thoughts on mine
1. Recoil spring is stout, slide is not easy to rack, make sure you can do it . (some people with weak hands might have an issue)

Went and checked out the firearm today. You're not kidding about racking. Would not be my cup of tea, but it's for my 28 yr old son and he's much stronger that I am. Trigger is super smooth, I mean like butter smooth, super long pull. Trigger is simular to my Walther PPS M2.
Click to expand...
 
The trigger to me seems like a nice double action revolver trigger.
It would be easier to rack the slide if it wasn't so small!
Didn't think it would be an issue for your son but wanted to mention it.

I have maybe 1500 rounds thru mine with no issues after break in.
I wanted something small in CA and my only two choices where the Kahr P380 and a Sig 238.
 
If you get one that works and you can live with the horrific trigger it should be a decent little gun. Good luck. I've had unbelievably terrible luck with kahr, tried to like them but I gave up. I still have 1 but I haven't fired it in many years, it's probably looking like a cheetoh by now, it lives under my spare tire just in case I guess.
 
I do enjoy the Khar 9mm’s (CM9, CW9, CT9 - & have one of each). I have a CT380 and it was problematic with frequent failures-to-feed until I returned it to Kahr. Their customer service was great and it only cost me shipping. The CT380 is reliable now.

All that to say that their .380’s seem to have more issues than the other calibers. That’s based on both my sample-of-one and the threads on the Khar forum (www.kahrtalk.com)
 
My Kahr experience has mostly with 9mm and .40 pistols. They are serious about the 200 round break-in and releasing the slide with the Slide Stop during that period. Part of it is that the guns are tight, but it is exaggerated due to the smaller grip and folks not gripping solidly when they first get their guns. My current EDC is a Kahr CW9

I have a friend who shoots his Kahr P380 in IDPA competition, in the BUG division, who's gun runs very reliability. At least for the 160 rounds we'll shoot during a monthly match...in burst of 18-20 rounds in ~30 seconds...he is feeding it factory RN ammo.

He hasn't mentioned any issues with controlling the trigger...the other pistol he competes with is a 1911
 
9mmepiphany said:
They are serious about the 200 round break-in
Click to expand...

My P380's break-in period ended at approximately 150 rounds, and then it worked flawlessly** until about round 275. Then the gun's breakdown period began . . . and never ended.

**Should note that the barrel was replaced after the first 20 shots or so due to the worst cut crown I've ever seen, which originally caused the gun to pattern like a shotgun at 15 yards.
 
I have had five different Kahr's now in the past 10 years. Love them all. Carry my .380 everyday. I use reloads that are a joy to shoot. Never had any problems with any of them. The triggers are long but smooth. I keep my left index finger on the slide to help steady it and it really helps with accuracy for me.
 
With the LCP Max now a thing any potential buyer of a .380 need to think long and hard if it's better than something else.

I did think about the CW380 years ago, but went another way. I can't think of a reason I'd go with a Kahr .380 these days unless I found the trigger that much better and recoil more manageable.
 
This firearm is for my son and he will be using a ankle holster. He needed something as small and as light as possible while working. My LGS sells their used firearms with a 30 day warrenty. My son and I will put it through it paces, if theres any issues he has 30 days to either return it or have Kahr service it, which is all taken care of by my LGS.

PS - MY range has FMJ ammo at $35 / 50 rds, damn!
 
triplebike said:
My LGS sells their used firearms with a 30 day warrenty.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's nice! Hopefully it's one that works well. Good to see that he won't be out anything but the cost of ammo if it doesn't.

I've always been envious of the folks with the unproblematic P380s/CW380s. I bought mine back in 2010 or 2011. I wonder if Kahr ever introduced any tweaks to the design along the way.
 
1st time with Kahr firearms. I figured American company, their Premire series carry a lifetime warrenty and Kahr seems to have excellent customer service.
 
triplebike

I had a CW40 that was still problematic after the 200 round break-in so down the road it went. Waited awhile until the CM9 came out and decided to give it a try. This one was great from the start with a DA trigger that rival some of my best S&W revolvers!

Have thought about getting a CW380 to go with it but I have heard varying reports of trouble with it, so much so that I'm hesitant to buy one. That and the fact that I recently bought a Ruger LCP MAX has kind of taken the little Kahr off the table for now.

Hope everything checks out okay with your son's P380. Sounds like you can't go wrong, especially with that 30 day warranty!
qAuLTDQ.jpg
 
I like Kahr, have seen many successes other than mine but 9 mm is their sweet spot. Not sure you are getting enough going to .380 in that gun even if it runs well. Still pretty heavy and boxy.

If you MUST have a smaller gun, things like the LCP are more advantageous.

If starting over, I'd probably do Shields, also. Rounder, and lighter, and the EZ gets around the racking issues of small guns very nicely.
 
shoobe01 said:
Not sure you are getting enough going to .380 in that gun even if it runs well. Still pretty heavy and boxy.

If you MUST have a smaller gun, things like the LCP are more advantageous.
Click to expand...

Can’t say I agree with that at all. The P380 is much smaller and lighter than the PM9, and it barely weighs more than an LCP. The P380’s form factor is perfect for pocket carry, as far as I’m concerned. And it’s just substantial enough in the grip that it’s much easier (for me) to shoot quickly and accurately at 15 yards than an LCP.
 
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Mine still runs fine on +p Corbon Powerball. It will choke on weak FMJ. Never carry it with cheap FMJ.

Use a hammer and a punch on the magazine floor plate. Magazine sitting flat on your work bench, follower pointing straight up, punch the folded steel plate tighter. Otherwise you'll be picking up all of your ammo, off the floor of a grocery store. Grind excess material off your reload mags plates. Some goofy mags may be hard to seat, under pressure.

Use a Kydex pocket holster, or a Crossbreed Minutuk.
 
If you like it, good for you. I passed on one after trying it, found it wildly unsuitable for things like pocket carry which is what I'd want a .380 for. Was trying to be subtle and leave room for those who like it with those terms but I *personally*. do not at all think the .380 Kahrs are worth it with current offerings and I like Kahr a lot.
 
I really appreciate all the replys, both the good and bad experiences. It's on layaway and he has 30 days to pick it up. Once he does that, we'll clean it, lube it and run 100 rds through it. I'll post a range report on it once thats done.
 
I have a Kahr CT380 and it has shot great from the first round through the barrel. It is a bit picky on ammo choice, as it loves S&B 380 FMJ but the slightly longer overall length of the Fiochi 380 caused feeding problems. I think it’s easy to shoot well and very reliable with the right ammo. It shoots so accurately that I eventually removed the Crimson Trace laser I’d installed on the pistol, as it’s easier to find holsters without the laser attached.
 
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