Originally I wanted my first handgun 9mm, very much like to get a xdm 3.8, but after I went to a gun show and held and handled lots of guns on display for hours, I feel with my smaller and not so strong hands, walther pk380 is a much better gun for me to handle, I found 9mm very hard to even rack the slide (my thumbs have arthritis)...
Walther PK380 good?
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RightCoastBiased
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My brother has a PK380 and I've always enjoyed shooting it. He finds it difficult to conceal because of it's long grip. But with a good holster and appropriate dress it is a non-issue.
I find the gun to be easy to shoot and operate, though the mag release on the trigger guard is hard to get at and always throws me. But I point the gun and it puts a bullet where I want it.
So I'd give it a go. All the times I've shot it I've not seen any FTF, FTE or any other issues.
I find the gun to be easy to shoot and operate, though the mag release on the trigger guard is hard to get at and always throws me. But I point the gun and it puts a bullet where I want it.
So I'd give it a go. All the times I've shot it I've not seen any FTF, FTE or any other issues.
Twmaster
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I've had one for about a month now. I bought this for CCW. I was originally looking at smaller pistols but none fit my hands well enough to give me a good feeling. Overall I like it. It fits my hand well, shoots well and is easy on the recoil. The only gripe I have is the stupid key needed to unlock the take down lever so you can remove the slide for cleaning.
Otherwise it's just fine in my opinion.
Here's mine:
I bought it at Academy Sports. It was regularly priced at $359 but I got 10% off due to a very minor blemish on the take down lever.
Otherwise it's just fine in my opinion.
Here's mine:
I bought it at Academy Sports. It was regularly priced at $359 but I got 10% off due to a very minor blemish on the take down lever.
harmon rabb
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I bought one for my wife a while back and have shot it a bunch. Let's see...
The Good:
-small grip fits very well in small female hands. it's also perfectly comfortable in my average sized male hands.
-trigger and sights are decent
-recoil is very, very low. it barely pops more than a .22
-slide is very, very easy to rack. if you have hand strength issues, this right here may sell you on the pk380.
-it's light.
-it's honestly fun to shoot. if 380 were cheaper, i'd bring this thing to the range with my every time.
The Bad
-you need to use a tiny plastic tool to field strip the gun. really? how dumb is that? will walther send you a new tool after you lose it?
-it's as large as single stack 9mm's, and you're sacrificing a lot in terms of ballistics by going with a 380 instead of a 9mm... but modern 380 really isn't that bad anyway.
The Ugly
-it's DA/SA, designed to be carried with the hammer down in DA... but how do you get the hammer down? look at that lever right there, that must be a decocker, right? oh no. the lever simply raises a plate that blocks the hammer from hitting the firing pin. to decock this gun, you flip the safety on then PULL THE TRIGGER. whoever thought this was a good idea should be kicked in the nads.
The Good:
-small grip fits very well in small female hands. it's also perfectly comfortable in my average sized male hands.
-trigger and sights are decent
-recoil is very, very low. it barely pops more than a .22
-slide is very, very easy to rack. if you have hand strength issues, this right here may sell you on the pk380.
-it's light.
-it's honestly fun to shoot. if 380 were cheaper, i'd bring this thing to the range with my every time.
The Bad
-you need to use a tiny plastic tool to field strip the gun. really? how dumb is that? will walther send you a new tool after you lose it?
-it's as large as single stack 9mm's, and you're sacrificing a lot in terms of ballistics by going with a 380 instead of a 9mm... but modern 380 really isn't that bad anyway.
The Ugly
-it's DA/SA, designed to be carried with the hammer down in DA... but how do you get the hammer down? look at that lever right there, that must be a decocker, right? oh no. the lever simply raises a plate that blocks the hammer from hitting the firing pin. to decock this gun, you flip the safety on then PULL THE TRIGGER. whoever thought this was a good idea should be kicked in the nads.
"flip the safety on then PULL THE TRIGGER", should slowly lower the hammer i think to be safe
maybe it's fine just carry it safety on while loaded and cocked
i do like striker fired design like glock/m&p/xd and now ppq, but handling is not easy for me, pk380 feels just right
in terms of quality, yes it seems not so great but it's a $300-400 gun, i can accept that
the black finish wears off easily so i read, so does it make sense to gun-kote it new? i am curious how that can be done, can the "walther" sign be saved or protected with gun-kote?
harmon rabb
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So? It's really not a bad budget gun, I don't care who makes it. There's nothing else out there like it.
What you do get for the Walther name is customer service provided by Smith and Wesson, which means that if the gun breaks, they'll fix it for free without giving you ****.
harmon rabb
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yes, i do lower the hammer manually, but i would still prefer a real decocker. there is also no reason you couldn't carry it cocked and locked... except the safety isn't easy and natural to reach, so you'd need to practice a lot if you wanted to carry it that way.
if your problem with the glocks, xds, and such is merely how hard the slide is to rack, you just need to learn to do it the right way. hold the gun in your right hand, hand tightly around the grip. now bend your left arm so it's about a 90 degree angle and grip the slide with it. then push the grip forward with your right hand while pushing the slide backward with your left hand. this way, you're using two hands to rack the slide, and you're using your stronger pushing muscles. pretty much anyone can rack any slide this way.
the pk380 isn't a bad gun though if it fits you right. mine has never malfunctioned.
oh, two more odd things to mention about the pk380: it has no slide release, but the slide does lock back after the last round. you have to slingshot it to release the slide. and it has that goofy h&k style mag release lever.
The problem is that I know of many people who have bought a PK380 in good part based on Walther's reputation for putting out top notch firearms unaware that Walther has little to do with it. The PK380 is not representative of Walther. Yes, the Smith & Wesson warranty is a big plus. The same goes for the P22.
I have to wonder how many folks would have bought either the P22 or PK380 if they didn't look like a cloned P99 and/or had the name "Umarex" bannered on the gun rather than "Walther".
harmon rabb
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Would it still have come with warranty service by Smith and Wesson?
I'd never be afraid of buying a gun backed by a company with a rep for great service, like Smith, Ruger, Springfield, etc. A friend bought a PK380 for his wife (on my recommendation no less) and had major problems with it. He told Smith that fixing it was unacceptable and he wanted his money back. They refunded what he had paid for the gun, as well as the sales tax he had paid. Just an example of how nice it is to have the service provided by Smith.
Smith & Wesson absolutely has great customer service. And even though the warranty on a Walther is less than on a Smith (lifeteime to original owner for a Smith and one year for a Walther) it is a good bet that Smith will stand behind the Walther beyond the one year. That makes the gun a much safer bet. And, as you have found out, the PK380 has had problems and that warranty is as good as gold. That said, these days we often seem to be product testers rather than customers 
so that warranty becomes all the more important.
The PK380 reminds me a bit of the "Hummer" H3 which was badged as as a "Hummer" but was anything but a Hummer.
Honestly, I think that the jury is still out on the PK380. For me, at that pricepoint if it was a 9mm I'd be interested, but as a .380 it doesn't do anything for me.
so that warranty becomes all the more important.The PK380 reminds me a bit of the "Hummer" H3 which was badged as as a "Hummer" but was anything but a Hummer.
Honestly, I think that the jury is still out on the PK380. For me, at that pricepoint if it was a 9mm I'd be interested, but as a .380 it doesn't do anything for me.
Ledgehammer
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I owned the Pk380 and loved shooting it. I didn't care for the take down procedure and if I remember correctly it doesn't have a slide stop. I think you will enjoy shooting it though. It's accurate and very soft recoil.
harmon rabb
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I've had experience with Kel-Tec and Ruger customer service. Both claim to be lifetime warranties for the original owner, Kel-Tec's warranty claims to ask you for proof of purchase. In reality, neither company so much as asked me if I was the original owner, or for any sort of proof of purchase. Hell, Kel-Tec shipped me a new extractor without even asking me the serial number of the gun. I'm pretty sure Smith will honor that warranty for a lot longer than a year.
A PK380 in 9mm could be interesting, but it really shines as a "chick gun" in 380. The easy to rack slide, thin grip, and short reach to the trigger are nice for small hands.
As far as the problems, I honestly don't know how widespread they are. I don't think too many have them, but I could have read wrong.
Not trying to champion this gun or anything, just saying it ain't bad.
A PK380 in 9mm could be interesting, but it really shines as a "chick gun" in 380. The easy to rack slide, thin grip, and short reach to the trigger are nice for small hands.
As far as the problems, I honestly don't know how widespread they are. I don't think too many have them, but I could have read wrong.
Not trying to champion this gun or anything, just saying it ain't bad.
I've had one about a year and a half.
Decent enough gun but it did have to go back to S&W for FTE problems. At first it was just occasionally a case that would get stuck coming out but it got worse until it was doing it two or three times every mag. They sent me out a shipping label and had it back to me in almost two weeks to the day.
It's worked fine since getting it back.
Great ergonmics and a real pleasure to shoot but a bit on the large size for CCW.
I tend to agree about it being a good "chick-gun", most guys are gonna want at least a 9mm in a pistol that size.
Decent enough gun but it did have to go back to S&W for FTE problems. At first it was just occasionally a case that would get stuck coming out but it got worse until it was doing it two or three times every mag. They sent me out a shipping label and had it back to me in almost two weeks to the day.
It's worked fine since getting it back.
Great ergonmics and a real pleasure to shoot but a bit on the large size for CCW.
I tend to agree about it being a good "chick-gun", most guys are gonna want at least a 9mm in a pistol that size.
i know 380 is minimum for a SD gun, i pretty much decided on a 9mm until i handled them, i think i'd rather get a gun that i can be good at, than getting a gun that is pita for me
when i was in the gun show trying 380, an old couple stood right by me and the dealer trying to sell the grandma .22 revolver for self defense... i told her try 380 after the dealer stepped away .22 is just too weak for SD, she held it and said now that feels really comfortable lol
when i was in the gun show trying 380, an old couple stood right by me and the dealer trying to sell the grandma .22 revolver for self defense... i told her try 380 after the dealer stepped away .22 is just too weak for SD, she held it and said now that feels really comfortable lol
Twmaster
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Got some proof? Link please.
It's common knowledge amongst folks who know Walthers. Do a simple Google search. The proof marks
tell the obvious story. Better yet, do a search here at THR and enter PK380 and Koln and pay special attention to the posts by Leschiffre and searcher451, two gentlemen who know exactly what they are talking about.
tell the obvious story. Better yet, do a search here at THR and enter PK380 and Koln and pay special attention to the posts by Leschiffre and searcher451, two gentlemen who know exactly what they are talking about.
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Twmaster
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I'll do that. Thanks.
nwilliams
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The proof is stamped on the gun. All Umarex made guns have the Koln proof mark which is three crowns on a shield, this indicates that it was made in the Umarex plant in Cologne, Germany. This same Koln proof mark is found on the Walther P22 and SP22 as well.
Twmaster
Member
Well, after following the suggested searches I have to say I am -not- thrilled. I bought a Walther on the Walther name.
Now, having said that. I like the pistol. It shoots better than I can. It's eaten everything I've put down the pipe with the exception of two badly made rounds.
How well it holds up remains to be seen.
Thanks for the links and some interesting reading.
Now, having said that. I like the pistol. It shoots better than I can. It's eaten everything I've put down the pipe with the exception of two badly made rounds.
How well it holds up remains to be seen.
Thanks for the links and some interesting reading.
InkEd
Member
I have heard they aren't so great. If you want a small Walther try the ol' James Bond PPK. If you're after something lighter and more modern try the PPS. It's in 9mm (9x19) BUT in all honesty it would be difficult to distinguish a difference in recoil between .380 (9x17) and regular 9mm in anything bigger than a mouse gun.
Another trick is to cock the hammer before racking the slide (on applicable guns.) Also, when testing the difficulty of racking the slide and especially releasing it with the release lever be sure to do it withOUT an empty mag in the grip.
Another trick is to cock the hammer before racking the slide (on applicable guns.) Also, when testing the difficulty of racking the slide and especially releasing it with the release lever be sure to do it withOUT an empty mag in the grip.
Twmaster
Member
Ed, I've shot PPKs. The primary reason I chose this gun over all the other compact/semi compact 9MM and 380 pistols I looked at was how it fit my hand. This will be my carry pistol. I did not want to try and deal with a gun I could not easily pull and hold comfortably. If I even need to use the thing the last thing I want to deal with while soiling my shorts is not being able to bring fire to bear on a BG.
Otherwise I like the gun. And as I said, we'll see how it holds up. I shoot a box of ammo though it every week. Thus far it's had 308 rounds fired.
Otherwise I like the gun. And as I said, we'll see how it holds up. I shoot a box of ammo though it every week. Thus far it's had 308 rounds fired.
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