Weird idea time, Kahr .380 conversion

[Otony]

Ok, I KNOW this sounds stupid, but.....here goes.

I like the .380 round. I do not think it is entirely sufficient for self defense, nor do "magic" bullets make it so.

Then again, I don't think the .25 ACP is at all sufficient for self defense, but a Jetfire in yo pocket is a lot better than going naked

So I own a PPK/S, as I find it to be a nice compromise piece. And since I am anal about this sort of thing, I have, um, plenty, yes, that will do, plenty of ammunition for it. Plus, well, quite a bit of reloading components. Hope the Caliban aren't paying too much attention.

Now, shooting the little Walther is no great shakes, recoil isn't bad since I am usually more of a big bore (.44 magnum, heavy .45 Colt) shooter anyway. However, I got to thinking that something a little heavier, perhaps with a locked breech might be more comfortable at the range.

I recall a thread wherein the subjective recoil of a PPK/S was compared to a Kahr, and the conclusion was the locked breech of the Kahr resulted in less "perceived" recoil, even given the more powerful cartridge.

Hmm, sez I, how about converting a Kahr K-9 to .380? All it would take is a simple chamber insert, as well as an insert in the magazine to account for the shorter round. Many here may recall the old Swedish Brownings in 9mm Long (sort of overgrown Colt '03 pcoket pistols) being converted to .380 this way back in the late 50' and early 60's.

I would end up with a slightly heavier, locked breech .380 that could be converted back to 9mm with a simple change of barel and magazines.

Useful? Hardly. Necessary? Doubtful. More fun for a certifiable crank? Well, now we are talking.

So what do you all think of this?

 

[firestar]

Go for it.

The mag spacer should be no problem, just measure exactly what the difference is between the 9mm and the .380 and find something that size. Over on the Kel-Tec forum, people were making spacers for their P-32 mags so that they would reduce the chance of rimlock. I think the guy ended up useing pieces of counter top covering because it came in several sizes and was easy to come by.

The chamber insert is going to be a problem. I would think you would have to weld it in place and that would ruin it for 9mm. But if you don't care then it is a moot point.

You might also have to get a reduced power recoil spring (or adjust yours) for it to function.

I don't see why it can't work. I also don't see why you would want to do it.

 

[Blackhawk]

I vote "More fun for a certifiable crank."

 

[Handy]

This is the thinking behind the locked breach Colt Mustang .380.

 

[Otony]

I did consider (briefly) the Colt, but as it is now unobtanium...

The Swedish Brownings that were converted years ago had a small insert soldered (silver solder?) into the chamber. Those were cool, looked identical to a Colt pocket pistol (the '03?), but were about the size of a 1911, or pretty close to it. Chambered for a very oddball, long unused cartridge called the 9mm Browning Long, it was sort of in between a .380 and a 9mm Parabellum.

Anyway, the cranks of the day soldered in an insert, epoxied a spacer at the rear of the magazine, and trimmed the follower a bit, voila (oops, no French! ), ta-da, a big .380!

I figure a spare barrel and a couple of dedicated magazines makes Tony a crank.

Like I need an excuse!

 

[Gewehr98]

Wouldn't it be cheaper...

To just buy a Kel-Tec in .380?

Or, if need be, I'll buy you a .380 Kel-Tec if you ship me the Kahr 9mm.

 

[Otony]

That would be going backwards, the Kel-Tec .380 is lighter than the PPK/S (not looking for lighter) and a blowback (not looking for a blowback).

I will glady buy YOU a Kel-Tec in exchange for a Kahr however!

 

[Gewehr98]

Sorry, my K-9 is my CCW weapon.

But there are a few Remington Model 51's out there, as well as the .380 Llama autoloaders, with locked breeches.

 

[Otony]

I used to own one of the LLama's some 25 years ago, I was, um, underwhelmed.

Now a Remington 51, that would be very cool. Always had a soft spot for those. Wasn't it a semi-locked action, or had a floating chamber or some such oddness?

 

[Gewehr98]

It was locked breech, a bit too overbuilt for the .380 round...

Here's what the parts look like (with much thanks to Steve's Pages):

 

[Akurat]

Kel-tecs are locked breech.



http://www.kel-tec.com/serv01.htm

 

[Otony]

Huh! Well, I guess one does learn something new everyday.

Still too small and light though

 

[Onslaught]

The Colt Mustang is NOT YET made of the elusive material known as "unobtainium"...

Here's one of a few on Auction Arms...

http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?ItemNum=3955821

Just go here and search for "Colt Mustang". You'd be surprised.

Since it doesn't sound like you have purchased the K9 yet, surely this option would be less expensive than your conversion.