[jfwandrn]

Hello All,

I received my P380 back from Kahr a couple weeks ago after they had replaced the recoil spring, slide pin and slide pin spring. They had originally had a PM 9 slide pin spring / screw installed and was preventing my slide to lock open on the last shot. Anyway, I'm now having a number of FTFs. I have put about 100 rds of Remington, UMC, 200 rds of Winchester white box and about 100 rounds of Magtech through it and I'm getting a FTF rate of 10 percent. I spent last weekend with some Flitz polish and polishing wheels on my dremel and polished the throat, feed ramp, slide guides and the top of the barrell. I went out today and shot 100 rounds of Magtech and had a 5 percent failure to feed. This is still too many.
I started to wonder if the springs were correctly installed. They came back from the factory with the closed ends in opposite directions. I remember we had this discussion back in June and decided that was the way they are supposed to be. I just reviewed Kahr's video and it now shows that both closed ends go against the barrell with the open ends facing out. Now I'm totally confused as to what is right. Does anybody know for sure????

Jack

 

[jocko]

both of the closed ends goes towards the barrel lug, I have a hard time thinking that could be ur issue,but for sure get them on right and retest.

 

[jfwandrn]

Thanks Jocko. I'll change the springs and go back to the range in the next few days and try it again. I distinctly remember we had this discussion last summer and I'm positive the Kahr video showed the springs with the closed ends opposite each other; which is the way mine came back from the factory last week. Now the video shows the springs with both open ends facing out. I hope this will solve the problem because it's a hassle to send it back to Kahr. Even though their turn around time is excellent, it's still a nuisance.

Jack

 

[jfwandrn]

I changed the springs so that both closed ends were toward the barrell lug, cleaned and oiled it and headed for the range. I fired 100 rounds of MagTech through it today and didn't have a single failure. I don't believe just changing the spring around would have made the difference. It doesn't make sense because the spring has the same tension no matter which way it's facing. Anyway, I don't like coincidences, so I'm not going to be comfortable with it until I get another couple hundred rounds through it without a failure.

Jack

 

[jocko]

I changed the springs so that both closed ends were toward the barrell lug, cleaned and oiled it and headed for the range. I fired 100 rounds of MagTech through it today and didn't have a single failure. I don't believe just changing the spring around would have made the difference. It doesn't make sense because the spring has the same tension no matter which way it's facing. Anyway, I don't like coincidences, so I'm not going to be comfortable with it until I get another couple hundred rounds through it without a failure.

Jack

Probably just more rounds down range is allthis gun really needs. they really do smoothout as time goes by. I like you am not sure that spring thing should be your issue but heh, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Nice report... I think one reason they want the open part of the recoil springs to be facing forward is that there is no chance of that spring ever coming out of the front of that slide hole, and also if it is on backward, it has a good chance of climbing over that recoil rod washer or what ever one wants to callit..

 

[claybreaker08]

Just sent my P380 back for the same issue, plus numerous light strikes after 250 rounds. We'll see what they do there at Kahr Arms..... :-\

 

[jocko]

Just sent my P380 back for the same issue, plus numerous light strikes after 250 rounds. We'll see what they do there at Kahr Arms..... :-\

Light strikes normally is caused by two things. One being a dirty,clogged up striker channel and the other a bad out of spec trigger bar. My bet whenyou get it back they will have replace the trigger bar...

 

[jfwandrn]

Here's a further followup on this issue. I put another 100 rounds through the gun last week, and only had one failure to load. Other than that, the gun ran perfectly. Since I've gotten the gun back from Kahr, I've put two hundred rounds down range with only the one failure to load. (The round didn't come up from the mag). I'm of the opinion this weapon is about 95% trustworthy. If I can get another 100 rounds through it without a problem, I'll call it 100%.

Jack

 

[jocko]

Here's a further followup on this issue. I put another 100 rounds through the gun last week, and only had one failure to load. Other than that, the gun ran perfectly. Since I've gotten the gun back from Kahr, I've put two hundred rounds down range with only the one failure to load. (The round didn't come up from the mag). I'm of the opinion this weapon is about 95% trustworthy. If I can get another 100 rounds through it without a problem, I'll call it 100%.

Jack

take your magazine apart and do some of this TLC stuff. get some 600+ grit sand paper and take that magazne spring and just rub in on both sides back and forth on that sand paper. be surprised how nice and smooth it will get and then take that follower and do the same thng to it, smooth up a all sides of the follower, , then clean the magazine inner body and just rub the springs and inner body with a silicone cloth, no oil please and reinstall.; It helps alot and you now know that the magazine is also put back togeether correctly. I have seen and heard of mag springs being put in backwards.

 

[erice303]

I have had a lot of FTFs maybe 5-10% with WWB, but i have not had a a single problem with the 100 rd PMC bronze or 20 rd speer gold dot, and 25 rd hornidy critical defense.

 

[smooth_opr8r]

I'm glad I'm not the only one having issues with WWB. I put 100rds (up to 175rds in overall break-in) of Military Ballistics Industries, without a whole lot of issues. I start using WWB for the final 25rds and it was a nightmare. I'd fire 3 rounds and the slide would lock as if it was unloaded. Had issues where it would just not feed, and I'd fire a round, jam, clear, and repeat.

Previously I've fired a box of Lawman and even Alabama Ammo with no issues.

May just not like WWB.

I have a box of Aguila I'll have to try though it. My P380 is definitely not as rock solid as my PM9.

 

[GladiatorBenRome]

I know this is an old thread, but I want to express my thanks for the information. It was helpful to me recently. I purchased a CW380 because I had previously had a great experience with a PM9. When I brought home the .380, I was careful when taking it apart because I noticed it had two recoil springs, and I wanted to be sure to put them back together in exactly the same way. I cleaned the gun and took it to the range for the 200-round break-in period. It was a disaster. I don't think I got through a single magazine without problems: failures to feed and stovepipes galore. I've never had an introductory experience with a gun go so poorly. I wanted to disassemble it, but the pin to remove the slide is always so tight on new guns, and I didn't have any tools with me. I persevered through 150 rounds of dysfunction and decided to reassess the gun at home. The gun also has a quirk of letting the slide get stuck upon reassembly. The ejector likes to stab the striker assembly and prevent it from moving completely onto the gun, so the slide gets locked and can't go forward or backward. In the process of fixing that, I referred to the manual, where I saw the instruction that the recoil springs must be assembled with the flat ends flush with the barrel end. I was confused because I knew I had been careful about that very issue. That's when I looked at this post and realized that--contrary to what I would have imagined--the gun had indeed been assembled wrong from the factory. Reversing the issue (and using a tool to go through the magazine well and guide the striker assembly past the ejector) has made it a completely different gun. Now it functions flawlessly. This thread helped me learn that I hadn't wasted my money. I never would've guessed that the gun would have arrived with the springs on wrong, or that getting this wrong would result in such a horribly functioning gun. I'm very pleased to have the CW380 functioning properly.