[BT]

I took the P380 with me to the range today, fully expecting what I have had with my two PM9's. That being, some occasional issues during the first 100-150rds during the recommended break in.

Both of my PM9's have been perfect post break in with the oldest being somewhere just over 5K rounds and the other just over 1k.

I came home very pleased. After my normal practice routine with a 1911 I got the P380 out and we fired;

100 Winchester Silver Tips
50 CorBon 95gr JHP +P
57 Federal Hydra Shock 95gr

100%. No FTF's, no FTE's, no stovepipes, no failures to lock open.... nothing.

I did not try to shoot for groups, but shooting at 20yds at a frozen jug of water, it was easy to put hits all on the label in the middle of the jug.

I did some double taps at 10yds, and then we bounced a coke can around on the ground out to 25yds (hitting close enough to bounce the can.... not necessarily a hit ON the can every time... but close).

I am very pleased. I fully expected the typical break in.

I have had an LCP for a little over a year, and while it is still a great little gun for the money, the P380 has a much better trigger, better sights, and is more comfortable to shoot for several reasons.

If the LCP had been stainless, I may never have tried the Kahr to be honest. Neither are target guns, so for my intended purpose the LCP would have been fine and mine has been very reliable thorough about 800rds so far. But, the P380 is definitely easier to shoot well, besides being slightly smaller and stainless.

I think the LCP will wind up going to my son and this will become my summer time carry when I "can't carry a gun" so to speak.

I believe it is a relatively late build, ser# is just over 2500.

Now for a little pocket holster, some replacement recoil springs, and those extended mags I keep hearing are coming sometime next year.

 

[wilder]

I had a similar experience with my break-in. Might I ask what's the motivation for getting new recoil springs?

 

[BT]

So I will have them on hand when I need them for preventive maintenance basically.

I buy my car oil before the day I need to change it. I buy replacement windshield wipers before the old ones get bad and keep them in the trunk. I keep spare mags that have been verified to function and then put away. On my 1911's I keep firing pin springs, mag springs, mainsprings and even a spare extractor. I do this with a lot of things. It is just a habit.

I change the recoil springs out at 1K rounds on everything that I carry (some that take more punishment more often than that) regardless.

I have found over the years that the old "ounce of prevention" saying is a good thing to apply to anything your life may depend on.

Also, the round count is now a little over 800 without a single issue of any kind, a little more than half was ball, the rest HP's.

 

[racuda]

Will you get the springs from Kahr or some other source? How much do they cost? If they do get weak, what are the symptoms? I ask because I, too want to be prepared.

 

[BT]

So far the Kahr online store is the only place I have found them, but I expect a couple of the other main parts and spring stores will pick them up at some point.

Symptoms - IME it varies from design to design but cout be abnormal frame / slide wear from higher than designed slide velocity; on shorter slide guns (like these) FTF's due to the slide heading back home before the top round in the slide comes to top and can be picked up (also a sign of weak mag springs); or failure to go back fully into battery.

My rule of thumb is new recoil springs every 1000 rounds for anything I carry. Of course that is assuming nothing has gone amiss before that point. On the rest of my full size autos and PM9's 1000 works just fine.