[jocko]

Pickedup my P380 today.

Came home dissambled it. It was totally dry. I was going to polish the feed ramp but fellas this ramp I could see my face in it. A superior job of polishing indeed. I did nothing to it.

I greased the slide rails and barrel lug and around the barrel and oil various things. I felt a two stage trigger on the gun which I did not like in my dry firing of it. I racked the slide about 500 times as fast as I could.

Loaded up and out I went.

Fired 200 assorted fmj rounds of PMC, AE, AND BLAZER, NOT ONE MALFUNCTION, NADDA ZERO, . Checked each brand of ammo for smileys's also and again NADDA, ZERO. I did this quite often to be sure. NO SMILEYS'

Fired 25 rounds of corbon dpx and not one malfuntion, nor one SMILEY. This gun is extremely accurate at 7 yards which is where I stayed for this entire period. Extremely accurate--for me anyhow.

Fired 25 rounds of 102 Rem Golden Sabre and not one malfunction and not one SMILEY. Again extremely accurate with this round. I think I was most accurate with the 102 GS than the DPX. but not by far.

The two stage trigger feel is now gone. It is as smooth as MY PM9 which Ialso shot side by side with my P380. I shoot the P380 as good and maybe alittle lbetter than the PM9. Go figure???

One comment that had been asked of me was to check for SMILEYS.

ruger lcp and kt's are noted for Smileys. Kahr got it right for sure. there are none.

This Kahr feels like a quality handgun, and definitely shots like a quality handgun. You get what u pay for IMO. The sites well they are awesome. and they shot dead on for me. I will later on buy the nite sites when they become availalbe, just becuase.

I only had 800 rounds of 380 on stock and about 4 boxes of defense stuff. I will carry the 102 Golden Sabre round. I like it. I won't shoot it like my PM9 in total rounds but I will shoot it like I stole it.

I have had kt's and the ruger lcp, this gun is head and shoulders above them, even though they may work ok there is just a feel difference to me.

Kahr done it right, they took their time, they listened to shooters and to me looks like they throughly tested this gun out.

My serial number is one of the first 125, so there is not many floating around yet.

thank you kahr and thanks to the fella who sold it to me.

DO I SOUND HAPPY OR WHAT????

 

[Oribis]

How was the recoil on it?

 

[jocko]

How was the recoil on it?

to me shoots like a dream. recoil is recoil. some have issues with it, some don't I never hadissues with recoil out of a 44 mag. I knew when I pulled the trigger that it was not going to kiss me on the lips. This P380 is much more pleasant to shoot than my lcp and my past owned kt's.. It has a stiff set of recoil springs in it. Have no idea what the poundage of the springs are either.

 

[jfwandrn]

Jocko

I agree with your report wholeheartedly. This is one fantastic little gun. Even though I was getting very frustrated waiting for it to come in, I'm very glad Kahr has taken the time and definitely feel like they got it right. The gun just feels right in every respect. By the way, I just received the Pachmayr #4 and put it on. It takes the grip from being fine to almost perfect. An excellent accessory to add. I've got some Gold Dot on order and I'll let everyone know how that works when it finally comes in and I can shoot it.

Jack

 

[jocko]

Jocko

I agree with your report wholeheartedly. This is one fantastic little gun. Even though I was getting very frustrated waiting for it to come in, I'm very glad Kahr has taken the time and definitely feel like they got it right. The gun just feels right in every respect. By the way, I just received the Pachmayr #4 and put it on. It takes the grip from being fine to almost perfect. An excellent accessory to add. I've got some Gold Dot on order and I'll let everyone know how that works when it finally comes in and I can shoot it.

Jack

I think in about a month I will get the grip stippled by accurate-iron. I love what he did for my PM9 and I have already talked to him about doing it. A fun gun to shoot and what I liked about it today was that I cold actually hit somethng with it, where as I was allover the targets with my lcp and kt's, nothing consistent in my shooting of those two guns, althougha t 7 yards the BG was still in trouble. this P380 shoots right where I aim it...

 

[coctailer]

Great to hear............I can't wait to score mine!!!

 

[kensteele]

good info. i'm particularly interested in the data about recoil.

 

[coctailer]

This will most likely replace my LCP as my summer basketball shorts gun. ;D

 

[jocko]

This will most likely replace my LCP as my summer basketball shorts gun. ;D

I have zero doubts about that statement. apples and oranges. both guns will go bang, one just gives you the feel of a top quality well made and very accurate shooting gun. and I am not taking anything away from the lcp. For the money, u can't find a nicer gun than the lcp but for the money also you can't find a better gun than the P380.

Kennsteele ask about recoil. Here is my take on it. The recoil might be the same but it feels completly different. The high hand position to the center of the bore axis which kahr was able to do with thier guns due to the trigger assemble going down the side of hte barrel lug/eed ramp instead of under it. This gets ur hand higher up in the grip and almost right behind the bore axis. Kahrs has 7 patents on their guns and this trigger system is one of them. The perception of the recoil to me anyways is totally different..

Kahr will be coming out with a 7 round extended magazine which to me doesn't bend my crank but would make a nice range magazine and for some a nice carry magazine or extra carry magazine..

I love my PM9 and it willnot replace my jPM9 for 24/7 carry (I think) but it is such a well made gun and laying it next to my PM9 it looks like its twin in infinite stages.

AND NO DAMN SMILEYS either. kudos to kahr. they were told of this well over a year ago by some members of this forum and when they were first told about it. their reply back was "WHAT THE HELL IS A SMILEY"?? they did not know of this issue with the lcp and kt's (which is still there by the way) I think alot has to do with the offset feed ramp and the design of the magazines also. One side of the upper lip of the magazine is more filled in on the side, not sure if this helps or not but again NO SMILEYS.

I put 250 round sthrough it today and never even felt tired or anything and my last rounds out of this uncleaned gun was feeding just as good as the first rounds did. I have no doubt one cold fire 500 rounds with ease out of this gun. WhenI took it down this evening to clean and lube it, actually it was very very clean inside. I thik I could have run a bore snake down the barrel and preceeded to shoot untilt he cows came home....

I have decided to stay with the 102 grain golden sabre round due to the fact that I have two full boxes left and no other defense rounds. I like the corbon dpx rounds and find zero fault with them also.I jsut am not goingtog et caught up in all this defense ammo stuff, as they are all good. sooner or later one just has to choose a round and stick with it. Hopefully the BG willnever have to experience the effects of my 102 grain HP sarres..

I wold be very intereste dto know what poundage the recol springs are, as they are stout and the brass landed definitely within 5 feet of me also. Some hit me on the head a few times but not many.

Karh sure does love their magazine springs, I ordered some spares tonight and they are $12.10 each. That seems very expensive for magazine springs. the recoil spring set of two inner andouter) ar eonly $9.00 and I don['t forsee them needing replacement for wellover 1000 rounds. they are stout. \
I would recommend using the slide lock lever to load the first rund althugh I had no issue with rackign the slide. I would say I split it 50-50 today int he 250 rounds trials.

I like to be able to do it both ways. It can be done, jsut not a heh of alot of slide to grab hold of...

Accuracy, wellfor me it was amazing. I could keep a 4" group at 7 yards with ease and POA was dead on also.This I never got with my kt's or lcp. the sites are awesome to say the least. I will when avaailalbe put nites sites on my, for no reason other to say I have them on. Bet if they made those bifg dot nite sites it would look awesome.

The trigger system on the P380 compared to my kt's and lcp is totally apples and oranges . Kahrs are known for smooth trigger system with no staging and this gun is truly that...

The feed ramp as I reported I couldsee my face in it, OUT OFTHE BOX. I did nothing to it. I did tonight completley polish the entire barrel and outer chamber with my trusty dremel. No barrel peening either.

It is not ammo sensitive as I shot 5 different brands of ammo with zero issues. It is throated properly that all rounds feed perfectly and were not being forced into the barrel..

I have to agree with kraigster, this is one one fine handgun and they defnitely got it right to..

 

[oldgranpa]

jocko has done one fine range test of his new P380! I have discussed his test methods with him by pm and I can assure you he is not kidding about no smileys. He did the standard test by shooting before ejecting the next round in the chamber. And he did it several times with all the ammo he had. Including standard FMJ, WOW!!

(There have been P3AT owners in the past saying they had no smileys but it turned out they hand cycled some rounds before ejecting one in the chamber. Of course this doesn't produce a smiley! It takes the recoil of shooting!)

So now we finally have a 380 pistol that we can depend on.

thanks, jocko, for the service you've done for all of us waiting for our P380!!

 

[jocko]

actually Kahr did it all. They just made one super little semi that eaks in quality, shoot right where u aim and feels like a gun should.

Owning a PM9 with thousands of rounds through it, I really had total faith that they would do it right, They have had some issues a few years back but kahr never ran away from them either..

a fellow poster on another forum had mag drop issues. I suggested he call kahr and discuss it with them first before going to a smitty, who bascialy doesn't know kahrs like kahr does. He wrote me today and said he called them,

They are going to send him a new mag release and spring, and told him by his serial number that his gun was about 7 years old, so indeed he had the older styple polymer release in it. In the conversation the tech man told this owner to get some gold dots and test them out, as around that era of time in 2002 they had some ramp issues and if it will not feed gold dots, then to call him and they will issue a pickup for the barrel and either polish it and modify it or replace it with a new barrel. This fella was floored for he never even brought up the issue, but the kahr tech person did. Tells me that want to do the right thing... I know we also hear horror stories completley the opposite to, but this fella was happy as a lark.

 

[oldgranpa]

+1
True. My PM9 was a gem. Never sent it back. Did some fluff&buff on the feed ramp myself and never had a malfunction.
That's why I got excited when Kahr announced the P380!
Am I being trite when I repeat..."you get what you pay for!!"

Cheers,
og

 

[jocko]

just got back from putting another 100 rounds of PMC down range in the little P380. this is a nice gun guys, BUT I will say this 95% of all women will not be able to rack the slide on this P380. The recoil springs are the strongest I have ever encountered and with very little slide to grab ahold of. It is darn tough to do, even for me.
I use the slide lock release lever (as kahr states) most allthe time on the range.

I don't consider this a drawback as if one does what kahr recommends, all is well. I would bet the recoil springs are in the +20# range.

Also put 100 rounds through my pM9 along side with the P380 .. 19,400 total, and not one issue.
then shot my G19 custoized by accurate-iron and what a difference he made in that gun. It is the most accurate handgun I have ever shot and at my age it amazes me.

 

[jocko]

Easter Sunday, Put 100 more rounds of OMCV down range today in the P380 count is 450 and not one issues. I am begginng to rack the slide better. Eiterh iam getting better with it or the recoil springs might have lightened up a tad also. combination of both though, works for me.

50 rounds through my PM9 and 100 through my G19 and the day was a total success, NOT ONE ISSUE from any three guns. Still my G19 is a tack driver indeed..

 

[coctailer]

Are you having any trouble finding .380 ammo for it?

Pretty scarce around here...........

 

[jocko]

Are you having any trouble finding .380 ammo for it?

Pretty scarce around here...........

I had 800 rounds rat holed back for months plus 100 self defense rounds. NO there is no 380 ammo anywhere around here for 50 mile radious that I travel. Nor is their any 9mm or 45 or 40 or 38 or 357..

I am going to scale back some on the 380 shooting for I fear I willrunout and I really fear there willbe no 380 ammo for quite awhile. I have enough defense stuff to last me,a s I don't shoot that anymore at the range..