Kahr 380 Striker Ultimate Fix

[Alfonse]

Coming in January. What I refer to as a "Super Strength" striker and spacer. Here is a photo showing some of the differences in a plastic printed prototype:



The white, plastic part shows the new design above a factory part. First, the striker is much thicker in the area that they fracture. The spacer is thinner to keep the un-sprung travel the same. The material is heat treated S7 tool steel. That is about the toughest steel available for this type of part. Both the striker and spacer in our 380 Striker Solution are machined S7 tool steel. The body of the part is also slightly lengthened to keep the boss from hitting rounds in the magazine while the striker block spacing remains the same to the firing pin.

They are out being made now and will be available in January. You can dry fire this forever and the striker will not fail.

I have have been refining this design for quite awhile. I finally found a shop who can make it cost effectively too.

What do y'all think?

[gb6491]

Sign me up!

[Alfonse]

Sign me up!

Happy to do that!

[Linthead]

Sign me up!

ME TOO!

My P380 is on the third POS Kahr striker and I have no confidence in it or Kahr's concern or ability to address the problem.

[Bobshouse]

I'll take one also!

[muggsy]

There's room for improvement in almost everything. If I were to break a striker in my P380 I'd consider it.

[Whaleman]

Wouldn't there be more money in somehow selling this design to Kahr to use in all guns as opposed to making and selling one at a time? Dan

[Alfonse]

Wouldn't there be more money in somehow selling this design to Kahr to use in all guns as opposed to making and selling one at a time? Dan

Dan, I'm sure Kahr knows how to get hold of me if they are interested. They clearly have talented engineers and could change this part themselves if they desire. That is a bit more complicated for them, because then they would have parts, strikers and spacers, that are not interchangeable and backwards compatible. In our fix, both the striker and spacer need to be changed as a set.

And, even if Kahr changed it moving forward, there are still all those folks out there who already have .380s and would like to upgrade.

[pbagley]

I'm interested in the fix. No problems so far, but it is best to be prepared.

[muggsy]

Dan, I'm sure Kahr knows how to get hold of me if they are interested. They clearly have talented engineers and could change this part themselves if they desire. That is a bit more complicated for them, because then they would have parts, strikers and spacers, that are not interchangeable and backwards compatible. In our fix, both the striker and spacer need to be changed as a set.

And, even if Kahr changed it moving forward, there are still all those folks out there who already have .380s and would like to upgrade.

I believe that the Kahr design is sound, but the heat treating of the part is suspect. Over time dry firing can cause metal to become crystallized and brittle.

[Linthead]

I believe that the Kahr design is sound, but the heat treating of the part is suspect. Over time dry firing can cause metal to become crystallized and brittle.

Heat treating is part of the "design" and is controlled by Kahr.

[Alfonse]

I believe that the Kahr design is sound, but the heat treating of the part is suspect. Over time dry firing can cause metal to become crystallized and brittle.

Muggsy, the logic to our fix is pretty simple. I take the area that was breaking and make it several times stronger by the geometry of the design and then use the toughest material for the application. While I was at it, I also made another change to the geometry that keeps the striker from hitting the round below in the magazine that has caused light strikes for some. To allow the part to be thicker and wider in the weak area, the spacer has to change. Since the spacer is lightly stressed, and the striker is more highly stressed, it works out pretty well. The result might well be called "over built." but that is what makes it the ultimate solution that ends breakage of the part.

[SmokyT]

... , the logic to our fix is pretty simple. I take the area that was breaking and make it several times stronger by the geometry of the design and then use the toughest material for the application. While I was at it, I also made another change to the geometry that keeps the striker from hitting the round below in the magazine that has caused light strikes for some. To allow the part to be thicker and wider in the weak area, the spacer has to change. Since the spacer is lightly stressed, and the striker is more highly stressed, it works out pretty well. The result might well be called "over built." but that is what makes it the ultimate solution that ends breakage of the part.

Great idea! I'll definitely try it when it's available.

[Ronni3_J]

Any idea on pricing yet?

[Alfonse]

Any idea on pricing yet?

Yes, but I haven't decided on it yet. So, I'm not saying right now.