Fear of pulling the Trigger and buying a CW390/P380 Advice needed

[mainenwo]

I really love the look size and quality of these two 380 models but I've heard so many complaints
about Stove pipes, failures to feed, failures to eject, and on and on... I'm on a budget and I can't afford to spend so much money on a gun for it to end up being
a paperweight or spending so much money on 380 Ammo just to find out the gun is just not going to work.

Advice needed

I guess my question is to you guys and gals who have these guns is ...if you had the chance to buy this gun again would you?

[kerby9mm]

My latest experience although not a Kahr. I wanted a 9mm revolver & did some research & read that the charter 9mm pitbull was an OK gun with an extractor system that does not need moon clips. Found one at the gun show checked it out mechanically & paid. Got it to the range & when I loaded it I could not close the cylinder. They are sending a pp label. Its always a toss of the dice on a new gun & the forums tend to bring out complaints. If you have read all the posts you can make your decision based on your evaluation. I never saw any problems on this one so I got a lemon with a lifetime warranty.

[SlowBurn]

Fear of pulling the Trigger and buying a CW390/P380 Advice needed

I would get another, without question. In fact I have one on order. No other gun this size shoots nearly as well imo.

As far as ammo, these little guys DO require some breaking in even if everything is perfect. The recoil springs are VERY stout and nearly impossible at first. It's one of the trade offs for the excellent handling and performance characteristics. So plan on a few range trips before it's ready to carry every day.

I don't expect trouble based on my own experience, but some people have had issues and not all because of operator error. If I have a problem with the new Kahr, I'll send it back as often as necessary. No matter what I'm sure Kahr will eventually make it right. I don't mind taking it to the range when it comes back and shooting it some more. It's just a question of how much time before its reliable for every day carry.

If you haven't owned a small gun before, you may need more practice than you expect to get used to it anyway. Grip, hand placement, trigger discipline etc are more challenging. One advantage for me over the LCP is I don't mind putting in the time with the Kahr. I enjoy it.

[Pointblank]

I have a relatively new Kahr 380. My advice is to make sure you buy a few extra magazines and number them before going to the range the first time so that you know whether or not you are having a problem with the pistol or just a certain magazine. I believe the little Kahr does best on full-power ammunition, so avoid cheap bargain ammo. Clean it before your first range session and every time you should it. If you plan to pocket carry it a lot make sure you clean it regularly also because of pocket lint, etc. Shoot it a lot, it smooths out. Good luck.

[ulflyer]

Mainenwo: It does seem to be a toss up with these tiny guns and it doesn't seem to matter a whole lot what make it is. Squeezing an auto slide operated gun down to the
size of the CW380, for example, simply offers the potential for issues. Some of us luck out with few, if any; others have a lot and have to send them back for warranty a time or two.
I took my CW380 right out of the box; no cleaning, no oiling, and put a hand-full of hardball thru it. There were 2 or 3 glitches and then theres been no more with over 200 rounds thru. After the initial shoot I did clean it and lube it generously as recommended. This seems to be a "must" with Kahrs.

On the other hand, my P45, a much larger gun, has over a 1000 rounds thru it, many of them reloads. NO ISSUES other than those caused by my reloads while working up a load that suited. Some were too mild to cycle the slide.

Then theres my Ruger LC9s, a slightly larger framed gun, Zero issues, right out of the box, now with several hundred thru it....both hard ball and HP. Not picky at all.

Post your location and maybe someone in your area will invite you try their little ones.

[MphsTiger1981]

Having owned most of the pocket sized .380s over the years, the cleaning and "fluff and buff" or break in is the key to reliability it seems. I chose the CW380 for its size, stainless slide and usable sights. Mine has been flawless during break in with only less than 5 minor failures to return to battery with some of my weaker ammo.

If I had it to do over I would chose either the CW380 or the newest generation LCP from Ruger. Both guns are supported by companies who will do their best to make sure your gun runs right. Good luck!

[timboy]

Being on a very tight budget I understand where you are coming from,some on here loose sight of that and why we expect more from these guns and get pissed when a brand new gun has issues.

I bought my cw380 to replace a diamondback db380 that I loved but never trusted,my cw380 had issues when new that necessitated a trip back to khar to resolve and now I think it is a great gun and carry it often.
If you are expecting a gun that is 100% out of the box I can not garuantee that you will get that with a Kahr 380 due to my own and many others experiences,if you are willing to deal with the possibility of having to return it to them for a work to make it perfect then give it a try.

Would I buy it again if I could do it over,YES it meets the criteria of what I was looking for a small,light,striker fired semi without a manual safety,but I would like to have been better prepared for the teething pains that can come along with owning one.

[NECW380]

I just ordered a CW380 for $239 from (http://palmettostatearmory.com/index...ack-cw380.html) Palmetto State Armory... so if you have an FFL who does transfers, this would be a good option since they seem to run quite a bit more in stores. I ordered before Christmas, so mine won't ship until the new year, but I'm anxious.

[CJB]

The Kahr design is a good one, with no gotchas in the mix. However, like all small autoloaders, it is less forgiving than a full size pistol. Lack of weighted parts, lack of generous overtravel in the slide, and tight springs are part of any small pistol's bugbear. Good ammo, proper break-in, is a must. Shoot the hottest stuff you can find for break in, and you'll be happy. Shoot range reloads, and you'll be on the slow road to break-in.

[z8894]

I've had my CW380 for 5 or 6 weeks. I'm very happy with it and knowing what I know now, would buy it again. It's tiny and can be pocket carried, that's what I wanted. There are other guns this size. I looked at them all, the CW380 was the obvious choice for me. I've got 500 rounds through it now. I had a few hiccups in the 1st 100 which isn't unexpected for any semi automatic. Overall it's been very reliable and accurate. There are trade offs when you go this small. It's as small as I wanted but too small for my hands. I can shoot it well but sometimes have a hard time getting and keeping a good grip on it. That's just a going to the range problem. If I ever had to use it for it's intended purpose, it wouldn't be an issue. Use the break in recommendations, keep it clean and lubricated. It should work fine, at least mine has.

[CPTKILLER]

$286 is a good deal.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...ducts_id/83990

[DavidR]

No, I would not buy one again. However, there are no guarantees of a trouble-free pocket sized 380, regardless of the manufacturer.

My CW380 had return to battery failures from day 1. While it was back at Kahr for repair, I picked up a new generation LCP. Took it straight from the sales counter to the range line and it performed as it should. Has performed fine with FMJ, JHP, and flat-nosed bullets. My CW380 came back from Kahr and was better but still had battery failures with some hollow points and flat-nosed ammo so I sold it.

Anecdotally, after visiting several Ruger forums, the LCP seems to have fewer problems out of the box than the Kahr. There are trade-offs between the two but I decided to stay with the LCP.

[kwh]

I would buy again. I also had concerns of reliability . Previously I had bought a CM9 and a CW45. All are fine after initial break in. In addition to what the others have said,the .380 will cost more to break in because of the ammo expense and it might not like all ammo. For me, the Kahr 380 has much less muzzle flip than I would have thought. It fits my small hands well ,and I like the Kahr's triggers. I don't carry if often because there is almost no time when I can not carry my CM9. For me personally, I would choose a CM9 over the CW380. More power, less ammo expense, and while noticeable, not much size and weight difference. I mostly pocket carry, and also IWB carry, but when I do I usually carry the CW45.

[Busted Knuckle]

My LCP was perfect, ate everything I fed it, but I hated to shoot it. I bought the cw380 instead of a stainless lcp and never looked back. Found ammo it liked ( really ammo it didn't like) shot the 2 side by side and sold the lcp. My wife opened her new cw380 w/purple frame this morning.........(Santa ran 50 flawless rounds through it b4 wrapping it).

Good luck

[2tango2]

I just ordered a CW380 for $239 from (http://palmettostatearmory.com/index...ack-cw380.html) Palmetto State Armory... so if you have an FFL who does transfers, this would be a good option since they seem to run quite a bit more in stores. I ordered before Christmas, so mine won't ship until the new year, but I'm anxious.

That's a fantastic price for a CW380...I think I may have paid close to 100 dollars more.

That being said, thanks for the link to PSA. I regretted selling my Sig P238 earlier this year and saw they have one for an absolute steal...I mean like 220 plus less than most other places. I thought I'd be ponying up over 600 bucks even with my military discount at the Sig Pro Shop for another. The PSA price smokes that.

My first order from PSA and I've heard some so so stories about them but hoping this order goes off without a hitch.

Thanks for spending my $$ lol