P380/CW380--Once Bitten, Twice Shy?

[boscobarbell]

Long story short: In my attempt to find a "perfect" .380 pistol for light clothing days, I purchased a CW380 a few months back. It proved to be a jam-o-matic, to the degree that the 200-round break-in period wasn't even feasible (I think I got to about 60 rounds before I gave up). I sent it back to Kahr, and--as always--their customer service was impeccable. As fate would have it, however, I found a Remington RM380 on Gunbroker for a ridiculous price while my Kahr was away: absolutely reliable, with whatever you feed it, dirty, dry, etc etc etc. Good enough for me. The Kahr came back from the factory with a bunch of fixes, and I quickly sold it.

However...I've since added a PM9 to my collection, and marvel at how perfect the Kahr trigger is for my purposes. And I kinda, sorta wish my Remington was just a bit shorter, and a bit narrower. Not to mention that it'd be nice if I could add night sights to it. Sigh.....

Which brings me back around to the Kahr .380s.

But I don't want/need a gun that needs to go back to the factory just to function, or one that needs homespun gunsmithing to make it right.

So I'm just looking for some feedback regarding the newer .380s. Are they worth it? Did I happen upon a lemon last year, or is that typical of these Kahrs? I'm not a collector or a range junkie...I'm looking for a carry pistol that I can count on.

[dsk]

Honestly, given how temperamental mine has been and with all the other similar stories out there, no I can't recommend them. If you're a "gun guy" and willing to invest the time and effort of troubleshooting, maybe. Unfortunately if I knew then what I know now I would never have purchased my P380. But now that I'm stuck with it I'm determined to make it run well enough either to keep or to sell to someone else without feeling guilty. Now don't get me wrong, I see the attraction in these little pistols and love how small yet amazingly shootable they are. But that doesn't mean a thing if they can't be relied on to work well enough to stake your life on. Incompatible ammo, or tired springs, or being too dirty, or not enough lube, or a flake of brass trapped in the wrong place, or just plain and simple parts wear/breakage are typical issues with these little guns and will stop them cold. I need a gun meant for self defense to be more dependable than that. If it's just a range toy, maybe. But people don't buy these little guns for use as range toys.

[yqtszhj]

My wife has one of those RM380's and I know what you mean. Easy to rack the slide and it eats anything. The trigger took some getting used to as it is LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. Runs good though.

did you notice the spacer/insert in the rm380 magazine? That gun is just a barrel upgrade from being a 9mm. I bet it would be a handful in 9mm though and not as nice as the pm9.

My opinion, buy you another 9mm instead of the .380, or get an LCP as they tend to work well (mine does anyway.)

[b4uqzme]

I'm sure there are plenty of happy P380 owners who could chime in. But I've always felt a PM/CM9 was pert near perfect. Small and light enough and 9mm to boot. So regardless how reliable or unreliable a P380 may be, I doubt I'll be getting one.

[boscobarbell]

My wife has one of those RM380's and I know what you mean. Easy to rack the slide and it eats anything. The trigger took some getting used to as it is LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. Runs good though.

did you notice the spacer/insert in the rm380 magazine? That gun is just a barrel upgrade from being a 9mm. I bet it would be a handful in 9mm though and not as nice as the pm9.

My opinion, buy you another 9mm instead of the .380, or get an LCP as they tend to work well (mine does anyway.)

Yes, the Remington is extremely reliable. But, like I said, I wouldn't mind it a touch smaller, with a bit better sights.

With my Kahr PM9, I see no reason to look at another 9mm...this is about the smallest platform that's out there, at least for halfway decent pistols that one can count on.

I've actually got an LCP II...well, to be exact, Ruger has it, as it couldn't get through round or two without failures of one kind or another. Just like the first one I owned, which they ended up destroying and replacing. Yup, not a bit fan of Ruger at this point.

[Alfonse]

I bought an LCP II when they came out because folks were raving about them. The first thing I did after cleaning was take it out and alternate shooting a magazine from it and my CW380. I shot the center of the target out with the CW380 but could barely stay on the paper with the LCP II. The squared off shape of the LCP II made it uncomfortable to shoot compared to the CW380. The LCP II sights are poor. I gave the LCP II away. It is easier to rack the slide (hammer fired) than the CW380. In my opinion, there is no better 380 than the Kahr.

[boscobarbell]

I bought an LCP II when they came out because folks were raving about them. The first thing I did after cleaning was take it out and alternate shooting a magazine from it and my CW380. I shot the center of the target out with the CW380 but could barely stay on the paper with the LCP II. The squared off shape of the LCP II made it uncomfortable to shoot compared to the CW380. The LCP II sights are poor. I gave the LCP II away. It is easier to rack the slide (hammer fired) than the CW380. In my opinion, there is no better 380 than the Kahr.

And how has yours been in terms of reliability? Good after the break-in, or did you constantly have to tinker with it and/or send it back to Kahr to get it working?

[Alfonse]

It worked right out of the box fine. I did have to adjust my grip a bit to keep the thing from rattling around in my hands. Once I sorted my grip, it has been 100%. I figured out the grip after my 1st range trip of about 100 rounds shot.

[boscobarbell]

It worked right out of the box fine. I did have to adjust my grip a bit to keep the thing from rattling around in my hands. Once I sorted my grip, it has been 100%. I figured out the grip after my 1st range trip of about 100 rounds shot.

Very encouraging. Thanks for the feedback.

[dustnchips]

I have a CW380. Right out of the box I had trouble with the first 100 rounds. I took it home and invested about half an hour in it and it has run perfect for about 900 rounds now. It just took a little light polishing here and there with 900 wet and dry. The stickies tell you what needs to be addressed. I love mine and carry it more often tha my PM9 due to its size.

[DavidR]

I had a bad experience with a CW380 and didn't give a Kahr 380 another chance.

It sounds to me like this will gnaw at you until you give Kahr another chance. Go for it!




Dave

[OldBoldPilot]

I bought a new P380 a couple of months ago. Through the first 50 or so rounds it evidenced every type of failure known to man. After that (another 400 or so rounds), it has been perfect. Great little carry gun, and with the right ammo a highly effective close-range weapon.

[boscobarbell]

I had a bad experience with a CW380 and didn't give a Kahr 380 another chance.

It sounds to me like this will gnaw at you until you give Kahr another chance. Go for it!


Dave

You've got that right! I'm itching to give it another try.

[boscobarbell]

I bought a new P380 a couple of months ago. Through the first 50 or so rounds it evidenced every type of failure known to man. After that (another 400 or so rounds), it has been perfect. Great little carry gun, and with the right ammo a highly effective close-range weapon.

So, nothing special other than the usual Kahr prep and then some range time?

[boscobarbell]

I have a CW380. Right out of the box I had trouble with the first 100 rounds. I took it home and invested about half an hour in it and it has run perfect for about 900 rounds now. It just took a little light polishing here and there with 900 wet and dry. The stickies tell you what needs to be addressed. I love mine and carry it more often tha my PM9 due to its size.

I'll have to take a look at those stickies. Reader's Digest version...is it easy work, like feed ramp and the like, or does it require more extensive smithing?