Anyone on SF own a Kahr P380 or CW380? I'd love to get your feedback on them. Thanks!

I had a CW380 for a few months. Very small and concealable – and I had zero reliability problems through probably 150 rounds. But - i’m an old guy and found that I just couldn’t reliably rack the slide on it. I replaced it with an S9 and haven’t looked back. Kahr makes great pistols if you have strong forearms and hand muscles.

I have a cw380 and it goes just about everywhere with me. Its been reliable and accurate. To me it's a back up gun but it fits that role very well.

I had one before my G42. It was reliable and easy to carry.

I've been carrying a cw380 for a few years now. In my opinion, it's far nicer than the Bodyguard it replaced.

One noteworthy thing though- When I bought it, ammo was way overpriced and I was spending money with Freedom Munitions. Their 380 practice ammo is RNFP. I bought a ton of it and the S&W ate it fine. I almost got rid of the Kahr because it absolutely failed 50% of the time.

Since I went to regular round nose ammo, it's not once missed a beat.

Because of that steep feed ramp, I've only used XTP defense ammo in it, and it's not failed once with that either

Id say mine has had 1000 round nose practice rounds, and 1000 Hornady XTP rounds through it.

Thanks everyone so far. Were there any initial issues, I know that Kahrs supposedly have a "break-in" period of 200-300 rounds?

It's hard for me to answer that one, because I kept feeding mine the RNFP rounds because of reading so much about the break-in period, that many complained of.

I really wanted the gun to work because the trigger was so much drastically better than the BG or the little Ruger.

I don't know if it would have run perfect on RN from the get-go or if my use of the other rounds facilitated some in that break-in process.

I have been reading up on them quite a bit and was wanting to get one. I had a PM9 years ago and liked it a lot and it had no problems feeding,extracting or firing(when I used the right ammo for it). I am not sure why I sold it. The cw380 I have read and have had, have had some issues with feeding due to the extractor. Some people I work with filed down the bottom/inside of the extractor which aided and helped fix the issue because it was so tight and wouldn't let the next round feed into it. I have also read that some have had issues with different ammo. types,especially hollow points. The PM9 I owned could only use hp rounds that have a rounded like bullet,like Powerball. I was seriously looking at getting a P380 from a local guy about 3 miles from where I live but I debated on getting it due to expense. I am not saying they are bad guns and still want to get one as for the size, they can't be beat.

With that said, I have had a couple LCP pistols a couple years ago, that would not function correctly,(first gen. model), no matter what ammo I used. They would constantly jam and double feed. My wife, on the other hand, has a LCP Custom which has been nothing but reliable with anything we feed it. The added "real sights" aid her in gripping/racking the slide and it all but disappears in her waste band.

I recently bought a used S&W Bodyguard from my local ffl dealer for an amazing price but I have also read some negative things with those as well. Mostly were issues with first gen guns but some second as well. I also had one of those years ago that my wife wanted but she developed hand/gripping issues and so I sold it. I regret now selling it. It was a great little shooter. For the price I paid for the recent one I bought, I figured I would give it a try. It is the second gen. Bodyguard with the Crimson Trace laser (not a big fan of lasers but that is what he had). The mags are cheap. I have also been reading about people having to switch to Galloway parts in order for the pistol to work/shoot more reliably. I have yet to take it out,looking to do so this week, and hope I don't have any issues.

The wife also had a Glock 42 which was by far the best compact 380 pistol we have owned. It is the biggest 380 pistol of the bunch and not really made for pocket carry but recoil,accuracy and feeding was amazing,(what you would expect from Glock-boringly reliable). I liked it as well, normally Glocks give me slide bite but not with the 42. The tang/beaver tail area was redesigned and is nothing like it's bigger/full size pistols.

I guess what I am trying to say, you never know what to expect with any manufacturer. The Kahr is an attractive pistol and very easy to carry and conceal. I don't mean to dissuade you in any way but just giving my experiences. I still want a Kahr 380 but will eventually get a P series.

I've had my P380 for a good number of years now and while I don't carry it all that often, I do still drop it in my pocket in a BUG role every so often.

I feel it's the best micro .380 of the bunch, ( not including the G42 and larger .380s ) compared to the LCPs and BGs. Initially I was concerned about reliable feeding but I've yet to run into a HP round that wouldn't cycle through it. Even after several hundred rounds fired, I offer have to bop the back of the slide to get it to fully go into battery when sling shoting the first round from the magazine, but while firing, it cycles perfectly.

I like its smooth trigger and dove tailed sights. I installed a set of XS Big Dots on my P380.

P380 in a Sneaky Pete holster here. This is my second Kahr P380. First one was a POS that was sent back to Kahr a few times, then traded off.

One item I noticed is the length of the .380ACP ammo is very critical for issue free extraction. Shorter length ammo is best for clean feed/extraction.

That said, my G42 will feed anything.

quote:

Originally posted by ARMT Guy:
Even after several hundred rounds fired, I offer have to bop the back of the slide to get it to fully go into battery when sling shoting the first round from the magazine, but while firing, it cycles perfectly.

I like its smooth trigger and dove tailed sights. I installed a set of XS Big Dots on my P380.

I thought on Kahrs they want you to charge it via the slide release and not slingshot of slide?

I could have sworn I read that a while back.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by ARMT Guy:
Even after several hundred rounds fired, I offer have to bop the back of the slide to get it to fully go into battery when sling shoting the first round from the magazine, but while firing, it cycles perfectly.

I like its smooth trigger and dove tailed sights. I installed a set of XS Big Dots on my P380.

I thought on Kahrs they want you to charge it via the slide release and not slingshot of slide?

I could have sworn I read that a while back.

Perhaps it says that, but I never read the manual.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I thought on Kahrs they want you to charge it via the slide release and not slingshot of slide?

I could have sworn I read that a while back.

That's what it says in the manual. I scratched my head at that at first, because to my mind slingshotting whacks the round into battery better than using the slide release since you're getting full compression of the spring and full movement of the slide. But my theory about the little Kahrs is that the springs are so stiff and the slides so slippery that you never get the slide all the way back before it slips out of your fingers, resulting in some weak, half-assed charging action.

That's my theory. I could be wrong. It has happened before.

"disappears in her waste band"

I love this malapropism. Always good for a laugh.

I had a P380, was the second or possibly third owner. It had several failure to feed issues, so I replaced the recoil spring and tried with new magazines. Still had issues so I eventually traded it. This was after probably 250 or so rounds of 380 through it, just from me. My PM9 has never had an issue, so perhaps that one was a lemon.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
. . . malapropism.

Is that like a solecism?

I've carried the CW380 for several years and love it. Mine was very ammo sensitive, but once I found what it liked to eat I keep that stocked and haven't had an issue. Mine shoots great with offerings from PRVI and PMC, usually find that stuff pretty cheap, and for SD I keep it stocked with hydras - very accurate, I can consistently knock down 8" plates at 25 yards. The trigger pull is long, but smooth. Shouldn't have any troubles accidentally pulling the trigger on these things

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
. . . malapropism.

Is that like a solecism?

I thought a solecism was a guy who sells stuff door-to-door. Or a lawyer in England.

quote:

That's my theory. I could be wrong. It has happened before

, according to my wife and kids.

There, fixed it for you.

My CW380 did not like any ammo that was not very flat on the bottom. Once I rounded off that way too sharp bottom edge of the extractor, it became became much more reliable with different ammo brands as it would stop digging into the brass as it tried to feed the thicker rim rounds. It's simply a combination of feed angle and tightness of the extractor. You can tell if it's the issue if the ammo it doesn't feed has a deep gouge on the inside of the rim brass where the sharp edge of the extractor digs into it and stops further movement.