Kahr P380 review

shooter521 · 08-16-2009

Hey, all!

A co-worker of mine bought a Kahr P380 a couple months ago, but has been unable to shoot it due to ongoing health and scheduling issues. So he brought it to me along with a couple spare mags and some ammo, and asked if I'd wring it out and report back to him. Duh, OK.

So this afternoon I happened to be down at lovemywoods' place doing some troubleshooting on a couple of guns in preparation for NFA Day, and figured I'd shoot the little Kahr alongside my customized Colt Pony Pocketlite and do a bit of comparison/contrast. lovemywoods and esrice graciously agreed to help out.

The P380 was unfired prior to today, beyond anything done at the factory before shipment. The Colt had a documented 725 rounds through it.

The Kahr and the Colt:

esrice shooting the Noisy Crickets:

My results:

Some thoughts:

SIZE
The Pony's grip is nicely hand-filling while the P380's seems almost too thin (think Kel-Tec P3AT or Ruger LCP here). Both guns only allow two fingers on the grip. The P380, being slimmer and lacking the beavertail found on the Pony, is a bit more concealable. Capacity on both guns is the same, 6+1. Advantage: None.

SIGHTS
The P380's sights are of the "bar-dot" pattern but are extremely low profile. They are better than what pass for sights on the P32/P3AT/LCP, and are even preferable to the standard Pony sights (rear notch and integral front blade), but the custom Cylinder & Slide front sight on my Pony was much easier to pick up. Plus, the P380 shot consistently low at 7 yards.
Advantage: Pony.

TRIGGER
The P380 trigger "feel" is identical to that on my P9... smooth DAO with about 1/4" of take-up, ~6# break and a long reset. No surprises there. It blows the stock Pony trigger pull out of the water, and is shorter and lighter even than my C&S tuned example. That said, I felt I could manage or "stage" the Pony's trigger more easily. lovemywoods also preferred it by a small margin.
Advantage: Pony.

RELIABILITY
The P380 burned through 110 rounds including 3 types of FMJ and 2 types of JHP, without a single malfunction. The Pony had 1 malfunction in an equal number of rounds.
Advantage: P380.

ACCURACY
Despite the fact that it shot low at 7 yards with all ammo types, consistency and accuracy were outstanding. Average group sizes with the P380 were smaller than with the Pony, and I had multiple holes touching on several occasions.
Advantage: P380.

In closing, the Kahr P380 would make an excellent backup or deep cover gun. It has usable sights, is small enough to conceal easily but has enough size and mass to be a comfortable shooter, has a good trigger, is quite accurate for its size class, and is boringly reliable. As esrice said, "it's everything Kahr, only smaller."

The P380 with factory night sights is supposed to be available by year's end... I will have one.

esrice · 08-16-2009

It was good having you down Mark. Be sure to give your friend a big "THANKS!" for letting us run his gun and his ammo!

theweakerbrother · 08-16-2009

Good review. Thanks for sharing!

Bigum1969 · 08-17-2009

Great review. I personally really like Kahr's and my PM9 has been utterly reliable.

BTW, how do I find a friend or three like that?

Dogman · 08-17-2009

How does it compare in size to the pm-9?

shooter521 · 08-17-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dogman

How does it compare in size to the pm-9?

I didn't have a PM9 (or my P9) there to compare directly, but the P380 is considerably smaller.

From Kahr Arms | Maker of high quality handguns in USA

Dogman · 08-17-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by shooter521

I didn't have a PM9 (or my P9) there to compare directly, but the P380 is considerably smaller.

From Kahr Arms | Maker of high quality handguns in USA

Thanks

Boilers · 08-17-2009

I would love to have that gun. Pricing is a bit steep for me at this time.
Thanks for the review. Rep incoming.

Bigum1969 · 08-17-2009

So, it looks even a little bit smaller than an LCP? Thoughts on that?

shooter521 · 08-17-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigum1969

So, it looks even a little bit smaller than an LCP? Thoughts on that?

It's actually a little shorter in length than the KT P3AT (and thus, the LCP), but was way more comfortable to shoot than I recall the P3AT being. The checkering on the front of the P380's grip is a little coarse (I've got a raw spot on the social finger of my shooting hand this morning), but it didn't bother me at the time; I could've shot the thing all day.

08-16-2009	#1 (permalink)
shooter521 Certified Glock Nut Join Date: May 2008 Location: Indianapolis, IN USA Posts: 14,780	Kahr P380 review Hey, all! A co-worker of mine bought a Kahr P380 a couple months ago, but has been unable to shoot it due to ongoing health and scheduling issues. So he brought it to me along with a couple spare mags and some ammo, and asked if I'd wring it out and report back to him. Duh, OK. So this afternoon I happened to be down at lovemywoods' place doing some troubleshooting on a couple of guns in preparation for NFA Day, and figured I'd shoot the little Kahr alongside my customized Colt Pony Pocketlite and do a bit of comparison/contrast. lovemywoods and esrice graciously agreed to help out. The P380 was unfired prior to today, beyond anything done at the factory before shipment. The Colt had a documented 725 rounds through it. The Kahr and the Colt: esrice shooting the Noisy Crickets: My results: Some thoughts: SIZE The Pony's grip is nicely hand-filling while the P380's seems almost too thin (think Kel-Tec P3AT or Ruger LCP here). Both guns only allow two fingers on the grip. The P380, being slimmer and lacking the beavertail found on the Pony, is a bit more concealable. Capacity on both guns is the same, 6+1. Advantage: None. SIGHTS The P380's sights are of the "bar-dot" pattern but are extremely low profile. They are better than what pass for sights on the P32/P3AT/LCP, and are even preferable to the standard Pony sights (rear notch and integral front blade), but the custom Cylinder & Slide front sight on my Pony was much easier to pick up. Plus, the P380 shot consistently low at 7 yards. Advantage: Pony. TRIGGER The P380 trigger "feel" is identical to that on my P9... smooth DAO with about 1/4" of take-up, ~6# break and a long reset. No surprises there. It blows the stock Pony trigger pull out of the water, and is shorter and lighter even than my C&S tuned example. That said, I felt I could manage or "stage" the Pony's trigger more easily. lovemywoods also preferred it by a small margin. Advantage: Pony. RELIABILITY The P380 burned through 110 rounds including 3 types of FMJ and 2 types of JHP, without a single malfunction. The Pony had 1 malfunction in an equal number of rounds. Advantage: P380. ACCURACY Despite the fact that it shot low at 7 yards with all ammo types, consistency and accuracy were outstanding. Average group sizes with the P380 were smaller than with the Pony, and I had multiple holes touching on several occasions. Advantage: P380. In closing, the Kahr P380 would make an excellent backup or deep cover gun. It has usable sights, is small enough to conceal easily but has enough size and mass to be a comfortable shooter, has a good trigger, is quite accurate for its size class, and is boringly reliable. As esrice said, "it's everything Kahr, only smaller." The P380 with factory night sights is supposed to be available by year's end... I will have one. __________________ BRADIS GUNS is the INGO Gun Shop of the Year for 2011! Thanks to all who voted for us! on INGO: http://ingunowners.com/forums/bradis_guns/ on the Web: http://www.bradisguns.com The Shooter Gallery: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/shooter2_indy Last edited by shooter521; 08-16-2009 at 22:15..

08-16-2009	#2 (permalink)
esrice INGO (M)Ad Man Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Southside, Indianapolis Posts: 18,717	It was good having you down Mark. Be sure to give your friend a big "THANKS!" for letting us run his gun and his ammo! __________________ Want to advertise your business on INGO? Shoot me a PM or email me at Evan@ingunowners.com *Forum Rules Classifieds Rules * INGO FAQ (recommended)** Last edited by esrice; 08-16-2009 at 22:59..

08-17-2009	#4 (permalink)
Bigum1969 Grandmaster Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: SW Indiana Posts: 21,414	Great review. I personally really like Kahr's and my PM9 has been utterly reliable. BTW, how do I find a friend or three like that? __________________ It's hotter than Hades down here. Gosh I smell good.

08-17-2009	#5 (permalink)
Dogman Master Join Date: May 2008 Location: Hamilton County Posts: 4,083	How does it compare in size to the pm-9? __________________ Handgun control is using both hands. "Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." - Robert A. Heinlein

08-17-2009	#8 (permalink)
Boilers Master Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 3,441	I would love to have that gun. Pricing is a bit steep for me at this time. Thanks for the review. Rep incoming. __________________ Nullification (Great Book)MUST LISTEN --> NO AGENDA audio podcasThe message behind the news. Recorded Sundays/Thursdays . Today's Indianapolis area Event Calendar ** Atlas Shrugged library link

08-17-2009	#9 (permalink)
Bigum1969 Grandmaster Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: SW Indiana Posts: 21,414	So, it looks even a little bit smaller than an LCP? Thoughts on that? __________________ It's hotter than Hades down here. Gosh I smell good.

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