Walther PK380 Review

[Stschil]

I found a nice leather IWB holster on ebay for for under $40. One of the holster stores on there sales them for the PK 380

My GF bought hers for almost the same reasons you and your wife did. She has weak hands due to carpul tunnel and though she can work the action on my .40 XD(m), it's difficult and the PK is a dream for her. And She is a lefty too.

If you want a 380 that is very easy to rack check out the Sig 238. I have a Walther PPK/S 380 and the Sig is several times easier to work. Haven't shot the new S&W Walther 380 but have a Walther 99C in 40 and that is a sweet shooter.

+ 1000, my wife bought hers back in late 2009 and loves it, that being said, I just got back from the gunstore with her Christmas present, a S&W 380 Bodygaurd. She has been looking at these and while she loves her Walther she likes the Smith because its very concealable and easy to work the slide even with carpel tunnel.

Thanks, Folks,,we are going to check them out. Also, we are both really looking forward to trying the new XD(m) sub compacts. I KNOW I'm getting a .40 for me as it will match nicely with my 4.5" XD(m),,,she's not sure yet,,,have to wait and see.

Sorry for the Vert......it was completely unintentional.

 

[gmotox]

Thanks again for the revue I purchased a pk 380 today for my wife and she can't wait to shoot it . She really likes the way it feels in her hand. Thanks again

 

[VERT]

Thanks again for the revue I purchased a pk 380 today for my wife and she can't wait to shoot it . She really likes the way it feels in her hand. Thanks again

Excellent! Make sure to let us know how she likes the gun. Maybe post your own review.

Take my advice and run plenty of ammo through her new gun.

 

[D2VW14_20]

Ive been waiting on the dealers around here to get the 380s in. All the ever have are the 22s .Sharp gun though. Nice review.

 

[GBuck]

Thanks for the review.. I meant to comment on this yesterday before I went and picked up my BRAND NEW WALTHER PK380

 

[ckyoursix]

Have had a pk380 for awhile. 500 rounds and no problems. Keeping it cleaned and oiled seems to help.

 

[Myohealer]

Hi Vert, new to this and guns in general. My first gun I picked a 357 mag. thought it would be safer to have fewer levers and moving parts to accidentally shoot someone or something. Unfortunately I had little guidance and think I picked something a bit too powerful for my first time. My next one I chose Walther P22. Love it! Easy to use! Now that I have gotten quite comfortable and accurate I am looking for something to replace my 357 (only not as much kick). I have been looking at the PK380 and read your review. Now I am really eager to get my hands on one!! What caught my eye was the $389 for gun, 3 mags and something else. Anyway, where might i find a package deal like that?

 

[Joe K]

My Dad is new to firearms and this was the model he chose for EDC so far after about a year of ownership and several trips to the range it has proved to be a good gun no problems to speak of.

 

[VERT]

Hi Vert, new to this and guns in general. My first gun I picked a 357 mag. thought it would be safer to have fewer levers and moving parts to accidentally shoot someone or something. Unfortunately I had little guidance and think I picked something a bit too powerful for my first time. My next one I chose Walther P22. Love it! Easy to use! Now that I have gotten quite comfortable and accurate I am looking for something to replace my 357 (only not as much kick). I have been looking at the PK380 and read your review. Now I am really eager to get my hands on one!! What caught my eye was the $389 for gun, 3 mags and something else. Anyway, where might i find a package deal like that?

I wrote this a couple of years ago. Not sure what these guns are running now. Mags tend to be a bit hard to find. We bought the gun and dealer had some extra mags. Wife still has the gun and I modified a StreamLight TLR-3 to fit the rail. So far it has been reliable with good quality, full power ammunition. Recoil is very light. My only criticism is the need for a special tool to disassemble, lack of a slide lock, I think the extractor might need to be beefed up. It is a fun gun to shoot. If you like the P22 the PK380 is nearly identical in handling.

 

[Myohealer]

Thanks Joe and Vert for your feedback. Important to make a good decision!

 

[Nevada-Brad]

Hi, my wife has this firearm, we are looking for a great left handed holster for conceal to carry. I have a soft leaning towards Blackhawk CQC but cannot seem to find one for a walther and lefty. Any suggestions?

 

[VERT]

Hi, my wife has this firearm, we are looking for a great left handed holster for conceal to carry. I have a soft leaning towards Blackhawk CQC but cannot seem to find one for a walther and lefty. Any suggestions?

My wife had a left handed holster made by hooch. It works well. You can also use the newer style fobus that fits a Glock 26.

 

[Cottong2001]

Good review! Thanks. My wife also has a PK380 which she really likes, but it's hard for her to reach the safety. We are thinking of selling it and replacing with an M&P Shield 9mm. Just gotta find a Shield somewhere for her to handle. (Good luck with that right?!)

 

[k8vf-mark]

We own one of these, but I am wondering If it could be converted to DAO without any great difficulty?
Safety would still work, of course, and for a newer shooter, it would be safer , in my mind, to be DAO.

Safety is a bit far for smaller hands, so it could be carried on fire, with hammer down ANYWAY, but if it were DAO it would not require the manipulation to holster after firing.

Just a thought.

K8VF

 

[k8vf-mark]

Good review! Thanks. My wife also has a PK380 which she really likes, but it's hard for her to reach the safety. We are thinking of selling it and replacing with an M&P Shield 9mm. Just gotta find a Shield somewhere for her to handle. (Good luck with that right?!)

You could also look at the S&W M&P C. or the Springfield XDS. No external controls, and works ok for my small handed Gal in 9mm.

 

[VERT]

Not sure how a conversion to DAO would work. Not a bad concept for the gun. A person would not need the safety in that case. I would rather see a decocker (similar to the SR22 or Sig Mosquito added).

 

[jbrownrfn]

good review have the two tone only complaint was one of the white dots came out of rear sight cost nine bucks to replace just strange. Lost it first time at the range.

 

[45fan]

We own one of these, but I am wondering If it could be converted to DAO without any great difficulty?
Safety would still work, of course, and for a newer shooter, it would be safer , in my mind, to be DAO.

Safety is a bit far for smaller hands, so it could be carried on fire, with hammer down ANYWAY, but if it were DAO it would not require the manipulation to holster after firing.

Just a thought.

K8VF

Sounds like a very good thought to me. This was my wifes very first gun, and one of the first things she did when first shooting it was to send an extra bullet down range when she took it out to shoot. The DA/SA trigger isnt all bad, but can be tricky for a newbie to learn. Fortunatly for me, she didnt take but the one incident to learn that whole "finger off the trigger" rule.

 

[k8vf-mark]

PK-380

Sounds like a very good thought to me. This was my wifes very first gun, and one of the first things she did when first shooting it was to send an extra bullet down range when she took it out to shoot. The DA/SA trigger isnt all bad, but can be tricky for a newbie to learn. Fortunatly for me, she didnt take but the one incident to learn that whole "finger off the trigger" rule.

I contacted Walther, and they refuse to convert to DAO with Safety still operable...find a gunsmith is their basic advice.
My GF handles it well, but our Sheriff's Dept Instructor(Posse member) said the manual safety was an issue, because to holster you either had to be cocked and locked OR as I trained her -to put on safe, manually lower hammer, and take safety off before holstering.
Then you would be DA from the holster, and since safety is high, it is hard for small hand, you need to use weak hand to remove it.

But if anyone is looking for a 380 with an easily operated slide, THIS is IT! Works great for the gals. And small grip frame, too.

 

[VERT]

The manual safety is an issue. Proper way to use the gun is to apply safety and manually lower the hammer. Personally I would rather see no safety and a decocker.