Categories
Handguns

Walther PK380 Pistol

The Walther PK380 pistol is a newest .380 ACP handgun for sale and is based on the very popular P22.  It is a compact handgun with a polymer frame.  The gun is hammer fired, not striker fired as many modern polymer guns are.

Walther PK380

These Walther pistols are not the tiny, subcompact pistols like the Ruger LCP.  Instead, the PK380 handguns are a little larger, which makes them easier to shoot.  By having a marginally larger size, the guns tend to be more reliable and can have features typically found on large handguns like a larger capacity and better sights.

The PK380 magazine will hold eight rounds, giving the shooter nine on tap before a reload.  Nine rounds is not a sure thing when it comes to stopping an attacker, but it is a darn sight better than the five rounds I carry in my J-frame revolver.

As I suggested earlier, the sights on the Walther P380 are much more visible than you might expect on a compact handgun.  They are configured in a three-dot sight system.  The sight radius is a very useable 5.4″.  A nice bonus is that the sights are made of steel instead of plastic.

Categories
Handguns

Kahr P380 Pistol: Kahr’s New .380 ACP Pistol

Kahr P380

Kahr Arms has announced they are shipping a new pistol chambered in .380 ACP: the Kahr P380.

Maintaining the distinctive styling of the larger Kahr pistols, the P380 is a DAO (double action only) pistol that features a black polymer frame with a matte stainless steel slide.  The firearm holds six .380 ACP cartridges in the magazine and ships with two magazines.  The Kahr P380 has a 2.5″ barrel and a choice of standard or night sights.

Kahr has clearly targeted the tiny .380 ACP pistol market by making direct comparisons to the diminutive Kel Tec P3AT.  The Kel Tec pistol developed a large following after it was introduced, and many say is directly responsible for Ruger’s introduction of the LCP at the 2008 SHOT Show.  With that in mind, let us compare the three guns.

The P380 is slightly shorter than both the P3AT and the LCP with a 4.9″ OAL compared to 5.2″ and 5.16″ of the other two pistols respectively.  Kahr lists the slide width as a mere .75″ compared to the .77″ width of the Kel Tec and .82″ width of the Ruger.  However, the Kahr is slightly heavier (9.97 oz unloaded) than the P3AT (8.3 oz unloaded) and the LCP (9.4 oz unloaded) and taller (3.9″ vs 3.5″ and 3.6″).