Walther PK-380

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  • tex45acp

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    Mar 13, 2008
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    South Central Texas
    Well I never thought I would own a .380 handgun when I carry a 9mm that is smaller, but the wife picked one up the other day that she really liked. Now she has shot my 9mm Browning Hi Power, didnt like it, my 9mm Para Commander and didnt like it either. She really didnt like my PF-9 Keltec or my P-11 for how uncomfortable they are for her to shoot. She shoots her 2" SP-101 all day and is deadly with it, but wants a semi-auto as well. The Walther PK-380 fit her hand perfectly and she loved the trigger as well, especially the single action pull. I picked one up today for her for Christmas and am going to take it home and clean it up and head to the range.

    I'll post a report soon!!

    tex45acp
    DK Firearms
     

    tex45acp

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    Mar 13, 2008
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    My first impressions of the gun were actually better than I expected. I have never owned a Walther and have heard great things about the PPK's but this is not a PPK. The fit and finsh were done very well. I might look for a two tone for myself in the future. Everything works but I do not like having to use the key for slide removal. If it gets lost....well it won't be good. Might end up making a spare from aluminum. It disassembled and reassembled without any problems and it was easy to do so. I cleaned off the fired case residue wiped everything down and relubed the gun. The gun only came with one magazine, the one thing I dislike, but I was able to find a dealer with three new mags so I ordered them all. She likes to shoot but hates to load...LOL.

    Well I was able to sneak to the range late this afternoon. It was foggy, getting dark, and beginning to actually rain....again. The temp was about 52 and the wind was blowing across from left to right at about 5-10mph. I know not ideal for a test but it's not supposed to get any better for the next couple of days, so here goes.

    Since I bought the gun for my wife to qualify for her Texas CHL, I decided to follow the 7, 10 & 15 yard shooting ranges. The gun put 50 rounds downrange, loading 5 at a time as the procedure goes, without one single problem. The single action pull was around 4lbs according to my tester. Double was around 10lbs. The sights were dead on but the gun shot a little high when aiming dead center the target at 7 yards. !0 and 15 yards is where the little gun was shooting to point of aim. I tried the safety several times and it is a hammer block system that stops the hammer before it makes contact with the firing pin. Works like a charm. One thing is the gun has no slide release button, so you have to perform the slingshot method, and you have to remove the empty mag to release it when empty. The slide locked back on every empty mag.

    I was using Winchester White Box 90gr FMJ which hapend to be a flat point jacketed bullet. I was converned about feeding but it fed like a charm. It ejected all the brass in a neat little circle just to my right, around 24" in diameter. I like that since I plan to reload them and hunting down brass in the dark is no fun. Recoil was almost non-existant which my wife will love. That is one of the things she hates with the 9's I have, but her SP-101 revolver, shooting 145gr Winchester Silvertips draws no complaints. I was able to keep most of the rounds within a 4" grouping and thats just fine for what it is going to be used for. I am sure under different weather conditions the group would be tightened up substantially, especially with her shooting.

    I am really looking forward to seeing her face on Christmas morning when she opens the box with the gun she was really fond of in the gunstore. Here is the target and gun.
    PK380.jpg
     

    Texas1911

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    I got to shoot one and I really like it. Very soft recoil, full size grip, and a decent trigger.

    If only .380 was more available.

    They are only $350 too!
     

    tex45acp

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    Mar 13, 2008
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    South Central Texas
    I have been able to buy 300 rounds of .380 in the last two days here in Victoria.
    3 50rnd boxes of PMC Brass 90gr. FMJ $21.00 a box
    2 50rnd boxes of Winchester White Box FMJ $22.00 a box
    1 20rnd box of Speer Gold Dot JHP for $20.00

    One store had
    1 50rnd boxes of PMC Brass 90gr. FMJ $21.00 a box &
    1 50rnd boxes of Winchester White Box FMJ $22.00 a box &
    1 20rnd box of Speer Gold Dot JHP for $20.00

    & there are two other gunstores in town I have not gone to yet. Expensive...yes but available all the same. I am keeping the brass for reloading.

    I was at the gunshow at the GRB Convention center in Houston on Sunday and there was a vendor there that had boocoos of 380. I did not have the gun then so I did not go over and look at what all brands he had. But there was a line at his booth.
     

    SIG_Fiend

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    Feb 21, 2008
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    The best choice Walther made was using the Browning tilting barrel design instead of a fixed barrel blowback design like most other .380's. That alone really helps reduce a lot of the felt recoil, which makes a huge difference I think. I've shot a lot of guns like PPK's, Sig P230/232's and other similar sized blowback .32's and .380's, and while many of them are cool and fun they sure do have excessive recoil for what they are. I've found the PK380 is a nice change from that. I would almost buy one, though I'd rather have the PPS since it's about the same size and 9mm.
     

    kgray921

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    Nov 10, 2008
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    Tomball, TX
    I owned a PPK-S for many years. Damn thing would jam ALL the time. Brought it to the gunsmith twice and he never did find anything wrong with it. Blew several brands of ammo through it so I never knew what the problem was..... traded it in after having several nightmares that it jammed when I needed it most.
     

    Texas1911

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    I owned a PPK-S for many years. Damn thing would jam ALL the time. Brought it to the gunsmith twice and he never did find anything wrong with it. Blew several brands of ammo through it so I never knew what the problem was..... traded it in after having several nightmares that it jammed when I needed it most.

    Alot of friction, low round energy, fixed barrel, they have everything that you need to cause a jam in a semi-auto. Factor in any poor shooter form and you get a gun that jams constantly, but I cannot fault their accuracy. I can shoot a quarter sized group with one at 7 yards.

    I absolutely hate giving out our rental PPK because I know it will malfunction, though.

    I wish James Bond would have carried a 1911, or something that is not a giant pile of shit. So many people have a hard on for them because of that, and frankly ... they are giant piles of shit.

    PPS, PK380, P99 ... all awesome guns at a good price.
     

    texas_teacher

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    I remember reading the article on this one when it was the cover model a couple months back... Finally got to handle my first one today at the Mesquite show... I liked it... If I was starting a friend out on handguns or a female or someone with little to no gun experience I'd use my P22 then bump them up to this one then to the P99... I love how it all remains a relatively similar grip profile... Very comfortable...

    Edit... I doubt if I will ever own one just because of my hangup of it's size... I don't see the need for a gun this large chambered in only .380 ACP... I don't have any problem with the caliber as it is my primary carry and what I use in my car... It's just the size of the container...
     

    tex45acp

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    Mar 13, 2008
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    Texas Teacher,
    I completely agree with you, but there are very few guns that my wife actually finds comfortable and this one she really liked. I had the gunstore clerk bring her a snapcap so she could try the trigger and that was the selling point for her. That being said she woud have never bought it for herself....she is just not made that way. I am hoping that she will accept it from me though.....if not I have a new fun gun.

    tex45acp
     

    texas_teacher

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    Feb 14, 2009
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    Texas Teacher,
    I completely agree with you, but there are very few guns that my wife actually finds comfortable and this one she really liked. I had the gunstore clerk bring her a snapcap so she could try the trigger and that was the selling point for her. That being said she woud have never bought it for herself....she is just not made that way. I am hoping that she will accept it from me though.....if not I have a new fun gun.

    tex45acp

    A new fun gun is always good thing...
     

    tex45acp

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    Mar 13, 2008
    228
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    South Central Texas
    Well I took the Wife's PK-380 over to my Son's inlaws house. His Father-in-Law ia a federal air marshal and really liked the gun, enough to have his wife and my daughter in law shoot it. Like my wife they have smaller hands and the gun fit them perfectly and they loved the lack of recoil and the accuracy. Well if that is not enough, the Sister and Brother in Law of my sons Father in Law came over and they shot the gun. I now am on the look out for 4 of them. I think Walther should give me some sort of commission on this deal....LOL Well my wifes gun now has 200 rounds through it and she has yet to touch it...LOL. She will get the chance tomorrow morning.

    Merry Christmas everyone!!!
     

    texas_teacher

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    Feb 14, 2009
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    Well I took the Wife's PK-380 over to my Son's inlaws house. His Father-in-Law ia a federal air marshal and really liked the gun, enough to have his wife and my daughter in law shoot it. Like my wife they have smaller hands and the gun fit them perfectly and they loved the lack of recoil and the accuracy. Well if that is not enough, the Sister and Brother in Law of my sons Father in Law came over and they shot the gun. I now am on the look out for 4 of them. I think Walther should give me some sort of commission on this deal....LOL Well my wifes gun now has 200 rounds through it and she has yet to touch it...LOL. She will get the chance tomorrow morning.

    Merry Christmas everyone!!!

    Haha that tends to happen with new guns... They get more rounds in them before the actual owner ever gets a chance to enjoy them...
     

    tex45acp

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    Mar 13, 2008
    228
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    South Central Texas
    It's Official!!!!
    The look on her face told me all I needed to see. My wife is not a materialistic person in any shape form or fashion, but when she opened the box and gripped the gun and pulled it out......she was grinning from ear to ear. She told me that she shot one already that is owned by a female friend of ours. She said if I had not got it for her she was going to buy it herself.
     
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