Walther PK380, I finally got one!

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TexasBill...if your wife likes the P22, she'll like the PK380...apart from the obvious increase in recoil the PK380 feels exactly like the P22.

I'm slowly building up my supply of 380 ammo...once I've got a reasonable amount I plan on putting a couple 100 rounds through it.

If you compare the PPS and the PK380 the PPS has a slimmer grip, but it's quite a bit deeper than the PK380 (hubby has a PPS), which I find gives me less control of the PPS. The PK380 and PPS weigh the same.

Hope you get to pick up a PK380 soon!
 
No, the PK380 is a short recoil design with a linkage.

(Edit) Actually it is a breech block like what is on the beretta 92. My mistake.
 
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pardon my stupidity, i have yet to try out a pistol without a slide release (relatively new to guns although i have tired out several, all with slide releases though). But how do you release the slide?
 
easy

Slingshot it = pull slide back a little and let it go. If the magazine is empty, you'll need to drop it first to take tension off the slide stop.
 
pardon my stupidity, i have yet to try out a pistol without a slide release (relatively new to guns although i have tired out several, all with slide releases though). But how do you release the slide?
Click to expand...

Technically you should use it as a slide lock not a slide release. For Guns without slide locks you eject the mag and release the slide by pulling back on it.

The correct way to chamber a round either from a closed slide or open slide is to reach over the top with you opposite have and rack the slide by pulling it back and then releasing it. Clint Smith demonstrates it very well in this video and also explains why you don't rely on releasing the slide lock to chamber the gun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVGQQhkjzec&feature=related
 
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Well

Don't know what you mean by "technically". I suspect many pistol manuals state you can use the slide release. There's usually more than one way to do this stuff that gets it done.

The over the top sling shot technique is a new one on me. Looks like it works okay.
 
Don't know what you mean by "technically". I suspect many pistol manuals state you can use the slide release. There's usually more than one way to do this stuff that gets it done.
Click to expand...

It's a controversial subject that has spawned many heated debates on gun forums including this one.

Every shooting instructor I've ever had has taught the over-the-top method to chamber the round but that doesn't mean it's the only way it can be done. You can certainly use the slide lock to release the slide if you want but for me personally I like the over-the-top rack because it utilizes more spring tension and you get more force going forward to push the round into the chamber.

Just a personal preference but you can do it however it works best for you.
 
well personally i tend to do like nwilliams stated and pull slightly back. To me personally it feels like the slide slamming home can do some damage. Again, i havent been a gun owner for too long, maybe a year now, so I dont know for sure, but it just seems better IMO to manually bring bring the slide back then down. And its not like it takes long to do either.

But thanks for the info, now i wont feel like an idiot the first time i try one out.
 
Quadkid,
FWIW; The PK380 is designed so that the only way to release the slide is to pull it back and then let go. Most guns have a manual lever that can be thumbed down to release the slide but the PK380 lacks this lever. The slide catch is internal and activated only by retracting the slide.

The slide slamming home is a good thing and isn't damaging. One does not want to gently ease the slide to battery slowly and gently.
 
Every shooting instructor I've ever had has taught the over-the-top method to chamber the round but that doesn't mean it's the only way it can be done
Click to expand...

This is the only way I have been taught as well. HKP7s can be an exception though with squeezing the cocking lever to chamber the first round from your fresh magazine.

It amazes me how many gun customers rack a slide back and wonder why they cannot release it easily on some pistols. First off you shouldnt do it on an empty chamber anyway and second the gun just plain is not designed that way. Such as on a Kahr for instance. Of course most of these people stay away from those guns because they dont work the way they do in the movies.

The slide catch is internal and activated only by retracting the slide.
Click to expand...

I for one think this is pure genius. However is there a way to manually keep the slide open?
 
I for one think this is pure genius. However is there a way to manually keep the slide open?
Click to expand...

Sure... insert an empty mag and retract the slide and the catch will engage. To close the slide, simply drop the magazine then rack the slide.

You are probably used to the P7's tiny manual button to engage the slide. It's the only gun I can think of built like that. Several guns have internal only catches... the PPK, Sig P232, etc., but most thankfully include a manual lever.
 
The one thing about no external slide lock is the class 3 (double feed) malfunction. I've had this happen with .380s with no external lever and it's a drag, with the dinky mag and the strong blow-back recoil spring conspiring together to make life hard.

I've got a couple of .380s at this point, but the only one I'd consider carrying is the inexpensive Bersa, mainly because it has the stop.

Again, I see this as more a problem with small guns. I notice that Clint Smith has no problems (man, he makes this stuff look simple), but he uses big guns. Big guns are also a plus for the over-the-top method, IMHO, since the little micro .380s can see a large hand covering the whole slide (thus putting part of your hand closer to-or over-the muzzle). I know that the gun is supposed to be empty, and you'd only be doing it if it had malfunctioned, etc., but I'm still not a fan of any part of my body close to the muzzle. Not an issue on 1911s, G17s and M92s.

BTW, one name instructor teaches the slide lever (Mas Ayoob).

But whatever. I'm neither Clint or Mas, so I'm not the last word on anything.
 
It may weigh an ounce less than a PPK, but it sure feels different in the hand, even when you consider the overall weight of the two. The PPK feels like a real gun to me; the PK380, not so much.
 
Well, I finally got to the range this weekend to give this thing a try. I really like this little gun. The perceived recoil is low and manageable, and it ate all of the ammo that I lput through it including the very light hand loads that I made up. It grouped okay, about 3.5 in for the largest at about 25 ft.

My wife likes it, and thinks it shoots pretty good. My little sister, who is pretty recoil shy, seemed to enjoy it too. Now if I can find a good source of ammo for it at a reasonable price we would be in business.
 
Found a PK380 First Edition, oh yeah!!!!! Wanted one of these for the wife cuz she loves the P22 but not sure i'm gonna let her shoot it. Might put it away to be a collectors item because these things are selling like hot cakes. Think i'm gonna pick up a regular one when they become widely available and hopefully find 380 ammo by then.
 
No. There's no magazine safety on the PK380 (Yay!). Of course, with the PK380's magazine release, you're not likely to inadvertently drop the magazine, but still, the magazine safety is one I can do without.

I also got a PK380 First Edition to get the extra magazine and the holster (it's nylon and velcro but will do until something better comes along). Paid a few percent over the MSRP at a small local gun shop. (The weird thing is that Bud's is listing the basic PK380 for $399.00 which is about 10 percent over MSRP of $362.00. Some other sites show lower prices but no availability. I have heard the increase is due to the rise of the Euro against the dollar (it's back up to just about $1.50 per Euro which is where it was a couple of years ago) but S&W hasn't changed the prices on their website yet.

I called Walthers America about spare keys/takedown tools. They don't have any now but are expecting their first shipment of spare magazines in December and think there will be some spare tools in that shipment. The German parts diagram lists the key as Part No. 2769581 though I am not sure if that will be the same part number S&W uses.
 
PK cal .380 Walther

Frankly I don't spend much of my time reading other comments. Most generally have a negative connotation for a fine handgun. First Walther has a fine history of producing exceptional handguns. They are also one of the best companies to deal with should you develop a problem. I obtained my PK 380 as a 'First Edition' with a low 3 number serial. I have fired it and fired it without a single problem. Several comments were made regarding the side locking screwdriver.
One comes with the gun. The day after I bought mine I called Walther in MA. I talked to the head of supply and who told me they had no extras in the US. But took down my name. A couple of months past and I had forgotten about my request. Well one showed up in the mail. The very next day I received my third via mail or delivery service. That's service! Looking for a belt holster, S&W, Walther has holsters for Walters. I ordered one to day. An IWB gets tiring after a while. Just wanted to pass these couple things along.
 
My wife picked one up a little over a month ago. I think it is just about the most pleasant shooting 380 I have ever tried. Compared to a Sig p230, it is way easier to shoot, more ergonomic, and less likely to leave you with a slide bite. It isnt tiny, but set right on top of the p230, it isnt really any bigger. On the down side, for a Walther, the finish is terrible, and the take down is a true pain. All in all, it was an inexpensive pistol, that my wife loves to shoot, and will very likely actually carry it. The biggest problem I have with it will be easily remedied with an afternoon spent refinishing the slide with some K-Phos and Gun Kote
 
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