Walther PK 380 ????

[Redcoat3340]

So after a decade or four of firearms I bought my first .380s.

Got a Sig 230 (which I can't collect 'till the end of the month) and did some trading for a Beretta 84f and got a Sig 250 in 380 at a bargain price.

So I'm in the market for one more...possibly trading/selling the Beretta and replacing it....as after shooting the Sig, which is a locked breech versus the Beretta blowback I found the Sig a much better gun for me.

So I'm doing a bit of research and as I like DA/SA more than DAO or SAO....I'm thinking of a Walther PK380.

(I have two Walthers now, a P5 and P38/P1. But I know there is no relation between those two classics and the modern Unamex (?) owners of the company.)

So I'm hoping some of the folks here have a bit of knowledge/experience/information they might be willing to share about the PK380

or any of a few other locked breech mouse guns ala the Llama Especial (parts impossible to get), Colt Gov't 380 (SAO), ERMA KGP-68A (just what the world needs a mini-Luger in 380) or....

gasp....a Glock (did I actually say Glock?) g42.

thanks in advance.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

If you are looking for a used PPK, avoid the American made stainless steel version. They had terrible feed problems for several years of production.

I had a used blue PPKs marked "Made in West Germany" (I believe it was a late 70's gun) imported by Interarms. It shot fantastic and fed every brand and bullet type of factory ammo you could buy in the 80's and 90's. It also fed some huge hollow points that I made. I turned it back into money a year or two ago, it wasn't as concealable as a LCP and weighed three times as much.

My brother and his wife have the PK 380 and the 22 RF version also. It shoots well feeds everything we tried in it. It isn't very small, but still lighter than a PPKs. If you have a wife, plan on buying 2 of the 22 version! (theirs lives in a kitchen drawer and deals with obnoxious wildlife).

Ivan

 

[ky wonder]

don't gasp at the Glock 42, I bought my wife one last year for Christmas, and she loves it, it is easy for her to handle and accurate and eats anything I throw at it.

later in march I picked up a nib PK380 in angle blue with stainless slide
I love the feel in the hand and told my wife she could keep the one she liked best and I would trade off the other, she said she would keep them both

1st range outing with the PK380 after about 25 rounds it started having issues with stove pipes, using colt 80 gr. solid copper hollow points. it was not cleaned before taking to the range so I brought it home and cleaned it and it ran better the next trip, but is still somewhat ammo sensitive, where the little Glock has eat everything I have thrown at it

drawbacks are it does not have a captivated recoil spring, and is a pain to put back together, has to have a take down tool , some of the early models had issues you can read about those on the walther forum, extra mags are expensive

I like the fact that it holds an extra round but a simple base plate on the Glock mag solves that issue,

I like the hammer but the safety is backwards to how most pistol safeties work

it is accurate, but in no way is it the equal to my 1968 PP380, then again it is lighter and does not bite the web of my hand like the old classic PP

I will never again buy a gun with a colored frame, it is a gorgeous pistol but it is a pain in the butt to get the powder off that light blue polymer
frame

I can disassemble and clean the Glock 5 times in the time it takes to get the PK pack together.

I would also check out the little browning 380 1911 nice looking guns, but have not tried one yet,

my biggest regret is not buying the Glock 43, instead of the 42, 9mm is much cheaper than 380

 

[lawandorder]

Had an Interarms PPK/S for years, no problems.

Would NOT buy one made by someone else other than Walther!!!!!!!!!!

 

[garyez]

Owned a PK380 for about 1yr. and shot about 800 rounds. Bought it because it was easy to shoot and operate, and also wanted my daughter to to try it out.

Pros: Easy to operate, lightweight, nice trigger in S/A, ergos, low recoil.

Cons: Large size for a 380, low contrast permanent front sight on the nickel slide version, likes Euro made ammo, take down, had to send it in to Walther for warranty service on the extractor which seems to be a common problem with this model but the turn around time was only 2 weeks and no issues since then.

Shot it side by side with a rented G42 and the recoil was about the same. My accuracy at 7 yards was a little better with the G42 but at 12 yards better with the PK. If I wanted a carry handgun I would have bought the G42.

 

[LVSteve]

So after a decade or four of firearms I bought my first .380s.

Got a Sig 230 (which I can't collect 'till the end of the month) and did some trading for a Beretta 84f and got a Sig 250 in 380 at a bargain price.

Which Sig 250 did you get, the compact or the sub compact?

I ordered a compact but ended up with a subcompact after a vendor messed up the shipping and my girlfriend liked the way it fit her hand. We have yet to shoot it, but we both like the way the 290 RS 380 runs, so we have high hopes.

 

[steamloco76]

I owned a Walther PK 380 and agree with the cons mentioned by other posters. My vote is for the venerable Walther PPK/s which is a classy pistol and generally very reliable, except for the USA made stainless models.
The only .380 ACP pistol currently in the steamloco76 stable is a Browning Black Label 1911-.380 I bought for my wife. Quite a good 7/8ths scale 1911, but it is SAO.

 

[KSDeputy]

I had a PK 380 and did not like the way it operated, returned it for a PPK.

 

[zeke]

Have an Interarms 380 and 32 acp PPK and they never bobbled. Not once, and just reloaded approximately 2000 rds (life time supply) of 380 acp. The 380 a is extremely accurate, but it does recoil. Would trade it for an older Colt government 380 model mustang.

People with large hands often have difficulty with small semi autos.

 

[Wee Hooker]

If your looking for "nice", what about the Sig 938? Somewhat of a modern update the the Colt.
That said, if you want to carry it, It's hard to beat the S&W BG 380.

 

[swsig]

Which Sig 250 did you get, the compact or the sub compact?

I ordered a compact but ended up with a subcompact after a vendor messed up the shipping and my girlfriend liked the way it fit her hand. We have yet to shoot it, but we both like the way the 290 RS 380 runs, so we have high hopes.

I have a SIG P250sc .380. It is a very enjoyable gun. Its size is in between a Shield and an M&P compact, so it's easily carried. Racking the slide is extremely easy. It is light (for a 12-round gun), accurate, reliable (one FTE in 2500 rounds), and it has a very smooth DAO trigger. Some owners have complained about the length of the pull on the trigger, but it's easy to adapt if you learn to stage it by pulling it up to the resistance point and then squeezing it until it fires. Recoil is minimal, and accurate follow-up shots are easy to achieve.

Although my P250 has fired everything I've fed it, it is most accurate at the range with SIG's own brand of FMJ ammo. For SD rounds, I carry Fiocchi Extrema, which was one of the winners in Shooting the Bull's SD ammo competition.

I think you and you girlfriend will really like the P250. It's one of the best .380s out there.

 

[Redcoat3340]

Thanks to all who shared their insight and expertise.

I've got a PP/PPK sorta gun in the Sig 230, which I'm reading is "better" than the original Walther PP/PPK.

As I'm not looking to carry this third one, size isn't a factor. I currently carry either a Shield (pocket) or Sig 320 or 250 in 9 for IWB.

I decided, based on very limited experience, I'd prefer a locked breech gun....so that's why I'm considering the Walther.

Apparently, it is a good gun (a bit complicated to take down I gather) but the problem was with production quality. Reading on the Walther board (I've got a few so I read it) you can get a good one and have no problems or a real turkey. But as Walther has some sort of great warranty program they'll fix whatever is broken.

So far, it's leading....but I've got another couple of weeks until I have to decide.

 

[AlHunt]

I had a PK380 for a while. Shot well, zero problems over 6 or 800 rounds I had on hand. The only reason I traded it off is because the ammo is slightly more expensive and I didn't want to add another caliber to reload.

As for the Glock ... why not? Ugly and soulless, maybe. But I have plenty of ugly, soulless hammers and screwdrivers and I like them just fine.

 

[Skeptic 9c]

Note the P22 and the PK 380 do NOT have a hammer drop safety. It requires the safety set and then pull the trigger and ease the hammer down on a live round.
Geoff
Who prefers a drop safety and careful manipulation.

 

[garyez]

More Thoughts

About the PK 380 take down, there are a lot of complaints about having to use the key to unlock the slide and people losing it but I always keep the key in the case in a plastic bag and have no problem finding it when needed. Also there are many complaints about the noncaptive recoil spring but for anyone who has experience field stripping an M-1 or M-14 this is NOTHING. A needle nose pliers makes it easy to reassemble.

Some have complained about the PK shooting 2-3 inches too low on target. I thought this was an issue during the first 300 rounds but then I added more contrast to the front sight with some paint and now accuracy at 7 yards is as good as the G42, P238, Bursa 380, or Shield.

Was considering buying a 9mm Shield until I compared it to my PK 380 and realized the PK is much like a lightweight and easier to shoot version of the Shield--about the same size but much less recoil, so I ended up buying an M&P Pro 9L.

 

[Buford57]

I have no experience with the PK380, but have been very satisfied with both a Remington RM380 (until my wife appropriated it for her EDC) and a Bersa Thunder CC.

The RM380 is a locked breach DAO on the Rohrbaugh design. Other than the SIGs it is the only pocket auto whose slide her arthritic hands could cycle. She point shoots full mags into the 9 ring of a B27 at 10 yards.

I bought the Bersa used and had a couple FTFs in the first trip to the range, which were the result of an internally filthy magazine. Zero problems since.

 

[garyez]

The PK380 I had to return for warranty work on the extractor after a few hundred rounds was dated 2014. Understand that the earlier models from 2010-2012 had more extractor problems out of the box.

 

[Redcoat3340]

Many thanks to all who shared both their knowledge and opinion, it is much appreciated.

I got the PK380 today. I gotta say it feels nice in the hand; DA trigger trips at just under 9 lbs. and the SA trigger goes bang at just under 4 pounds. The shape of the trigger isn't the most comfortable for me, but this isn't a gun for all day plinking or target and it would be great to pjt an Apex flat faced trigger on it like I have on my Sig 320s.. On the other hand it will suit my wife perfectly.

I hope to get to the range on Sunday but the Seahawks game might get in the way. If not Sunday, Tuesday for sure. Range report will follow when I do some shoot'n.

Again, thanks for the input. I know this is a bit of a crapshoot, but I hope it turns out. (And I double-checked, the Walther life-time warranty is good on used guns as well as new ones.)