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″).
Since this pistol was just announced, I have not test fired the Kahr, but it appears the P380 has significantly better sights than both the P3AT and LCP, which is a welcome improvement in this category of firearm.
The P380 really suffers at the cash register when compared to the Kel Tec and Ruger. With standard sights, theP380 retails at $649, and with night sights, MSRP is $758. This is significantly more than the P3AT ($324-382) and LCP ($330).
Kahr Arms generally enjoys a favorable reputation for quality and the samples I have shot in the past have shot well and have had nice triggers. Assuming the P380 maintains the Kahr quality, I expect that the higher price tag will be tolerated by many buyers looking for a pocket or ankle gun.
The Kahr P380 is shipping and should be on your dealer’s shelf this month.
One reply on “Kahr P380 Pistol: Kahr’s New .380 ACP Pistol”
Does anyone know if the Kahr has a fully supported chamber? Neither the KelTec not the Ruger do – about 1/4″ of the cartridge is not covered behind the feed ramp. I have had a ruptured cartridge in a P3AT and let me tell you it is not pleasant… My hands stung for two days and it destroyed the gun.