Posted on 03/22/2019 4:59:15 AM PDT by w1n1
When Walther came out with the hammer-fired PK380 they knew it would be tough going up against the Joe Tactical or Dirty Harry wannabes.
Walther also knew that a certain percentage of the gun community need a smaller gun, a slide they can manipulate while under pressure.
Walther’s PK380 is an older design with an endearingly old-fashioned manual safety, paddle-style magazine release, and disassembly tool. That said, the grip is surprisingly comfortable, its feature set makes a lot of sense for many shooters, and considered one of the softest-shooting .380s on the market.
Trigger
The trigger is a typical hammer-fired pistol – which means it’s pretty good. The pull is not an ultra crisp but the single-action is at 5.25 lb pull and the reset is acceptably short at 0.25” (6.4 mm).
It’s easy to be accurate with a trigger like this, and its not bad when compared to other CCW guns. That said, some shooters prefer a heavier trigger on carry guns to mitigate the risk of accidental discharge.
Sights
Older PK380s have steel sights, while newer ones have plastic – both are three-dot arrangements with all-white dots and a slightly smaller front dot. The sights are competent and sturdy, and the rear is drift-adjustable.
Magazines
Magazines are nickel-plated single-stack with witness holes for all eight rounds. A pinky finger extension makes it comfortable to grip.
Grip
The Walther single-stack polymer grip makes it very pleasant to hold. The grip has modest finger grooves and no backstraps, no grip adjustments to fit your hand. The comfort of the grip is what makes the PK380 pleasant to shoot.
One of the complaints from a small group of PK380 fans is that when you fire the pistol, you need a firm grip for control and possibly slow closing stroke on the slide. Accuracy is acceptable – This isn't a target pistol but it definitely gets the job done. Read the rest of this Walther PK380 review.
The article doesn’t mention the gun weight, or did I miss it?
I have a Walther PPQM2 in 9 mm and it’s a joy to shoot. It has the best trigger of all the handguns I own, some of which are way more expensive that it was.
Bond...James Bond.
It’s ugly. I refuse to potentially die with an ugly gun in my hand.
Never tried a Walther. Just looking at the grip I can imagine it probably has a good feel to it.
This model looks a bit big for a .380 IMHO though.
I have a PPK stainless that I bought for my wife. But, she doesn’t like it due to the strong recoil spring. It’s a bear to pull the slide back so to take a round into battery. In fact, she can’t do it - and I don’t like to do it. I’ve even tried a variety of softer Springs but if spring strength is reduced more than a couple of lbs the gun becomes unreliable. Anyway, I’m in the process of finding a suitable semi. Not interested in a double/double with seven lbs or greater trigger pull. Meanwhile, my sweetie is packing her trusty Ruger Speed Six stainless 2 1/2” barrel 38 spl.
Way big for a .380. My Ruger LC9 in 9mm is smaller and lighter(7 or 9 round mags). My Colt Mustang in .380 is much smaller and lighter (6 round mag. Though bigger available .
Walther is top quality. But my Ruger has never failed to chamber and fire and it has considerably more umph. No one needs a .380 that big, imho
“This model looks a bit big for a .380 IMHO though.”
Yes, I’d like to see it along side a Sig 238 or a Glock 42. They are both so small that to shoot them comfortably, you need to use them with extended mags (7 round) so your pinky has somewhere to rest. I have both and the Sig is by far the smallest. It’s like a miniature 1911.
If you die with it in your hand, there is probably something else wrong beside its looks. Ha ha.
I agree, but, to paraphrase Goldilocks, the Sig P938 (for a pocket gun) is “just right”, but then, I’m a Sig guy.
I’m also quite fond of my Kahr P380, which is one tough, well-built little SOB.
I have a Sig .380 that looks half the size of the Walther.
Ultra concealable, too.
Might be why they call it one of the softest shooting .380s....I like my Ruger LCP even though I prefer a more conventional trigger feel.
“It’s a bear to pull the slide back so to take a round into battery. In fact, she can’t do it - and I don’t like to do it.”
Your wife will find it much easier to grip the slide with the weak hand and then PUSH the frame forward with the shooting hand. Of course whenever you are loading the first round into the chamber you are also keeping you finger off the trigger and pointing the gun in a safe direction.
kind of pricey
The maxim about aesthetics and performance applies to airplanes, not firearms ... that being said my Glocks are awesome and butt ugly.
Got one when they first came out. Love it. Shoots soft like a pellet gun. It is kinda full sized for a .380 but it fits my hand really well.
Got the P22 a week later just to have the set.
But this PK380...given it's size, there's absolutely no reason not to get a M&P Shield EZ instead, which is a superior gun all around.
Check out a M&P Shield EZ. Slide is incredibly easy to rack, mags are easy to load, etc.. Got my wife one and she absolutely loves it. Very well-reviewed gun as well.
http://americanshootingjournal.com/mp-380-ez/
And no, I don't own stock in S&W. It's just a joy to find a product -- any product -- that accomplishes so perfectly exactly what it set out to do.
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