Just bought a PK380 today

[88E30M50]

Just bought a PK380 today - Photos added

I've been interested in the Walther PK380 ever since they announced it last year and I finally found one today. So, I ended up taking it home and, while it's nice, I'm not so sure buying it was the right thing to do. I'll take it out to the range tomorrow, and can give a range report after, but from a feature standpoint, I'm not impressed.

The pros so far are that it feels great in the hand. I currently have a Bersa Thunder 380 that I like a whole lot. At the gun store, I held both the Bersa and the PK380 and the PK380 felt much better in the hand. I also like the fact that it's a whole lot like the P22 and so practice with my P22 will pay dividends in competence with the PK380.

The cons so far are that it only ships with one mag. Not a big deal, but still, it would be nice to have seen two, like how my P22 came. The slide release is not what I'm used to. I have a 1911, BT380, Bersa 9UC, Bersa 45UC, and P22, all of which have a slide release on the left side of the frame. The PK380 requires the slide to be pulled back to release and it will not release if there is an empty mag in the gun. That's an awkward action that will take practice to get used to.

The biggest thing I don't like is that you cannot take it down for cleaning without a special tool. The left side of the frame has a small hole like the lock hole on the P22 that needs a tool inserted and rotated 135 degrees CCW before the take down latch can be lowered. The tool is cheap plastic and almost did not last the first attempt at cleaning. Once the was inserted in the slot, it would not rotate the cam to allow take down without a lot of coaxing. Then, the take down latch could not be opened without a lot more coaxing. Once apart, the latch and cam were worked many times to loosen them up and it works better now. Still, I don't like needing a cheap plastic tool to take the pistol down for cleaning.

Tomorrow will be range day and I'll let you know what I find there. Maybe it will be sooo sweet at the range, I'll forgive the rest of the issues. Otherwise, this may end up being the shortest lived pistol in my safe.

Oh, and before any of you wonks point out that you get what you pay for, the Bersa's I've bought make me question that thought. The 9UC Pro has been fantastic from day one and only ran $359. I'm hopeful that the PK380 will shine at the range. I'll let you all know how it comes out.

 

[Dryden]

Enjoy your new pistol....and, good luck finding .380 ammo at a reasonable price.

 

[LLDJR]

Let us know how you like it!

 

[88E30M50]

Enjoy your new pistol....and, good luck finding .380 ammo at a reasonable price.

I thought the 380 drought was over. I've been finding WWB 100 round boxes pretty much any time I need it lately. Even WalMart had a bunch in stock last time I was there. I've got about 400 rounds in the locker right now, but will check on availability before blowing all that downrange.

I do save my 380 brass and can pick up reloading dies and go that route if need be. Primers are back in stock at most places now, so that may be an option.

 

[Dryden]

There may be .380 ammo available now, but the price sure has effected the number of times my Bersa goes to the range.

 

[jd3772000]

 

[88E30M50]

I did get the PK380 out to the range today, but only got the chance to put a handful of rounds through it. I'll do a full range report once I get a chance to run a decent amount of ammo, but for now, I like it a lot.

It feels good and has a decent, if a bit heavy, trigger feel. Accuracy was not too bad, but I was shooting on the 50 yard range and was just happy to put them on the paper. I've got the camera on charge right now and will post photos once the charge is done. I'm still not crazy about the need for a take down key, but everything else seems to work as it should.

 

[Revopop]

What I'd like to know is how's the recoil impulse? I shot a buddy's Bersa .380 extensively years ago, and it soured me on blowback .380s. After shooting it for a while I'd get pain in the web of my hand between the thumb and index finger. I figgered it was probably because of the thinness of the bersa frame. I'd be interested to see if something a bit wider works better.

 

[88E30M50]

Here are the pics of the PK380 along side my P22 for comparison. The PK380 is not blowback operated like the Bersa 380, but is more like the Bersa 9 in being recoil operated (anyone feel free to correct me on that, as I'm going from what little knowledge I have). Once I get my Bersa 380 back from the shop, I'll be able to do a bit of comparison of the recoil at the range and will report back what I find.

This is a shot of everything that comes in the box.

This is a shot of the PK380 next to my P22. The size difference is very small. The PK380 is about a quarter inch longer, an eighth inch taller and a bit wider. The slide is actually more narrow on the PK380 than on the P22, but the grip on the PK380 is wider, giving it a bit more comfortable feel. Also, notice there is no slide release on the PK380 and the takedown lock is just forward of the takedown latch. I've found that you can remove the key from the takedown latch with the latch in the open position, but after cycling the slide a couple of times, the latch drops by itself and releases the slide to fly off the front of the gun.

Heres a shot of both taken down for cleaning. Notice the barrel on the P22 is fixed like it is on the Bersa 380, but the PK380 is more like the Bersa 9UC.

Here's a right side shot of the two together.

 

[greed]

I bought a p22 for my wife a few years ago. Walthers makes good little guns. My only small cal gun is a ruger lcp. I buy a lot of my ammo from Ammo, Ammunition, Rifle Ammunition, 9mm Ammo, Military Surplus but they are out of 380 right now. The Indy 1500 comming up in few weeks would be a great spot. I picked up several hundred rounds a few shows ago. I beleive it was the 95 gr 380 FMJ. Good stuff.

 

[graham88]

Great review and photos.... I had two of the walther 22’s and although I love my Walters, the 22 was for me a real letdown.... I'm hoping the PK380 is to up the standards of the P99 and the PPS so I can add to the family...
Again Thank you for the review!

 

[wanderer32]

I just picked up my new PK380 today, ran home and took it apart to inspect and see what this new toy was built of. Shoot what a let down, not even a book that has a parts list in the box. No pin on the side of magazine like a normal Walther so my wife can load it easier, took the magazine apart to see if a 9th shell could be worked into it. No dice there as the follower is so thin of plastic I would be afraid to trim it down. Man I sure hope this thing will shoot real good so I can warrant keeping it for my wife as she likes the feel of it and can rack the slide easier than the P22.

 

[88E30M50]

I took the PK380 out to the range today along with my Bersa Thunder 380. The recoil is much softer on the PK380 and I'm guessing it's due to the recoil operation instead of the blowback operation. It's a fun gun to shoot, but I was much more accurate with the Bersa than with the Walther. Granted, the Walther is still begin broken in, but I was only shooting at 7 yards and did not think I'd see that much of a difference. I probably put a little over 100 rounds through it today and it handle every one without a hiccup. Operation was flawless even if the accuracy of the shooter was not.

All in all, I like shooting the Bersa better, but it's still a nice gun to shoot.

 

[ChalupaCabras]

Look like a good gun to me.

As for "features" it has a trigger, decent sights and it slings lead. What more do you want out of a pocket gun?

Oh, and I'm almost positive that stupid take down latch safety can be removed. Hell, nearly 1/2 of a P-22 can be removed with no effect on function.

 

[88E30M50]

Look like a good gun to me.

As for "features" it has a trigger, decent sights and it slings lead. What more do you want out of a pocket gun?

Oh, and I'm almost positive that stupid take down latch safety can be removed. Hell, nearly 1/2 of a P-22 can be removed with no effect on function.

I'd worry about removing the take down latch safety. What happens is you remove the tool with the safety unlocked. Then make sure the latch is up tight and snug in its latched position. Then, cycle the slide a few times and on about the third cycle, the whole slide flies off the front of the gun. I think they put that in there as a kludge to get past a problem with the slide latch not holding tight. I don't know why they can make the slide latch work on so many other guns, but on the PK380, it needs a safety, but it's how it seems to be.