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BB 380 +P in Kahr P380 is OK!!
5mmgunguy
Member Posts: 3,092 ✭✭
I stand corrected. I called Kahr technical support and talked to Jeff. He said the P380 is safe with +P. BB says they are for use in all 380 pistols that are in normal operating condition. WAY COOL!!!
Comments
I know Ruger specifically says not to use it and I don't in mine. I'm sure in these micro .380's it's not a great idea not only for increased wear and tear on the gun but the increase in recoil. Honestly I don't feel the need for +p in a micro .380 because these little guns are hard enough to hang onto. I would imagine you could use +p in the larger framed guns like say a Walther PPK or SIG Sauer P238 or P232, Browning BDA. Tim Sundles uses his own guns for testing and used a BDA, PPK, Colt Mustang and a Kel Tec. Most of the owners manuals don't say anything about +p one way or the other than stating they won't warranty the use of anything that isn't recognized by SAAMI.
Is there any pistol manufacturer that says their pistol is safe with 380 +P?
Since .380+P isn't a SAAMI recognized caliber, there is no recognized standard for it. (IE what's the operating pressure?).
Without such a standard, no manufacturer can possibly endorse its use in its guns.
Not only have I never heard of any manufacturer saying this is OK, I strongly doubt any of them do.
Which doesn't mean that the ammo is intrinsically unsafe, but there could be issues.
As it happens the Kel-Tec uses the browning style lockup recoil system, so this one "could" be safe with slightly increased pressure ammo. With most of the other pocket .380s, they're straight blowback guns. Increased pressure ammo could cause the chamber to open up before pressure drops to safe levels. That could cause all sorts of problems, some of which represent safety hazards to the shooter.
IMO, if .380 isn't enough for you, either switch to a .38 revolver, or get one of the many new excellent polymer pocket pistols in 9mm luger.
I will say that these little pocket pistols are not pleasant to shoot with hot loads, mine pinches my trigger finger upon firing and then when it twists during recoil it really starts to smart after a few boxes. I have thought about filing a bit off the trigger to give it more room.
Are there other +P or +P+ rounds besides what I listed? Yep- but there is no consensus of all ammo makers on just what they are. (Translation- if it goes off the deep end, yer probably on yer own)