Thoughts about Walther PK380?

[CarbonSteel]

I have been considering getting one of these for my wife. She has a FNX 9, but the recoil is just at the edge of being too much. She shoots it well enough, but the PK seems to be a better "fit" for her. There are 3 things I do not like about it--no slide lock, no decocker, and "reversed" safety (down should be safe--not fire); a 4th could be that it needs a "key" to field strip, but that is not a deal breaker (none of them are really). It feels solid and it fits her small hands easily. Anyone have one that can share experiences?

 

[spasm3]

I would not like that safety either!

 

[Joe_Power]

Get her a .38 Special. No slides, no safety, Just pull the trigger and boom.

 

[redbone3]

Originally Posted By: Joe_Power
Get her a .38 Special. No slides, no safety, Just pull the trigger and boom.

I once owned a Charter Arms Undercover 38 Special. It held 5 rounds, went bang everytime, and shot very accurately. If your gal likes revolvers you can't go wrong.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Sig P232 as an alternative? It has no safety but is DA/SA.

It'll be slimmer than a revolver.

 

[Vibe_2007]

Wife loves her LCP. I carry one as well and it just disappears in a pocket. I carry it far more than my G23.

MP Shield fits the hand nicely as well.

I do not own a gun that has a safety when I conceal carry.

 

[Hannibal]

5 responses and not one answers the OP's question...

I own quite a few guns and this one is an absolute favorite. It fits my hand perfectly. It's built around the P22 frame so it's a great feel when shooting.

It doesn't kick real hard. It's eaten every type of ammo I can throw at it. I'm not what I would consider a crack shot, but I have always done extremely well with mine and I attribute that to the fact that I maintain a proper grip on the pistol. The ergo's are also superb.

All of your dislikes are valid. No slide lock sucks, but you can put in an empty mag and it will hold. On mine you can decock the hammer after you chamber the first round and fire DA. Not as cool as a P99 style decocker, but it works. The safety is backwards, but you'll get used to it. The "key" can be something as simple as a pair of tweezers...that's what I'm using for mine after I misplaced the "key."

The biggest problem right now is mags are expensive since they're harder to obtain. I've heard that Walther ships in a container load every so often and that clears up. I'm also not a huge fan of the mag release. It's kind of small and doesn't seem to release as easy as I would like. However, the mag holds 8 and that's pretty good when compared to a smaller pocket pistol option like the LCP, Kel-tec, etc. I own an LCP and I like it, but it doesn't hold a candle to the PK380 in my opinion. To each their own though...they are different in size.

I have paired this with the excellent Precision One 380 round reviewed by ShootingTheBull410 on youtube. I have been beyond pleased with this combo.

All in all...I would recommend this pistol. It's a real keeper in my opinion. I have a few Walthers and all have been top-notch.

 

[Robenstein]

Id look at something like a Bersa Thunder 380 instead. Great little gun for the money.

 

[svhanc]

The big question is what it is used for.
It is big for a CC.
The .380 ammo isn't great for target shooting. A heavier gun may reduce felt recoil as well.

You may want to see if there is a 9mm that fits as well. If you get a chance, go to a range and shoot everything they have.

Some guns just feel right. If this is one, just get it. Everything else is just details.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: Hannibal
All in all...I would recommend this pistol. It's a real keeper in my opinion. I have a few Walthers and all have been top-notch.

I have two of the P99 AS pistols and they have risen to the top of my favorite list. For less than $400 I think I will get her one of these PK380's and see how she likes it. Aside of the 4 quirks, it really seems like a solid pistol and for her may be the best size versus performance. Most of the guns in this size are pure junk and the Walther seems to be higher quality. I will check out the video and many thanks for sharing the information!

 

[Hokiefyd]

Why do you feel the safety should be reversed, especially considering how it works on other guns with manual safeties? Down is always "fire", right? It is on 1911s, it is on CZs and Sigs, it is on Rugers...right? That's the standard manual of arms for a pistol with a manual safety. You flip the safety down with your thumb during presentation.

I prefer safety-less guns myself, partly for this reason. Our CZ P-09 is DA/SA and my wife shoots it well. She has pretty small hands and isn't terribly strong, but the recoil on a larger 9mm is manageable for her. I agree with someone else that it probably depends on the intended use. I don't like larger .380s like this because I feel that they're too compromised. There are probably better choices for purse carry if that's what she wants. And there are certainly better choices for home protection if that's what she wants. Many full size 9mms have very manageable recoil. I know this isn't the question you asked, but if she otherwise likes the size of the FN, perhaps try some rental 9mms at the range to see if others manage the recoil better.

 

[pottymouth]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Why do you feel the safety should be reversed, especially considering how it works on other guns with manual safeties? Down is always "fire", right? It is on 1911s, it is on CZs and Sigs, it is on Rugers...right? That's the standard manual of arms for a pistol with a manual safety. You flip the safety down with your thumb during presentation.


This was my thought as well. I don't like slide mounted safeties so much, but the safety on a 1911 feels just right. My thumb is much stronger sweeping down than up. I can't see the event when I would have to engage the safety under duress, so why would I want the strong motion to turn the safety on? The safety is the number one reason I no longer own a Beretta 92FS.

 

[Hannibal]

Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
I have two of the P99 AS pistols and they have risen to the top of my favorite list. For less than $400 I think I will get her one of these PK380's and see how she likes it. Aside of the 4 quirks, it really seems like a solid pistol and for her may be the best size versus performance. Most of the guns in this size are pure junk and the Walther seems to be higher quality. I will check out the video and many thanks for sharing the information!

You're welcome! I think you'll be well pleased with it. I, too, have a P99 AS as well as a PPQ. They are all amazing pistols to me, but my fave is the PK380. The P99 is as close of a second as you can be without being my first.

The grip is really what makes this gun what it is in my opinion. Like I said before...the ergo's are fantastic especially if you have smaller hands. That's how I got to this pistol actually. When I was trying to figure out the best handgun for me I was using a Ruger SR22 as a model. That pistol had the best grip I've ever put in my hand. I wanted to carry it, but I didn't want to carry .22. I told myself if I could find anything with that grip in a larger caliber I'd be all over it. When I found out that the PK380 was built on the P22 frame (which is what the Ruger SR22 is copied off of essentially) I was ecstatic. I was also lucky enough that my LGS had a used one for $250ish and I popped on it immediately.

I will eventually buy another one and gladly pay full price if that's worth anything! I may get the "stainless" version like in your pic...

 

[Win]

I love mine.

The take down key Walther supplies is a PITA and doesn't work very well. Look for a Schrader valve tool that will fit.

It's not really a Walther in the sense of the P99 and PPK's, it's more akin to the P22. Unlike many here, the use of the lighterweight material in the P22 and PK380 gives me no heartburn.

I'm not a gun snob.

 

[Robenstein]

For a slide mounted safety it is bass ackwards. Ever since the Walther PP came out in 1929 the up is fire and down is safe orientation has been very standard. Only other pistol I know that is backwards from that is a Makarov.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: pottymouth
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Why do you feel the safety should be reversed, especially considering how it works on other guns with manual safeties? Down is always "fire", right? It is on 1911s, it is on CZs and Sigs, it is on Rugers...right? That's the standard manual of arms for a pistol with a manual safety. You flip the safety down with your thumb during presentation.
This was my thought as well. I don't like slide mounted safeties so much, but the safety on a 1911 feels just right. My thumb is much stronger sweeping down than up. I can't see the event when I would have to engage the safety under duress, so why would I want the strong motion to turn the safety on? The safety is the number one reason I no longer own a Beretta 92FS.

My Sig P226 and P228 do not have safeties (not sure what other Sigs do), but the Beretta 92FS and other pistols with slide mounted safeties I have shot are up for fire and down for safe. Perhaps, my thumbs are strong enough that it does not matter, but it does not feel like a natural motion to me to pull a safety down to fire versus flipping it up to fire--and I suppose this can depend on how hard the safety is to function in general. The reviews on the PK380 by various people on the web seem to indicate that I am not the only one that feels this way.

 

[Astro14]

I've spent quite a bit of time with a Beretta 92 (we called it the M9). The draw, grip, presentation, safety off, sights aligned, etc. "flow" are muscle memory for me. It takes about 2,000 to 3,000 repetitions of a movement for it to become muscle memory.

I am not advocating one safety function or direction over another.

However, if you carry a weapon for defensive use, you would be very well-served to go through that presentation flow a few thousand times to ensure that when the adrenaline is pumping, and your fine motor skills leave you, and your mind focuses on the threat to the exclusion of other things (seen it happen often enough in qualifying, and it happens to everyone in a fight, it's basic physiology) that you get the safety off correctly for the weapon that you're carrying.

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
I've spent quite a bit of time with a Beretta 92 (we called it the M9). The draw, grip, presentation, safety off, sights aligned, etc. "flow" are muscle memory for me. It takes about 2,000 to 3,000 repetitions of a movement for it to become muscle memory.

I am not advocating one safety function or direction over another.

However, if you carry a weapon for defensive use, you would be very well-served to go through that presentation flow a few thousand times to ensure that when the adrenaline is pumping, and your fine motor skills leave you, and your mind focuses on the threat to the exclusion of other things (seen it happen often enough in qualifying, and it happens to everyone in a fight, it's basic physiology) that you get the safety off correctly for the weapon that you're carrying.


Thats why i tend to stay with the same designs. No matter which gun i pick up the safety is the same. Whether its the ruger p90,p95, or the walther p22. The safety is the same function in the dark, ambidextrous and up is hot. The only exception is my lcp which has no safety.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
I've spent quite a bit of time with a Beretta 92 (we called it the M9). The draw, grip, presentation, safety off, sights aligned, etc. "flow" are muscle memory for me. It takes about 2,000 to 3,000 repetitions of a movement for it to become muscle memory.

Which could be why I find the PK380 to be backwards. I shot the barrel out of the Beretta that I had before switching to Sig (with no safety). This one is not for me; it is for my wife and she has never shot a Beretta (or any pistol enough to have a preference either way).

 

[bubbatime]

I tried to like that gun, but the backwards safety and lack of a decocker is a no go (what was Walther thinking?)