Walther PK380 = Displeased!

D

dp2983

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Ok, so I dropped the slide and went to drop the hammer, and my safety completely broke!
The cylinder just snapped clean off inside the slide! Three week old gun! Ugh, totally thinking about returning it. Anyone else have any failures that shouldn't happen?
 
dpeabody said:
Ok, so I dropped the slide and went to drop the hammer, and my safety completely broke!
The cylinder just snapped clean off inside the slide! Three week old gun! Ugh, totally thinking about returning it. Anyone else have any failures that shouldn't happen?
Click to expand...

Your post makes zero sense.

So you racked the slide to put the round in battery.

Then you wanted to de-cock the gun.

So you put the safety on, pulled the trigger, and you are saying that the safety snapped off inside the slide when the hammer hit it correct?

The safety on the PK380 is nothing more that a square piece of metal that is held in place by the safety levers on the side of the slide and screw threw each lever. The hammer in no way has enough force to break that clean off.

Pic's of it or else I am calling BS here and saying you did something stupid and are now trying to CYA.
 
C'mon... safeties are highly overrated anyways... suck it up!

:-))

p.s. That just sucks... especially after hearing Wolf223's tails of woe with that handgun.
 
Palladin said:
waiting for more bad news.....Terra hasn't shot his yet! [laugh2]
Click to expand...

I have actually and put through about 300 rds flawlessly. I never said it was a great gun but it was cute for the price and I bought it so my GF could come with me to the range and shoot something more than a .22.
 
Isn't the PK380 just a "bigger" version of the P22? I've read many crappy reviews of the P22. Hell I'm still waiting for a replacement slide stop for my PPS! Seems to me that the older the Walther, the better the quality. My WWII P38 is tough as nails.
 
Nope, I didn't put a round into the chamber. I inspected to make sure the weapon was clear. When doing so, the slide locks to the rear if a magazine is in. I dropped the mag and pulled the slide to the rear to allow the slide to drop, as there is no slide release. Then, to decock the hammer, I pulled the trigger, as it is the only way to drop the hammer. The safety was engaged, and the force of the hammer striking the cylinder-like safety block snapped it in two, causing the right hand-side of the level to dramatically pop off into the air. I can post some photos soon. Luckily, Walther is sending me a shipping label and will make the repair for free. So, no, there is no BS on this one. I also did a bit of online hunting and found others with this problem.

http://www.tactical-life.com/online/products/walther-p380/
http://www.riderforums.com/showthread.php?t=56413
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3952770
 
Still making no sense!!!!
right hand-side of the level to dramatically pop off into the air
Click to expand...
There is no level on a gun. Maybe on a scope or in a scope, but never seen one on a gun, unless it was a Ryobi screw gun.

So once again WTF are you talking about?!
 
MACGYVR said:
Still making no sense!!!!
There is no level on a gun. Maybe on a scope or in a scope, but never seen one on a gun, unless it was a Ryobi screw gun.

So once again WTF are you talking about?!
Click to expand...

I'm sure he just mispelled the word "lever". These use a rolling block type safety that shields the firing pin from the strike of the hammer, similar to a PPK, but without the simultaneous decocking feature. I've seen this barrel shaped piece break in a PPK, and yes, the safety lever does fall out of its bore in the slide. BTW, it was an S&W built PPK, not an Interarms mfg. or genuine German Walther.
Ever since S&W started to make Walthers, the quality has dropped considerably. Don't get me wrong, I like S&W Revolvers, with the exception of the Model #41, they still haven't got the auto-pistol thing right yet.
 
I've read about several of the broken safety spools, but the pics
aren't much help in finding out the details of the broken surfaces.
I'm looking for closeups with good clarity.
 
why wouldnt you ride the hammer down like you would to de-cock a revolver...seems to me it would be a little safer then totally relying on something mechanical
 
oneton said:
why wouldnt you ride the hammer down like you would to de-cock a revolver...seems to me it would be a little safer then totally relying on something mechanical
Click to expand...

No, it's far better because it doesn't involve you having to put your finger anywhere near the trigger. Look at how the decocker in a Sig P series works, as an example... or for that matter, the little "box" on a Beretta 92 which basically moves part of the firing pin out of the way 90 degrees so that when the hammer falls it won't get struck.

Another thing with thumbing down hammers (on guns where you have to do it) is technique. A key is to remove your finger from the trigger as soon as your thumb feels the hammer unlock- stop moving the hammer and get your finger off the trigger, then slowly let the hammer down. Even if you dropped the hammer after that point most handguns would not fire because there is still usually a firing pin safety in play that stops the hammer. On S+W DA revolvers the hammer will not even hit the pin. (at least on the newer ones with the transfer type deal). ETA: This obviously varies depending on the handgun in use, but it is pretty easy to see whether it works or not with an unloaded handgun.

And as always, always obey rule #1 when decocking a handgun, regardless of the method you use.

-Mike
 
Last edited:
not if the safety was on, or in the case of the p22 and pk380 they have a firing pin block. so with the gun cocked and you switch the safety on, it does not de-cock the gun. you have to trust the block and dry fire the gun in order to drop the hammer, and if there is a malfunction in the block the gun would go off any way. or you can flip the safety on and then slow the fall of the hammer with your thumb.
it was just a suggestion, you can trust the mechanical mechanism if you want to but i will always ride the hammer down.
 
oneton said:
not if the safety was on, or in the case of the p22 and pk380 they have a firing pin block. so with the gun cocked and you switch the safety on, it does not de-cock the gun. you have to trust the block and dry fire the gun in order to drop the hammer, and if there is a malfunction in the block the gun would go off any way. or you can flip the safety on and then slow the fall of the hammer with your thumb.
it was just a suggestion, you can trust the mechanical mechanism if you want to but i will always ride the hammer down.
Click to expand...

Well, on one of those Walthers I would agree with your advice, but it doesn't have
a deocker. It only has a safety which blocks the firing pin when it is in "safe" mode.

I guess what I was getting at, was that in general, if a gun has a decocker on it, you
should probably use it. Reading comprehension fail on my part, ast to what you
were talking about.

-Mike
 
oneton said:
not if the safety was on, or in the case of the p22 and pk380 they have a firing pin block. so with the gun cocked and you switch the safety on, it does not de-cock the gun. you have to trust the block and dry fire the gun in order to drop the hammer, and if there is a malfunction in the block the gun would go off any way. or you can flip the safety on and then slow the fall of the hammer with your thumb.
it was just a suggestion, you can trust the mechanical mechanism if you want to but i will always ride the hammer down.
Click to expand...

drgrant said:
Well, on one of those Walthers I would agree with your advice, but it doesn't have
a deocker. It only has a safety which blocks the firing pin when it is in "safe" mode.
Click to expand...


i think we are on the same page.. i am very familiar with the 92f, i am only talking about pistols/rifles with out a de-cocking leaver
 
The safety spool issue.

People seem to think that if they don't drop the PK hammer
with the safety on, then the spool won't break.

But the spool takes a beating every time the gun is fired.
First when the hammer drops, since the spool is the anvil.
Then the spool slams into the hammer during recoil,
and just .3" from the hammer pivot

A fractured spool pic I received shows classic patterns of
ductile and brittle fracture, even though a sintered steel part.
Umarex/Walther has not announced any fix for this big problem,
so I rounded all sharp edges, particularly where the slot corners
meet the outer diameter. Then I applied rotary steel brush work
until those corners and edges were smooth.
I also tweaked the hammer face to reduce stress concentrations
on the spool.

http://s849.photobucket.com/albums/ab58/eddbrowne/
http://twitpic.com/photos/eddbrowne
 

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