After being around the forum for a bit and owning the PK myself for over a year, I thought I would try my hand at verbally reviewing the Walther PK380.
Upon purchase of the PK380 in october of last year, I was dissapointed it only came with one magazine...FOR SHAME! Frankly any pistol, especially one chambered in more of a self defence round than anything should come with two. Gripping the gun it felt great in my hands. I have thick fingers and large palms which usually makes for an unusual fitment (unless ofcourse a gun in question has interchangeable grips). But many who have taken hold of the PK have told me how well it fits in their hand, and how naturally it points. Almost automatically the second statement is how light it is. At 19.8 advertised ounces, its not exactly a mystery as some 1911 style guns come almost to the 40oz mark and beyond. With the chassis/grip being poly and the slide nickel this is an all day comfy carry gun.
Looking at the gun laying on either side the magazine release and safety (firing pin blocking) show themselves. The magazine release is in an awkward position, but after handling the gun for so long second nature is to use my stronger middle finger on my right hand to release. I find this works well and is remotely ergonomic. The safety is flicked off quickly with a thumb of choice as well as easily with a mild detent engaugement. The nickel slide has retained its luster with typical cleaning and has not been subject to wear marks from carry as those with the black finish have been.
Racking the slide is like butter. I initially thought the spring in the pk would result in poor cycling as it is relatively weak, I was incorrect! The rare occasion of any failure was due to cheap ammo, or a missed bent case in the reload process. After approximately 3k rounds of various hand loads, factory ammo, hot cor-bon and the typical WWB ammo the trigger is quite smooth. I would not call it crisp, but smooth it is. Upon purchase I found it hard to believe the trigger broke at 4lbs (advertised) in single action, no longer. It breaks cleanly, and even has a noticable "click" as the trigger resets. The double action trigger pull is definately on the ten pound side of things as it must be to be mass compliant...
At the range the first hundred rounds were a farce truth be told as most are. It was a new gun to me and learning to shoot it took a little time. At about the 800 round mark the gun began to smooth out, the trigger supple but easy to squeeze. The slide racked smoothly without any odd clanking or clunking. Groups were much tighter than before from my new found experiance with the PK. With a 3.66" barrel accuracy should be on par, and up to 15 yards doing my part I could get 3.5 inch groups with the little pistol. I dont consider this bad or good, but it is realistic. Recoil is not only manageable but almost pleasing, to shoot a gun so easily with a decent sized projectile other than a 22 makes me smile.
Without a single second of tuning done to this gun, it has functioned quite well. The feed ramp was a little rough but I let it lie instead of polishing and refining it, the extractor just the same. After many rounds of use the feed ramp is relatively smooth and the extractor hasn't failed me yet. Within the next couple of months I will try my hand at polishing the feed ramp slightly and the extractor as well just for my own result.
Ammo usage was wide spread and diverse. There is no real 380 +p ammo technically, but I have come across some loads that seem hotter than others. The Fiocchi blue box ammo in particular worked very well and definately had a little more nut than say the WWB. The hornady critical defense ammo worked well also. Noticably american eagle ammo did not seem potent, nor did the "independance" ammo. The only failures I've ever had with new ammo was with the independance ammo.
Careful inspection of the gun after so much use and abuse has netted me this: there was no unexpected wear aside from some minor scuffing on the caliber marked side of the barrel which was easily cured with a gentle file and a slight polish. This is a very understated gun and the value is excellent, these can be had used in the 300 buck range, have holsters available for them, have lasers available (not my personal cup of tea, but some love them), is easily hidden, and isn't even bad to look at!
I hope you enjoyed my review, as I have enjoyed shooting the PK and writing this.
Yours truely,
Dominick
Upon purchase of the PK380 in october of last year, I was dissapointed it only came with one magazine...FOR SHAME! Frankly any pistol, especially one chambered in more of a self defence round than anything should come with two. Gripping the gun it felt great in my hands. I have thick fingers and large palms which usually makes for an unusual fitment (unless ofcourse a gun in question has interchangeable grips). But many who have taken hold of the PK have told me how well it fits in their hand, and how naturally it points. Almost automatically the second statement is how light it is. At 19.8 advertised ounces, its not exactly a mystery as some 1911 style guns come almost to the 40oz mark and beyond. With the chassis/grip being poly and the slide nickel this is an all day comfy carry gun.
Looking at the gun laying on either side the magazine release and safety (firing pin blocking) show themselves. The magazine release is in an awkward position, but after handling the gun for so long second nature is to use my stronger middle finger on my right hand to release. I find this works well and is remotely ergonomic. The safety is flicked off quickly with a thumb of choice as well as easily with a mild detent engaugement. The nickel slide has retained its luster with typical cleaning and has not been subject to wear marks from carry as those with the black finish have been.
Racking the slide is like butter. I initially thought the spring in the pk would result in poor cycling as it is relatively weak, I was incorrect! The rare occasion of any failure was due to cheap ammo, or a missed bent case in the reload process. After approximately 3k rounds of various hand loads, factory ammo, hot cor-bon and the typical WWB ammo the trigger is quite smooth. I would not call it crisp, but smooth it is. Upon purchase I found it hard to believe the trigger broke at 4lbs (advertised) in single action, no longer. It breaks cleanly, and even has a noticable "click" as the trigger resets. The double action trigger pull is definately on the ten pound side of things as it must be to be mass compliant...
At the range the first hundred rounds were a farce truth be told as most are. It was a new gun to me and learning to shoot it took a little time. At about the 800 round mark the gun began to smooth out, the trigger supple but easy to squeeze. The slide racked smoothly without any odd clanking or clunking. Groups were much tighter than before from my new found experiance with the PK. With a 3.66" barrel accuracy should be on par, and up to 15 yards doing my part I could get 3.5 inch groups with the little pistol. I dont consider this bad or good, but it is realistic. Recoil is not only manageable but almost pleasing, to shoot a gun so easily with a decent sized projectile other than a 22 makes me smile.
Without a single second of tuning done to this gun, it has functioned quite well. The feed ramp was a little rough but I let it lie instead of polishing and refining it, the extractor just the same. After many rounds of use the feed ramp is relatively smooth and the extractor hasn't failed me yet. Within the next couple of months I will try my hand at polishing the feed ramp slightly and the extractor as well just for my own result.
Ammo usage was wide spread and diverse. There is no real 380 +p ammo technically, but I have come across some loads that seem hotter than others. The Fiocchi blue box ammo in particular worked very well and definately had a little more nut than say the WWB. The hornady critical defense ammo worked well also. Noticably american eagle ammo did not seem potent, nor did the "independance" ammo. The only failures I've ever had with new ammo was with the independance ammo.
Careful inspection of the gun after so much use and abuse has netted me this: there was no unexpected wear aside from some minor scuffing on the caliber marked side of the barrel which was easily cured with a gentle file and a slight polish. This is a very understated gun and the value is excellent, these can be had used in the 300 buck range, have holsters available for them, have lasers available (not my personal cup of tea, but some love them), is easily hidden, and isn't even bad to look at!
I hope you enjoyed my review, as I have enjoyed shooting the PK and writing this.
Yours truely,
Dominick
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
