allaboutshooting
Senior Member
Kahr CT380 Tungsten
June 29, 2016 • Product Tests
CT3833TU (3.0" Barrel)
Black polymer frame, Tungsten Cerakote finish stainless slide
Ships with extra 7rd magazine and in a hard polymer case
Caliber: .380 ACP
Capacity: 7+1
Operation: Trigger cocking DAO; lock breech; "Browning - type" recoil lug; passive striker block; no magazine disconnect
Barrel: 3.0", Conventional Rifling, 1 - 16 right-hand twist
Length O/A: 5.52"
Height: 4.4"
Slide Width: .75"
Weight: Pistol 11.44 ounces (w/o magazine)
Grips: Textured polymer
Sights: Drift adjustable white bar-dot combat rear sight, pinned in polymer front sight
Finish: Black polymer frame, Tungsten Cerakote finish stainless steel slide
Magazines: 2 - 7 rd, Stainless
My first impression of the Kahr CT380 Tungsten was very positive. It has all the legendary features of the Kahr pistols, the great looks and durability of the Tungsten Cerakote finish and a .380 that fits my hand! All of this in a very compact and concealable pistol that holds 8 rounds of .380 ammo.
Maybe "fits my hand" needs an explanation. I'm an average size guy, about 5' 10" tall, arms about normal length and while I've never compared my hand size with other men, I figure my hands are about average too. Sometimes compact pistols are just a bit small for my hands and my little finger is looking for a place to go. That's not the case with the CT380.
The top 1/2 of the little finger on my shooting hand wraps nicely around the grip, giving just enough purchase to make it feel very secure for one-hand shooting and a great base when both of my hands are put into play. Since this pistol is very slim, the added length of the grip does not make it any less concealable. It's an easy gun to drop into a pocket holster, ankle holster, IWB or OWB holster.
The Tungsten Cerakoted stainless slide and the polymer frame are not only very attractive but make the gun very resistant to sweat and other forms of moisture. It also has a very stealthy appearance and there's nothing shiny to give it away.
The CT380 Tungsten looks good and feels good but how does it perform at the range? There's only one way to find out.
So, after inspecting and clearing any excess oil for the bore and action, it was off to the range to put some holes in paper and see just how well the CT380 performed.
I had a real variety of .380 shells to put through the CT380: Winchester 95 grain Full Metal Jacket; DRT 85 grain TMJ; Remington 88 grain HTP JHP; Federal 99 grain HST; and Polycase 56 grain ARX.
I like to make sure that any gun will function with its magazine fully loaded. I put 7 rounds in the magazine, installed it, racked the slide to chamber a round, removed the magazine, installed another round, installed the magazine and was ready to go. I repeated this process each time with each brand of .380 shell.
At this point, I'll cut straight to the chase. I did not have one malfunction or failure to feed with any of these shells. I did not clean the gun between rounds or when I changed brands of ammo. I just kept loading and shooting, putting 8 rounds of each brand through the gun, for a total of 40 rounds in one session. Frankly, that's a pretty good number of rounds of .380 ammo through a small gun and with many guns I would probably have quit before that.
I did however want to fire some 3 shot sequences with each shell. So, for this I loaded 3 rounds in the magazine, racked the slide and fired 3 shots in rapid succession. Again, no malfunctions of any kind and I was able to keep all 3 shots within the "5 ring" shooting with one hand, unsupported.
The CT380 is a very comfortable gun to shoot. It has enough size to allow for a very positive hold in either one or two-hand shooting. It does not squirm around in the hand when 3 rounds are fired quickly as might be encountered in a defensive situation. The sights are also quite good and the CT380 like all Kahr pistols I've shot, demonstrated excellent accuracy right out of the box.
There are many choices for a concealable .380 pistol today. For me, the most important features are safety, reliability and accuracy. Karh pistols are famous for all of these features and the CT380 is no exception. It's also very concealable.
This is one pistol that I can recommend without any reservation whatsoever.
To learn more about the Kahr CT380 Tungsten and other Kahr products, please visit http://www.kahr.com/
June 29, 2016 • Product Tests
CT3833TU (3.0" Barrel)
Black polymer frame, Tungsten Cerakote finish stainless slide
Ships with extra 7rd magazine and in a hard polymer case
Caliber: .380 ACP
Capacity: 7+1
Operation: Trigger cocking DAO; lock breech; "Browning - type" recoil lug; passive striker block; no magazine disconnect
Barrel: 3.0", Conventional Rifling, 1 - 16 right-hand twist
Length O/A: 5.52"
Height: 4.4"
Slide Width: .75"
Weight: Pistol 11.44 ounces (w/o magazine)
Grips: Textured polymer
Sights: Drift adjustable white bar-dot combat rear sight, pinned in polymer front sight
Finish: Black polymer frame, Tungsten Cerakote finish stainless steel slide
Magazines: 2 - 7 rd, Stainless
My first impression of the Kahr CT380 Tungsten was very positive. It has all the legendary features of the Kahr pistols, the great looks and durability of the Tungsten Cerakote finish and a .380 that fits my hand! All of this in a very compact and concealable pistol that holds 8 rounds of .380 ammo.
Maybe "fits my hand" needs an explanation. I'm an average size guy, about 5' 10" tall, arms about normal length and while I've never compared my hand size with other men, I figure my hands are about average too. Sometimes compact pistols are just a bit small for my hands and my little finger is looking for a place to go. That's not the case with the CT380.
The top 1/2 of the little finger on my shooting hand wraps nicely around the grip, giving just enough purchase to make it feel very secure for one-hand shooting and a great base when both of my hands are put into play. Since this pistol is very slim, the added length of the grip does not make it any less concealable. It's an easy gun to drop into a pocket holster, ankle holster, IWB or OWB holster.
The Tungsten Cerakoted stainless slide and the polymer frame are not only very attractive but make the gun very resistant to sweat and other forms of moisture. It also has a very stealthy appearance and there's nothing shiny to give it away.
The CT380 Tungsten looks good and feels good but how does it perform at the range? There's only one way to find out.
So, after inspecting and clearing any excess oil for the bore and action, it was off to the range to put some holes in paper and see just how well the CT380 performed.
I had a real variety of .380 shells to put through the CT380: Winchester 95 grain Full Metal Jacket; DRT 85 grain TMJ; Remington 88 grain HTP JHP; Federal 99 grain HST; and Polycase 56 grain ARX.
I like to make sure that any gun will function with its magazine fully loaded. I put 7 rounds in the magazine, installed it, racked the slide to chamber a round, removed the magazine, installed another round, installed the magazine and was ready to go. I repeated this process each time with each brand of .380 shell.
At this point, I'll cut straight to the chase. I did not have one malfunction or failure to feed with any of these shells. I did not clean the gun between rounds or when I changed brands of ammo. I just kept loading and shooting, putting 8 rounds of each brand through the gun, for a total of 40 rounds in one session. Frankly, that's a pretty good number of rounds of .380 ammo through a small gun and with many guns I would probably have quit before that.
I did however want to fire some 3 shot sequences with each shell. So, for this I loaded 3 rounds in the magazine, racked the slide and fired 3 shots in rapid succession. Again, no malfunctions of any kind and I was able to keep all 3 shots within the "5 ring" shooting with one hand, unsupported.
The CT380 is a very comfortable gun to shoot. It has enough size to allow for a very positive hold in either one or two-hand shooting. It does not squirm around in the hand when 3 rounds are fired quickly as might be encountered in a defensive situation. The sights are also quite good and the CT380 like all Kahr pistols I've shot, demonstrated excellent accuracy right out of the box.
There are many choices for a concealable .380 pistol today. For me, the most important features are safety, reliability and accuracy. Karh pistols are famous for all of these features and the CT380 is no exception. It's also very concealable.
This is one pistol that I can recommend without any reservation whatsoever.
To learn more about the Kahr CT380 Tungsten and other Kahr products, please visit http://www.kahr.com/