The Kahr Firearms Group, a well-established US-based manufacturer of defensive and sporting firearms, announced on Tuesday, October 7th the launch and beginning of shipments of its new subcompact .380 ACP caliber semi-automatic defense pistol: the Kahr CT380 model.
The CT380 is part of Kahr Arms' "Value" series, and just like all Kahr guns it has been engineered to provide utter reliability and to be simple to use in all conditions, which can make a difference between life and death when you need to use a gun to defend yourself or your loved ones.
Kahr Arms' "Value" series includes some variants of the company's best known models whose manufacturing procedures have been slightly simplified − as in, the use of metal injection molding rather than machining for some of the smaller parts.
All Kahr Arms designs are known to be extremely simple, and yet the excellent quality of their manufacture keeps the overall price on an average level; the Kahr Arms "Value" series pistols are priced under the 500$ threshold in the United States.
In the past eighteen months or so, the United States saw the requests for new concealed carry licenses surge; the demand for lightweight, small-sized pistols and revolvers that could be comfortably carried 24/7 and used effectively even by first-time gun buyers, women or otherwise smaller-built shooters also skyrocketed.
Albeit on a smaller scale, the same phenomenon can be noticed in those European Countries that allow their citizens to obtain a license to own a handgun for whatever purpose. Concealed carry licenses are extremely difficult to obtain in Europe, but nonetheless more and more women and other first-time gun buyers are looking for handy, effective means to protect themselves and their homes from criminal invasions.
The global industry is responding massively to this trend: so to speak, the Austrian-made Glock 42 has been one of the best-selling handguns of 2014; with the CT380, the Kahr Firearms Group intends to launch a direct competitor to the Glock 42 itself, and at a lower price.
The Kahr Arms CT380 is a locked-breech semi-automatic pistol, featuring a modified Browning-type recoil lug and a double-action-only trigger arming the fully internal striker.
It is built around a black polymer frame − equipped with front and rear 4140 steel inserts and slip-proof grip textures − and sports a matte stainless 416 steel slide hosting a fixed front post sight and a windage-adjustable rear sight with white dot inlays for faster alignment.
The Kahr CT380 pistol is 14 centimetres (5.52") long overall and approximately 11 centimetres (4.4") high; its weight tops less than 325 grams (11.44 ounces) without a magazine, which makes quite a difference for comfortable24/7 concealed carry.
The barrel is 7,6 centimetres (3") long, and sports six right-handed grooves with a 1:16" rifling, that's just perfect to stabilize all the most popular .380 ACP loads available on the market today.
Just like all Kahr Arms pistols, the CT380 model features a passive striker lock system and no magazine disconnect, which make an external manual safety unnecessary − although it may be available in some models sold in these jurisdictions where said feature is made mandatory by law.
All Kahr CT380 pistols are sold equipped with one single-stack, stamped sheet magazine with a metal pad and a polymer follower, holding up to seven rounds of .380 ACP ammunition; however, the Kahr CT380 is also compatible with the extended, polymer-padded Kahr K387G magazines, which boost the overall capacity to 9 rounds (eight in the magazine, one in chamber).
The manufacturer's suggested retail price for the Kahr Arms CT380 semi-automatic concealed carry pistol is 399$ in the United States − which translates into 312,69€ at the current change rate. Non-US buyers will however have to wait at least until early 2015 to know when, and if, the Kahr CT380 pistol will be available in their Countries.
