Walther Arms is great about being aware of the differences within its customer base and working to provide firearm options for everyone, including those who have hand issues and struggle with recoil and/or racking the slide. The Walther PD380 is Walther’s latest response to this awareness.
Sponsored by Walther Arms
The details on the PD380 include the following:
To begin, I always look through the manual to make sure I know how to disassemble, clean and reassemble the gun. This video by Walther shows very clearly how to do this. You can also find other great videos at Walther PD380 Basic Training and Tips to help you learn more about firearms safety and this gun, in particular.
After taking the gun apart, I found it simple to clean and reassemble.
I took it to my local indoor gun range and got to work. Right away I had a wonderful surprise – loading the magazines with ease. I normally have to use my UpLula but I was able to load the PD380 magazines with no assistance.
The gun fit very comfortably in my hand. It shot well and my hand wasn’t hurting at all by the time I was finished. The mag release is located on the trigger guard, which is different than what I’m used to so it will take practice to utilize it quickly. The ambidextrous manual safety is another great option for shooters, and very easy to use.
I tested the Walther with three different brands of ammunition at seven yards:
PMC, 90gr, FMJ – largest group – 5.25, Smallest group – .25, average – 2.12
CCI Blazer, 95gr, FMJ – largest group – 6.75, Smallest group – .25, average – 2.68
Speer Lawman, 95 gr, FMJ – largest group – 4.25, Smallest group – .75, average – 2.18
I had one round that failed to fire, but a quick tap-and-rack and I was back to shooting with no other issues.
My only wish is that the gun was red-dot ready though, to allow that option for those who want it.
Then, I wanted to get feedback from other women, and I had the perfect venue to do so. I’m the Facilitator for the Waco chapter of A Girl and A Gun Women’s Shooting League, so at our GNO (Girl’s Night Out) I invited a couple of the women to try the Walther PD380 to get their thoughts.
Joy Robb, a long-time member, asked if she could use an UpLula to load the magazine. I asked her to try it without assistance first, knowing that I had been able to load without help. When she performed the load “bare-handed,” she looked back at me in shock. “And my hands have been hurting – a lot!” she exclaimed. She had received a dog bite on her hand several months ago and it was still painful, yet she was able to easily load the magazine. I showed her the magazine release and once she knew where it was, she was able to quickly utilize it. She said the gun felt good in her hand and felt good to shoot. She had no issues with racking it either, even with her hand injury.
Next, another long-time member, Patty Short, tried it. I asked if she usually loaded magazines without assistance and she said, “No, I have arthritis.” I asked her to try anyway, and she also was surprised that she could easily load the mags without help. She shot it comfortably and had no problems racking it. After I showed her where the mag release was, she wasn’t able to easily reach it one-handed as Joy did as she has smaller hands, so she knew she would need some practice to more quickly utilize it. “That’s a cute gun,” she ended with a smile.
This gun is a bit larger than some of the typical pocket-sized .380s, but it’s still easily concealable. The size helps make it more comfortable to shoot than the smaller ones, and we all know if it hurts to shoot it, we’re not going to practice with it like we should.
With the Walther PD380 you’ll want to practice since the magazines are so easy to load and it doesn’t hurt to shoot – as confirmed by three women with hand issues.
Find all the information on the Walther PD380 here.
MSRP $449.00
Nancy Keaton is a retired college administrator, president of her local gun club, competitive shooter and freelance writer whose work has appeared in A Girl and A Gun Women’s Shooting League, "American Shooting Journal," "American Concealed," "Northwest Meetings + Events," and other publications. She enjoys writing about a wide variety of topics and interviewing ordinary people doing amazing things. To see a compilation of her writing, check out her website at www.nancykeaton.com. View all posts by Nancy Keaton
