[Grizzly]

Has anyone had any experiance with this pistol? I have found one at a local shop new for $160. It is made in Carrolton, GA but I have not heard of it before. It is a Milled 4140 steel .380 acp blow back action. It is smaller than a NAA .32 but it does weigh 10.7 ounces. My P3at is half that but larger.

 

[darkwriter77]

They seem fairly well-made, but one gripe I've heard is that if you dry-fire it with the mag out (or maybe even with the mag in?), the trigger bar somehow gets disconnected. There's some vids on YouTube on it, I believe. Kind of a weird deal, and if you don't know how to hook it back up or aren't comfortable disassembling it, it might require a send-back. Not so much as a design FLAW as much as a design quirk. Otherwise, they seem about as well-made as the NAA Guardian .380 and Seecamp .380, since it's pretty close to the exact same design (mainly with a different mag release button location, sorta like the Beretta 21A).

Are you sure about that weight rating? Last I checked, those things were HEAVY for their size because they're pretty much solid steel. Sure, it's easy to hide as far as its overall size and thickness go, but something that heavy could cause it to kind of "swish" around in your pocket while you walk if you carry it in your front pocket. That was one of the reasons I wound up getting rid of my NAA Guardian .32 ACP - well, that and the fact that by design it would jam on the last round of every mag - because even carrying it in my back pocket in a wallet-like holster, it just felt a little too heavy for what little it was. (And the .380 ACP Guardian is even bigger and heavier than the .32 ACP model, too.)

Then again, I could be getting senile in my old age of 34 years, so if none of the above applies, then please disregard this brain fart of a post...

Either way, $160 for a pocket-sized .380 ACP pistol ain't too shabby, as long as it's not a lemon. I do remember watching a video detailing the manufacturing process of those pistols and at least that part of the pistol was fairly impressive. I was under the impression that they (at least previously) retailed for almost double that $160 price tag, though. Master Piece Arms is mainly known for their MAC-10 copy pistols/carbines in 9mm and .45 ACP, and from what I gather they do pretty well in that segment, but this latest foray into the pocket .380 ACP market is somewhat recent, FWIW...

 

[Grizzly]

I got that weight from a You tube review. I looked on their site and the version two is 11.3 oz. This is a version one like was reviewed. I saw one like it on GunBroker for $275 so I don't think I could go wrong at $176 out the door. There is a You tube from a gunsmith on the trigger and it only happens sometime if it is dry fired with the mag out. It is a simple fix. You remove the left grip (one screw) and pop off a retainer plate and clip it back on to the hammer. Took him about two minutes. On the home site they show how to do this also with the version two, it works the same way. They say they left it this way so if you happened to have a live round in the chamber and the mag out it would fire if you needed to. Supposedly all others won't? Thanks for your input.

 

[darkwriter77]

Weird for them to claim it was intentional. Any other gun I've had without a mag disconnect safety doesn't result in a disconnected trigger if you fire it without the mag in place. Sounds to me more like they made a design goof and then, when asked about it after the fact, decided to reply with, "Oh, that? Yeah, we, uhh ... we meant to do that. Yeah. That's a feature we deliberately put in."

 

[TxCajun]

Has anyone had any experiance with this pistol? I have found one at a local shop new for $160.

That seems peculiar. The MSRP is $375.95 and retail seems to be in the high $200s - $300. Surely the dealer's wholesale price is over $160.

 

[gpr]

i got one from bud's a couple of months ago ....i paid $275 shipped....it is a well made gun....a little heavy compared to keltecs....it has stought recoil because of being straight blow back.....i got it to use for molding holsters, so if you do get one, let me know.....gary

 

[Grizzly]

I was in the area yesterday so I picked it up,$174 out the door. I talked with the gunsmith there and it is a new gun but it was ordered at one of their other stores last year (The owner has three). Sometime late in the year it had a recall on it he didn't remember what the problem was. When it came back they put it in the store I frequent. They marked it at their cost because of this. It is new so I get the lifetime warranty so I went with it. Besides it is made about 50 miles from here so if I have a problem I will take it straight to the factory. It is a little heavy but not too bad carried in right front pocket. I don't carry anything else in a pocket I carry a pistol in so all the crap I carry in the left front pocket weighs much more than the loaded pistol. I will post how it performs when I get a chance to shoot it.

 

[gpr]

i don't know if there was a recall, but there was an 'up date' package available.....it had a different trigger, mag catch, and a spring (i think).....gary

 

[dracer]

Sounds like you got a good deal

 

[Grizzly]

Master Pice Arms 380B

I just bought a MPA 380B a couple of weeks ago. I got it because it is so small and is made from solid steel. I have a Keltek P3At that I really like and I have carried it in my right back pocket as a backup for years and there has been several times when I went to draw it in practice the mag would be ejected. The MPA .380 won't do this.The mag release has to be pushed back not in. It is made from solid steel (no Polymer) and is a few ounces heaver but it is smaller (it is also made in GA). The extra weight is not that noticeable to me. I have had a Keltek P32 since they made the first ones. I love it and my P3AT but I believe my new backup weapon will be the MPA380B. I carry a Judge loaded with Federal 000 buck shot as my primary weapon. Has anyone else tried this weapon?

 

[Toney_D]

Congrats!!! Pics!!!

 

[guru2sum]

Yes, pictures.

 

[anhouri]

I do have have one of the stainless ported models. It has very little recoil because of the porting. Its also pretty acurate with the lack of sights. Every mag would have the bullet stick straight up in the magazine.When I would go to clear it, the bullet would jump out of the magazine. This happened through over a hundred rounds, six magazines, and three different brands of ammunition. I did call masterpiece and they did give me some suggestions, and offer to fix it for me. What did turn me off to the whole gun is the fact that even when regular spring changes,the tech guy I talked to made it sound like it wouldnt last long and that I had shot it excesivly. I do understand carried a lot and shot little concept, but I didnt even shoot enough to break in my kahr through it. Not bashing them by no means, they did offer to take care of it for me. Just realized that it wasnt what was looking for when I bought a premium all steel firearm. I hope yours does right by you out of the box, if not they should take care of you. Please post your range results.

 

[Grizzly]

I purchased it new with full warranty form a dealer that is a friend of mine for $180 out the door. My thought was I couldn't be wrong. I have only shot it two clips but it functioned great. When I can get down to my farm I will shoot a few hundrerd rounds to see how it does. Here are some picks of my daily carry weapons I all ways carry at least two some times three, plus extra ammo. I am not crazy just cautious.

 

[gpr]

you did good on price...i got a 'black' one from bud's for $260...i made some custom holsters for it...gary

 

[Grizzly]

I made the holster in the pic it looks just like a wallet in pants pockets. It fits the P-3AT, Beretta Tomcat INOX, and the MPA380B. I gave my first Gen P-32 to my son. I miss it so much I am thinking about buying the next second Gen I see at a good price and swapping him for the first gen back. I got it years ago when Keltec first started making pistols and it has never missed a beat.

 

[Grizzly]

i don't know if there was a recall, but there was an 'up date' package available.....it had a different trigger, mag catch, and a spring (i think).....gary

I talked to a service guy at the factory today. He said the recall was the same thing as the upgrade. I asked him also about what I had seen about changing the recoil springs every two hundred rounds. He said it wasn't a factory claim. The MPA .380 is pushing the limit for a all steel blow back action as light as the slide is. They use wolf springs so they are good springs. It all really depends on the ammo. If you use really hot ammo all the time they could need replacing as early as two hundred. They are only 4 bucks for both so it really isn't that big a deal. I am going to order about 5 sets put four up and use the other for carry and change it for the original for practice. By the time I start doing the change I will have over two hundred rounds from breaking it in as soon as I can get down to my farm. I also didn't have any problems with two mags I have fired. Recoil isn't bad and no injures on my hand. I am happy with it especially for the price and getting lifetime warranty.

 

[donutz28]

Great buy. I already have a Seecamp and Guardian. I definitely want one of these.

The MPA32 is/was still pending or just rare.

The Protector is a clone of the Autauga MKII 32, upsized to 380.

Rumor is that the some of the early 380's received the 32's slide/recoil spring, causing initial teething problems.

The newer version mpa380 has a larger beavertail and a mag extension.

 

[Grizzly]

Well I am having a few feeding problems with the MPA.380. I still have not had a chance to shoot it enough for it to be truly broken in (only about 25 rounds). I don't consider the few 2 or 3 FTFs a problem though I won't carry it until they are corrected. I had the same problems with my P3AT when it was new.

 

[donutz28]

Being a knock-off of a Seecamp, I would be very picky about the ammo. What ammo did you use?