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Calling 380 owners...experiences please

7K views 29 replies 15 participants last post by  usmcdoc14 
#1 ·
In this month's American Rifleman they have a pretty neat article / reviews on some small pocket type 380s. They look like neat guns and I think I would be more inclined to carry more often then I do with a smaller gun like that.

I'm not looking for a 380 vs. "X" caliber discussion here. I understand that a 380 isn't an optimal self defense caliber but having a gun with me regardless of caliber is much more effective than having a larger gun sitting at home. So if you own or have shot any of the small framed 380s (particularly any that are featured in that article) your feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Defense ammo has come a long way for the popular .380 round. I use Gold Dot Personal Protection rds for carry. They have good reviews for penetration and expansion. I bought a Ruger LCP and it stays in my draw side pocket. It's real easy to carry and conceal but not the best range gun. The recoil is on the heavy side with any of the pocket size 380's. My other 380 is a Browning BDA. It's a good bit larger but accurate and less felt recoil. I don't feel "under gunned" carying a 380. I'm a big fan of the calliber.

Ruger LCP


Browning BDA


Gold Dot Personal Protection ammo
 
#24 ·
I bought a Ruger LCP and it stays in my draw side pocket. It's real easy to carry and conceal but not the best range gun.
Do you run anything through your LCP besides the Gold Dot ammo? The reason I ask is the American Rifleman article said the LCP was a little picky about the ammo choice. Have you had any feeding / jam issues with your gun?
 
#4 ·
I have/have shot a ruger lcp and the kel tec. Both are great little pistols and either would be a good gun to carry understanding their drawbacks and positives. Personally I like the ruger lcp because fit and finish imo was far better. Personally a carry gun should be a revolver and LCR all the way. (2 cents)
 
#6 ·
I carry the LCP as a bug and summer gun. I'm comfortable with the 380 as a defensive ammo. I'll second the fact that 380 ammo has come a long way. My biggest gripe is the shortage of 380 ammo on the market. I rarely shoot the LCP at the range because of ammo shortages.

I'd like to pick up one of the Sig P238's when they are a little easier to find.
 
#12 ·
You can get a .40 with a frame size that isn't much bigger than a .380.
Good Luck! Have you picked up one of these guns? You can't even find a 9mm that small.


Kel-Tec - Bought one for my sister and it is nice for a crude gun. Functions
North American - Heavy Heavy and did I say Heavy. My pop has a couple they shoot well.
Ruger - Nice and light, My pop's daily carry.

I've been wanting to trade up my Tomcat .32 for the Ruger, But the Taurus is looking nice. I will try to hold one before I commit to the Ruger.
 
#8 ·
Quote: .380 sucks. I think I'd do more damage by throwing my gun at them then shooting them with it.

There's no need to throw a perfectly good gun at some one when you can beat em to death with one of these and save the expensive ammo. LOL:D

S&W 50cal.


Off topic but couldn't help it.
 
#9 ·
Quote: .380 sucks. I think I'd do more damage by throwing my gun at them then shooting them with it.

There's no need to throw a perfectly good gun at some one when you can beat em to death with one of these and save the expensive ammo. LOL:D

S&W 50cal.

Off topic but couldn't help it.
I have an AMT .380 and the thing is a boat anchor. Small frame size, but heavy. If I threw it at them, it would surely cause more damage then the little BBs that it shoots would. Anyone want to buy a .380?
 
#10 · (Edited)
Quote: I have an AMT .380 and the thing is a boat anchor. Small frame size, but heavy. If I threw it at them, it would surely cause more damage then the little BBs that it shoots would. Anyone want to buy a .380?

I respect your opinion. Alot of my buddys feel the same way you do_One thinks a 9mm is not enough. Some one on "thefiringline.com" posted some ballistic info between 9mm and 380 ammo and they were close. Sure you give up some knock down with smaller calibers but the pocket 380's are so dang easy to carry. I like my shorts and T-shirts in the summer and the LCP fits the job. As far as your heavy 380, try selling it on "gunbroker.com".You should have good luck there.
 
#11 ·
I second the Ruger LCP - the KelTec is a good gun, however the LCP is what the Keltec should have been. I don't own either, but have shot both. I also have a Bersa .380 - looks a lot like the Browning in the pic above.. it's basically a "minature 1911" as far as the frame goes. I agree about the sites being crap, but the gun is meant to hit a person sized target 7-21 feet away - you aren't going to be sharp shooting with these things.

Shoot good ammo through any of them and you'll be fine. Personally I carry a Walther PPS in .40 - slightly larger than the .380's frame wise, but I have big hands, so wanted a slightly larger grip.
 
#17 ·
I used to carry a Bersa .380 and moved up to a Keltec PF9 9mm when they came out

I know you said you wanted .380 info, but you also said the reason you were looking at one was ease of carry. Why not get more power in the same package?
if you want a small pocket gun its pretty hard to beat the little PF9
you get 9mm power in a package that's smaller and lighter than a lot of .380s

Here are the specs for a PF9

Calibers: 9mm Luger 9x19mm
Weight unloaded: 12.7 oz. 360g
Loaded magazine: 2.8 oz. 81g
Length: 5.85" 149mm
Height: 4.3" 109mm
Width: .88" 22mm
Barrel Length: 3.1" 80mm
Capacity: 7 + 1

It's the .88" width that makes it so great to pocket carry

plus they're inexpensive so I don't feel bad about wearing the finish off carrying it in my pocket.
I've put a lot of rounds through mine and its always been reliable, I've even let it build up a lot of pocket lint inside it and tried firing it to make sure it would be ok and it blew dust bunnies everywhere

Just 2 bits from someone that USED to carry a .380 and is much happier with a smaller, lighter 9mm with more punch.
 
#18 ·
There are some tiny .380s. However, a Glock 27 or S&W M&P Compact aren't too much bigger, aren't very heavy, and are .40s. They are easy to shoot as well. I've owned both, along with many other guns and the 27 is by far my favorite for concealed carry. I should also mention I carry EVERY day EVERY place I go.

For someone wearing shorts and t-shirts in the summer looking for a pocket gun, look into a Ti wheel gun. I had a S&W 342 PD. It was a .38+p 5 shot. The gun only weighs 11 ounces. It is about the size of many of the smaller .380s, with more power. There is also a .357 that is about the same size, but it's a little tough to shoot. Either way, carrying in a pocket gets a bunch of lint and shit on the gun so I like the simplicity of a revolver. You can also shoot with the weapon in your pocket if needed. A semi auto will only fire once as the slide won't likely function properly for a second shot.

For inside the waistband carry, the Glock 27 is hard to beat as it's very flat so it isn't jabbing you in your hip, and it's plenty small enough to conceal yet large enough to do a good job.

The best advice I give to anybody that wants to carry concealed is to first figure out where you plan to carry the weapon on your body. This will slim down your choice of weapons considerably.
 
#19 ·
Here's a Kel Tec .380, AMT Backup .380 and I had to include my .45 Kimber Raptor
 

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#27 ·
Quote: Do you run anything through your LCP besides the Gold Dot ammo? The reason I ask is the American Rifleman article said the LCP was a little picky about the ammo choice. Have you had any feeding / jam issues with your gun?


I shoot cheap boxes of Magtec rds at the range. Never had a FTF. I bought an early LCP that was recalled by Ruger. It could supposedly discharge if dropped. Their costomer service is 1st class. Sent me a box to ship it to them. Got the gun back in 2 weeks with a free extra clip,LCP cap, and 2 mag extentions for the trouble. The gun fired fine before and after the recall. Love the little gun.:)
 
#29 ·
I just bought my wife the new Kel Tec PF9. I took her out to shoot both the 380 and 9mm. The 380 was just to small for her hand, the recoil was not that much difference and when you need the weapon for self defence I don't know that you will even notice the recoil of either one. As far as price we picked up a new PF9 for $280 out the door.
 
#30 ·
blablaablaa "380 is a worthless round and some other crap because I carry a 454 in a sholder rig..."

umm ya, any nay sayers who have issues with .380 I ask them to volunteer to take a round of it to a major body part and report back :grinpimp: a 380 in my pocket is better than a 45 in the car.

back on topic:
my 380 guns:
Ruger LCP, good gun, small as **** so its lively with large hands. run ammo as some it does not like, "double click" trigger return pisses me off because I think its reset but its only the first "click"

Bersa 380: so good I own 2 :laughing: makes a Walther or any Walther clone its bitch in both quality and price. never had an issue ever, dropped it and snapped off the little safety lever and bersa had me a new one free in 3 days.
use Bersa mags as promags suck.
 
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