38 special or .380?

I don't have a .380, but I do have a Colt Detective Special, and that's what I'd carry.

I think you should carry whichever you think is best for you. Whatever floats your boat. Either will do the job, I think.

In terms of ballistics I would rather have the 38 Special, although neither are awe inspiring, but since the 380's are so much easier to carry in that they're smaller, thinner/flatter, and lighter weight, plus they hold more ammo and reload faster, I choose the 380 Auto for carry, specifically for "deep carry" and it's a Kahr CW380. Nicely accurate, very reliable, and has a lot of nice features for the price (better sights than LCP, better trigger, and the slide locks back on the last round, and it's only a few bucks higher, and better overall quality). I prefer my G27 or G23 (or even my CM40, which is my pocket .40) but there are times when even the relatively small CM40 is a bit too big, so that's why I love the CW380, it's great for deep concealment.

I have everything from .45 on down to chose from.

I mostly always carry a .380 Kel-Tec in my hip pocket behind my bill-fold.
Or a bigger SIG P232 .380 in my waist band.

Why?
Because my life-style makes it Very Unlikely I will ever need to use either one.
And they both are smaller, lighter, and flatter then anything else I have.
But especially my two .38 Spl snub nose S&W revolvers.

When I go in the truck on road trips & such?
A hi-cap .40, 1911 .45, or Magnum S&W 4" or 6" revolver rides with me in a holster stuffed in the seat crack.

rc

rcmodel said:

When I go in the truck on road trips & such?
A hi-cap .40, 1911 .45, or Magnum S&W 4" or 6" revolver rides with me in a holster stuffed in the.......seat crack.

rc

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Sounds mighty uncomfortable!

No, you got it all wrong!

Every one of my guns have fairly sharp front sights on them.
And I think the holsters would be even worse!

Just guessing, of course.

rc

I have, and Carry either the .38 and the .380.
It just depends on how I am carrying them, or for what reason.
With me in the truck, it is mostly the .38 -3"
If it is for consealment on my person, it is the .380.
If there is a Perceived threat, I opt for something Bigger.
But for that " Just In Case" times, either the .380 or 38 will do you just fine

I already carry the 38. I prefer it greatly over a 380.

Well, I own five 380s and not a single 38 Special. That's mainly because you can get a 357 that's the exactly same size as a 38 though.

Anyway, if I had to choose one it would be the Beretta 84. I would much rather have fourteen rounds of 380 than five or six 38s.

I own both. The 38 is what I carry. Either one would do though. Pros and cons to each. I carry the J frame because I have a better holster for it than the 380. Plus, she calls the 380 hers.

Even though over the past decade or more the bullet companies have made great strides in .380 Auto bullet construction I still trust the street proven .38 Special more. I feel the .380 is a much better round than it was in the past but I guess I'm just old and set in my ways. Remember, all the time they were improving the .380 and 9mm they were also improving .357" bullets too.

ljnowell said:

I already carry the 38. I prefer it greatly over a 380.

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Because?

Because?

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Because 125 grains is 139% of only 90 grains, and I believe in giving people what they deserve.

Jim

The .380 ACP in a simi- auto pistol has been used as a police & military round for many years. It still works in that role, so I would go with a good hi-cap model in .380ACP. Already made that choice years ago.

22lr for urban, 25acp for bear country

David E said:

Because?

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A couple reasons actually. The first is bullet selection. I can shoot 158, 130, 125, or 110 grain bullets. Specifically I can shoot 158gr LSWC-HP that perform very well.

Also a j frame is infinitely more reliable than a micro 380 and isn't much different in capacity.

I can get much more out of a .38 special out of my sp101 performance wise than I can out of my PPK...but I reload so I can basically make a .357 out of a .38.
You can't do that with a .380.

I vote for both, or either. They both carry easy but I get better hits with my 380, so that's what I carry the most.

Had both, just .38s now. I find a J-frame pocket carries better than a semi. When it absolutely, positively has to go bang the second time, only a revolver will do. It doesn't care how you grip it. Small .380s do.

Jim 243 "I believe in giving people what they deserve."--I like that. I like to think of myself as generous as well. I would prefer to give those who deserve it an example of the bullet casting art, possibly something on the order of one of my 420 grain 45-70 bullets. With the exigencies of modern dress expectations in mind, I can rarely hope to have the platform to deliver such a gift in my hands should I need it in all too many social and business settings.

To answer the question, I prefer to have both the .38 and the .380 on my person.
With the holsters I have I can draw the 38 faster, and it's a little more powerful, but it has a limited capacity. If I have to be in a place, particularly in hot weather, where I can't wear a sports jacket and I will be in close proximity of people who I care whether they might notice bulges in my pocket or under my shirt, the 380 is much trimmer. Both cartridges are dramatically under powered and their best use might be to gain an advantage in the ensuing knife fight.

I've yet to come across a .380 pistol that I found appealing enough to actually buy.

When I was much younger, all the cops carried .38 spl revolvers.

They'd buy a large frame Revolver in 3", or cut a six or four inch down. They'd chamfer the cylinders for faster reloads with a speed loader, and set back the barrel until the forcing cone was all but touching the cylinder face, for a bit extra velocity.

These revolvers served very well for them.

Meet my Model 10.

I have and shoot both and carry both - my Wife is a slight person and prefers revolvers. She shoots a DA revolver very well and is inherently confident with it. To conceal a .38 revolver we got her a Ruger LCR whcih we loved right off the bat *but* the recoil with .38 defense ammo literally makes my hand go numb and I'm 6'3" and about 200 pounds now. She simply could not manage it nor practice with it.

I hand load so I started working up a load she could manage and we settled on a 110 gr. wadcutter load that is running maybe 850 fps and I think we may be able to push it a little faster/harder. Now enter the Glock 42 .380....I'm pushing a flat nose plated lead 100 gr. bullet at about 1000 fps with a comfortable/controllable recoil for her. She can deliver 3 rounds of hot .380 per second to a 4" circle center mass at 21' confidently and consistently. She gets 7 rounds out of the G42 as opposed to 5 in the .38, she hits better, reloads are a snap/fast, and the gun is about as concealable as the .38 revolver which is a now an ankle/pocket gun for me.

End story - it may depend on what works for the individual shooter. All things being equal the .38 can deliver more power on target but the trade is more felt recoil and muzzle blast.

Bang for the buck it's a toss up as by the time I download the .38 to where she can manage it the .380 performs just as well if not better with more rounds and faster reload.

VooDoo

tough choice since no parameters were given.

a 4" model 64 or a KT P3AT? the .38spl.

a Cheetah hi-cap or a j frame? .380acp