Any respect for the mighty mouse

No vote from me. My S&W Bodyguard 380 has been in my pocket just about daily for the past 4-5 years. I shoot about the same as a J frame but it has 2 more rounds.

Formal occasion? That's when I carry my mid-60s, German made, PPK in 32. Just like James Bond.

A friend has a 9mm Bodyguard I helped him put new sights on. What a nice little pistola it was. I made need to check those out also.

I've owned a number of small guns, ranging from a Beretta Tomcat (my first), to a Kel-Tec P3AT (which work fine, but the trigger guard and my trigger finger kept bumping each other during recoil), a Ruger LCP, a Kel-Tec P11, a Kel-Tec PF9, a Kahr P9 (which I liked but was a bit bigger than I cared for), as well as a Kahr CW9. I've also shot a number of the smaller.32s and .380s, and most of them made me not want to practice enough to be comfortably proficient. I've shot a Kahr PM9, but found it an unpleasant shooting companion. I've shot several others, including a Seecamp in .32 and .380, and I did NOT enjoy either of them.

I recently bought a Remington RM380, which is a n upgraded (slightly revised) 380 version of the Rohrbaugh R9. (Remington bought Rohrbaugh. When I carry it, I do so using a small leather pocket holster. While it is not as small as the P32, but it is a comfortable, non-obvious pocket-carry gun, even when in a pocket holster. (I found the Beretta Tomcat to be much more OBVIOUS when in the pocket.)

The RM380, because it has a metal frame, and uses the Browning Short-Recoil Locked-Breech design, is much more pleasant to shoot than most of these small guns. It seems to be nicely finished, and unlike some of the very small models, has a reasonable service life for the recoil spring (maybe 1000 rounds). It's also one of the more pleasant .380 to shoot, and much more pleasant than the small Seecamp guns. If you're willing to spend the money -- I wasn't -- you get get gorgeous wood grips for the RM380, too. It's a good-shooting, reasonably accurte gun. (It might be very accurate, but I've not shot it enough to fully establish that part of it's performance, but I can hit the broad side of a barn with it.)

Walt Sherrill said:

I recently bought a Remington RM380, which is a n upgraded (slightly revised) 380 version of the Rohrbaugh R9.

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RM380 has a lot going for it. But, it also has downsides, which may be a bigger deal for some people than the other. I don't think that the falling out disassembly pin, or getting locked solid are disqualifiers, actually. Those are freak accidents in my book. I don't mind the absurdly long trigger too much either. In fact, it can be a safety advantage. However, RM380 has sights that are milled together with the slide, and its magazine capacity is too small, without a chance of the help from the aftermarket. It's also a little chunky. It's a great gun if you can overlook these issues.

zaitcev said:

RM380 has a lot going for it. But, it also has downsides, which may be a bigger deal for some people than the other. I don't think that the falling out disassembly pin, or getting locked solid are disqualifiers, actually. Those are freak accidents in my book. I don't mind the absurdly long trigger too much either. In fact, it can be a safety advantage. However, RM380 has sights that are milled together with the slide, and its magazine capacity is too small, without a chance of the help from the aftermarket. It's also a little chunky. It's a great gun if you can overlook these issues.

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All of those points are valid..but nearly all of them (except the disassembly pin design) are shared by nearly all of the other .32 and .380 pocket guns. The smallest 9mm (almost) pocket guns tend to be a good bit bigger and have a much more robust recoil to go with the more robust 9mm round.

I don't know if the RM380 getting locked solid is a real issue, but I've not had the disassembly pin come loose. (For it to come out while firing would take a really unique combination of movements, and even if you're shooting gangsta style (the gun twisted sideways) it's not likely to ever come out unintentionally. In fact, getting the pin it out takes a steady hand.

Re: capacity -- With any pocket gun, if you need more than 6-7 rounds you should 1) carry an extra magazine, 2) have good life and medical insurance, and 3) consider prayer, as you're probably on the wrong side of the confrontation. (While I carry a spare mag, I'm not sure it'll ever be needed, or if needed, I'll have the ability to use it.)

Galloway Precision has a performance kit for the RM380 that I'll probably get in the near future that improves the trigger and lets you expand the magazine from 6 to 7 rounds.)

I haven't tried 6+1 (i.e., starting with one chambered and FULL magazine), so don't know if that's practical -- it isn't with some guns.

Walt Sherrill said:

Re: capacity -- With any pocket gun, if you need more than 6-7 rounds you should 1) carry an extra magazine, 2) have good life and medical insurance, and 3) consider prayer, as you're probably on the wrong side of the confrontation. (While I carry a spare mag, I'm not sure it'll ever be needed, or if needed, I'll have the ability to use it.)

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This is an oft-quoted argument and perhaps it still holds water statistically speaking. After all, Trayvon was alone when he jumped Zimmerman. But I used to live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Criminal attackers usually came 3 or 4 at a time there. I understand that it's a habit that illegals are spreading throughout the rest of the country. And if someone wants to rely on statistics, he does not need a gun at all, with crime as low as it is.

zaitcev said:

This is an oft-quoted argument and perhaps it still holds water statistically speaking. After all, Trayvon was alone when he jumped Zimmerman. But I used to live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Criminal attackers usually came 3 or 4 at a time there...

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As I said, "While I carry a spare mag, I'm not sure it'll ever be needed, or if needed, I'll have the ability to use it." -- but I do carry it. The vast majority of such armed CIVILIAN conflicts seldom involve more than 3-4 rounds fired from the defender's gun. That's based on the following data, compiled by Greg Ellifritz, which seems as good anything available: https://www.buckeyefirearms.org/alternate-look-handgun-stopping-power

Things just happen too quickly in nearly all of these conflicts, and if 3-4 bad guys (or bad gals) are coming after you, a 15-round .32 or .380 is probably more about wishful thinking than a realistic response to a threat.

Having five or six rounds -- a lot of folks out there still carry revolvers -- is mentally reassuring, but in a multi-opponent attack, you're probably in big trouble with twice that many rounds.

That said, I prefer 6 or 7 rounds of .380 to 6 or 7 rounds of.32 acp, but if I feel the need to carry, and UNLESS pocket carry is NECESSARY, I'd much rather be carrying a small 9mm (like my SR9c or FN9c) if I can use an inside the waistband holster.