Best .380

nwilliams · May 6, 2010

There's no such thing as the best .380 since everyone has their own opinions on what makes something good or bad.

I've owned A LOT of .380's over the years and my favorite so far has been my Sig P232 SL......

MCgunner · May 6, 2010

Nice gun. Looks a might large for a .380. Should shoot sweet.

vtbluegrass · May 6, 2010

CZ-83 if size is not a factor.
For pocket pistol I like the Taurus TCP. Bigger trigger gaurd, stainless slide, and last shot hold open won me over. I also like the Kel-tec is just has more sharp edges than the Taurus.

fmfdocglock · May 6, 2010

Choices

You have alot of good choices, .380s on the market.

1. Size
2. Weight (Polymer vs Metal)
3. DA vs SA
4. Sights vs no sights
5. Price

You need to go to a shop and take a look.

I have a MicroDesertEagle and a Ruger LCP. Both are excellent.

HowardCohodas · May 6, 2010

Harvey said:
Or maybe you should wait a few weeks and have a look at the new Smith & Wesson Body Guard .380.

The latest I've heard is that they are unlikely to make the May delivery. Perhaps June or July.

stinger 327 said:
Anything by S&W is overpriced.

Things that make me say hmmmm.

The projected street price of the BodyGuard 380 is within pennies of the street price of an LCP plus Crimson Trace. And the BodyGuard offers some features that make me interested in getting one for evaluation, even though I am currently quite satisfied with my LCP. Slide lock-back on last round and real sights are a plus. I'm indifferent to negative about the external safety.

I never underestimate the marketing prowess of S&W.

Harvey · May 7, 2010

HowardCohodas said:
The latest I've heard is that they are unlikely to make the May delivery. Perhaps June or July.

Things that make me say hmmmm.

The projected street price of the BodyGuard 380 is within pennies of the street price of an LCP plus Crimson Trace. And the BodyGuard offers some features that make me interested in getting one for evaluation, even though I am currently quite satisfied with my LCP. Slide lock-back on last round and real sights are a plus. I'm indifferent to negative about the external safety.

I never underestimate the marketing prowess of S&W.

If the BodyGuard turns out at all to be a decent shooter, Ruger can kiss there LCP sales good bye.

stinger 327 · May 7, 2010

Harvey said:
If the BodyGuard turns out at all to be a decent shooter, Ruger can kiss there LCP sales good bye.

Ruger makes another conceal gun in .38 a revolver that has a strange cyclinder. It's only available in .38 cal.

Marlin 45 carbine · May 7, 2010

Browning BDA is or was made by Beretta, it's a slick pistol for sure but large for the round, so is CZ a Makarov is good I replaced my BDA with it. a little more 'whack' than the .380 also.

Fastcast · May 7, 2010

Harvey said:
If the BodyGuard turns out at all to be a decent shooter, Ruger can kiss there LCP sales good bye.

Is the BodyGuard only going to be available with the laser doohicky thing?.....If so that adds another $170 or so to the base price of an LCP right? Not sure how this would equate to "goodbye sales" for Ruger. I personally could careless about a laser sight on a SNS/belly gun so a basic LCP would work just fine for me.

I think the B/G looks like an interesting piece but if it's only available with the laser, at a substantial premium over a stock LCP, count me out.

Mad Magyar · May 7, 2010

Just got my LCP last week. I love it. It is a great pocket piece. It even fits in my coin pocket in my jeans. Best $300 I've spent.

Yeah, wait till you fire it! :scrutiny:

As someone mentioned, a nice pistol to empty your mag at close range, if you can get by w/o a FTF...Real disappointed it, the size, the lack of grip, and not pleasant when it does fire. I see them being unloaded in ad sales at good used prices...
Hope you like yours...

Weevil · May 7, 2010

Mad Magyar said:
Yeah, wait till you fire it! As someone mentioned, a nice pistol to empty your mag at close range, if you can get by w/o a FTF...Real disappointed it, the size, the lack of grip, and not pleasant when it does fire. I see them being unloaded in ad sales at good used prices...
Hope you like yours...

Oookay......

Most people tend to notice the small size and lack of grip before they buy it.

You're "real disappointed" that an itty-bitty easy to conceal pocket-pistol isn't bigger, has a small grip, and isn't "pleasant" to shoot???

Is it possible your FTFs were caused by limp-wristing, since as you say you weren't getting a good grip???

The vast majority of problems with small lightweight pistols are caused by user error rather than any sort of inherent design flaws.

So what exactly was it you were expecting from the LCP???

If you want a big gun with a better grip that's "pleasant" to shoot get a Ruger P90 not an LCP. Yeah the P90's a really lousy gun to try and conceal but it's tons of fun to shoot.

tercel89 · May 7, 2010

CZ-83 in .380 is the BEST .380 I have ever owned!!!!!! It will beat ANY other .380 out there !!!!!

Mad Magyar · May 7, 2010

Ruger has received a small number of reports from the field indicating that LCP pistols can discharge when dropped onto a hard surface with a round in the chamber. We are firmly committed to safety and would like to retrofit all older LCP Pistols. The retrofit involves installation of an upgraded hammer mechanism at no charge to the customer.

Weevil, you made some excellent points. That's why I never purchased one, just used a buddy's on the range. He unloaded his BTW...
Let's take your point about design. When you have a major recall (above)when it's barely out on the market, especially one of this nature: sounds like they had cut-corners on safety & design so as to jump and get their share of the hot micro-market.
If the pistol is conducive to "limp-wristing" as you suggest due to it's size; makes you wonder about design once again...
Anyway, your arguments are well taken...

Steve 48 · May 7, 2010

I've haved a lot of 380's and the best is the Walther but for pocket carry, and yes I has a LCP and P3AT, I would carry a TCP.

Weevil · May 7, 2010

Mad Maygar said:
Let's take your point about design. When you have a major recall (above)when it's barely out on the market, especially one of this nature: sounds like they had cut-corners on safety & design so as to jump and get their share of the hot micro-market.

And why do you feel that this is evidence they "cut corners"???

It sounds like a drop safety problem, not something that would in anyway cause FTFs.

All new designs tend to have a few bugs but to say that it is proof of cut-corners or the reason you had FTFs is a bit of a stretch.

There was nothing about this recall that was in any way related to normal functioning.

If the pistol is conducive to "limp-wristing" as you suggest due to it's size; makes you wonder about design once again...

As with any tool the user must be able to use it correctly for it to perform properly.

You're right these little pistols aren't for everyone and without the proper grip, something not always easy to get on such a small pistol, they can malfunction.

I personally found this out with a Walther P22. When I would shoot it the thing was a jam-o-matic but my son could shoot the sucker all day long without a hiccup. Had he not been shooting it perfectly I would have assumed it was a problem with the gun. But the problem was I wasn't getting a good firm handle on it's thin little grip with my big ol' meathooks and was limp-wristing it. My son's smaller hands were getting a better grip on it and it worked perfectly for him. After tightening up my grip and being more aware of my grip the problems miraculously went away.

Any pistol can suffer from limp-wristing, but most big heavy pistols are far less prone to it. The problem is much worse with small light pistols which don't have enough weight of their own in their polymer frames to overcome the recoil of the metal slide, and are much more dependent upon the users grip to hold the frame steady and allow the slide to work properly through it's full motion.

Yeah you're right it is a potential problem inherent to the design but this is true of all small lightweight pistols not just the LCP.

We should all be aware of the limitations of any design when purchasing or using a gun.

Shooting a wee little polymer pistol like the LCP isn't gonna be the same as shootin' your daddy's ol' 1911.

ruger1228 · May 7, 2010

Mad Magyar said:
Yeah, wait till you fire it! As someone mentioned, a nice pistol to empty your mag at close range, if you can get by w/o a FTF...Real disappointed it, the size, the lack of grip, and not pleasant when it does fire. I see them being unloaded in ad sales at good used prices...
Hope you like yours...

I have to agree. I bought an LCP, took it to the range, shot a box of shells through it, and traded it in the next day. Did not care for the long trigger pull, lack of grip, and recoil.

stinger 327 · May 7, 2010

Weevil said:
And why do you feel that this is evidence they "cut corners"???

It sounds like a drop safety problem, not something that would in anyway cause FTFs.

All new designs tend to have a few bugs but to say that it is proof of cut-corners or the reason you had FTFs is a bit of a stretch.

There was nothing about this recall that was in any way related to normal functioning.

As with any tool the user must be able to use it correctly for it to perform properly.

You're right these little pistols aren't for everyone and without the proper grip, something not always easy to get on such a small pistol, they can malfunction.

I personally found this out with a Walther P22. When I would shoot it the thing was a jam-o-matic but my son could shoot the sucker all day long without a hiccup. Had he not been shooting it perfectly I would have assumed it was a problem with the gun. But the problem was I wasn't getting a good firm handle on it's thin little grip with my big ol' meathooks and was limp-wristing it. My son's smaller hands were getting a better grip on it and it worked perfectly for him. After tightening up my grip and being more aware of my grip the problems miraculously went away.

Any pistol can suffer from limp-wristing, but most big heavy pistols are far less prone to it. The problem is much worse with small light pistols which don't have enough weight of their own in their polymer frames to overcome the recoil of the metal slide, and are much more dependent upon the users grip to hold the frame steady and allow the slide to work properly through it's full motion.

Yeah you're right it is a potential problem inherent to the design but this is true of all small lightweight pistols not just the LCP.

We should all be aware of the limitations of any design when purchasing or using a gun.

Shooting a wee little polymer pistol like the LCP isn't gonna be the same as shootin' your daddy's ol' 1911.

Have you ever known of a person that can jam a Glock 17 by limp wristing?

Weevil · May 7, 2010

stinger 327 said:
Have you ever known of a person that can jam a Glock 17 by limp wristing?

Personally, no.

The G17 is a pretty large pistol for it's caliber to limp-wrist, but I suppose theoretically it is possible.

Some people just seem to have a knack for jamming up just about any pistol ever made.

stinger 327 · May 7, 2010

Weevil said:
Personally, no.

The G17 is a pretty large pistol for it's caliber to limp-wrist but I suppose theoretically it is possible.

Some people just seem to have a knack for jamming up just about any pistol ever made.

I know someone who does this and I thought Glock 17 was jam free until I heard about this limp wrist thing.

Weevil · May 7, 2010

One of the more interesting cases of limp-wristing I've seen was a police video.

The officer was approaching a vehicle after a stop and the driver pulled a gun and started firing. The officer was hit several times, luckily he had a BP vest, but he did manage to pull his pistol and fire. Unfortunately it jammed after the first shot.

It was a classic case of limp-wristing.

It was a large duty pistol but his recoilling from being shot and the consequent sudden rearward motion caused his pistol to jam.

This is one reason the old-timers liked revolvers, any pistol can be jammed by limp-wristing under the right conditions

stinger 327 · May 8, 2010

Weevil said:
One of the more interesting cases of limp-wristing I've seen was a police video.

The officer was approaching a vehicle after a stop and the driver pulled a gun and started firing. The officer was hit several times, luckily he had a BP vest, but he did manage to pull his pistol and fire. Unfortunately it jammed after the first shot.

It was a classic case of limp-wristing.

It was a large duty pistol but his recoilling from being shot and the consequent sudden rearward motion caused his pistol to jam.

This is one reason the old-timers liked revolvers, any pistol can be jammed by limp-wristing under the right conditions

Yes there is nothing like a good quality revolver 5 or 6 I prefer either one. Now they have 7 or 8 shot ones made by Taurus?

trane fan · May 8, 2010

My issue weapon is an M&P .40 FS and my favorite personal carry weapon is my M&P .40C. Therefore, I too am very interested in the M&P .380. The pictures and videos have me very intrigued. My only concern is the external safety. I hope they will come out with a safety-less (is that a word

) option later on.

harmon rabb · May 8, 2010

Yeah, wait till you fire it! As someone mentioned, a nice pistol to empty your mag at close range, if you can get by w/o a FTF...Real disappointed it, the size, the lack of grip, and not pleasant when it does fire. I see them being unloaded in ad sales at good used prices...
Hope you like yours.

you're disappointed in the size of the LCP? umm... the point is to be as small as possible. if you want a larger 380, go buy a PK380 or something. sounds like you bought the LCP expecting it to be a larger gun, which is pretty silly.

i have one. mine has functioned flawlessly since day 1. never an issue. perhaps there is something wrong with yours.

Weevil · May 8, 2010

Did someone say PK380???

I got one last month and I must say if you want a .380 that's good sized, has a great grip with excellent ergonomics, and is an absolute dream to shoot then the PK380 is the way to go.

A bit big for CCW but it is very thin. Everyone who has held it is just amazed at how great it feels in their hand, and recoil is almost non-existent.

Still too early to judge on reliability, although so far after 200 rounds it's been flawless, or durability, but as far as ergonomics and shootability go it's excellent.

sidheshooter · May 8, 2010

Put down another vote for the sig P238. The size is right, the nite sites are right, the trigger is right, and the recoil is easier to deal with than a ppk or a bersa thunder, IME.

Add real controls and an external slide lock/last round lock back to several hundred flawless rounds of my current carry load choice and I'm done shopping.

JMO.

Best .380

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