Ok, I have a question for you all. If you only had a choice to carry a .38 special or a 380 auto, which would you choose and why? I know bigger is better but that's not the question.
Thanks
I've carried one or another 5-shot S&W J-frame for many years. I presently own 7 of them. They include guns rated for standard pressure & +P .38 Spl, as well as a couple chambered in .357 Magnum (but which mostly see +P loads for training/carry use).
Back in 2012 I bought a Ruger LCP. Why? Because I wanted something slimmer and shorter than my J's, meaning something that would fit into the tighter front pockets (holstered) in some of my jeans with shorter pockets. The LCP fit the bill nicely.
So ... while I
prefer to use a 5-shot snub loaded with a heavier bullet weight, the littler & slimmer .380
does fill a role for me.
I wouldn't carry it, however, if I couldn't run it rapidly, accurately & effectively in the usual variation of off-duty/CCW/Retiree qual courses-of-fire that run 1-11yds.
That said, I
do find it easier to make faster, more controllable hits on steel at 30-50yds with any of my J's compared to the LCP. That's not what I bought it for, though.
Now, if I were just going to choose between the .38 Spl & .380 ACP based upon the overall range of potential ballistic "performance"? I'd not own that LCP.
Bottom line? In a couple of the LE-based training seminars I've attended in recent years, the venerable .38 snub & .380 pocket pistol have both been mentioned as having repeatedly saved the lives of on & off-duty cops. They still seem to work, presuming the shooter can use them effectively when needed.
I wouldn't recommend one caliber over the other without knowing a lot about the skillset & experience of any particular potential owner/shooter, either. Sometimes something about a particular platform/caliber may make it a better choice for an individual, even if it's not the "optimal" caliber within their consideration. Lots of room to be found between the "adequate" & "optimal" lines usually drawn, too.
Just depends.
I'll continue to carry one or the other, depending on my activities and clothing choices (concealment), as long as either fits in with my daily risk assessment.
OP, why are you asking? For yourself, or someone else, or simply to satisfy your curiosity of what other folks think?