Same here
How many of you own a 380?
- Thread starter viking499
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Same here
Armybrat
Member
Own three:
Ruger LCP .380
Colt Government .380
Remington Model 51 .380
Ruger LCP .380
Colt Government .380
Remington Model 51 .380
Esoxchaser
Member
My wife and I each have a P238. Mine hardly gets out any more since they came out with the 938.
Yelovitz_503
Member
yes... but not to carry
I have an Interarms PPK (.380) and I NEVER carry it. I'm usually carrying a Glock 19 (summer) or CZ75 (winter), occasionally I'll carry my .40 cal Sig. I like the idea of a .380 but it's not a caliber I'm fond of. I like the feel of shooting a 9mm or something larger and I really don't mind the extra weight at all. I only carry my PPK on the absolute hottest days of the summer, when even that Glock 19 will be hard to conceal, but mostly it's just for plinking and having a bit of fun.
I don't have giant hands, but I have long fingers so a full size pistol always feels the best (hence the CZ) but that Glock 19 is about as small as I feel comfortable betting my life on. My PPK has another drawback: capacity, as illustrated below up against the other guns I carry.
Glock 17 - 17 round magazine (I bring two)
CZ 75 B - 16 round magazine (I bring two)
Glock 19 - 15 round magazine (again two)
Sig SP2022 - 12 round magazine (I bring two)
PPK - 6 round magazine + 1 in chamber (I only own one mag for this)
I know some people say if you can't close the deal with 7 shots, then another ten won't help... and there is some merit to that, but I feel like if it's a choice between having 7 (PPK) rounds and 32 rounds (CZ) that's not a decision I have to ponder over very long. Personally I just like 9mm, it's a good caliber for what I want out of a pistol and of all the pistols I own 9mm is the only caliber I have more than one of. That being said I would rather carry a .380 into a fight than a .32, or heaven forbid a .25, but it's not the caliber I'd happily bet my life on. Still it's a lot of fun to just plink around and whistle the James Bond theme.
I have an Interarms PPK (.380) and I NEVER carry it. I'm usually carrying a Glock 19 (summer) or CZ75 (winter), occasionally I'll carry my .40 cal Sig. I like the idea of a .380 but it's not a caliber I'm fond of. I like the feel of shooting a 9mm or something larger and I really don't mind the extra weight at all. I only carry my PPK on the absolute hottest days of the summer, when even that Glock 19 will be hard to conceal, but mostly it's just for plinking and having a bit of fun.
I don't have giant hands, but I have long fingers so a full size pistol always feels the best (hence the CZ) but that Glock 19 is about as small as I feel comfortable betting my life on. My PPK has another drawback: capacity, as illustrated below up against the other guns I carry.
Glock 17 - 17 round magazine (I bring two)
CZ 75 B - 16 round magazine (I bring two)
Glock 19 - 15 round magazine (again two)
Sig SP2022 - 12 round magazine (I bring two)
PPK - 6 round magazine + 1 in chamber (I only own one mag for this)
I know some people say if you can't close the deal with 7 shots, then another ten won't help... and there is some merit to that, but I feel like if it's a choice between having 7 (PPK) rounds and 32 rounds (CZ) that's not a decision I have to ponder over very long. Personally I just like 9mm, it's a good caliber for what I want out of a pistol and of all the pistols I own 9mm is the only caliber I have more than one of. That being said I would rather carry a .380 into a fight than a .32, or heaven forbid a .25, but it's not the caliber I'd happily bet my life on. Still it's a lot of fun to just plink around and whistle the James Bond theme.
another_luser
Member
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- Jun 11, 2011
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- 18
Walther PPKs - I don't carry it but the wife occasionally puts it in her bag...
A handgun is a poor choice for stopping humans, so with any caliber shot placement is key. The 380 is fine for a self defense handgun. If I do my job, the 380 will go its job
There are lots of interesting guns in 380. The round is cheap and easy to reload. It is my favorite plinking round.
I have the following 380s
Beretta 84
CZ 83
Makarov
MPA
Bersa Thunder
Walther PPK is next on list
There are lots of interesting guns in 380. The round is cheap and easy to reload. It is my favorite plinking round.
I have the following 380s
Beretta 84
CZ 83
Makarov
MPA
Bersa Thunder
Walther PPK is next on list
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CommanderCrusty
Member
Hey, Viking! Would YOU let someone shoot you with a .380?
ALSO
The chances are very good that if you are an honest man with a gun, you will NEVER need to fire it. So, do you want to carry around a 46 ounce 1911 with 2 spare mags, or a 16 ounce .380 that is WAY better than nothing?
ALSO
The chances are very good that if you are an honest man with a gun, you will NEVER need to fire it. So, do you want to carry around a 46 ounce 1911 with 2 spare mags, or a 16 ounce .380 that is WAY better than nothing?
cdb1
Member
I have a CZ 83 and a Bersa Thunder that I alternate carrying with my Colt Cobra and DS. My next purchase will be a Sig P232 so I obviously like .380's. I have shot larger caliber pocket pistols and don't care for them. Nothing wrong with them they are just not for me. I have larger caliber full size pistols but they are not comfortable for me to wear concealed. I live on 800 acres and carry a CZ 75 SP-01 Tactical on my property though.
Of the people who state as fact that a .380 is inadequate I wonder how many have shot or been shot by someone. Without having done that how can they know? I can't prove that a .380 is adequate either since I haven't shot or been shot with one. So I keep my opinion to myself.
In 1976 when I was 17 I did shoot a man with a .38 special in the chest. He was stealing some saddles from our barn. I yelled at him, he fired and missed. I fired and hit him. It was a fatal shot with a wadcutter. I was very lucky b/c I don't claim to be an expert shot with a handgun and the dead guy had a very high blood alcohol content. If he would have been sober I imagine I might not be here today. What I take from the incident all these years later is that it IS shot placement that counts not caliber.
As an aside I continued to hunt but did not pick up a handgun again until 2002.
Of the people who state as fact that a .380 is inadequate I wonder how many have shot or been shot by someone. Without having done that how can they know? I can't prove that a .380 is adequate either since I haven't shot or been shot with one. So I keep my opinion to myself.
In 1976 when I was 17 I did shoot a man with a .38 special in the chest. He was stealing some saddles from our barn. I yelled at him, he fired and missed. I fired and hit him. It was a fatal shot with a wadcutter. I was very lucky b/c I don't claim to be an expert shot with a handgun and the dead guy had a very high blood alcohol content. If he would have been sober I imagine I might not be here today. What I take from the incident all these years later is that it IS shot placement that counts not caliber.
As an aside I continued to hunt but did not pick up a handgun again until 2002.
toivo
Member
.380? Let's see ... I have a Bersa Thunder, a SIG P232SL, and a CZ 83. I carry the first two occasionally, and I also shoot them for fun at the range. The Bersa is pretty light and shoots well. The SIG is a drop-dead gorgeous pistol and a ball to shoot at the range. The CZ is a bit heavy for a carry .380, but shoots very well. I particularly like the CZ 82/83 platform, and I have one of every caliber: .32, .380, and 9x18mm.
I also have several compact 9mm pistols: Kel-Tec PF9, Beretta Nano, Glock 26. If I ever have to (and I hope I never do) use a handgun to defend myself, I would be more confident of hitting my target with any one of the .380s than with any of the nines except the Glock. A larger gun in a smaller caliber just seems more controllable to me.
I'm really itching to get my hands on a SIG P238.
I also have several compact 9mm pistols: Kel-Tec PF9, Beretta Nano, Glock 26. If I ever have to (and I hope I never do) use a handgun to defend myself, I would be more confident of hitting my target with any one of the .380s than with any of the nines except the Glock. A larger gun in a smaller caliber just seems more controllable to me.
I'm really itching to get my hands on a SIG P238.
Shagg
Member
I own a .380 because I wanted it. I used to own two but a buddy of mine wanted one so we made a trade. The one I kept is a Ruger LCP. It may not be very powerful but I would not want to get shot by it and I don't think anyone else does either.
Phantom Captain
Member
CommanderCrusty said:
This!
I don't see why some people have such a dislike for .380 guns or why they waste so much time and effort trying to discount them. If you don't like them, don't carry/shoot/own one. Does it somehow help you qualify your own choice of carry gun by putting another's down? I really don't get it.
I have three guns that I carry at any time depending on dress and circumstance and feel MORE than comfortable and confident with any one of them. The one that gets carried the most, because it is ALWAYS with me for all the reasons stated above is my 1970 German made Walther PPK/s in .380. If it's summer and I'm dressed super light it will be my PPK in .32 (.32! Blasphemy!). Winter dress or people wearing heavy clothes I'll grab my Bulgarian Mak in 9x18mm. I know them all, I shoot them all regularly, and I'm confident in my ability to use them. I load everyone of them with flat nose hard cast bullets.
All this being said I still defer back to the quote I included from CommanderCrusty. I think that's more the truth of the matter than anything and will choose comfort, exactly for those reasons, over anything else. Comfort and confidence.
For simple self defense, and self defense is what I'm carrying for not full on battle, 8 rounds out of any of my choices is more than enough. It's rare I even carry a spare mag.
This!
I don't see why some people have such a dislike for .380 guns or why they waste so much time and effort trying to discount them. If you don't like them, don't carry/shoot/own one. Does it somehow help you qualify your own choice of carry gun by putting another's down? I really don't get it.
I have three guns that I carry at any time depending on dress and circumstance and feel MORE than comfortable and confident with any one of them. The one that gets carried the most, because it is ALWAYS with me for all the reasons stated above is my 1970 German made Walther PPK/s in .380. If it's summer and I'm dressed super light it will be my PPK in .32 (.32! Blasphemy!). Winter dress or people wearing heavy clothes I'll grab my Bulgarian Mak in 9x18mm. I know them all, I shoot them all regularly, and I'm confident in my ability to use them. I load everyone of them with flat nose hard cast bullets.
All this being said I still defer back to the quote I included from CommanderCrusty. I think that's more the truth of the matter than anything and will choose comfort, exactly for those reasons, over anything else. Comfort and confidence.
For simple self defense, and self defense is what I'm carrying for not full on battle, 8 rounds out of any of my choices is more than enough. It's rare I even carry a spare mag.
1John1:9
Member
I like my Sig P232
I have no argument that there is very little reason to carry a .380 if you can carry a 9mm or a .45acp. Even a snubbie .38 special is superior in ballistics.
Having said that, I really like carrying my Sig P232. I carry it as a back-up gun in my left front pocket. There are smaller .380s that are comfortable to shoot such as the LCP. There are 9mm guns that are just as small as the P232.
BUT, I LIKE my P232. It is very reliable. I think there are still kinks to be worked out in the locked breach 380's and ultra compact 9mm guns.
I have no argument that there is very little reason to carry a .380 if you can carry a 9mm or a .45acp. Even a snubbie .38 special is superior in ballistics.
Having said that, I really like carrying my Sig P232. I carry it as a back-up gun in my left front pocket. There are smaller .380s that are comfortable to shoot such as the LCP. There are 9mm guns that are just as small as the P232.
BUT, I LIKE my P232. It is very reliable. I think there are still kinks to be worked out in the locked breach 380's and ultra compact 9mm guns.
The beauty of my LCP is the fact that it weighs 12 ounces fully loaded and is so slim no one even knows it is in my right front pocket tucked inside my leather RKBA pocket holster.
I can shoot it better than I could my old snub and again it's easier to carry than the snub.
I like mine so much I bought a second LCP for the off chance that if something ever happened to my daily carry 380 I would have a familiar replacement ready to go.
I can shoot it better than I could my old snub and again it's easier to carry than the snub.
I like mine so much I bought a second LCP for the off chance that if something ever happened to my daily carry 380 I would have a familiar replacement ready to go.
It also has a higher capacity than your snub.
RainDodger
Member
Here's mine... I own it, I rarely shoot it, and I never carry it. It's basically bigger than my H&K USP Compact 9mm, so why would I ever carry this? And it's a lot bigger than my baby Springfield XDs .45ACP. It's a very pretty gun though and I can't bring myself to get rid of it. It's quite accurate and it functions very well. Although it's a Browning BDA 380, it is of course made by Beretta. All steel, kind of heavy, but it's a joy to shoot.
Edit: my mistake - aluminum receiver, not steel... it's still heavy though!
Edit: my mistake - aluminum receiver, not steel... it's still heavy though!
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GBExpat
Member
A beautiful combination of wood & blued steel, form & function ... doesn't get much better than that!RainDodger said:
Gorgeous pistol, RainDodger, thanks for the pic!
One day a week I carry either a 45 or 9mm....the other 5-6 my LCP.
With the lcp I can pocket carry it in a pocket holster, or just clip on a little fobus holster. Pick it up and out the door I go, no need for a heavy belt or dig out the proper holster. Don't have to worry about what to wear to conceal it.
With the lcp I can pocket carry it in a pocket holster, or just clip on a little fobus holster. Pick it up and out the door I go, no need for a heavy belt or dig out the proper holster. Don't have to worry about what to wear to conceal it.
Phantom Captain
Member
Well I guess since we are showing off...
Here's mine. Both are highly prized to me.
1970 Walther PPK/s .380 with custom wood grips
1938 Walther PPK .32
Here's mine. Both are highly prized to me.
1970 Walther PPK/s .380 with custom wood grips
1938 Walther PPK .32
RainDodger
Member
I've always liked those little Walthers! Pretty pistols. Just like my BDA though, I wouldn't carry them these days. I'd love to own one though, just to be able to touch it once in a while. Very nice.
Nick Burkhardt
Member
For her first CC, my wife picked out a Bersa Thunder 380 for its abundant safety features and purddy Satin Nickle finish. I then bought a Bersa Thunder 380CC as my EDC so we could share magazines and ammo.
She rarely carries because she says the Bersa is too heavy. So I am thinking of getting her a lighter and smaller Ruger LC9 or LC380 if she cant rack the slide on the 9mm. I am looking into moving up to a Shield 9mm for myself.
She rarely carries because she says the Bersa is too heavy. So I am thinking of getting her a lighter and smaller Ruger LC9 or LC380 if she cant rack the slide on the 9mm. I am looking into moving up to a Shield 9mm for myself.
I carry a .45 CCO sometimes but the LCP is always with me other times; it's so easy to carry. I also reload. Speer's new manual has some pretty authoritative loading data for .380 including a max load of 4.0gr of WW231 pushing a 90gr Gold Dot bullet. I worked up to 3.9gr and chrono'd that load at an avg of 1,008fps out of my LCP.
In an LCP with extended mag that's a .380 throwing 8 Gold Dot hollowpoints with a power factor over 90 each, in a package so small I often forget it's in my pocket holster. I can (and have) worn it in my swimsuit while docking my boat at the marina with total confidence that it stays concealed. Pretty hard to do that with my .45.
That's why I also own a 380.
In an LCP with extended mag that's a .380 throwing 8 Gold Dot hollowpoints with a power factor over 90 each, in a package so small I often forget it's in my pocket holster. I can (and have) worn it in my swimsuit while docking my boat at the marina with total confidence that it stays concealed. Pretty hard to do that with my .45.
That's why I also own a 380.
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