Is there such a thing as a full size .380?

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RimfireChris

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I'm curious, does any manufacturer make a full size, double stack, all steel auto in .380 ACP? It seems like it'd be the ticket for the recoil sensitive, but I've never seen one. Barring that, what out there comes close? Thanks guys.
 
The Glock 25 is basically a G19 in .380 ... but I don't think they import them into the states (that and they're not all steel).

Also if you can find one, there's the Bernardelli P.One
 
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You can get a Sig p232 in stainless but that's a single stack and a BDA or Beretta in a double stack but alloy, so.... maybe that's as close as it gets.
 
Bersa 'Thunder Plus' holds 15 rounds, Beretta 84 models.

I wouldn't call either a 'pocket' gun, esp. the Bersa.
 
Cool, these are some good places to start. I'm looking for a friend, well a friend's dad actually, he's older, doesn't want something with "plastic" and he's got arthritis, not horible but a bit, I figured a steel .380 might be the way to go, but maybe a bigger alloy one might work. I was also thinking double stack for a little added weight as well. Money's not an condition really, so I'll throw these out there for him.
 
I would look for a CZ83 to meet those requirements, and I'd take an 82 in 9x18makarov if I found one first while looking for an 83 for that matter.

A good-condition CZ82 in 9x18mak can be had for ~$200, fires ammo a bit harder to find but more powerful than .380 (which is 9x17 in metric) and has easy-to-operate ambidextrous controls ... I think they're the best deal on the surplus market in cost vs practicality
 
I'd say the CZ mentioned above, and maybe the beretta 84 are the closest, neither are quite as large as a 1911 or M9 though.
 
I'm looking for a friend, well a friend's dad actually, he's older, doesn't want something with "plastic" and he's got arthritis, not horible but a bit,
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What does he want the gun for?

If for plinking and casual shooting, a .22 would be much better.

For self-defense, a .38 Special or .357 revolver might be an ideal choice, since we're talking full size. In the case of a .357, he could use .38 Specials for practice, and perhaps carry full-charge .357s for SD.
 
The Beretta 84FS Cheetah.

All metal frame, double stack magazine (13+1 capacity), double action/single action, frame-mounted thumb safety/decocker, just about as big as a .380 pistol gets. It's the perfect compliment to a Beretta 92FS, which is just about as big as a 9mm pistol gets. Beretta has a tendency to over-build their pistols for their intended caliber. But they are extremely reliable, last forever, and their size and weight help to mitigate recoil.

As far as a personal defense gun - 14 rounds of modern, quality, high velocity .380 hollowpoint ammunition out of a 4" barrel is nothing to sneeze at.
 
You might also want to have him try a heavy 9mm like a Beretta or the Baby Desert Eagles. I have a feeling the recoil might not be that much different and you get a cheaper more potent round.

While racking the slide shouldn't be an issue, it could be. I'm not sure how hard it is to cycle a blowback pistol like a CZ82 or 83.

HB
 
Taurus also produces the Model 58HC. Alloy frame, steel slide. 19 round magazine. This is an updated PT58, a blow-back semi-auto that was typically problem free for the past few decades.

The various Beretta 80 series semis are also higher capacity guns, as is the now discontinued Browning BDA in .380.
 
The Browning BDA is almost full size and is a beauty! If I were to buy a .380 ACP caliber gun today that would be it!
 
I can echo the positive comments on the Beretta 84's and Browning BDA .380's,..both are good size,..not pocket guns,..but not huge,...both are light recoiling,...and both are very effective. I had an 84 some years back,..and one of my lifes bigger regrets was ever letting it go. I never felt undergunned with it at all. 14 rounds of .380 would not be my idea of anything to laugh at. I have handled and shot the Browning BDA cousin on many occasions as well. You wouldn't go wrong with either.
 
I'm not sure how hard it is to cycle a blowback pistol like a CZ82 or 83.
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Not too hard on mine, I've been wondering if my recoil spring was worn out though.

A locked-breech .380 will have a less sharp recoil than a direct-blowback model, and be a bit easier to rack if it isn't an ultra-compact model.

As almost all 9x19 guns are locked breech, most of them will have softer recoil than a .380, if everything was equal. Since everything never is equal, the comparison is hard to make, I can't think of a locked-breech 9x19 gun that has a .380 model identical in every way except for having a fixed barrel (anyone know a pair?)

And yes, for plinking, hook the man up with a .22, there are plenty of fun and reliable .22 guns suitable for knocking cans down or punching paper.
If for self-defense, look at the 9mm offerings also, some of the oversize 9mm pistols have very soft recoil.
 
bigfatdave said:
A locked-breech .380 will have a less sharp recoil than a direct-blowback model, and be a bit easier to rack if it isn't an ultra-compact model.

As almost all 9x19 guns are locked breech, most of them will have softer recoil than a .380...
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This is my thinking too. A full size, steel 9x19 will be a pretty soft shooter ... if its not soft enough he should just get a .22.


If slide racking is a major issue and recoil isn't than a Beretta 86 with the tilting barrel would be about perfect.

Beretta-86-dx.gif
 
If he has arthritis, you'll want to go with a locked breech .380 to minimize recoil. The CZ 83 is a nice gun, but it's still blowback and has a little "snap".
 
me said:
As almost all 9x19 guns are locked breech, most of them will have softer recoil than a .380, if everything was equal. Since everything never is equal, the comparison is hard to make, I can't think of a locked-breech 9x19 gun that has a .380 model identical in every way except for having a fixed barrel (anyone know a pair?)
Click to expand...

Thought of a pair ... Hi Point 9mm and .380 models are damn near identical, shooting the different rounds from the same straight blowback platform.
Anyone shot both to compare?
 
Well if he can get past the "no plastic" and "double-stack" part the Walther PK380 is about as soft of a shooting .380 as anyone makes.

100_0221.gif

It's a large pistol for a .380 and is a locked breech design which makes it much more pleasant to shoot than the blowback designs and as with most polymer framed pistols the flex of the plastic helps soak up recoil better than solid steel.

I don't know how high of a priority the soft shooting part is but that is the PK's strong point.
 
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