This is a bit of the path I have taken with 380s. The bulk of this post was written about a year ago, maybe a bit longer than that. In the meantime, the Kimber Micro 380 became a regular EDC along with a Browning Compact 1911-380. However, after ove 50 years with th e1911 platform, I am slowly leaving it.
First, I like 9x17 as a cartridge. As such "it's only a 380" will not mean a lot to me. I reload 9x17, I have several years experience with it and am aware of the weaknesses, and strengths, of the 9x17. I am satisfied with it.
Yes, I have certainly used other calibres. When I went through the academy I carried a Mi Spec 1911 A1 in 45. Later on, I was told that I could not carry a 380 by the Sheriff. Even though I didn't work directly for him, he made the rules.
For several years I carried my Colt 380 Government Model. Things I liked, it is a very good sized pistol. It shot well and, with the right magazines, was very reliable. It also has the best trigger I have experienced on a 9x17(light and crisp) . Things I didn't like: I sometimes found the safety off, the sights are terrible, and it is now an out of production gun, which limits parts availability. The safety, I was not the only person that experienced this. Once we started paying attention to this, several others who carried the same model reported this same issue. It is a series 80 pistol; so, as odd as it sounds, it wasn't a show stopper.
The sights are an issue. They are just not too good and I am close to thirty years older than I was when I got it. I know I can send it to Novak and get good sights put on it. That brings me to the third issue, it has been out of production for many years and is going to continue to be harder to get parts for. I don't want to chop the slide up for sights, drill out the safety for more positive action, when these are parts that cannot be replaced. I just feel it is time for this one to be on the range and in my safe, not on my belt.
In the meantime, I purchased a Glock 42. A thousand rounds or so through it, using a
Mantis shot analyzer, and I am now at a level that I am satisfied with it. I think you can see that I added things to it. Those would include, grip tape, Glock Nite sights (I don't recommend them), extended slide release, I also had some trigger work done to get it to within factory specs.
I never really liked the Glock. On paper it is great. I just never saw it as anything more than it was, a tool. It lacked artistic flair. I shoot it well, it is reliable and accurate, I just don't like it. It is a random tool. Yes, it works well. There is just a lack of something. I would not hesitate to recommend a Glock 42; I guess it is just a little too utilitarian. I don't know, it just isn't a gun to get enthused about. There is no emotional binding. I suppose that can be an advantage for an EDC.
I then purchased a Kimber Micro 380. First off, I really like the size, the look, and the sights. If it had a grip safety, it would be "The Gun." It had reliability trouble out of the box and I had to do some file work to get it right (This should come as no surprise to other Kimber owners). At this point it is reliable. I now have over five hundred rounds with no stoppages.
It is accurate, I attribute that to the single action trigger (still not as good as my 30 year old Colt though) and the great sights. The sights were the reason I went for the Kimber over the similar Colt Mustang (I just didn't like the angular look of the similar Sig).
The recoil is a bit snappier than the Glock 42, I attribute that to the narrower grip on the Kimber. This one still may become a favorite. However, I still haven't taken it through any official firing course. For a while become my EDC, as far as liking it, I definitely like it better than the Glock 42; but that is entirely subjective (It isn't a "plastic gun" thing. My favorites also includes my braced CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1, which is a plastic 9x19). As I said before; If it had a grip safety, it would be "The Gun."
That led to me visiting a gun store and looking at the Browning 1911-380. Frankly, I liked it. It had the grip safety (the grip safety thing may just be a holdover from the standard 1911, but I just feel that it should be there), it just felt like quality. I was able to compare, side to side, the Baby Rock, the LLama 380, my Kimber, and the Browning. That being said, the store did not have a range.
Of the three, the LLama 380, the Baby Rock, and the 1911-380, if I had been told to put them in order of price, it would have been easy. The 1911-380 was leagues ahead of the other two in oeral feeling of quality, "fit and finish" as it were. The Baby Rock looked better than the LLama, but still nowhere near the more expensive Browning and Limber. Further, the Baby Rock and the LLama appear to be blowback, where the others use some form of delay.
I ended up purchasing the Browning 1911-380 Black Label Medallion Pro
I really thought this would be the one. However, the years are starting to show. The problem is that I have developed a bit of arthritis in my thumb. In a few long shooting sessions, I noticed that I am not hitting the safety every time. This led me to one I got a couple of years ago.
Not my gun, for some reasons I don't have any good pictures of my Smith & Wesson scroll marked PK380
The paddle release is great. I have a bit of trouble hitting the mag release due to the same issues with the same thumb that isn't reliably hitting the safety. Being DA/SA it can be carried with the safety off. While it gets no praise from the gun community I seem to be going back to it.
Why not the Glock 42? The issue with that one is something I have mentioned elsewhere. It seems that the slide is coated with a material that is used in non-stick pans. It is hard to get a grip on. Frankly, it is harder to manipulate the slide on the G42 than it is on the 1911 or the High-Power.
So, I have ended up with a niche gun that seems to fit my needs. If I decide that I really do like this configuration then the PK380 may become an HK P30sk. I am going to wait a while first.
