Snappy .380 pistols

[NMexJim]

There seems to be a fps/pressure that lies between pleasure and pain. Anything 950 and below is mild mannered. Get up to 980 or over 1,000 fps and pain starts to show up. If you reload, just take any recipe and load up near max with the small pistols. I have a CW380 that can be brutal.

In factory ammo, I found HSTs to be too hot. Critical Defense just right.

 

[chicharrones]

I forgot to mention in my previous post my RM380. It's the softest shooting pocket .380 I've fired. Originally engineered for 9mm by Rohrbaugh, but chambered in .380 with enough frame thickness and slide weight to soften the blow to my hand.

 

[JERRY]

Straight blow back 380s suck in small guns. That's just the way it is. Change design or caliber if you want small, easy to shoot guns.

 

[commygun]

I’ve had a butt-ton of .380’s over the years, tiny to mid-size, and the only one I found to be particularly obnoxious was the AMT SAO Back-Up. Fortunately, it was obnoxious in every way, so easily discarded.

 

[Buckeye63]

Incredibly great shooting pistol… double taps , accurate and fast

 

[hemiram]

I remember when I shot the first 380 ever in 1977, when I was 21. It was a Browning BDA 380, and the owner complained about it being "snappy". I thought he was insane. My first thought was how easy it was to shoot, and how smooth the DA trigger was on it. As soon as I got done shooting it, I checked and the store had one in stock and bought it. Soon I had it's Beretta 84 open slide cousin to go along with it. Still my favorite 380 pistols. I have an 81(.32)84, 85, and a BDA 380 at present.

 

[lincen]

Of the pocket sized 380’s, the Beretta Pico and the Remington RM380 are the most comfortable to shoot and I will add, very reliable. The mid sized Ruger Security 380 is by far the most comfortable, all things considered. The full sized Girsan MC14T is very pleasant to shoot as well. From my limited experience there are at least three main factors that contribute to taming the snappy 380. Locked breech, weight, and grip design. The Girsan is blowback but has sufficient weight and comfortable grip.



The older Star model S is another 380 tamer !

 

[usaral63]

My hands are between medium to large (when it comes to glove size anyway) and I don't find the small 380's terrible, nor does my wife.

My P3AT is probably the most unpleasant, at 11oz loaded, it's light weight and thin grip results in a more acute hammering of the palm. It's not painful or particularly bad, but you can definitely feel it.
The regular LCP is my wife's daily carry gun, and she's never complained about recoil.
My Kimber Micro was probably the nicest/easiest shooting, with the weight and the single action trigger.
My LCP max is a pleasure to shoot, the recoil isn't bad at all.
All in all I don't feel it's a painful cartridge in any of the guns I've shot it in.

But recoil is very subjective.
I've heard more than once about 357 magnum having heavy recoil, but in my experience it's pretty mild (short of the one time I shot a 158gn magnum load in an airweight s&w360)

Have a 3at..........gifted me by an old friend a decade or so past, wouldnt'na bought one but for free it's a good deal plus.....always in my pocket.........light, no snags, and surprisingly accurate, and you can't hurt the thing in any sort of normal usage. Now I know it's no big game piece, but it'll do to get someone's attention should it come down to that, and face facts.......have you EVER shot a deer and heard the report or felt the recoil? That AT of mine is adequately accurate to bounce tin cans, kill the occasional rattlesnake or moccasin and I have turned a running armadillo into a poor rendition of a tumbling foot ball. All I ever carry in mine is the flat pointed Winchester stuff that seems to always work. Six quick and get away from the aggressor ain't a bad tactic!

 

[Shivahasagun]

.32 acp is far more pleasant in a blowback gun compared to a .380, having fired many.

.32 is easier to shoot well and practice with because it's pleasant and fun.

.32 > .380.

 

[plainsdrifter]

I like my LCP and I certainly wouldn't want to get shot by one. Six or seven rounds will stop just about anyone.

 

[Pistolay]

One of my LCP MAXs is already gone, and the second will be very soon. The recoil has always been unpleasant, but my arthritic thumb and wrist has deteriorated significantly over the past few months, and they're now painful to shoot. My NPE gun is now a SIG P238, which is a much softer shooter, and subsequently much more accurate, albeit with a significant loss of capacity. I like it enough that I have a second one on order.

 

[hutch51]

One of my LCP MAXs is already gone, and the second will be very soon. The recoil has always been unpleasant, but my arthritic thumb and wrist has deteriorated significantly over the past few months, and they're now painful to shoot. My NPE gun is now a SIG P238, which is a much softer shooter, and subsequently much more accurate, albeit with a significant loss of capacity. I like it enough that I have a second one on order.

View attachment 1186658

Get the extended mag so you'll have someplace for your pinky. A little pricey but worth it.

Oh Yeah - Good Choice.

Third fix - It's a little picky on ammo. Hornady Critical Choice works. YMMV

Went and checked. It's Critical Defense.
I promise I'll shut up now

 

[Gerd33]

I have a RIA baby rock .380 that I found exceedingly unpleasant to fire after acquiring it.
One of these I'll trade it off for something else.

 

[halfmoonclip]

One of my LCP MAXs is already gone, and the second will be very soon. The recoil has always been unpleasant, but my arthritic thumb and wrist has deteriorated significantly over the past few months, and they're now painful to shoot. My NPE gun is now a SIG P238, which is a much softer shooter, and subsequently much more accurate, albeit with a significant loss of capacity. I like it enough that I have a second one on order.

View attachment 1186658

There are a bunch of mini-1911 SA .380s, locked breech, and relatively soft shooting.^^^^^
Really nicely made striker guns are much more uncommon. The LCP always works, but isn't much fun. The II and the Max are more pleasant shooting, but have trigger slap and pinch. And they simply feel cheap...Ruger, you can do better.
Really need to try an older Bodyguard; mine has a smooth, very revolver like trigger; maybe the old ones were worse? Mine is actually fun to shoot, and I can hit things. Things smaller than a breadbox.
I've tried a buddy's Pico, now that thing has an awful trigger, in an otherwise nicely made pistol.
It may be the LCP has taken all the air out of the small .380 market. It's inexpensive, it works, it's tiny, and it works. Did I mention they work? For most folks who buy one, shoot it a couple times, and shove it in their pocket, they're content. It's probably the most carried gun in the country? My plumber carries one.
(As an aside, a buddy's wife has an LCP; she carries it jogging. She tried to fire it at camp, and the first round went off. The slide was, literally, immobilized with rust. I cleared it, cleaned it, and lubed it, and got it running. Sadly, she's likely more in need of a pistol than most of us. Unhappily, her husband's 1911 was almost as bad; it wouldn't run either. )
Moon

 

[JDeere]

I have got one of those little AMT .380 back ups in the safe my wife had when I met here over 30 years ago. Thing was a jamming machine until I took it apart and cleaned/lubed. That little pistol was easy to shoot being all steel. Wife parked it in favor of Gen 2 19 after we met...

 

[unclenunzie]

The very first pistol I bought was an LCP (post-recall gen1). Still have it. It hurt to shoot when I first got it, but strangely after a case or two of ammo it learned to be nice to me. I actually haven't shot it in years, I should feed the old girl.

Not a 380 but my Guardian 32acp is probably my worst. It has a unique combination of blowback action, short steel grip that feels like a whack from a ball peen hammer right at the web of the hand. I think it feels snappier than a boot gripped airweight shooting +p gold dots. It has the ergonomics of a short chunk of rebar attached to an M80. The Seecamp 32 is twice the gun at 2/3 the weight.

The least snappy 380 pocketable is my G42. The RM380 is nice too.

 

[Shivahasagun]

The very first pistol I bought was an LCP (post-recall gen1). Still have it. It hurt to shoot when I first got it, but strangely after a case or two of ammo it learned to be nice to me. I actually haven't shot it in years, I should feed the old girl.

Not a 380 but my Guardian 32acp is probably my worst. It has a unique combination of blowback action, short steel grip that feels like a whack from a ball peen hammer right at the web of the hand. I think it feels snappier than a boot gripped airweight shooting +p gold dots. It has the ergonomics of a short chunk of rebar attached to an M80. The Seecamp 32 is twice the gun at 2/3 the weight.

The least snappy 380 pocketable is my G42. The RM380 is nice too.

I wish I'd bought a couple of those RM380's when they clearanced them out a couple years ago.

Yes, there are a couple .32's that aren't fun but they are the exception.

Even a Beretta Cheetah firing the hottest .32 with a suppressor starts to feel like a .380.

.380 blowbacks are even worse when the recoil spring wears, which I've learned happens very quickly! 500-1000 rds and gun and hand are being hit harder vs a fresh spring. Change'em frequently!

 

[halfmoonclip]

I wish I'd bought a couple of those RM380's when they clearanced them out a couple years ago.

Guy at a local shop tried to sell me on one; the issue with the takedown pin kept me away. Wish I'd given it a try.
Reviews here are much more positive than they were back then.
Moon

 

[toivo]

My NPE gun is now a SIG P238, which is a much softer shooter, and subsequently much more accurate, albeit with a significant loss of capacity. I like it enough that I have a second one on order.

They do grow on you. I have three of the darned things -- regular, HD, and SAS. To me the only drawback is that they're a bit heavy. That's why I usually end up with a Pico in my pocket, or a P32. But for ease of shooting, the P238 is the clear winner.

 

[Pistolay]

They do grow on you. I have three of the darned things -- regular, HD, and SAS. To me the only drawback is that they're a bit heavy. That's why I usually end up with a Pico in my pocket, or a P32. But for ease of shooting, the P238 is the clear winner.

The heavy part is exactly what I was looking for. I don't pocket carry anyway, and the P238 disappears IWB.

 

[halfmoonclip]

First got in the .380 business 40 years ago, when a buddy showed up with a PPK. I got one as well, and dies for the Dillon. Tried to find a hollow point reload; never found one that would run 100 straight. Finally gave up on the caliber for quite some time.
Drifted back more recently, and just loaded 6 boxes of FMJs. If the gun has to be really small, .380 is the caliber.
It's a caliber well worth reloading; normally, they're more expensive than 9s.
If you can tolerate something a little bigger, a P365 makes sense.
Moon

 

[230RN]

The 380 got a bad reputation decades ago when most offerings were straight blowback. Unless the spring was perfectly balanced to the charge they had a tendency to be very snappy. The market has changed and now you have to look for a blowback 380.

Here is a picture of the current 380 pistols, and a makarov. The two on the bottom are the only blowbacks in the bunch.
View attachment 1186032

I had 2 almost identical Llama .380s except one was blowback, the other a locked-breech identical to the mechanics of a 1911. You could tell they tried to subtly add weight to the blowback model and although it was more accurate than the locked breech model, it kicked noticeably substantially more than the locked style despite the added weight.

(I don't have weight numbers now, but the added weight was mostly in the slide, where the cutouts between the main body of the slide and the barrel bushing were much smaller.)

Terry, 230RN

 

[Pistolay]

If you can tolerate something a little bigger, a P365 makes sense.
Moon

My wrists won't tolerate the P365 in 9mm, but my EDCs (P238 is for NPE carry) are a pair of P365X-380s, sporting the Wilson Combat X grips and SIG 12-round mags, along with a couple of 10-rounders with Tactical Development conversion basepads for when I carry into neighboring mag-limited states. These are a couple of really soft shooters, and very accurate for me.

 

[C0untZer0]

When the RM380 were on clearance for $99.00 after rebate, I got a second one.

I never had a problem with the unlock pin coming out. Remington calls it the "Unlock Pin." Rohrbaugh alternatively calls it the "Takedown Pin" and "Locking Pin."

MRC from the Rohrbaugh Forum tracked down these specs:

Rohrbaugh R9 takedown pin - diameter - .154", length - .617"

Remington RM380 unlock pin - diameter - .1525 , length - .620

Either pin costs about $6.00

 

[toivo]

My wrists won't tolerate the P365 in 9mm, but my EDCs (P238 is for NPE carry) are a pair of P365X-380s, sporting the Wilson Combat X grips and SIG 12-round mags, along with a couple of 10-rounders with Tactical Development conversion basepads for when I carry into neighboring mag-limited states. These are a couple of really soft shooters, and very accurate for me.

Are you running 9mm mags in your .380? To the best of my knowledge there are no X-length .380 mags for the P365. If there are, that's good news to me.