[pablo45]

I have heard alot of debates lately in my little circles and can not seem to understand why. The question is what do you like better, 9mm or .380a.c.p.? I myself prefer the 9mm. I just wanted to start a discussion and see what everyone else likes and why. My reasoning is because the 9mm is more available and cheaper every were I look. Also the Glock 25 .380 is not available in america.

[M92FS]

if you can handle the recoil of the 9mm with ease, stick with it. 9mm got better stopping power than .380 acp and there's plenty of compact pistols from various manufacturers.plus 9mm ammo is cheap. :)

[ugaarguy]

Many factors go into it Pablo.

The little NAA and Kel-Tec pistols in .380 make fine pocket guns. Larger .380s like the CZ-83, Beretta 84, 85, and 86, etc. are very nice for pleasant shooting with mild muzzle blast, flash, and recoil. Many folks with arthritis or other hand/wrist/arm injuries & ailments MUST have this milder recoil.

There are also many relatively soft shooting 9mms though. As you note ammo and gun availability, both often at low prices are strong points for the 9mm. The 9mm's wide selection of strong defensive loadings is another major plus.

As with all of these caliber vs. caliber debates each one has it's own strengths and weaknesses. In the end one must evaluate his or her own needs in the pistol desired.

[rnchick]

I shoot both. I love both. They serve different functions for me. Its the same with EVERY other caliber out there - different calibers because people have different uses & needs. Use what you want! Both are better than nothing & both will do what they need to do.

[Whirlwind06]

I voted 9mm. My KT P11 is about the size as a PPK with 6 more shots and a better performing round.

I wouldn't mind getting a full sized .380 though. Is there much improvement of the .380 out of a 4 inch barrel?

[MustangHowie]

I prefer 9mm over all other calibers. I have to admit that I have never shot a 380.

[Brian Williams]

You can hardly beat a P3AT for sliding in a back pocket in a slip holster. But I prefer a 9mm either in a 6" Luger or my favorite 9 of all the 9x32R.

On of these day I might get a keltec PF-9 and give it a whirl. That would be about he limit of small size fo a 9 for me. I like the p-11, just not my cuppa.

[10-Ring]

I prefer 9mm -- expense, performance & platform availablility.

[DogBonz]

But with one exception. The Colt Gov't 380. This was the best little pocket gun that I ever had. I wish that I never traded it away. I will get another one but the prices are insane now. I see them on gunbroker.com for 600-800 all the time, and they are selling. I kick mysely every time when I think: I bought mine almost NIB from the original owner for $225, and I sold it for $475, I thought i did good on that but now I want another one and will have to pay dearly.

All that said, I would rather hav a 9mm over any 380, except where only a pocket gun will do.

[springmom]

Funny you should ask. I was just at the range last weekend, and took husband's Sig 230 (.380) and my BHP (9mm) along with my S&W m37 (.38 spl). The purpose of the range trip, besides having fun and making holes in paper, was to decide whether I'd rather carry the Sig in the summer than the 37; and to simply compare my shooting of the three guns. I didn't bring targets home, I rarely do; but I realized that the caliber was really not relevant; it is ithe gun that matters. The BHP in 9 is more accurate than the Sign 230 in .380 in my hands. Husband does equally well with both of them when he shoots them. The little snubbie, though, is still my summer carry gun, because my first shot with it was a smack-in-the-middle-of-the-bullseye bullseye (SA) and even the DA's were all in the 9 ring.

Upshot of this: the .380 is a fine round, it is carried in some VERY nice guns (I told husband he'd just lost his Sig and he opined that I was, um, mistaken on that :rolleyes: ) and most of those guns are VERY concealable.

It's the gun, and the shot placement, that really matters.

Springmom

[Black Majik]

Easily 9mm.

Cheaper ammo, more power, more fun and definitely more accurate (although the platform and size usually is what determines it, so we can't fault the cartridge on this issue).

[glockman19]

9mm for sure.

[slow944]

I like the 9mm because of the price of ammo, but I carry a KT P3AT in my pocket everyday.

[GotGlock]

9mm is the lowest i would go and still consider it a viable defense round.

[DoubleTapDrew]

The only .380 I'd feel comfortable with is a M-11, since it can belch out 1200 rpm :D
I have a AMT backup in .380 but only having 5+1 of .380 isn't the greatest feeling. The G26 gets in a lot more hip time.

[MountainBear]

Disgusting to make me choose, but if I must 9mm is a little better.
but .45 is still the king...

[obxned]

I like each in it's smallest possible gun. Otherwise, it's gotta be .45

[Eightball]

Depends on the platform its being used out of, what the temperature is outside, and what I would feel like packing that day. For concealability purposes, there's some svelte .380s; for range use/HD, 9mm wins.

[TimboKhan]

9mm is a more powerful cartridge in comparison, so that's why it gets my vote. Now, I am not saying I have no interest in the .380. The Kel-Tec is interesting to me, and I recently shot a Beretta in .380 that I couldn't seem to miss with. It's certainly a fun enough cartridge to shoot, it's just that in comparison to the 9mm, I find it lacking.

[Zen21Tao]

.45 is still the king...

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

http://www.madogre.com/images/45truth.jpg

[flashman70]

Don't imagine the five guys that said .380 are going to 'fess up. I have a little Beretta in .380 and it is pretty snappy and not much fun to shoot. Today's 9mms are low recoil, relatively inexpensive to shoot and packs more punch than the .380 (AKA 9mm short).

[jeepmor]

9mm for my wife, with Double Taps.

[Plink]

9mm for me. Better performance and there are plenty of small guns nearly the same size as .380s anyway. The drawback is recoil in those small guns. I own 3 .380s but I would never carry one since I can carry a Kel-Tec P-11 easily enough in hot weather.

[welldoya]

I've never shot a .380 but I have three 9mm's and really enjoy them.
Same as Flashman70's experience, I've got a friend who has a Beretta 84 in 380 and he says that it's a pain to shoot. Really sharp recoil. It is a nice little gun though and looks like it would be great for CCW.

[huntsman]

I voted for the .380ACP because it's John Browning's invention.

and I own 2.

[Ala Dan]

Because of it being a NATO round, and ammunition is avaialbe virtually
worldwide. On top of that, its an acurate cartridge that shoots really
flat; allowing for extreme accuracy~! :scrutiny:;):D

My top choices in the 9m/m platform are in order:

a) West German SIG-SAUER P228
b) Smith & Wesson model 39-2 (from 1981)
c) Kahr CW-9

[The Lone Haranguer]

For most purposes I like the 9mm Luger better. Even in little pistols like the Kahr PM9 the recoil is very manageable. Only if I need a gun smaller than this Kahr would I want a .380. I do have one large .380 - a Beretta 86 - but it is just a collector/"fun" gun; I have no real "tactical niche" for it.

[Lonestar49]

...

9mm got my vote for a couple of good reasons IMO.

First, most full 9mm's offer better platforms for close to long distances accuracy.

And, with my Sig 9mm, you can go thru hundreds of rounds no problems.

With my Sig P232 380 (9mm short), with its gas-slide-action, you're only good for 200 rounds, then around 230 rounds, it starts to jam with the feed, after every 3rd or 4th shot, every-time. This is due to all the powder residue that accumulates withing the interior of the feed ramp and extractor area of the inside of the slide.

Keep it clean, fully, after 200 rounds, and you're good to go another 200 rounds without any failure to feed, in my gun/380 case.


LS

[Jomax]

I've owned and shot both .380 and 9mm. If you can accomodate the extra size, go with 9mm as the practice ammo price difference alone is substantial. Because they're smaller, .380's punch hard and make range sessions tedious and often painful. Blowback autos have a longer trigger pull with a harder fall off and that beats the heck out of a trigger finger against the trigger guard. Combined with the thin profile smacking bacwards into a palm, you can see why they're not pleasant to practice with. Now the Bersas and Berettas and Sigs are larger and much more fun to shoot with but you're getting to the size of a 9mm anyway.

[Pilot]

Of course I prefer the 9MM, but in the summer I tend to carry a Beretta M85 FS in .380. Light, slim, concealable.