.380 Auto for self defense

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I believe strongly that the user is more important than the tool. If your dad is able to shoot accurately and fairly quickly with a .380, he'll be much better off than most people. What you can do with it is much more important than the gun itself, provided it's in a reasonable caliber (.380 and .38 Special are my personal minimum calibers) and is reliable.

Congratulate him on a fine choice, buy him a few boxes of practice ammo, and take him shooting! :D

Regards,
Dirty Bob
 
Kevin in Pa
The main reason I was tinkering with larger bullets was to reduce the recoil.
(hands get sore easy)
The 124 grain takes up some of the empty space where powder would normally be.
The downside, longer bullets wear out the brass much faster.

Whoops, CZ-83
 
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What KIND of .380?

I'm not real keen on HP's in a 380 either, though I know for a fact the 90gr Hydra Shock is a very destructive cartridge, it's not a great penetrator, esp. if it hits bone.
 
if hes gota go 380 then i would recommend useing fmj. penetration is the key. ;)
 
shc1......

..........Thanks for the info. I have a CZ83 myself! I use that for winter carry or for areas that I'd rather not be since it packs a few extra rounds. Normally I stick to a Sig 232. I find they both have the same pointability.


Kevin in Pa
 
.380ACP for self defense.

Have a Pony & P3AT, only carry as BUG or when unable to be armed.:)
Don't know what pistol he has, but there are more suitable calibers available that are as easy to conceal in a belt holster as a lot of .380's. Examples being P9 Kahr, PT745 Taurus, Glock 36 and Kimber or Springfield Compact Lightweight.
 
It won't knock them off their feet,
but a properly placed shot will do it's job.

It's all about gun control: "Gun control
is hitting what you're aiming at!"

Lock and load,

Rusty
 
380

A good 380 in the pocket is better that a 45 in the safe or left in the truck! I don't know about yall but I like to stagger my rounds. Ball, hollow point, ball, hollow point..and so on. If the gun functions well with the chosen ammo then you have nothing to fear. 45 this and 45 that, what ever! its all about what you shoot well and if its a 380 then go for it, it's you have to carry the gun not anyone else!
 
A good 380 in the pocket is better that a 45 in the safe or left in the truck!
Click to expand...

I'll second that. I have two pistols, a fullsize 1911 and a FEG AP in .32. I carry the .32 more than the 1911, it fits in my pocket and doesn't weigh as much. Before I got the 32 the only time I would carry the 1911 is when I thought I might be in a sour situation (meeting buyers off craigslist ads, etc.). Now that I have the 32, it goes everywhere. I'll probably try to find a similar size in a slightly larger caliber, but I agree that a .380 in the pocket is better than a .45 left at home!
 
I like 380 and have several pistols for it. Its not a caliber to get into a gun battle with, but perfectly fine for self-defence.
 
A .380 will work fine for defense. Is it a stopper? Is a 44 magnum that hits the BG in the pinkie finger a stopper? Methinks not. Having said that - No one wants to leak; a .380 will cause them to leak. A Remington 102gr Golden Saber will penetrate 8in. and expand to between .57 and .59in. I carry a 380 in my pocket loaded with Golden Sabers or a 45ACP. Gee, which would I rather have on me when the SHTF? That's a no brainer. But I bought the 380 and have carried it aplenty when I couldn't hide my 45's. But no firearm is worth a poop if you don't practice with it.
 
I can just hear all those people who think that the "ONLY" good defence round is a .45. Another thread on this page has some people putting down 9mm's. All a .380 is, is a 9x17mm. The difference between it and a 9x19 is like the difference between a .38spl and a .357mag. Besides, it's really in accurate shot placement anyway.
 
It may be a year old, but it is no less valid today.

I will be carrying my .380 Colt Pony Clone when I get my CCW. I'm not very big, and it hides very well, and as was said above, . . . no one wants to leak. Good line!
 
Oh, I'd rather HAVE a 9mm over a .380, but I don't want to buy a small 9mm auto when I can use my small .380 instead, . . . . and in most situations, a .22lr would "be enough". Again the "no one wants to leak" thing.
 
"Anything distinctly smaller—such as the .380 Auto pistol caliber, which is literally a "9mm Short"—too often fails to make the cut. I've run across shooting after shooting where the defender shot a violent aggressor with a .380 and did little to immediately stop his depredations. A good hollow point load in 9mm or .38 Special will, historically, end lethal assaults more quickly."

--Massad Ayoob

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ayoob110.html
 
Anybody bother to notice that this thread is a year old?
Click to expand...

Not only is a year old, but it ended on June 30th 07 and restarted on July 1st 08. Kind of cool.
There are many who say 380 is not enough, there are also many who think that 9mm is not enough, and there are many argue that no hand gun is sufficient to deliver the one shot stopping power. I carry a 380acp and hope never have to find out if it is good enough as a defend round.
Don't you guys wish open carry is more common, so we can pack something as big as possible, then we will never have this discussion. I will have my RPG7 on my back everywhere I go.;)
 
I carry a Makarov chambered in .380 and have never felt undergunned. After seeing a .380 tear through a fiberglass shower, the wallboard and insulation behind that, 10' of open space, another bit of wallboard and insulation and left a big gaping hole on an exterior stucco wall...I'm a believer in its ability to stop a man. If the first shot doesn't do it, I can always fire again.
 
The 380 advice you've received is very good.. But make sure he checks the denver gun laws they're a bit more picky than the rest of Colorado..

C
 
He is FINE with the 380.

I carry a P-22 quite often. Why? because I can carry it all day and not notice. My 1911 and CZ-75 weight to much carry all day, and are a huge PITA to conceal in the summer.
 
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