Colt Series 80, Government .380

PRM

PRM

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Inherited this little gem (Colt Series 80, Government .380) from my Father-N-Law. He was an avid motorcycle rider who toured all over the U.S.

This was his carry piece for over 25 years. Good memories. Also, an awesome shooter.
 

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Sorry about your FIL, but nice heirloom to remember him by.

I've had several, but always found the grip awkward for my hand as it's a hair too short for all 5 fingers, but just a hair too long to wrap my pinky under.

Still, they are solid CCW guns. The Metalform magazines work great if you need spares.
 
Had a blued one, great little gun, some previous owner, probably with a flinch, had filed the front sight. Love to have a stainless one like yours.
Moon
 
Had one as soon as they came out. Great gun but I still wanted something smaller. Sold the Government .380 to my brother (he likes to collect pocket .380s and .32s). When I saw an ad for the new Mustang I knew this was what I had been waiting for! Have been enjoying it's accuracy, reliability, and it's soft shooting capabilities. Some years back I got a SIG P238 to keep the Mustang company in the bullpen.
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I bought a Colt 380 Mustang in the mid 1980's and carried it for a long time. I like the platform. With careful aiming, I could hit an 8" plate at 50 yards regularly with the pistol.

To replace the aging Mustang, I bought an early Sig 238. Nice pistol but until Sig provided a flat main recoil spring, it was un-reliable. It works now but I do not like the squared off body design.

I bought a Kimber Micro, actually several as my wife liked the Bel Air version. It has proven reliable. I also bought a Micro 9 to get a bit more zip from the small pistol.

I've purchased a more modern Colt Mustang Pocket lite in 2016. I have not fired it yet. It is waiting in the wings when the Kimber Micros have issues.

I have a Browning 1911-380. Nice pistol but a bit larger than I wish to carry when carried with the Mustang or the Kimber Micro.
 
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halfmoonclip said:
Charlie, that says it all. They are wretched things.
Moon
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Maybe the AMT 380 was wretched, but the derivatives of the Colt 380 1911 are sweet shooters.

Besides the Colt Mustangs, once Kimber and Sig got their figured out Micro 380 pistols, all three are good shooters.

But, all three are based on the same "1911" design.
 
cfullgraf said:
Maybe the AMT 380 was wretched, but the derivatives of the Colt 380 1911 are sweet shooters.

Besides the Colt Mustangs, once Kimber and Sig got their figured out Micro 380 pistols, all three are good shooters.

But, all three are based on the same "1911" design.
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Point taken; the issue with the AMT is its blowback nature; .380 is a caliber too far for blowback handguns.
Moon
 
halfmoonclip said:
Point taken; the issue with the AMT is its blowback nature; .380 is a caliber too far for blowback handguns.
Moon
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The Beretta M84 is a 380 ACP blow back action and it is reliable as a light switch. But it is a fair amount larger than the AMT.
 
cfullgraf said:
The Beretta M84 is a 380 ACP blow back action and it is reliable as a light switch. But it is a fair amount larger than the AMT.
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Actually had one of these; bought it on a fluke for its 92-esque looks; didn't realize it was straight blowback. It wasn't as bad as an AMT, but it wasn't much better than a PPK. Parted with mine for that reason, though I made a lousy deal on a G19 before the '16 election.
Moon
 
halfmoonclip said:
Actually had one of these; bought it on a fluke for its 92-esque looks; didn't realize it was straight blowback. It wasn't as bad as an AMT, but it wasn't much better than a PPK.
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Both the PPK and the Beretta M84 are heavy and/or large for a 380 ACP. I find the M84 comfortable to shoot but the PPK’s recoil is a bit snappy in 380 ACP.

The PPK is heavy and in 380, recoil is heavy. But, I like its DA/SA capability.

32 ACP are more comfortable to shoot in the PP platform. But many folks think the 32 ACP is not sufficient for self defense.

The locked breech of the micro 380’s is what makes them shootable in a small package. I do not like shooting a Kel-Tec P3-AT. Even though it is locked breech, the guns are too light and recoil gets to be objectionable.

Again like the 32 ACP PP series guns, the Kel-Tec P-32 is pleasant to shoot.

Finally, the Colt 1908 380 ACP is a locked breech and pleasant to shoot. But, also the gun is heavy for its size and that helps with reducing felt recoil.

Correction, the Colt 1903 and 1908 are blow back actions. The size and weight of the guns make them relatively comfortable to shoot. They are listed as "hammerless" but the hammer is shrouded within the frame of the firearm.
 
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35 years ago when I bought my first handgun I had a choice between a new Bersa 380 and a used Government 380. I LOVED the feel of the Government 380 but couldn't talk myself into carrying cocked and locked so I bought the Bersa. About 10 years ago I bought a Browning 1911-380 and finally scratched the itch. It is not quit the same, but pretty close.

If I even bought a Government 380 it would be in stainless.
 
The Government 380 has a locked breech. That and the weight make it a very soft shooter. My daughter was about nine when she shot it for the first time.
 
cfullgraf said:
I do not like shooting a Kel-Tec P3-AT. Even though it is locked breech, the guns are too light and recoil gets to be objectionable.
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This applies to the LCP as well. The locked breech is a definite help, but light is light.
Moon
 
I have the same .380. Be careful with the safety. It gets knocked off fairly easily to the point I started to carry another pistol.
 
emb said:
I have the same .380. Be careful with the safety. It gets knocked off fairly easily to the point I started to carry another pistol.
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That's one of the reasons why I replaced mine as a carry piece. I would get home some days and find the safety knocked off... and with no grip safety, all it would take would be a nudge on the trigger. For a while I was carrying it hammer down on a loaded chamber (it's a Series 80) but I also realized how dumb that was after doing some draw-cock-shoot drills. I considered modding it so the safety would be more positive... but the ultimate solution was to replace it... in my case, a Kahr CW9. Same size, less loaded weight, more power.

Still... it's a great pistol... and I like shooting it. Waaaaay better than my brother's PPK/s.
 
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