Nightcrawler
Member
I once asked what purpose the .380 Auto round served. In the old days, it could be chambered in smaller guns, as older metallurgy prevented putting the high-pressure 9x19mm round into a very small pistol.
These days, that's obviously not so. Pistols like the Kel-Tec P11 are quite abundant, and are easily as small as classic compact, blowback pistols, like the PPK, Makarov, and others. And they fire a more powerful cartridge.
I was told that the .380 round will live on because no matter how small a gun 9x19 can be put in, .380 can be put in a smaller one, like the NAA pistols. I suppose that this is true.
Nevertheless, small blowback pistols in .380, 9x18, and other rounds continue to be manufactured, and continue to be popular, though there are 9mm and .40 breech locked pistols that are just as small and light. Examples include the CZ-83 and the Walther PPK, which remains in production.
So what's the scoop? Don't get me wrong, I like these pistols. I want both a Makarov (though the Bulgarians seem to have run out) and a CZ-83 (preferably in 9x18 Mak, if I can find one).
But, what advantages do they offer (if any) over the more modern subcompact breech-locked designs? Does a blowback .380 have less recoil than a breech-locked 9mm of the same weight? Are there any particular advantages to the blowback design?
How come these small pistols are made in blowback in the first place?
These days, that's obviously not so. Pistols like the Kel-Tec P11 are quite abundant, and are easily as small as classic compact, blowback pistols, like the PPK, Makarov, and others. And they fire a more powerful cartridge.
I was told that the .380 round will live on because no matter how small a gun 9x19 can be put in, .380 can be put in a smaller one, like the NAA pistols. I suppose that this is true.
Nevertheless, small blowback pistols in .380, 9x18, and other rounds continue to be manufactured, and continue to be popular, though there are 9mm and .40 breech locked pistols that are just as small and light. Examples include the CZ-83 and the Walther PPK, which remains in production.
So what's the scoop? Don't get me wrong, I like these pistols. I want both a Makarov (though the Bulgarians seem to have run out) and a CZ-83 (preferably in 9x18 Mak, if I can find one).
But, what advantages do they offer (if any) over the more modern subcompact breech-locked designs? Does a blowback .380 have less recoil than a breech-locked 9mm of the same weight? Are there any particular advantages to the blowback design?
How come these small pistols are made in blowback in the first place?