Rohrbaugh 380

Aluminum frames appear on some very fine guns including the Colt Lightweight Commanders, Ruger 9mm Commander and .45 Lightweight Commander. There is no reason to disparage them. The steel bolt and steel slide take the abuse. The aluminum frame is, to a great extent, just along for the ride. And you don’t have to worry about rusting. What’s not to like?

The Remington RM380 is essentially the Rohrbaugh R380 since Remington bought the rights to the design. The only differences to the pistol are the added slide lock and a change to the magazine release location. The RM380 is a fantastic pistol and probably more durable than most others on the market. You'd be worn out before the pistol IMO, and parts will be available for a long time. That's what I be looking to buy before a used R380. The Pico is a great little pistol also, but unless I was just looking for the best pocket carry 380, I'd get the Remington. I own both and can't complain about either. My Pico just went past the 500 round mark this week and has since replaced my Bodyguard for carry duty.

I will just say that the Pico trigger is loooooong even by DA standards. You can grow a beard waiting for it to go off. If that doesn’t bother you, go for it.

98s1lightning said:

I can't get the remington. The button mag release is out of the question for me.

Click to expand...

What other kind is there?

Deleted.

rpenmanparker said:

I will just say that the Pico trigger is loooooong even by DA standards. You can grow a beard waiting for it to go off. If that doesn’t bother you, go for it.

Click to expand...

You’ve obviously never shot the RM380.

Cokeman said:

You’ve obviously never shot the RM380.

Click to expand...

Obviously.

Really like my RM380s but also like my Pico and the S&W M&P Bodyguard 380 as well. The Ruger LCP is really a distant and I mean very distant last place wannabee. It gets last place only so it's feelings don't get hurt.

I have nearly 1000 rds through my little RM308 and its been a great pocket gun. The trigger pull is long but very smooth, better than my S&W 442. Accuracy has been very good for a pocket gun even with the very basic sights. In a vest pocket is all but disappears.

98s1lightning said:

I can't get the remington. The button mag release is out of the question for me.

Click to expand...

You might find more info on the Rohrbaugh forum then, however good luck if you try to join to ask any questions. I had a box of R380 and R9 parts that I took in trade last year, tried to join their forum to give those guys first dibs at buying them, but never got the approval to join. Not enough activity or interest there anymore, I guess.

http://www.rohrbaughforum.com

I picked up a new Remington RM380 recently. I've had a Grendel 380, a Kel-Tec P3AT, and a Ruger LCP, and I find the RM380 a better gun. It's certainly much more pleasant to shoot than the other three. (Practice sessions with any of them were more efforts to prove that the gun still worked, than an effort to become more proficient.) (I paid about $275 at a local gunshop, which was cheaper than I could get it on GunBroker, after shipping and transfer fees.)

Galloway Precision has a number of after-market parts for the RM380 (and some of the other small .380s). One of their kits has a mag extension that adds a round, lightens and shortens the trigger pull, and makes the slide easier to rack.

I talked with Remington, and they recommend changing the recoil spring assembly every 1000 rounds. It would have taken me a LONG time to shoot that many rounds with the other three 380s I've owned, but I may actually order a set of back-up recoil springs for this one.

The recoil springs for the Rohrbaugh R9, 9mm had a recommended service life of 250 +/- rounds. The RM380 is basically the same gun set up to shoot .380 -- and it's probably the right size for that round -- and that probably explains the higher recoil spring service life.

I really like the RM380. I have never had a malfunction of any kind and that makes me happy for a pocket carry pistol. Trigger takes some getting used to but Remington did a good job with the Rohrbaugh design.I also got 4 extra mags a couple years back for $12 each on a clearance at Midway. Very pleased!

98slightning said:

I can't get the remington. The button mag release is out of the question for me.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure your concern about the mag release is justified. I've pocket-carried my RM380 off and on quite a bit recently using a pocket holster and have never had a problem with the magazine being released unintentionally. As you can see in the photo above, the RM380 mag release doesn't really protrude all that much, and it's in an area where a good holster could keep it from being pressed. (That was one of Remington's changes, along with last round hold open, that improved the Rohrbaugh design.)

• My pocket holster has an extra thick, stiff piece of stiff leather (about 1" by 2") stitched on the outside of the holster over the mag release area. It's very difficult to release the mag while the gun is in the holster IN YOUR POCKET -- and the thick extra leather gives you a thumb rest as you pull the gun from the holster.

I pocket carried an P3AT and a Ruger LCP for quite a while several years ago and never had a problem with mags coming out of the guns. It's NOT a problem I've ever seen mentioned with any of these guns on forums like this -- probably because those designs have been tweaked to make it an unlikely issue.

You need to find a gun that is best in all other respects, then find a pocket holster that addresses your concern. Your concern about the position of the mag release is forcing you to make decisions about which gun you use, when a different solution -- the right holster for the gun you choose -- would be a better response.

And if you can't find a holster that does the job, you could just have a holster made to address your concern -- and that will be much less expensive than buying a gun that just doesn't meet your other needs.

I like my Pico. The innards are all stainless steel, IIRC. The sights are excellent. I find the magazine release to be annoying, but it's better than a heel release, IMHO. Beretta makes fine handguns. I've fired a few hundred rounds through mine with zero problems. I prefer my LCPII for carry, but the Pico is very nice. They are cheap now, too, like not much over $200? Jeb Stuart will likely post more about its virtues soon enough.

Tallball said:

I like my Pico. The innards are all stainless steel, IIRC. The sights are excellent. I find the magazine release to be annoying, but it's better than a heel release, IMHO. Beretta makes fine handguns. I've fired a few hundred rounds through mine with zero problems. I prefer my LCPII for carry, but the Pico is very nice. They are cheap now, too, like not much over $200? Jeb Stuart will likely post more about its virtues soon enough.

Beretta Pico

• Tallball
• Sep 20, 2018

Click to expand...

I shot a friend’s Pico once. It reminded me back then of chewing taffy or caramels. Now we just returned from a cruise of the Galápagos Islands. Very interesting, except now when I think of the Pico, I don’t think of gummy candy, I think of those giant tortoises. They last a very long time but never do get anywhere in a hurry. That is a Pico.