.380acp or 38.spl?

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laffourcade

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Hello everyone, I´m new here. I found this site randomly when I was looking for opinions about .380 acp handguns.

I would like to hear your opinions about what´s the best handgun & caliber in my situation: I live in Mexico, and as you might know, gun laws are quite absurd, no civilian is allowed to have any revolver larger than .38spl (no +P rounds or HP rounds), no pistol larger than .380acp (again, no HP rounds), shotguns up to 12 gauge are allowed, but barrel must be over 25" and shotshells up to 000 (no slug, no flechettes), rifles up to 30-06, .308, .300 win mag.

I own a Beretta Urika 12ga, for hunting and home protection, a Beretta 682 Gold-E, and a Colt Cobra .38spl snubbie.

I´m halfway in the process of getting a carry permit, so I´m thinking of getting a Glock .380, but no sure yet, so what gun/caliber do you recommend me 38.spl, .380 or any other (smaller of course, the thing is that strange calibers like .22 jet might get approved at registration [a couple years ago some guys got lucky and registered .357sig pistols, because people at registration offices thought that .357 was smaller than .380 [no kidding]).
Of course I know .38 is way more powerful, but I want a gun that´s fine for carrying everyday, with a decent barrel lenght & precision.

Can´t wait to read your comments, and of course, if anyone is interested in knowing more about gun laws in Mexico, just ask!
 
As to the Glock 380, it is the same size as their 9mm, you would be better off, IMO, to go that route. If this is for pocket carry, there are smaller 380's better suited for the job. If it is for holster carry, as mentioned, you can carry a 9mm in the same size package
 
oneounceload said:
As to the Glock 380, it is the same size as their 9mm, you would be better off, IMO, to go that route. If this is for pocket carry, there are smaller 380's better suited for the job. If it is for holster carry, as mentioned, you can carry a 9mm in the same size package
Click to expand...

He said that .38spc and .380 are the largest pistol rounds available, so 9mm is a no go.
 
Ok, 1 point for Glock .380. And no, I´m not interested in pocket guns (i have a 22. bobcat) I want a regular size, for practicing (no fun in shooting with small barrels).

Thank you
 
To the OP -- it would seem that your restriction from purchasing HP ammo would severely influence your options.

Given the restriction, I would be more inclined to go with a heavier .38 slug in a semi-wadcutter configuration (in a J- or K-frame revolver with a 3" barrel -- depending on your body size, carry comfort, etc.).

Of course, there are other factors that would influence your decision, and that only you can answer...Are you more comfortable shooting an auto versus a revolver? Will the additional magazine capacity of ball .380 ammo give you a greater comfort level than a revolver? Etc.

But since you have been legally restricted from HP +P ammo, I tend to feel that the remaining ammo options favor the revolver.


.
 
JFrame, thanks a lot for your reply.

I feel a lot more confortable with a 1911 frame, except for some big frame revolvers (loved those taurus' rubber grips)

I'd rather carry something lightweight, but with at least 4"barrel in order to properly shoot at targets at a decent distance.

So, yes, I´m the old-time dilemma of less power, more rounds vs more power less rounds...

Anyone knows if there are good quality .380 conversions for 1911's?
 
CZ83 in .380
12 shots verses 5 in the average snubbie,,,,,
The very best .38 special will exceed the performance of an average .380 defense load at the cost of being very nearly uncontrollable in a snub nose light weight revolver for the average shooter.

The very best .380 loads will equal or exceed the average and likely most used .38 special loads and the controllability of the weapon is improved over a heavy loaded five shot belly gun.

12 shots that can find their mark in the hands of the average shooter verses five shots that offer no improvement in performance or five shots that may be so uncontrollable the shooter may not be able to hit what is aimed for.
Faster reload for the semi auto in the hands of the average shooter too.

The choice in todays modern world is something of a no brainer in my most humble opinion.
 
Thank you Onmilo, but why would you choose the CZ over the Glock 25 (15 rounds & lightweight polymer frame)?
 
My understanding was that 380 was designed to provide roughly the same performance as .38 in an auto pistol.

That said, it's alot about what platform you want.
 
Great, I posted this thread because I was a little more inclined to getting a a .380, but a lot of people has been trying to convince me that it´s better to carry a .38spl, even it has less than 1/2 of the round capacity.

So, now... what´s the best .380, and is there any full size .380? are there good .380 conversions for, let's say, berettas 92/full size glocks/rugers/sigs/1911s?
 
laffourcade said:
JFrame, thanks a lot for your reply.

I feel a lot more confortable with a 1911 frame, except for some big frame revolvers (loved those taurus' rubber grips)

I'd rather carry something lightweight, but with at least 4"barrel in order to properly shoot at targets at a decent distance.

So, yes, I´m the old-time dilemma of less power, more rounds vs more power less rounds...

Anyone knows if there are good quality .380 conversions for 1911's?
Click to expand...

If you never shot a 1911 in 9mm you don't know what you are missing.
 
If you can get a Glock 25 or 28, and you cant get anything more powerfull than a .38/.380 I dont really see a point to this thread :p
 
again, you can't get a Makarov? beats all the others hands down.
Click to expand...

A. No, he can't.

B. No, it doesn't.

The .38 Special is considerably more powerful than the .380, especially in a larger handgun (4" or 6" bbl). It is comparable to the 9mm Parabellum in power, NOT the .380.

Of course, you can get a Beretta, CZ, or Bersa double-column autoloader that holds at least double the number of rounds as a typical revolver, but the ammo in FMJ configuration is pretty anemic, and has considerably less stopping power than a .38 Spl JSP SWC. Also, with the revolver, you would have the option of firing reduced recoil target loads for practice, and using snake shot for slithery critters you might encounter.:cool:
 
For CC i prefer a small auto. just hard for me to conceal anything else. The accuracy of my little TCP is so good i am comfortable with it. I did not feel that way about my LCP - and thus sold it. I also carry a 9 sometimes - one i shoot well. The secret is being comfortable with what ever it is. If you are comfortable with a wheel gun and shoot it well that's the right one for you. If .38 special is legal i think there are some pretty good auto choices available.
 
laffourcade said:
So, yes, I´m the old-time dilemma of less power, more rounds vs more power less rounds...
Click to expand...

Well, their "power" in terms of kinetic energy is roughly comparable, with a slight edge going to the .38 Special. They do differ in momentum, though, with .38 Special having a clear advantage with its longer, heavier bullets. The main advantage of the .38 Special is that you can use what should be more effective bullet types, such as wadcutters and semi-wadcutters (unless they're outlawed like hollow-points). But we're not talking about a huge difference here, at least with factory loads, and you may be able to find flat-nose bullets for .380 ACP which may even things up slightly.

laffourcade said:
Anyone knows if there are good quality .380 conversions for 1911's?
Click to expand...

I don't know about any conversions. Colt has a .380 ACP pistol that looks like a 1911, but it is said to be of a different design internally (which is not hard to believe because it's not exactly like a 1911 externally). I've heard that Imbel makes a decent .380 ACP 1911, so you may want to look into that. Personally, I'd probably go for a Glock Model 25 with its 15-round capacity.

Hypnogator said:
The .38 Special is considerably more powerful than the .380, especially in a larger handgun (4" or 6" bbl). It is comparable to the 9mm Parabellum in power, NOT the .380.
Click to expand...

By what measure? Bullet types aside, .38 Special seems a lot more comparable to .380 ACP to me. :scrutiny:

oneounceload said:
38 and 9 are the same.....
Click to expand...

How are they the same? :confused:

oneounceload said:
38 Super is also legal last time I saw
Click to expand...

It was legal in the not-so-distant past, but sadly that appears to have changed. Otherwise, it would have been the obvious choice, in my opinion.
 
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