do you own and shoot a .380?

Ruger LCP here, if you want small and light for CWL, then .380 is a good choice. I also reload them for range practice.

Nope.

Prefer .25 acp and .32 acp unless the gun is a locked breech, larger pocket gun like a Glock 42.

Can practice all I can afford to pain-free.

My .380 collection consists of a Beretta 84m,85, and a Browning BDA .380. I'm allergic to 1911's, big, small, and in between.

I enjoy a Baikal commercial Makarov in .380. It was very affordable when I bought it back in the '90s.

Several years ago I purchased a Sig 238, supposedly to replace a J frame air weight as a carry piece. I took the little Sig to the range; accurate, recoil did not exist and not one failure to feed or eject. It’s in the gun safe. Just could not warm up to that little Sig and replace the J frame as my carry.

This is the sweetest .380 in my experience, a certain keeper.
Thank you Beretta!

Reading back a ways , how and why did this thread become an “Is .380 adequate for self defense ?” debate?

In response to original post, I previously owned a Browning BDA, Kimber micro 380 (pretty gun, jammed too much), Bersa Thunder, Walther PPK, Colt Pony, Polish P-64 (9 mm Mak), and Bulgarian Makarov (9 mm Mak).

Currently I have a Baikal 380 Makarov that is pleasant to carry and handles the snappy recoil of factory loads nicely. Compared to the previous guns it is the best blend of reliability, cost, ruggedness, and interesting gun history I can find in 380 thus far.

I have reloaded Everglades and Berry's 100 grain plated bullets, and different 95 gr. lead, round nose bullets (like Acme) with success for the 380's. I think reloading 380 is the way to go if you want to try a gun in this caliber. Cost and availability of ammo have been an issue for decades with 380 relative to 9mm. That said, I have no 9 mm's because I enjoy shooting the 380 so much, and I am content with that caliber for my autoloader. Great caliber for recoil-sensitive shooters with the right gun, carrying is a joy with the right holster. Good luck with the search!

Kinda like this one?

Tallball said:

Kinda like this one?

Makarov Target

• Tallball
• Aug 11, 2018

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I don't group that well, but yes!

I used to own two .380 pistols, a Beretta 84F and a Colt Government 380 stainless.
I didn't like the recoil impulse of the Beretta 84F, so I sold it after only 200 rounds.
I loved the locked breech Colt Government 380 but it became a safe queen and I don't like safe queens, so I sold it to have spare money for the Pardini GT9-1.

380’s I’ve owned:
Jennings 38-surprisingly reliable
Lorcin L380-bought with virtually pocket change and performed accordingly
FEG PMK-380-my first decent semi-auto and a great little gun
Grendel P-12-oh, boy….
FEG R61-Commie surplus 9x18 rechambered in .380. Flawless in SA, problems in DA. Apparently a known problem caused by premature wear in the alloy frame.
Llama mini-1911ish-another pocket change purchase. Looked horrible, functioned perfectly with FMJ. I thought of this as my crawlspace gun. It rode in my pocket when I was at some task that was likely to be wet, muddy, or otherwise unpleasant.
AMT SA Back-Up- unadulterated trash
AMT DAO Back-Up-heavy, long trigger, but a solid performer. I pocket carried this one for 15 years until the advent of the LCP.
Bersa 383 x 2-handsome, well-made guns that just worked. Don’t know why I didn’t keep one of them.
FEG APK II-PPK/s to the PMK’s PP. Another one I wish I’d kept.
CZ-83-a beautiful gun that just didn’t make sense once I actually owned it
LCP-a great little pocket gun. Carried it for years.

I bet there’s a couple I’m forgetting.

.380’s I currently own:
RM380-solid build and restrike capability. Adios, LCP. It’s not you, it’s me.
S&W M&P EZ. Bought in anticipation of possible infirmity in my declining years. Figured I better get it before they discontinue it. Exactly as advertised and my favorite plinking centerfire.
Beretta 70S-another gun that may not make a lot of sense in the micro/polymer age but too cool to ever part with.

Oh crap, I forgot the FI Industries Model D. Bought purely because I thought it was cool.

commygun

Beretta 70S-another gun that may not make a lot of sense in the micro/polymer age but too cool to ever part with

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You got that right! Always thought of it as Beretta's answer to S&W's .22 Kit Gun!

Oh crap, I forgot the FI Industries Model D. Bought purely because I thought it was cool.

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I could have bought one years ago for $150, like new in the box. But back then I had never heard of FI Industries so I passed on it.

Oh well, I made up for the error of my ways and got a Colt Mustang and a SIG P238!

Well, I could be way out of step here, but I really like that ol’ Grendel P-10 with 10 rounds, internal mag….380. Reliable, light weight and shoots like a dream..So. It’s an old gun,, passed by. By all these wonder guns,,,However it shoots every time I pull the trigger.

OneFreeTexan writes:

Well, I could be way out of step here, but I really like that ol’ Grendel P-10 with 10 rounds, internal mag….380. Reliable, light weight and shoots like a dream..So. It’s an old gun,, passed by. By all these wonder guns,,,However it shoots every time I pull the trigger.

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Bought one of those when they were marketed to my department as potential BU/OD guns when they came out. Worked well after a bit of a break-in period, with FMJ, at least. Never tried HP of any kind back then (circa 1988.) Didn't like the Blazer aluminum stuff. Its DNA lives on in the Kel-Tec P11 and P3-AT.

I still have it. It came with an optional grip extender, which made a world of difference shooting this little, polymer-framed blowback .380, likely the only such .380 made (other than the P12 version.) It also came with five M16 stripper clips for loading, and a tool that is used both for takedown and aligning the clips.

I see it as the only 10-round true pocket-.380 ever made until the Ruger LCP-MAX came out, one of which I also now have. Over thirty years passed between their introductions.

The best thing about the .380 auto is that so many great guns were and are made in that caliber from the first Browning offering to the latest modern plastic wonders. I've owned a bunch and carried one for many years because I could shoot that gun, a Beretta 84f, better than anything I owned at that time. There are so many very reliable, concealable and easy to shoot examples available.
Some of my favorites;
Beretta 84/85
Sig P230/232
Sphinx AT380
Daewoo DH380
Beretta Pico
Walther PK380
Bersa Thunder Plus

I never had problems with ammo.

A friend donated a broken Bryco 48 to my daughter when she started shooting with me. I intercepted that donation and added to to my "some day" projects.

Eventually I repaired the gun and started shooting. I was startled at how accurate it was. The only malfunction occurred when the extractor pin walked out. Since, it has been 100% reliable and soft shooting (dang thing is heavy!).

It's just a toy. I'm not fond of .380 for defense.

The first handgun I ever fired was a Bersa 83 .380 that a friend borrowed from his friend... we were all in the Navy at the time, stationed at the Naval Air Facility Washington DC and shooting at a dirt bank out in the antenna fields at the Cheltenham Naval Communications Station in MD. I remember being impressed with the Bersa, which I had never heard of. I was expecting it to perform like a cheap, no-name product, but it seemed great.

That was almost forty years ago... I still have a soft spot for the .380.

Just added another one - LCP Max. Slightly thicker & taller than my early LCP.
Hope it is as reliable as the old one.

I have two LCP's, and use Federal HST for carry, and reload my own for range use.

I'm also a firm believer of .380 as my primary carry caliber during warmer months. I carry a Keltec P3AT in an Uncle Mike's pocket holster and usually carry it in the cargo pocket on my shorts or in my jean's front pocket as it gets cooler. I carry it with Hornady .380 Auto 90 gr FTX Critical Defense ammo. I'm fairly certain that if I do my part this ammo will do it's part when facing a shooting situation.

I've got a couple.

A Kimber Micro Carry (stainless).

Browning Black Label Pro Compact.

Tallball said:

Kinda like this one?

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Here is mine, Tallball. Carry rig is a Ted Blocker (edited, having user error issues).