Lethal .380

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I Thank YOU

I would like to thank all who responded to my queery. Judging by the overall response,I have made the right choice in selecting a .380ACP for my HD firearm.
My personal preferance had always been a .380,the Walther was always on my list of favorites,but I thought it would be a waste of money for a gun that would sit in a drawer most of the time.My original choice was going to be a Bersa Thunder.
When I went out to buy I could not locate any,my FFL told me I would be first on the list if and when they arrived.He gave me a good deal on the PPK/S with holster I figured what the hell why not,this purchase just added to my choice of a third very reliable handgun.
Oh the wife lover the gun,she said that she is not intimidated by it at all,there just may be a Bersa in my near future.
 
I can envision a time in which just about all of us own a good, reliable .380 for those times when our normal 9mm/.40/.45/.357/etc. carry guns are just too bulky for the clothes we have to wear in certain circumstances. And provided we have loaded those guns with good, strong ammo rather than cheapo Wolf target ammo, I suspect that we will all be well protected.

That said, whenever circumstances allow me to carry a .45 ACP, I carry one of my .45s. That is my favorite caliber to shoot, and I know that I'll be as well protected as possible, short of carrying a long gun.
 
Heavy Metal Hero said:
Cannonball, I am pretty sure The Tourist was making a funny.
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Thank you, HMH. You have to remember that humor is subjective. Before the end of this thread, three teenagers are going to write in complaining I am preaching on the "Corto issue." I wouldn't even call it an "issue."

Truth be told, I don't look at my ammo boxes every day. I most likely would have added that "T" and called the cartriadge a 9mm Kurtz, myself. In fact, I have to stop for a minute when I use the name "Hydra Shok" because I do not use that brand, and I cannot usually remember the correct spelling.

I can spend three hours detailing my Harley and the first comment from most idiots is "You missed a spot." I remind them that their spot covers their entire car. I seem to be a magnet for the levity-challenged.
 
.380 is just as deadly as 9mm,
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No way. However, it is my minimum. I much prefer the 9mm, however, and it's easy enough to pocket carry. My 9 is smaller and lighter than most .380s, P3ATs and LCPs excepted. I have a .380, and am thinking of getting a P3AT just so I'll have the option. It is capable with a good load. I'm not one of those FMJ guys, but then, people don't often wear much more than T shirts down this way. Clothing could matter in winter in some areas.
 
Tourist,
Good point - this has to be one of the most confusing cartridges.

Walther PPK/S marking tries to cover everything, "9mmKurz/380ACP"

Bernadelli Model 80 marking, 380ACP.

Beretta Model 70 marking, simply, 380 (!!!!!)

Sig 230 marking, 9mm Kurz.

Mauser HsC marking, 9mmKurz.

Interestingly, no 9mmCorto on the Italian pistols - even though you are quite correct.
 
Tourist,
Italian cross-dressers??

Actually, I love anything with Italian style, cars, women, food and guns.

To keep this post related - if Beretta bought out an updated Model 70 in DA/SA I would be first in the queue to buy. That has got to be one of the World's most elegant pistols.
 
.380 is the minimum, but if i need to use it in a SD situation I would not hesitate.

Just PRACTICE A LOT.

For me if I was allowed to carry concealed (the san francisco bay area sucks for CCW), I'd probably carry a .380 since they are smaller. I'm not a big guy myself so it's hard to conceal well, I'm 5'10 and 135lbs.

But at home I'll reach for my .45 ACP every time. I shoot well with it, and I like the fact the bullet is 230gr of hollow point hurt heading out the barrel.
 
He's not a troll.

Just a guy looking for answers. If you go back and read the previous posts in this thread I think you will find that to be true.
 
Boy, boys--you play nice or I'm going to take that thesaurus away from both of you.
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You mean German to English dictionary. A thesaurus is not for translating from one language to another.

BTW, you're both wrong. The proper phrase is "9mm Corto."
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You're reading out of your Italian to English translator.
"Corto" is Italian for short.
"Kurz" is German to short.
 
In the days of the Mafia one of the rounds of choice for executions was a .22 subsonic. Quiet and effective in that situation. Most people will tell you to use the largest caliber you are comfortable with. While it is true the stopping power of a .380 is negligible, it can get the job done.
 
isp2605 said:
You're reading out of your Italian to English translator.
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Actually, I did it from memory. I saw either a pistol or an old box of ammo in 1979 in the old Castle Rock Shooters Supply of Middleton, Wisconsin.

I have never seen it on a box of ammo or a firearm before or since.

BTW, my Aunt Clara is all the translator I require...
 
The Tourist said:
Call Steven Seagal if you're looking for senseless urban violence, not The Tourist.
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That makes the thread right there!

.380 does the job, still, after all these years. There are no magic bullets. Most .380 pistols are lighter and more concealable for the price point than 9mm. For a self defense encounter, where the goal is to disengage and escape harm, I think it works fine.

If I didn't have concealment issues to worry about, I'd definitely go for a 5.56mm rifle. That's just me, of course.
 
.380 will work. If it didn't, I wouldn't let my wife carry one.

A lot of noise is made about this being better than that, when the truth is a whole lot of "obsolete" and "ineffective" calibers have put a whole lot of folks in the ground. Sure, I do prefer a 1911 in .45acp. But that doesn't mean I think a .380 is a plaything. It's a gun and will kill like it was designed to.

Oh, and everybody is right. The .380 is also known as the "9mm short". In german, it's Kurz and in italian it's Corto. What's on the box depands on where it was made.
 
The answer to all caliber questions is .45 ACP.
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I'm going to bet that stupid answers such as this is the reason for the question.

Going by the outlook of the pistol forums, the .380 is starting to become pretty popular. And you still have people like this who answer caliber questions with assnine responce like this.

Look at each and every .380 post in the last year and there is at least one stupid reply just like the one I quoted.
 
Going by the outlook of the pistol forums, the .380 is starting to become pretty popular. And you still have people like this who answer caliber questions with assnine responce like this.
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I believe this is because the guns not the caliber.
 
.

In the Summer I carry a Bersa T380 CC and don't at all feel under gunned. I can put 3 shots rapidly center mass or head on a target at 15-20 feet as fast as I can squeeze em off. I have larger bore CCW guns however for Motorcycle riding in warm weather, the Bersa gets he nod. Side note, the NIB Satin Nickel CZ 83 I bought recently is designated "9 mm Court".
 
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