Will a .380 pocket pistol really solve all my problems?

oldfool said:

just curious...

why is machete man always "Bubba" ?
ain't ya'll yankees got no machetes up there ??
what do 300# drug crazed attackers use up yonder... snow shovels ???

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LOL ...... This last winter it would of probably been a snow plow. :banghead:

Well at least we're not calling .380 spit balls so the rhetoric has slowed down a little bit.

But really now gentlemen.....Do you honestly believe a misplaced shot of 9mm is going to STOP anyone that much sooner than a misplaced shot of .380 or that a well placed shot to the CNS of .380 is not going to STOP nearly as quickly as the 9mm......LOL

What more is there to say???......You make good shots with .380 or 9mm they die/stop quickly. You make bad shots with either, they don't die/stop so quickly......That's the reality of it, whether you like the caliber or not.

I have carried an LCP in my front pocket every day for over a year. I have carried it in everything from gym shorts to a tuxedo and no one has ever noticed to the best of my knowledge. I have a J-Frame and a CW9 that have more firepower but are not pants pocket guns unless you don't mind the wieght and wear loose fitting pants. I do carry them on ocassion but usually in an IWB holster or a jacket pocket.

While I would prefer to carry my Glock 22 with an extra magazine it is simply not practical for concealed carry unless I am wearing a down parka. I will not debate the merit of stopping power. Bullet placement is far more important.

Did you know the sword is by far the most lethal weapon man has ever developed to kill another man.

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The biggest threat to man is man. We are the only species on this earth that seems to be the best killers of our own kind.

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Only if you exclude bacteria and viruses....they are very good at killing man.
Just wait till the next big epidemic.

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There sure are some colorful arguments on this thread! lol

If the .380 has the one-shot stop potential of a 9mm, how come the gun companies don't make .380s large enough to be used as primaries for law enforcement?? It kicks less and, in appropriately sized handguns (service sized), would be much more 'shootable' than the 9mm Luger and ammo could be made much cheaper. Gee, I can't think of any LEOs that use a .380 as a primary. The reason they don't, of course, is that the police know that the 9mm Luger is a much better 'stopper.' The gun companies know there is little market for full sized .380s because much more effective rounds are available for larger handguns.

And, of course, most departments have given up on the 9mm anyway and switched to .40s. And we all know stopping power is the reason. Yes, more 'powerful' handgun cartridges are better stoppers. All will kill, but 'stopping' is the all important factor.

Adjust your wardrobe and lifestyle to fit the pistol you shoot best. Not the other way around. This is a lifestyle, not an accessory.

Yes. It will solve all of your problems.

This thread has inspired me to create a pocket-pistol concept for those who feel that ".380 will just piss somebody off" - it's a J-frame airweight chambered in .500S&W. I'm going to shop it around to Taurus and even took the liberty of creating a rough-draft sales flyer to go with my pitch. Hope you like it; if this thread has taught me anything, it's that mouseguns have been useless poodle-shooters with no reason to exist beyond taking up weight and space that could go towards a real man's .45 instead. Until now.

I haven't read all the other post because I don't have that much time. But to the OP, my short answer to your question is no, it will not solve all your problems because your problem is not a gear problem, it is a mindset problem. With correct mindset everything else falls into place, without it, everything else will never fall into place. Even if you go with a smaller gun, you will eventually find a reason not to carry that gun too.

Tactical Ninja said:

This thread has inspired me to create a pocket-pistol concept for those who feel that ".380 will just piss somebody off" - it's a J-frame airweight chambered in .500S&W. I'm going to shop it around to Taurus and even took the liberty of creating a rough-draft sales flyer to go with my pitch. Hope you like it; if this thread has taught me anything, it's that mouseguns have been useless poodle-shooters with no reason to exist beyond taking up weight and space that could go towards a real man's .45 instead. Until now.

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Pretty comical!
LOL!
Good drawing!
In fact, EXCELLENT!

Fastcast said:

Well at least we're not calling .380 spit balls so the rhetoric has slowed down a little bit.

But really now gentlemen.....Do you honestly believe a misplaced shot of 9mm is going to STOP anyone that much sooner than a misplaced shot of .380 or that a well placed shot to the CNS of .380 is not going to STOP nearly as quickly as the 9mm......LOL

What more is there to say???......You make good shots with .380 or 9mm they die/stop quickly. You make bad shots with either, they don't die/stop so quickly......That's the reality of it, whether you like the caliber or not.

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Excellent post, the last paragraph sums it up nicely, like you say, what more is there to say?

So I am looking at either the Ruger LCP or P3AT I have shot both and there both good guns. I have myself believing that once I get one of these pocket miracles I can toss it in a pocket holster and never have to worry about how I dress again.

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Kd7,

If the LCP/P3AT allows you to dress the way you want then yes it solves the problem of how you dress. BUT, if you think that solves your self defense needs, well that is another matter.

Now I usually pack either a Glock 26 OR a Smith 642 with a TCP (not unlike the P3AT or LCP) as the backup. That way, no spare magazine is carried, just the TCP as the 'spare mag'!

Now do this…. Go to a range and try to shoot your LCP/P3AT fast. One handed, in low light, and compare the results to doing it with a larger weapon like a Glock 26 or Sig 239 or Smith compact M&P, or other smaller 'serious' guns (and yes that includes the Kahr or P9 and such guns.)

You will find the LCP/P3AT not a very good combat weapon. Yes it has its place but as a primary SD weapon... well (sigh) it ain't much of one.

I understand you place a premium on dressing right, but you need to also think about WHY you carry a self defense weapon and why fashion should not be the on the top of your list.

Deaf

Originally Posted by oldfool
just curious...

why is machete man always "Bubba" ?
ain't ya'll yankees got no machetes up there ??
what do 300# drug crazed attackers use up yonder... snow shovels ???

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I am a proud yankee bubba. I carry a .380 and own more than a couple machetes. Think its more a city dweller thing to be afraid of machetes than a rural concern.

"proud yankee...carry a .380 and own machetes...more a city dweller thing to be afraid of machetes"

never doubted it, and plenty to be proud of
born and raised in snow country myself, 25 years worth, still have family there, spent my college daze in Ames, Iowa
(you Kansas boys used to kick our Cyclone butts pretty regular, but not every time.. and JoJo White is still the best shooter I ever seen)
been a lot of places in this great country since, and there never has been any shortage of really good people in all of 'em, city and country alike

but I think we all know who "Machete Man" is
zombies being verbotten, and Grizz having been beaten to death with a dull club a thousand times over, "Machete Man" is Zombie Grizz
(because a cute little Girl Scout selling cookies w/ a 9mm in her hand just ain't scary enough for the stuff that caliber woobie wars are made of)

be well, shoot well, live long, and smile every time you get the chance


PS
leastways I think OP did get a lot of good advice by some, made his own choice, and whatever else all this fragmentation is, all's well that ends well

Tactical ninja that drawing is hilarious. I love the "choose your nomenclature." Public Ambassador of Doom, Secret Agent .50, Mammoth Slayer

Good stuff.

To be honest, one reason (the main reason) I started carrying was about ten years ago, my wife and I were about 30 miles from here, traveling in the winter along a two-lane road, when this little deer crossed the road from a field on the left, and, right on this deer's tail was a coyote and it was constantly biting and throwing it's front paws over this yearling.

I blew the car horn as the coyote continued to attack at his/her face and basically trying to bring him/her down, and seemed to be making progress. I didn't want to get out of the car out of fear the thing might attack me, and not having any kind of weapon I would not be able to send his head to the state lab for Rabie testing.

So, we watched and could do nothing while this coyote was about 12' from our car attacking this little deer.

Had I had anything, even my .380, I could have easily shot that coyote, it may not have killed him right off, but I bet it would have slowed down that attack! I guess she got away as, on the way home, there were no signs of her. It was really a sad site. Then I figured nature pretty much takes care of itself - which was more of a rationalization - seeing I was totally helpless in this situation.

So, we watched and could do nothing while this coyote was about 12' from our car attacking this little deer.

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That's just natures way of thinning the herd.

Besides, coyotes have to eat and feed their pups too.

Then I figured nature pretty much takes care of itself - which was more of a rationalization - seeing I was totally helpless in this situation.

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It does take care of itself, it has its own natural process. Wanting to kill a coyote because it is wants to eat a deer and maybe help feed the rest of its pack is like hating me because I went hunting and killed a deer for my family to eat. It is the same thing. My method of killing it may seem more humane and easier to accept, but coyotes and other predators just have to use what they've got (their own intelligence, which is more advanced than a lot of people I meet, and physical ability).

Wanting to carry a gun so that you can interfere with the normal cycle of nature is pretty ridiculous. Carrying a gun so that you and yours don't fall prey to predators, 2 or 4 legged, makes perfect sense.

I have a Taurus tcp which is basically the same gun. When carried in the back pocket it tends to release the mag. I carry in front pocket while wearing shorts and a T shirt with no problem. But in general I just don't have a lot of confidence in the pocket 380s. I usually go back to my .38 snubnose light weight. It will go about anywhere the 380 will go and is much more dependable.

Will a .380 pocket pistol really solve all my problems?

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Yes. Maybe.
I got a Sig P-238 that I think is the perfect carry gun if you like .380.
Low recoil, reliable so far, easy slide to rack, fun to shoot, night sights.
I might someday get a Seecamp, but only if the funds are flowing. (if you catch my drift)

If it is what you want then sure it will "solve your problem". Just make sure you can hit something with it. It won't matter at all if you miss with what you have.

Oh hey Tactical Ninja thanks for making me laugh, I'll take one in solid black. Oh is that a 5 or 6 shot?

I believe the current thinking is "only government can solve all your problems"...

I have a Sig P238 and have been completely happy with it. It has had *NO* failures of any kind, I'm accurate with it, and it is so light and small that I don't notice that I'm carrying it.

Before the Sig, I carried a S&W Airlite 38+P and hated practicing with it. The recoil was brutal.

Maybe I live in a fantasy world, but in the 6 years of having my CCW, I've never even come close to having to use my gun. I've never run into a 300 lb. Bubba with a machete. Where do you guys hang out?... Crystal Lake on Halloween night? Do you go about yelling: Tiffany!!!... we are over here!!! (while waiting for Jason to show up)

I'd rather hide and phone 911. I'd rather run. My gun is there to protect my life and the life of my family/friends who are with me as a means of last resort. If we can get out of the situation without the gun... we will do it. This isn't about cowardice... it is about not wanting a lifetime of second guessing having to take a life, an having all of my assets going to protect my liberty.

Will a .380 pocket pistol really solve all my problems?

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No, YOU will solve all your problems. You just may choose a .380 to help.