Who makes a good, little .380?

I don't see how someone with arthritis and limited hand strength is going to do better with a pocket .380 than the revolver, for example, pulling a long DAO trigger with only 1 1/2 fingers on the grip to brace it.

Post 49 echoes my sentiments on the Bersa Thunder 380.

That being said, the OP has not said why his lady does not like the 642. Is it the recoil? Trigger pull? Grip/frame size?

If the recoil bothers her, but not the feel/action, Charter Arms offers its snub Undercover (normally in .38 Special) in .32 caliber as the "Undercoverette." Also, as has been mentioned, there are plenty of light loads available in .38 Special.

Threads like these just aren't complete until the CorneredCat.com site is mentioned (as in post 37.) It's all over there.

The Lone Haranguer said:

I don't see how someone with arthritis and limited hand strength is going to do better with a pocket .380 than the revolver, for example, pulling a long DAO trigger with only 1 1/2 fingers on the grip to brace it.

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Much less having to struggle with the slide.

viking499 said:

Who makes a good, little .380?

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Kel-Tec ... P3-AT

Another vote for the Sig P238. Awesome little gun. Very easy to operate slide, best sights of any .380 I've seen, reliable and accurate. I shot an IDPA stage with one and had no issues with targets out to 25 yards. My wife loved this gun as her primary carry.

Only reason I don't have one now is we upgraded to the 938 in 9mm. I little bigger and snappier but much more power.

GBExpat said:

Kel-Tec ... P3-AT

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Seems like that mag would get in the way of getting a good grip on the gun in your pocket?

I'd go locked breech: softer recoil and easier to rack slide.
Ruger LC380;
Walther PK380;
SIG-Sauer P238 HD (which is the all stainless steel version);
a used Colt Government 380 stainless (it's on the expensive side).

Bersa thunder CC 380. My go to for pocket carry and BUG.
Reliable soft shooter, that eats anything I feed it.

HexHead said:

Seems like that mag would get in the way of getting a good grip on the gun in your pocket?

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Y'think? Obviously it is impossible to properly grip the piece when it is fully holstered.

Please look at an LC380,,,

I had a chance to fire one that is owned by a range acquaintance,,,
It was quite surprising in that the felt recoil was very low,,,
Much lower than the recoil of my Bersa Thunder 380,,,
It was also less than my Beretta model 85.

The perfect pistol for your needs would be that Beretta Model 86,,,
But good luck finding one that's affordable,,,
Or even finding one at all.

My Beretta is a model 85 which is the single-stack version,,,
I use it when I take newbies to the range,,,
Recoil isn't bad for a blow-back action,,,
And the slide isn't too stiff for them.

If you can,,,
Get her hands on a Ruger LC380,,,
I was truly amazed at how it performed that day.

Aarond

.

Bersa makes excellent guns. You would do well withe the Bresa Thunder .380 or .380 Concealed Carry.

My wife also has RA and she recently switched to a Walther PK380 and loves it. It's a locked breech design so doesn't have the extremely heavy recoil spring of the other small to mid size .380's, and is very soft shooting. I don't particularly like the longish trigger pull but it's not for me and she likes it.

As far as the recommendations for a revolver you guys have got to be kidding. I have a performance center 642 and she really can't use the trigger on it. Also she thinks the recoil is much worse than the Walther, even shooting low recoil loads.

One more for Smith BG or Ruger LCP

Both the smith and Ruger are very nice guns in 380. The Smith kicks a bit less due to design and weight but both have enough recoil to require a firm grip. If you go with the SW Bodyguard you must get the Galloway Precision Short Trigger Bar. It makes a big difference in ease of shooting for the gun..

Working the slide on most of these pistols is going to be a chore for her. I own a Beretta Tomcat 3032 in 32 acp. This gun is really a gift to women and men for that matter. You never have to rack the slide. Just pop up barrel insert the round and put in the magazine and your ready to go. Recoil is mild and the women love this gun. My girlfriend loves this pistol and so does her daughter. The 32 has enough power in a defensive situation and it hold eight rounds. Now if Beretta got on the stick and made a run on these pistols, I would buy another gun in a heart beat. Ideal handgun for people who have medical or have trouble with hand strength. A real pleasure to shoot and accurate to boot. I own a lot of pistols and if she can't handle the 38 special revolver this is the way to go.

Viking499 said:

Trying to find something small and compact for the wife to shoot and possible carry. Looking into the 380's since her arthritis and my 642 didn't mesh.

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My wife had reconstructive surgery on her shooting hand and loss of grip strength, nerve damage, and a lot of bone-to-bone contact in joints led her to look at 380s. Her criteria were: big enough to control easily; small and light enough to carry; a trigger pull that was not too heavy, and; easy to manipulate the slide.

Walther PK380 ...: 6.5" L, 5.2" H, 19 oz., DA/SA 10/5 lb. trigger, full 3-finger grip
Ruger LC380 .....: 6.0" L, 4.5" H, 17 oz., DAO 6.5 lb. trigger, 2-1/2-finger grip
S&W Bodyguard 380: 5.2" L, 3.8" H, 12 oz., DAO 6.5 lb. trigger, 2-finger grip
Diamondback DB380: 5.2" L, 3.8" H, 10 oz., SAO 4.5 lb. trigger, 2-finger grip

All of the guns were locked breech, so recoil was not painful, and all of the slides were easy to rack.
All of the guns except the Diamondback had manual safeties.
The Walther was the easiest to shoot, but the DA/SA action meant a hammer-down 10-lb. DA trigger or cocked and locked for a 5-lb. trigger.
The Ruger was more compact but still had some heft and the trigger was manageable.
The S&W and Diamondback were more challenging to control due to their size and lighter weight.

I think the SIG P238 wins this one hands-down. Small, soft-shooting, easy to rack, most come with night sights ... What's not to like?

I'd go for the HD (all stainless) model. A little extra heft means a little less felt recoil.

Lots of great choices in .380 acp as already pointed out. The only thing I'd like to add at this point is that "soft shooting" or "easy to shoot" is relative to the size of the shooter, his general hand size/structure, experience, technique, etc.

I consider myself to be "recoil sensitive" to some degree and my feelings on acceptable accuracy in rapid fire SD style shooting have really tempered the way I see "recoil". Living with a person of much less experience and having her be 5' 120 lbs brings the concept of "recoil sensitivity" to the top of the heap.

It's hard to make recommendations to other people about which gun in any caliber might be suitable at any time. I'd caution folks who call some .380 pistols as "soft shooting" to evaluate their hand size and experience before making recommendation....I have little trouble shooting my Wife's Ruger LCR with a 158 gr. modest load .38 round using 4.3 gr. of Unique. They are snappy but I can shoot very accurately at a cadence of 3 rounds per second and keep the groups at 21' to a size I can cover them with my hand.

The same round with my Wife shooting the gun had her icing her wrist and taking analgesics following our last range session. In general, she finds most .380 pistols with factory rounds to be "snappy" enough to cause issues. So, generalities are great (as are the recommendations) but we should be aware that an experienced shooter who is 6'3" and 180ish (or even 5'10" and 220ish with large meaty hands...) may find a particular gun "mild" where my Wife would be shocked to the point of giving up.

Just sayin'.

VooDoo

It's all relative, VooDoo. I can't say what will feel "soft" to anyone else, but I can tell you that the SIG P238 HD is probably the softest shooting .380 of the bunch by virtue of its weight and the fact that it is locked-breech. In other words, if the P238 is too harsh, then the person shouldn't be considering a .380 at all.

The Sig P238 HD is very nice and its weight helps reduce recoil relative to is size class. However, its 3.9" height means it has a 2-finger grip, which some would find less controllable than a gun with a longer grip. And the P238's 7.5-8.5 lb. trigger is heavy compared to many other pocket pistols.

viking 499: Have you picked one yet?

My wife did NOT like the LCP, though I thought recoil was not bad at all. It is so small that without training with it, it feels like it is climbing up out of your hand when you shoot it.

I just traded a subcompact 9mm for a Sig P232 (used). My wife really liked the way it felt when it had the Hogue grips on it. She didn't care for it once I put the polymer grips on it. The P232 is blowback and so has comparable recoil to the little LCP, but due to it's larger size, is definitely easier to hold and manipulate. Racking it would be difficult for her however (better if she cocks the hammer first but still hard).

I echo weblance on his recommendation for the LC380. From what I hear it is much easier to rack the slide. I suspect it to be more reliable than the Walther PK380 from what I've heard and read. Both of these guns are supposed to be the easiest to rack a slide.

And of course the Beretta's tilt barrel above eliminates the need for racking. They're hard to come by in my experience.

Neither my wife nor I felt comfortable with Sig P238 cocked and locked in the pocket.

Another vote for Sig P238. Great little pocket gun, very easy to operate the slide, it's loads of fun to shoot, and has a very good trigger for a gun its size.

Having finally shot my S&W .380 BG I am going to add to my previous post. Here are some points in bullet format:

* The recoil was unexpectedly pleasant. No thumb pain or hand discomfort.

*The slide racked easily. I don't think my wife would have problems with it. It compared favorably to the amount of effort needed to open my Walther PPS. This is NOT going to be a problem.

* The gun was fairly accurate off hand to about 15 yards. (pie plate center-ish)

* The gun had no operational problems feeding and ejecting well.

* The trigger (disconcerting until you get used to it) has a lot of travel and engages in the last 5% of motion. (a safety feature I am sure)

* take down was easy, reassembly moderate - the take down lever wants to be exactly so to go back in. It took a while.

* The fit and finish of the gun is great. The material used and finishing are top notch. I couldn't be more pleased in this area.

* The gun come in a great nylon pouch with a separate pocket to hold a (not included) extra magazine. Yes, I'll need to find one. An extra SHOULD be standard.

* S&W has included some direct numbers to call for service and help with this particular model - a nice touch.

* While I played with the laser I did not check it for accuracy. I don't really think I'll use it much.

* Got a cheap $9.75 pocket holster at Wallyworld. Keeps the gun upright, eliminates printing, and is a good idea. A better one might enhance the experience. I'll think about an Uncle Mike's or something.

All I can say at this point is that I am glad I bought the gun. As I said before I would have picked up a Ruger LCP but this S&W has a manual safety that I like.

The Sig P238 HD is very nice and its weight helps reduce recoil relative to is size class. However, its 3.9" height means it has a 2-finger grip, which some would find less controllable than a gun with a longer grip.

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The extended-grip magazine could solve that problem, especially for someone with slimmer fingers.

toivo said:

The extended-grip magazine could solve that problem, especially for someone with slimmer fingers.

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You raise an excellent point. Consideration should go beyond just picking a gun and include accessories, ammo, etc.