Pocket 380 that's fun to shoot?

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I enjoy shooting my S&W Bodyguard .380. It's also the most accurate pocket gun I've ever had, with hits on paint can sized targets at 25yds rather easy.
 
Late to this thread, but the P32 is what settled to for me as well. The reasons include better control (which allows for faster follow up shots) and an extra round in capacity.

I enjoy my Bersa Thunder a lot, but don't really consider it a "pocket" pistol.
 
Had a Kel-tec 32 years ago but the rd is rather weak compared to the 380. And it is incredibly expensive here in the SW. Beware of rim-lock in the mags as it is a semi-rimmed cartridge.

My wife was jogging with a NAA .22 mag revolver but she really didn't like shooting it because it's single action and kinda slow on follow up shots. We picked up a Taurus TCP Pt738 380 a few weeks ago and she loves it. She's a fairly small girly girl and has no problem with the recoil at all. She cranked out 150 rds at the range last week and would have kept on shooting except we ran out of 380 ammo. At 7 yds she was getting excellent COM hits and head shots on a life sized paper target. No malfunctions at all.

I'm a competition pistol shooter (competed at the national level) so we had a little shootoff between us. I shot the 5 rd NAA 22 mag against her with 7 rds from the TCP. She kicked my butt every time.
 
About 10 years ago a friend bought a besra thunder cc 380 for his wife, big mistake,she hated it I got it cheap. Love it. Dont carry it often but I got enough rounds through it to be confident with it.
 
I've had a Mustang Pocketlite since the 90's and recently bought a Bersa Thunder 380 as a sort of range piece to save wear and tear on the Colt. The Mustang is noticeably more pleasant to shoot than the Bersa in spite of the 6 oz extra weight of the latter due to the delayed blowback action compared to straight blowback on the Bersa.
That said, the Bersa is a much more accurate pistol and enjoys about a 100 fps velocity advantage using the same load.
 
ulflyer said:
Another +1 for Kahr CW380 or CT380 (grip slightly longer). I have shot my CW a lot with
Win white box ammo, and other varieties including HP, with no issues. I'm fairly recoil sensitive and the CW is not nearly as bad, to me, as my LCR with standard 38spl. Forget 38+P....now that stuff hurts!

PS: the triggers on Kahrs are similar to the LCR in that they have a long buttery smooth pull. I found it a familiar transition, unlike the G42 which I bought, loved to shoot, but could never get used to trigger.

I think the Kahr CW380 or CT380 or P380 look like something I'd like to try. If it has a better trigger than the Taurus TCP then I'm pretty sure I'd love it if it's at all tolerable to shoot. And you say it's easier to shoot than the LCR? I don't mind the LCR at all for the first 50 shots, but that's with the really cushy Hogue grip on it. I'm super-impressed if you think the Kahr is more comfortable. And the Kahrs look so much higher quality than most 380s.

I'm surprised you say you like the Kahr trigger better than the Glock 42. I though that the only really good thing about the Glock 42 was that it had the same trigger as any Glock and shot like a bigger gun.

I do kinda want to try the Baretta Pico, but it's just so ugly.

Thanks for all the replies!
 
I carry a Kel Tec 380 Its several years old and stone cold reliable . But really snappy with my Corbon loads. Also carry a Bersa Thunder. its a lot softer shooting than the KT. You should be able to carry a 20oz pistol in good holster with out any trouble. Were only talking 4oz . The Bersa CC is a nice carry pistol Might take a couple days to adjust to the slight weight gain.

Remember It has been said .That carrying a pistol is comforting Not always Comfortable

You can carry a little more weight . That is all in the mind. My 24 year old daughter carries a Bersa Thunder with out a problem . She picked it out and didn't even ask me.
 
Softer shooting .380's? My Wife is recoil sensitive....her main squeeze is the Glock 42. I have a Beretta Pico and it is not as soft shooting as the G42 but it's a lot less snappy than a Ruger LCP.

My choose is the Pico *but* it is soft because it is over sprung and stiff as a rail. Not an easy pistol to charge or manipulate as the slide release is below flush, the mag release is recessed to avoid accidental mag drop in a pocket, and the slide is pure hell to rack. The gun is built like a tank and handles the hottest .380 easily but the trade off is a very hard to run gun with a very stiff DAO trigger to boot.

That said mine is as accurate as a Glock 42 and rides in my front pocket ever ready - I can get it up and running so fast it scares even me *but* it is a teeny tiny little pocket monster and it is very eccentric and not for the casual or weak handed novice. Real 3 dot sights, stainless and polymer construction with a modular chassis (hate the pinky extended mag) and it cleans in 5 minutes. Best fit and finish of any modern .380 pocket pistol.

VooDoo
 
I like to shoot 'em all! If I don't like to shoot them, I don't own them (long). I'm new to the .380 ACP game. I'm used to shooting .357 magnums and up so the recoil and muzzle blast of a .380 ACP is not much to me.

I have a Colt Mustang Pocketlite and a Walther PPK and I bought a Ruger LCP for my daughter. The Walther is my favorite just because.... It's COOL! It's what James Bond shoots. Seriously, I like it. I like how it points and everything else about it except it's a tad heavy for a small gun. It is all metal though.

The Colt is a neat little gun. I like it too. It looks just like a miniature version of my Delta Elite. What's not to like?

The Ruger is the one I'd carry on a daily basis if I were going to carry one of the three because it's light weight, thin, no hammer, no safety levers, etc. Looks like a cell phone in your pocket.
 
I don't know if I'd call it fun to shoot, but I would call it pleasant to shoot: the .380 Astra Constable. Not a modern gun, to be sure, but if you can find one and try it out, you might like it. To me, it just always seemed more comfortable to shoot than, say, a PPK; it does not seem to have that "snappy" sharp feeling when shooting it.
 
Breacher (post 28), if I were to go with a micro-.380, that Taurus would be the first I'd try. In fact, though I have no intention of purchasing one, a friend who has one wants me to run some through it, so it looks like I'll be trying one soon, anyway. I've always thought it was one of the better-feeling of the guns in that class.
 
Thanks for chiming in V. I bounce from the G42(OWB) to pocket P. Until summer then it be the thinnest Pico.
 
My definition of pocket carry is different from some. Just because I can get it in my pocket doesn't mean it is suitable for pocket carry. I also don't want a gun that is heavy in my pocket as it tends to make it uncomfortable and "saggy". Adding grips and extended mags may make the pocket gun easier to shoot but can make them larger and heavier which can move them out of the "pocket" category. Adding one ounce of weight to a pocket gun is a big deal for me.
I have not found a gun with a hammer that I wanted in my pocket. Bersa and Sig are the only two in 380 that I have tried in the pocket and both were heavier PLUS they had the hammer. I love both guns but not for pocket carry.
The Kel Tec P3AT is a good pocket gun but not really any fun to shoot. Same with the PF9, LC9, LCP, Smith Airweight .38, etc, etc. The Glock 380 isn't even close to a pocket gun for me. I have shot two of them and they are typical Glock, easy shooting, dependable guns that define ugly.
I have never owned or spent time with any .32 caliber.

To me it is really a trade off. A gun that actually works for pocket carry is going to be light weight and small. Those two things do not lend themselves to comfortable shooting. I currently carry a DB9 and the P3AT for pocket carry and a Shield for IWB. I really like the Bodyguard but I despise that laser setup so I rarely carry mine.
 
I'm going through a similar process. My first carry gun was a LCR in 38 special. I think the revolver is really snappy, and it required a lot of practice for me to get comfortable with it. That might be because I don't really like the grip angle on revolvers or Glocks.

I decided to get a slim 9mm with more capacity, so now I carry a Ruger LC9s inside-the-waistband. I use the pinky extension and Talon grips, and I like it a lot! But I also want a "deep concealment" option, so I bought a Smart Carry holster.

The inventor of Smart Carry conceals a full-size 1911, but that's with loose fitting trousers. I find that the bottom of the grip on my LC9s pokes out, so I'm thinking about getting something with a short grip. Naturally, that will make it less pleasant to shoot. And I want to enjoy shooting what I carry.

So I looked at some 380s. I fondled a Beretta Pico, but it was hard to get my finger on the trigger because the reach is too short. (An unusual complaint for me, since I have short fingers.) The Glock 42 is easy to shoot, but too big and I don't like the grip angle. Kahrs are very nice, but my finger pinches between the trigger guard and trigger when I fire it.

I recently rented a LCP and a Kimber Micro Carry (very similar to P238 and Mustang). The Kimber is a joy to shoot! But it's on the heavy side, and only slightly smaller than my 9mm. The LCP is nice and slim. It's a bit snappy and hard to hold onto, but I think I could deal with it.

But maybe I want something even smaller! Like a 32 ACP or a NAA 22 magnum. But the revolver is single-action only. I might consider a NAA Guardian in 32 ACP, though I suspect I won't like the trigger pull.
 
I haven't shot a Glock 42, but by all reports it is very pleasant to shoot but too big for easy pocket carry.

The SIG P238 will fit in a pants pocket and is a joy to shoot. I have a Nitron (aluminum alloy frame) and an HD (all steel). As you'd expect, the HD is less convenient to carry due to weight, but has less felt recoil for the same reason. Six of one, half-a-dozen of the other ...
 
I really liked the Bersa Thunder CC, but ultimately decided it was too heavy for pocket carry. I've enjoyed the Kel-Tec P32 more then any other true pocket gun. It's very comfortable, especially with the 10-rd magazine.
 
GLOCK 42 for me

TOSTADA,

I bought a GLOCK 42 almost a year ago and it has become my off duty gun. The recoil is mild for a .380ACP this light. I used to carry a WALTHER PPK in .32ACP and the recoil is about the same to me, despite the PPK being heavier and shooting a weaker round.

The funny thing about the GLOCK 42 is that you do not have to give anything up. SIGHTS ARE GOOD and this is really rare for small pistols. The trigger is standard GLOCK and it is dead reliable as long as you grip it solidly. Like all GLOCKS, it cannot be limp wristed.

It really surprised me in the accuracy department. I have shoot it out to 25 yards and it shoots as well as a larger gun.

I tried a number of guns in this size class and the GLOCK is just the best in my opinion.

Jim
 
The Sig 290 is available in 380, and so is the Bersa BP. I've run both of these in 9mm but not 380. The Bersa has fantastic ergos for small/medium hands; similar to a Kahr K9 - but with a shorter trigger stroke. Anyone have experience with these in 380 for the OP?
 
I enjoy shooting my TCP, excellent trigger and very accurate for a small pistol,
but then again I'm 70+ so perhaps I've lost all feeling in my shooting hand.:D
 
I'm on my second Taurus TCP, and I am quite pleased with it. It is way easier to shoot than my PF9 was, and very easy to carry.

The reason I'm on my second TCP is that my 19 year old daughter made off with the first one. She really likes it and shoots it quite well - well enough that I didn't squawk TOO much when she claimed it as her own. The fact that she likes to shoot it enough to practice with it regularly is what sealed the deal.

So I had to buy 2 of them just to have one of them for myself.
 
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Yup the Taurus TCP rocks.

I'm a Glock fanatic, duty pistol and some for competition. But I just don't see the point of the Glock 42. There's 9mm pistols available that are about the same size. Now if you're really recoil sensitive and need the extra size and weight with the 380 rd then maybe it might be a good choice.

BTW Montana, is it legal for a 19 y/o to have a pistol up there? Gotta be 21 in most states.
 
I screwed up originally, and bought TWO Ruger LCPs because of the great package deal on them. Then, I discovered that they have the worst trigger since the Nagant Russian revolver. Loooooooong trigger travel, hard break, and almost impossible contortions on a hand with arthritis. Early reviews didn't talk about the awful trigger.
I sold them, and bought the Taurus TCP, and have been delighted with it. The trigger travel is about 1/2 of that of the LCP, and the break must be at least 4# lighter. The pistol is so light in my pocket that I forget to take it out when I am home, and in easy range of other, bigger weapons.

Taurus got it right with the TCP.

I will add, though, that I am a Glock fan, and have the G42 now waiting for its shakedown cruise to the range. I'll know by the end of the week whether or not I'm going to start switching off between the TCP and the G42.
 
Browning 1955 380 ACP pocket auto.

Colt 1903 32 ACP pocket auto. Both nice shooters and fairly comfortable to shoot.
 
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