.380 VS .357 magnum!

[waynedm]

My buddy wants to get a .380 for carry as his 9mm is too large. He's been doing some reading and finding a lot of the 380s out there sound less than reliable. The .380 mainly in question here is the CZ 83 .380, I don't know about its reliability, maybe some of you can chime in on this.

I've suggested maybe dropping the .380 idea and going with a Ruger sp101. Less than half the capacity, but it's .357 magnum.

What would you do and why?

 

[Geronimo45]

The CZ 83 in .380 has a pretty good rap for reliability. Some folks say it'll even feed empty cases. I'd probably go with the CZ, but that's just my personal preference for autoloaders showing.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Some folks say it'll even feed empty cases.

It will if it has a sloppy, out of spec chamber, anyway.

 

[skeeter1]

.380 vs. .357 Magnum? You're kidding, right? That's apples & oranges if ever there were.

 

[ARTiger]

While the CZ 83 is a great little gun, it would take up to 3 closely placed hits with a .380 to equal the same energy imparted by most .357 magnum SD loads. Is your friend a proponent of the "spray and pray" theory or the "one shot stop" methodology? Personally it's a no-brainer - get the .357!

 

[19-3Ben]

Go with .380

My daily carry is a .357 mag. I love and adore the .38/.357 chamberings and have built my meager arsenal around the cartridge.

That being said, I voted for .380. .357 mag is a bit stout coming out of a snubby. Even the SP101. Not bad for me (i carry .357mag in my 3"SP101 every day-shoot it just fine), but for an average woman who is not very used to heavy recoil, i would rather see her with a .380 that she would not be afraid to shoot. The 357 while more effective on an order of magnitude, may scare her away from practicing with her CCW, make her flinch more, and make her less confident in her gun. Hell, I'd rather see a woman be well practiced, and confident in her .22lr weapon, than scared an untrusting of her .357 mag.

Someone who is not confident with her gun will not be nearly as likely to use it if the chips are down.

 

[MudCamper]

Totally different applications here. Best power cartridge vs. a questionable one. But then, big and heavy (relatively) vs. small and easily concealed.

If small is what you need, go with the .380. Nothin' wrong with that. Otherwise go with the .357.

Example sizes, length/height/width/weight:

SP101 2.25" : 7.125/4.5/1.35/25

Kel-Tec P-3AT 5.2/3.5/.77/8.3

 

[glockman19]

.357 every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

 

[trueblue1776]

my vote for the lion tamer, don't aguila hyper velocity .22 shells have more energy than the average .380?

 

[TimboKhan]

I voted for the .357 mainly because you can still shoot .38's out of it. I carry a .357 and I like it. The .380 isn't a horrible choice, but if push comes to shove, I would rather have that .357 on my side...

 

[waynedm]

don't aguila hyper velocity .22 shells have more energy than the average .380?

Yes!

This friend is actually a guy.

No, this isn't a joke. I thought 12 rounds a .380 would maybe come out close to 5 rounds of .357 magnum.

Personally, I voted for and was the one suggesting the .357 in the first place. Keep the suggestions and thoughts coming.

 

[meef]

.380 vs. .357 Magnum? You're kidding, right? That's apples & oranges if ever there were.

Strikes me more like apples and watermelons.

 

[19-3Ben]

whoops. I don't know why but for some reason, i read "friend's wife".

In that case .357 mag ALL THE WAY!!!

 

[kjeff50cal]

How about a Bersa Thunder 9 Compact. It is as small as a .380 (it rivals the Bersa Thunder .380) and 13 shots of 9mm Luger to boot.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

9mm

his 9mm is too large

Well, you know, you could get a smaller 9mm.

Kel-tec makes the new PF-9.

They've taken the lessons learned from their other 9mm offerings, along with their P3AT (.380) and come up with a very compact 9mm pistol.

Here she is

The PF-9 is a semi-automatic, locked breech pistol, chambered for the 9 mm Luger cartridge. It has been developed from our highly successful P-11 and P-3AT pistols with maximum concealability in mind. The PF-9 has a single stack magazine holding 7 rounds. It is the lightest and flattest 9 mm ever made. Firing mechanism is Double-Action Only with an automatic hammer block safety. The PF-9 will be available in blued, parkerized, and hard chrome finishes. Grips will be in black, grey, and olive drab.

The PF-9 accessory rail will accept the latest compact weapon lights and lasers.

Also with light & laser:

​

And it's smaller than most .380 pistols.

So, if your friend already has a 9mm, this lets him get a new gun and keep the same ammo.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

If the size/weight is an issue, a .380 in the pocket always hits harder than the .357 sitting at home.

But again, if size/weight is the issue, the CZ 83 is a terrible option. There are smaller/lighter 9mm pistols out there, like the CZ 2075 RAMI and there are also smaller .380s, like the P3AT. If you are going to get the smallest one you can find so you'll carry it all the time. If you are going to go with a bigger gun, get a bigger caliber.

 

[bogie]

A .380 in the pocket beats the heck out of a .357 in a safe.

Leave the laser crap off - makes it bigger.

Look for a .380 that was built around the cartridge - not adapted to it. Big difference there.

I'll take sloppy and out of spec all day long if it goes "bang" every time, and hits a 1' circle at 7 yards with fair regularity.

If you can get a 9mm in the same size packge, get it.

 

[Valkman]

I would never carry a .380 if a .357 was available - the stopping power difference is like night and day! But if I had to I would carry the 380 and load it with the best HP's I could find. That used to be Hydra Shocks but it may have changed.

 

[kd7nqb]

This is actually my fathers exact dilema but he chooses .380 because of gun size. His options are

1. .380 Astra
2. .357 Ruger Service 6 (5in Brl)
3. .38 Colt Detective Special

He chooses the astra to carry because it fits him better I argue and say he just needs to by more guns but he is not quite as devoted to the cause as I am, and rarely carries.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

don't aguila hyper velocity .22 shells have more energy than the average .380?

Only if you shoot it out of a rifle. While it will do about 200 ft/lbs out of a rifle, the velocity drops from 1750 to around 1266 out of a 5.5" barrel. This takes the ME down to about 100 ft/lbs, substantially less than a .380.

 

[joneb]

trueblue1776 my vote for the lion tamer, don't aguila hyper velocity .22 shells have more energy than the average .380?

NOT even close.
If fired from a 20" barrel Aguila super max can achieve 204 ft/lbs of energy, but if fired from a 3.5" barrel it will be more in the neighborhood of 80-90 ft/lbs. the .380 acp will be 190-220 ft/lbs of E from a 3-3.5" barrel
If I were to carry a .380 I would load it with FMJ and shoot well. I've seen folks struggle to hit a pie plate at 15 ft with a .357 mag. snub. I can unload my 9x18 Makarov in short order with a golf ball sized group at that distance.

 

[mjrodney]

It should go without saying that the .357 Mag is the more powerful round, but is using that power at "personal defense" distances the wisest choice?

Living the poor and obscure life that I lead, I don't foresee my ever being in a position to have to shoot through automobiles, walls, or at longer distances, so my own .357 mag revolvers are stoked with .38 spl +p, in a effort to save my ears and possibly more of my night vision.

That being said, however, I also agree with JibJab, that an up close and well aimed .380, loaded with FMJ ammo, has the capacity to penetrate far enough to be a valid choice in a defensive round. Certainly not the best, but still nothing to sneeze at.

 

[DirksterG30]

I'd go with a compact 9mm such as the Kahr MK9, PM9 or the Keltec PF9 once all the bugs are worked out of it.

 

[No_Brakes23]

I like the SIG P232, (It's plenty reliable,) but I can't imagine taking .380 if I had the option of taking .357mag.

 

[The Amigo]

If only a pocket gun does

If all he is convinced is .380 you must do some careful chosing in rounds.
it all depends in the barrel length more 3 up inches go with corbon. Less than 3 stick with Remington golden sabers in 102g or DPX or Win silvertips these are all hollow points. The golden sabers will expand to .57 and usually penetrate at least 10.5 inches. The corbons tend to not to expand if fired from a barrel less than 3 inches but do good on longer if hes a believer that all he wants is best penetration and only believe in full metal jacket then try and get him some santa barbara surplus ammo made in spain. This is a very hot round and will do some more than usuall penetration but its hard to find since its no longer produced i believe. Normal fmj will do 11-12 inches in gell and sta brba will do a little more. The KELTEC PF9 is a find choice and the bugs have been worked out since keltec has redesigned the barrel to accept any 9mm round now. if you go this way make sure you purchase a gun serial no#R0900 + since these have the new barell improvement. However a PF9 is not as light and pocketable as a P3at these are the king of counsealment in .380 since there so small and light. This is what I carry every day with 8 rounds of .380 and a spare mag and sometimes i forget its there. However theres a nice PF9 in the shop thats calling my name at nights....