A 380 fired from one of the tiny pocket guns is not pleasant. I know this and still just bought another pocket 380. This time a Kel-Tec 380. And the ammo was the cheapest I could find locally and it was $30.30 for 50 rounds. I have owned other 380s that weren't bad at all to shoot. They were steel framed guns to. An Astra Constable I was totally stupid for selling and a couple of the single action FIE Titan autos that looked like small sized Beretta 92s with there open slides. Those were very good guns.
But if I ever buy another 380 it will be one of these or the Beretta's they were copied from. I really want one of these too and saw a YT video on them and they looked good.
https://aimsurplus.com/products/tisas-fatih-380b-380-auto-handgun
That being said considering the ammo cost on 380 I think I would stick with 9mm and just buy a bigger sized or heavier gun in 9mm. Or like the other poster suggested get a 32 caliber revolver. Or even a 32acp semi auto. But not the tiny pocket model. Something along the lines of a Walther PP or some of the older CZ guns Aim had for sale a while back for just over $200. I love shooting my Walther PP. Made in 1957. Same year I was made.
Forgot to mention but a good quality 22 is never a mistake. I have two of the Ruger standard model autos, one with 4.5" barrel and the second with a 6" barrel and I have never had a single malfunction with either one. The 6" gun is fairly new but the 4.5" model is a 1976 bicentennial I have had since 2003 and I have shot the hell out of that gun.