Badly Delayed Range Report -- MPA Protector .380

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3KillerBs

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I meant to post this some time ago but it slipped my mind.

I can't say that this gun turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Its no surprise that a tiny, pocket .380 is no joy to fire. In fact, after about 25 rounds I had to ice my hand -- about the same level of discomfort as shooting an airweight .38sp. As expected, the trigger was heavy and long.

It was no surprise that accuracy is not the strong point of a tiny, lightweight gun of this type. At 7 yards I was shooting about a foot low in a paper-plate-sized group nicely-centered.

It was a bit of a surprise to me that I had feed issues. A gunsmith who was at the range checked it over for function, fired it, and concluded that, for the first time in my life, I was having limp-wristing issues. A very firm, push-pull grip corrected that and, strangely, the defensive ammo seemed to feed better than the ball ammo.

The good points are that this is a well-made gun, nice and solid, made to be carried safely. You can't set it off by dropping it, you can't even knock the magazine loose since it locks in. Its simple enough that there is very little that can go wrong with it. And since it punched a clean hole clear through both the plywood backer-board and the 2X4 behind it I believe I can trust the penetration to be adequate at the distances which make sense when using a gun of this type.

Would I switch to carrying my Taurus Slim if I could conceal it adequately at work? Yes. Do I feel that my money was well spent on this as a special-purpose gun for deep concealment? Yes. Would I recommend it to others? Conditionally -- to those who are realistic about what they should expect from it. Definitely NOT for a new shooter or for anyone who has ever had any problems limp-wristing any other gun and not for anyone who has wrist, arm, or shoulder issues that would make the painfully-intense recoil unmanageable.
 
3KB, good range report / pistol review. I think more folks would be happy, or maybe just satisfied even, with all these micro compact pistols if they took your realistic approach. It's a specialty tool, not a range gun, and not even an all around gun. As you state, it's a lightweight, hard recoiling, deep concealment gun. I'm glad to read that the MPA Defender (made not too far from where I live) works well within that scope.
 
Of course it hurts your hand, it's a blowback action.

Any of the many locked breech mini 380 pistols available like the Kel tec P3AT, Ruger LCP, etc are much softer shooting.
 
Sorry about the lack of pictures. I was thinking more about the feed issues than about anything else. Here's the photo from the website:
MPA380B-B.jpg
I'm off this week so I'll see if I can get pictures of it in my hand for scale and of how well it conceals.

@ugaarguy,
Thank you. I knew what I was buying when I chose it so I went into the situation with my eyes open and had limited expectations. The gunsmith was impressed with the quality of manufacture though startled by the lack of a slide lock and the manual's instructions to never dry fire and never shoot without the magazine in place.

If I ever change jobs or if I loose enough weight to be able to appendix carry a larger gun without it jabbing into the extra belly that sits on my lap (I've lost 45lbs in 2 years so far), I'll reclaim my Taurus 709 from my husband but for now this gun does its job.
 
kokapelli said:
Of course it hurts your hand, it's a blowback action.

Any of the many locked breech mini 380 pistols available like the Kel tec P3AT, Ruger LCP, etc are much softer shooting.
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I'm not sure about the little Kel-Tec, but the Ruger LCP is somewhat larger than this gun too.

As I said, its comparable to the S&W Airweight .38sp I fired as part of one of the classes I took.
 
I think you should force yourself to shoot it 200 times before ruling it out. I believe you would most likely get used to it. Try hitting smaller targets from further away. Pretend its a full size gun that you simply havnt fired enough. If that doesnt help you like it more. I would sell it. I love my 442 for carry. I can shoot it well, and have enjoyed the challenge.
 
Its a copy of another pistol That started with a A . I can't remember the name any longer they went under 5 or 6 years ago. I had one a short time in 32 and sold it Would never consider in 380 . I will keep my KelTecs both the 32 and 380 softer shooting that that design.
 
JohnhenrySTL said:
I think you should force yourself to shoot it 200 times before ruling it out. I believe you would most likely get used to it. Try hitting smaller targets from further away. Pretend its a full size gun that you simply havnt fired enough. If that doesnt help you like it more. I would sell it. I love my 442 for carry. I can shoot it well, and have enjoyed the challenge.
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I'm not ruling it out for anything other than competition shooting.

Its my daily carry gun because I have to have a very small, deep concealment gun on account of my job. (I have to bend, stretch, lean over tables, drop to my knees and crawl under tables, twist, carry heavy items on my hips, .... And I'll be fired if its discovered that I'm violating the "no weapons" policy (which didn't keep a just-fired guy from putting a supervisor into the ICU)).

:)
 
Cokeman said:
Why are you icing your hand? I've never had a gun hurt me before.
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Assuming from your name that you're a man, your hands are probably considerably larger and stronger than mine.

For a woman of my size I'm not at all recoil-sensitive and my hands are strong for their size but I have my limits. When I was shooting a friend's .44mag I stopped after 6 shots not because of any discomfort since I didn't feel any but because I was afraid that once my hands tired I would not be able to keep the recoil from tearing the gun out of my grip.

The recoil on this gun is painful to me. I accept that -- anyone who thinks he/she can go through life pain-free is delusional. I will need to shoot a magazine or two at ever range visit to practice the necessary technique so I don't limp-wrist it, but do not intend to push things too far since I don't need to train myself into a flinch or make myself afraid of shooting.
 
3KB, if you've decided to go with that particular gun design, it appears you're going about it the right way.

The design was originally by Autauga Arms.
 
3KillerBs said:
Assuming from your name that you're a man, your hands are probably considerably larger and stronger than mine.

For a woman of my size I'm not at all recoil-sensitive and my hands are strong for their size but I have my limits. When I was shooting a friend's .44mag I stopped after 6 shots not because of any discomfort since I didn't feel any but because I was afraid that once my hands tired I would not be able to keep the recoil from tearing the gun out of my grip.

The recoil on this gun is painful to me. I accept that -- anyone who thinks he/she can go through life pain-free is delusional. I will need to shoot a magazine or two at ever range visit to practice the necessary technique so I don't limp-wrist it, but do not intend to push things too far since I don't need to train myself into a flinch or make myself afraid of shooting.
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But what on your hand is it hurting and how?

I forgot, I have been hurt while shooting. Your .44 mag comment reminded me. Rule #1 when shooting a .44 mag: clip your finger nails. Every time it kicks, I scratch myself trying to hold on.
 
I agree it's a great gun and very well made. If you upgrade the trigger, it makes a big difference and feels more comfortable to shoot. Much smaller than the lcp.
Sadly, I am planning to sell it to fund my christmas debt.
 
I will agree these ultra tiny blowback .380's can hurt. I will use my .44 mag at the range until I run out of expendable ammo, but 2 clips out of an AMT backup .380 and I had to take a break. I'm sure there is someone out there with a formula based on recoil, and surface area of a backstrap.
 
Cokeman said:
But what on your hand is it hurting and how?
...
Click to expand...

Soft-tissue only. My entire palm ached. The main focus of the pain was the webbing where the butt nestles since that took the brunt of the impact. Ice and ibuprofen fixed it so that the pain passed by morning.

If you are thinking that it might have been an incorrect grip, the pain was quite different from the time I shot 10 rounds through compact Kimber .45 at a class and got my thumb joint beat up because the long trigger reach forced me to shift my grip out of position. That hurt in the bone for a week.

Fortunately, I don't have any arthritis in my hands and splitting wood with a maul has taught me how to take impact properly. I'm just up against my physical limits with this gun.
 
OK.

Since the recoil into the thumb joint is a common problem for people with small hands trying to shoot guns with long trigger reach I thought you might be offering some helpful diagnostics of a potential problem I might not have considered. :)
 
3KillerBs said:
I'm just up against my physical limits with this gun.
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If I was up against my physical limits with a defensive gun, I'd find a gun that's more compatible. Maybe a locked breech .380, if I was a .380 sort of fella, but that's just me.
 
It looks like a Seecamp clone, like the Autauga was. I can say that a Seecamp .32 hurts me more than a Keltec P3AT/.380. I have big hands and have a hard time hanging onto any of these little guns. Never had any functioning issues, they are just painful. Part of it is the fixed barrel, it distributes the recoil differently. I think a Walther PPK/S in .380 recoils worse than a P3AT too. The pain on the Seecamp for me is from the trigger guard banging the bottom of my trigger finger.
 
Agree - it looks like a Seecamp clone.

I have a Seecamp .32 and I don't even notice the recoil. I have zero problems shooting it and could shoot it all day long without any discomfort. I don't have the expensive magazine finger extension on mine because it's so easy and pleasant for me to shoot in it's stock configuration. It's the reason why I chose the Seecamp .32 over the Seecamp .380.

Ya can't get proficient with a gun if ya can't shoot it very much.
 
David E said:
If I was up against my physical limits with a defensive gun, I'd find a gun that's more compatible. Maybe a locked breech .380, if I was a .380 sort of fella, but that's just me.
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I am in a box with my budget and the need for a very small, deep concealment gun.

I've lost 45lbs in the past couple years and if I can continue to lose weight I should be able to conceal something larger in time. I have to get rid of a lot more of the "baby belly" that sits on my lap when I sit down before I can get the gun off my rib cage and down to my waist.

I can wear the Taurus 709 in the belly band at home or out shopping but not at work because my job is too active and the Slim prints when I stretch to reach overhead or lay out across a table to mark something at arm's reach.
 
Shawn Dodson said:
...

Ya can't get proficient with a gun if ya can't shoot it very much.
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True. But a gun like this where you have to replace springs every 200 rounds isn't meant to be shot very much anyway. Its meant to be a better option than my thread snips or my steel ruler in a dangerous situation. :)
 
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