Has .380 ACP been relegated to "pocket pistols"?

[GunNut]

.380 ammo cost more than 9mm, so there is really no reason for a .380 range gun.

Compact 9mm's are as small or smaller than "hi-cap" .380's.

So I say, yes .380 is basically relegated to pocket gun.

 

[dogtown tom]

HUH?

GunNut .380 ammo cost more than 9mm, so there is really no reason for a .380 range gun.

You're kidding, right?
.380, .40, .45, .357 and .38 special all cost more than 9mm.........that has nothing to do with their useability or popularity as a "range gun".

Life would be pretty dull if 9mm was the only caliber authorized for range use.

I'm still shooting my $6.99 a box .380 Blazer I bought five years ago....not too much 9mm around cheaper than that.

 

[The_Armed_Therapist]

What is the utility of a larger .380? It's utility is very small and therefore there are very few choices. There isn't much point except maybe novelty (having more money than is strictly "useful" LOL) or PERHAPS someone with arthritis/gunshy? I definitely wouldn't carry it... It could be fun at the range, but so are higher-power firearms with cheaper ammo.

 

[MCgunner]

.380s sole attribute is that it's a blow back cartridge of somewhat more power than .32. Of course, it's primary use is in pocket guns. Hell, I mean, now days we have 9x19 pocket guns that are lighter and slightly more compact than a PPK. .380 has been force to shrink in gun size to find a niche in the market. There are still larger frame .380 for those that actually WANT them, as has been expressed.

 

[Tcruse]

The point of price being the issue is that for .40 or .45 you get some extra performance for the extra cost. In 380acp you get less performance and guns no smaller than 9mm guns. In other countries, as mentioned before that are reasons, but not here.

 

[tomwalshco]

Taurus makes a MilPro 380. 12 rounds I think. Had a Milpro 9, good shooter and liked it. You might find some 380 under $10 now, but it would be Russian and steel casings. Usually fine with a bigger gun...... my P3AT handles it well.

 

[JustinJ]

Larger .380s are still quite popular with women shooters.

 

[FMF Doc]

The Case for a big .380

1. 9mm is soft shooting, 380 is SOFTER shooting.
2. There are several fixed (non-tilting barrel).380s out there, not
9mms. Fixed barrel tend to be more accurate becuase the barrel doesn't
move.
3. Sometimes you just want to feel James Bond-like classy.

 

[dogtown tom]

MCgunner .380s sole attribute is that it's a blow back cartridge...

Really?
I've never heard of a "blow back cartridge".
"Blowback operation" yes.........and five of the .380's I shoot are locked breech/recoil operation, so I don't understand what you are trying to say.

FMF Doc 1. 9mm is soft shooting, 380 is SOFTER shooting.

In identical firearms, yes.

But shoot a 9mm recoil operated pistol of the same weight as a .380 blowback pistol and the recoil may seem greater with the .380......my Browning BDA's recoil seems greater than my Kahr PM9, Glock 19 or Browning Hi Power.

 

[gym]

I guarantee 2 or 3 rounds from a powerball 380 round will kill anyone just as ded as a 9mm, within 25 feet. I won't say "as long as you do your part" "just as long as you can shoot". We should concentrate on the shooter more and the caliber less, The way special forces are taught, you can pick anything in the field as you go and be able to use it to it's optimal usage.A nice corbon hollowpoint under the eye socket should work as well with either round. A shot in the fleshy part of the abdomen won't work well to stop a crazed adrenalin pumped soldier or civilian regaurdless of the caliber. I saw a fellow with 5, 45 cal bullets in him, in my living room, remove his shirt, and you would never know he had ever been shot, other than the scars.

 

[Hossfly68]

I delivered a Hi point .380 today. I wouldn't call it a pocket pistol.
Ugly? Yes.... Small? Not even close.

 

[MedWheeler]

Wow. Just got my Gander Mountain flyer in the mail and, lo and behold, there's mention of a "Taurus 638" pistol, of which I'd not yet heard. Yes, a .380ACP-chambered pistol with a fifteen-round magazine. True, it's not built here in the US, but more for the foreign market that prohibits larger calibers.

 

[jwash3rd]

I said I'd never get a .380 because of all the standard arguments put forth previously. I have a P-11 but always thought about getting something I could drop in my pocket during the summer. My LGS just had Taurus TCP 738s on sale for $185 so I figured what the heck. But a full size .380? You never know, somebody might give me one someday. Otherwise it's an answer to a question I never asked.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

Since this thread has gone way off subject anyway I figured I would add my $.02 worth. I have a Sig P232 stainless in .380 which I was pretty disappointed with initially. Once I made some empty brass and heated up the loads a bit I am now very happy with it as far as penetration and accuracy. It is the most comfortable auto pistol I have by far and I believe comfort = increased accuracy in almost any situation. It only holds 7 rounds in the magazine but if you can shoot that is 6 more than you should need.

 

[PabloJ]

With the Rohrbaugh R9 available there is no longer need for the 9 SHORT. Guy had R9 with box and papers for $800 I'm complete idiot for passing on that pistol. To me the 9 SHORT is obsolete.

 

[Gun Geezer]

I've always wanted a H&H double rifle in 380 ACP. Just can't find one.:banghead:

 

[PabloJ]

I've always wanted a H&H double rifle in 380 ACP. Just can't find one.:banghead:

The 9.5 version English call .375H&H flanged is very nice especially in back action side-lock called 'Dominion'. I much prefer .450/400 or .465/500 calibers.

 

[harmon rabb]

Wow. Just got my Gander Mountain flyer in the mail and, lo and behold, there's mention of a "Taurus 638" pistol, of which I'd not yet heard. Yes, a .380ACP-chambered pistol with a fifteen-round magazine. True, it's not built here in the US, but more for the foreign market that prohibits larger calibers.

Lulz. Taurus will make anything. I'm convinced they write down all drunken ideas the engineers have at the xmas party then make them.

A 40s&w revolver? Brilliant!

A lever action revolver carbine? Great idea!

On a serious note, i give taurus credit for having the guts to make any damn thing then see if it sells.

 

[MachIVshooter]

I honestly don't see the point in the .380 cartridge anymore, since our 9mm pocket pistols are getting just as small, if not the same size.

.380's are still smaller. Even the tiny Rorbaugh R9 is larger/heavier than a P3AT, and also known for being finnicky and high-maintenance.

The 9x19 may fit into pistols once reserved for .32 and .380, but conversely the .380 is now available in pistols that are dimensionally equal to and lighter than those chambered in .25 ACP back in the day (Save for the baby Browning/Bauer). So yes, the .380 still fills a useful niche.

However, guns like the Beretta 84/Browning BDA offer no advantage over 9x19mm today. They are just as big, and recoil more harshly because of the blowback operation. I had an 84 FS Inox, and it was a beautiful gun, fun to shoot. But I sold it when money was tight and have no plans to replace it. I had bought it for a girl I was with, and she ended up preferring the 9mm Baby Eagle.

 

[the_hustleman]

I have a Beretta 84 that holds 13+1 rounds of .380 ACP in a double-stack magazine, and it got me wondering if there are still very many high-capacity compact .380 pistols being made?

All of the recent .380s I can think of are sub-compact single-stack ones like the LCP, where size is obviously the primary design consideration.

13 rounds is hardly what I would consider high capacity.

But why would you want a more expensive less capable round when you can have a 9mm?

*swyped from the evo so excuse any typos*

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

You just need a bigger pocket. Simplicity and reliability since 1934.............

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