Help Picking a .380 Pistol

[ArchAngelCD]

A friends wife wants to buy a pistol in .380 and since I don't know a lot about semi-autos I am asking for your picks. Reliability and accuracy are the most important topics and company service is important too. This will be her primary carry.

PLEASE DO NOT TELL ME TO PICK A DIFFERENT CALIBER, THE .380 IS A DONE DEAL.

PLEASE DO NOT go through all the usual talk about starting with a .22 (done) and letting her pick her own pistol because that will be done too. The primary reason for this thread is to narrow it down to the top picks for reliability and accuracy so that when she goes looking at pistols she won't waste her time on pistols that aren't reliable. She has already read pax's site so please don't post that either.

If you click "other" please explain why you made your choice.

Thank you....

 

[1 old 0311]

Boy this isn't going to open anything up is it?

 

[dralarms]

Actually I feel that you need to modify you choises a little, you left out a newcomer to the 380 market.

Try the Taurus PT58HC .380, not "small" but not med. either, somewhere inbetween, and it's a 19 +1 Yep, 19 +1 all steel construction so you can shoot +p if you want. I just placed 2 of them in layaway at my local pushers location . Can't find an image online but they are very smooth, the slide to frame is tight and smooth as glass.

 

[usp9]

Nothing wrong with .380 caliber. Some outstanding guns are made in this caliber. The most outstanding, IMHO, is the Beretta 84/85. It has all the qualities one wants in a firearm...accuracy, capacity, reliability, great ergonomics, easy takedown and it's beautiful.

The Sig P230/232 is also very good, but there are some very cantankerous p232s out there with feed problems. If you get a good one, these are accurate, slim, pointable and "fit" the human hand like no other.

The Sphinx AT380 has the best trigger of any DAO I've ever shot. Accuracy is good. This is a pretty small gun and one that I felt the recoil in more than others. Outstanding quality.

The CZ83 is heavy, accurate, reliable, moderately priced and has good capacity. Has no decocker if that matters.

To my knowledge the only .380s issued by U.S. LEO agencies are the Beretta, Sig and Sphinx AT380. These are the proven reliable and dependable ones. The CZ of course was used in Europe as a duty weapon. I'd choose one of these if I were you.

Here's a group pic of three of my .380s

 

[tostada]

The Bersa & Firestorm are the same gun with a different grip. Seeing as you made it quite clear that you just want to know which gun is the most reliable and accurate, you should've combined them. They're made in the same factory and all the critical parts are exactly the same.

The Bersa is probably the best 380, the most comfortable, and the best deal. The only other thing I'd consider would be the Thunder 380 CC if you wanted something a little smaller or the Kel-Tec if you wanted something extremely small.

http://www.gunblast.com/Bersa_Thunder380.htm
http://www.gunblast.com/Bersa_380CC.htm
http://www.gunblast.com/KelTec_P3AT.htm

 

[Ala Dan]

Quite naturally, I voted for the Seecamp LWS-380 as its probably the
finest pistol on your list; but they are scarce in my area, so my 2nd
choice would be the less expensive KEL-TEC P3AT~!

 

[cookekdjr]

SIG p230 or p232. Accurate, reliable, and concealable. Just slightly larger and less concealable than an airweight j-frame, but it holds 2 more rounds. Alot easier to shoot, too. I carry mine often.
-David

 

[Jim Watson]

Sig Sauer P232. Be sure to get a version with alloy frame, it will carry a good deal easier than the all stainless. It will kick more, but that is just what she has bought into (or been sold on) with a blowback pistol anyhow.

 

[LFOD1776]

Mouseguns are great for concealability, but they are going to be a little painful to shoot. Is your wife going to be prepared for some substantial kick?

Unless she's a bada$$, she may be better off with something a little more ergonomic.

 

[modifiedbrowning]

I voted Bersa, best bang for the buck.

 

[scurtis_34471]

Mouseguns are great for concealability, but they are going to be a little painful to shoot. Is your wife going to be prepared for some substantial kick?

This is not true of the Bersa, which is one of the reasons I like it so much. The Kel-Tec is pretty miserable to shoot, but the Bersa is a joy. I've put about 1000 rounds through it since September 2006 and absolutely love the little gun. I have the CC version, which only weighs 16.5oz without the mag. Its light enough and small enough for easy pocket carry in shorts. Its accurate, completely reliable and easy to field strip. Its also a steal at $300. I'd recommend it without hesitation.

 

[Harry Paget Flashman]

Concur, Bersa is the best bang for the buck. Why no CZ 83 on the list?

 

[sansone]

recoil is lightest on a "locked-breech" gun. the barrel backs slightly with the slide and toggles down when pressure drops. "blowback" autos are cheaper but the recoil is greater. for a woman this might be an issue

 

[Emptymag]

"Reliable, accurate and for carry" give a vague idea of what you're looking for, but not really enough info...

TYPE of carry? Purse/hip/pocket/other... overall size/weight of handgun are factors.

Accuracy? What distances do you have in mind? Most "pocket guns" aren't as accurate as "full-size" handguns w/longer barrels/better grips.


My .380 carry gun is a Colt Pony. It's just about perfect. (for ME)
Extremely reliable, (more so than my Glock) feels good in my hand and easily concealed in an IWB holster or Galco Ankle Glove.
The not so perfect part? It's a little heavy for wearing with some shorts. I am considering a Kel-Tec for hot weather carry. (I have a P32, but would like a .380)
Oh, the other not-so-perfect thing about the Colt... non-production/hard to find/expensive.

 

[berettashotgun]

The Beretta doublestack 84 or singlestack 85 WILL have frame feed wear after a K or so rounds. Both mine do. A little DEVCON in the affected area cured the problem for another thousand rounds, but hollow points with a very aggressive profile wear the frame between the barrel and magazine in the Berettas.
That said, I LOVE this model pistol. It is about as good as it gets for a shooting pistol.
In a side by side taste test comparison, it is actually BIGGER than a Para P-12. NOT GOOD! 13 rounds of .45 is always a better deal for me in a smaller/equal size pistol. Guess which pistol my wife carries??? Her choice. She always makes the rules 'round here,sigh, whip crack.
I voted other, but I don't know which pistol in Browning 9mm short has a combo of the features I'd look for in a carry weapon.
Must have features :
Ramped Barrel; see above
7 rounds of less mag ~ carry pistol, Right? Preferably double stack for size.
3" barrel minimum, it is a .380 still. Let's give it some assistance getting to the target.
Not required but very desirable:
plastic frame , not for weight but my 84 was purchased because of corrosion under the nickel plating on the ALUMINUM ALLOY frame. Carry pistol- right? sweaty palms/underwear band or whatnot.
DOA trigger, duh. no safety, Glock trigger would be great.
No sights. waste of my time and money. Shoot where you look in a carry that caliber.
I think the .380 is an excellent choice for carry, but a full sized pistol chambered in this caliber is way overboard.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

LFOD1776,
It's not for my wife, it's for a friend's wife. No, she isn't a bada$$ and doesn't like too much felt recoil.

Harry Paget Flashman,
Like I said, I don't know a lot about semi-autos and didn't realize CZ had a .380 Auto in current production. Nothing wrong with CZ and I will mention it to them if it gets enough attention in this thread.

Emptymag,
I didn't mention the type of carry because she is willing to adapt the carry method to the pistol she selects. She doesn't want to disqualify a good pistol because of a carry method.

 

[scurtis_34471]

The CZ is a really nice gun, but its heavy. One of the reasons I prefer to the Bersa CC to the CZ or the Sig is weight. The CZ and Sig have better fit and finish, but the Bersa CC is almost as light as a S&W Skandium Air-Weight snubby. The alloy frame and the very comfortable grip make the gun a lot more "solid" and easy to shoot than true mouse guns like the Kel-Tec. It is a blowback design, but even my extremely petite wife does not find the recoil to be a problem.

 

[sansone]

she isn't a bada$$ and doesn't like too much felt recoil.........

less felt recoil: "locked-breech guns". maybe THR members can add more

Kel-Tec P3AT
Colt Govt .380
Colt Mustang
Colt Mustang +II
Colt Pony

 

[JJE]

I picked the PPK/S because that's what I bought a couple of months ago. 260 shots fired with no failures of any kind - FMJ and a few premium self-defense hollowpoints. The DA trigger pull is very heavy, but you do get used to it, especially if you do a bit of DA dry fire. The actual feel of the trigger (DA and SA) is not bad at all. People often say the .380s recoil too much for what you're getting ballistically, but you get used to that too. The first time I shot 50 rounds I thought that I probably wouldn't be shooting the PPK/S very much. But the more I shoot it, the more I want to shoot it. Mine shoots a couple of inches low at 20'. Reliable, compact, nice solid feel. Wood Hogue grips and a Blade-Tech IWB holster are on order. Nice gun.

 

[19-3Ben]

Archangel-
You say you want accuracy, reliability, and customer service?
Take a good look at the Sig P232. I have one in stainless. It is more accurate than I can shoot it. After about 2000 rounds, I completely trust it.
It's got a great weight, and perfect balance. Low recoil compared to the lighter/smaller .380's. Great sight picture. Stiff slide that may be hard to rack at first, but after about 2-300 rounds it broke in very nicely.
I have wood grips on it now because they cling less to clothing, so they are slightly easier to CCW, but I really love the feel of the gun with Hogue wrap-around rubber grips.

It jammed once with a round of Speer Gold Dot. But has since, run about 50 rounds of Gold Dot, as well as 25 rounds of Hydra-shock without a single malfunction. I think it may have jamed on that one round because I had put about 500 rounds through the gun, and then loaded the GD's without cleaning it at all. Even then, it only jamed on that one. The next 2 mags of gold dot that I put through it that night went without a hitch.

 

[Dravur]

simple...

If you are going to carry a .380, you might as well carry the smallest. I love mine. Buit, why would you carry a .380 that is the same size, if not larger than many 9mms out there?

 

[The Unknown User]

Is it just me or do a lot of .380's look like the PPK? Are they "copies" of one another or is it just a simple design?

 

[MrBorland]

.380s are funny in an ironic kind of way to me - one would think they were designed "light recoil" pistols, but they turn out to really designed as small carry guns: As others point out, their light weight tends to cancel out the light load, so recoil isn't insignificant, and on very light weight .380s, can be downright sharp.

So with that in mind, I went looking for a relatively heavy .380 for my recoil-sensitive GF, and found the CZ85 (though I haven't bought it yet). We both shot it a few times and really enjoyed it. In particular, it's fairly heavy among .380s (about 29oz), so recoil is relatively light, which you'll notice if you shoot a 9mm immediately afterward. The one we shot is a rental, with whatever ammo the range makes you buy when you use it, but it repeatedly put 8 rounds through a single jagged hole at 25ft. And no FTEs/FTFs, which was impressive for a dirty rental.

Maybe there are even heavier .380s out there, and it might be worthwhile to do a quick screen by looking over the weights of the listed pistols.

 

[obxned]

I love my P3AT, but I think she would find the Bersa suited her needs better.

 

[MICHAEL T]

BERSA ACCURATE RELIEABLE AND GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY


http://bersatalk.com visit and ask questions They will tell you the good experiances as well as a cople have had not so good.