How many of you own a 380?

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Love the .380 guns. They feel good in the hand. They point well. And, as I age, I find the .380 a very manageable round - quick and accurate with rapid fire (something I can't do with a .40 or .45 anymore). But I don't carry a .380. Even though the .380 is so much more convenient to carry, it's 9mm for me.

Two things eliminate the .380 for me:

1. .380 rounds have become very expensive. 40 cents per round and up. I can get 9mm for 25 to 28 cents a round. I can afford to practice at the range more with 9mm than I can with .380. And practice is crucial.

2. The idea with a defensive round, as I understand it, is shooter accuracy with adequate penetration and expansion. I can get accuracy with a .380 but have to choose between penetration or expansion. Don't have to make the choice with 9mm.

The upshot here is that I love the .380, but practicality compels me to carry a 9mm.
 
fteter said:
1. .380 rounds have become very expensive. 40 cents per round and up. I can get 9mm for 25 to 28 cents a round. I can afford to practice at the range more with 9mm than I can with .380. And practice is crucial.

2. The idea with a defensive round, as I understand it, is shooter accuracy with adequate penetration and expansion. I can get accuracy with a .380 but have to choose between penetration or expansion. Don't have to make the choice with 9mm.

The upshot here is that I love the .380, but practicality compels me to carry a 9mm.
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I buy 380 fmj/FP all the time for 30 cents a round from Freedom Munitions and jhp with Hornady XTP bullet for 41 cents a round.
 
Have a TCP while at work as it disappears in pocket and as a daily back up to my 9mm.

Wife carries a CZ83 with solid copper HP in summer. Hard cast in winter. With the longer barrel and 13+1 capacity it's my opinion that she's not under gunned.
 
Why isn't there a soft point load in .380 ACP? It seems to me that a jacketed soft point in the shape of the Winchester White box .380 ACP FMJ would be the go to round for .380 ACP.

You'd have controlled expansion with a flat nose lead, but have the penetration due to the solid medium. It would open slower, but dump more energy, and cause a better would track than a true FMJ.
I don't know why someone like Winchseter doesn't do this.
 
Seriously, look at the Buffalo Bore .380 FNHC (flat nose hard cast) loadings. They are all I carry now. I have the FNHC in my .380 PPK/s, .32 PPK and also carry the same in my 9mm Mak Bulgarian Makarov.

Completely sold on them and have full confidence in them. They cycle perfectly in all my carry guns.
 
I had a Sig 232 for some time...great gun....but I could find similarly sized platforms in the 9mm. Target ammo, let alone qualify defensive loads were hard to come by...and kind of pointless considering what I could find in a 9mm.
 
kokapelli said:
I had one and am really sorry I sold it, it was a really good shooter in every respect but I wanted something lighter and am now sorry I didn't keep, it.
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Yes it is a very nice shooter, one of my favorites at the range. Much more pleasant to shoot than the Bulgy I had in 9mm MAK.

Not the smallest or lightest pistol but a nice shooter that's easy to control and has very good accuracy.
 
I enjoy .380s. Some area favorite guns like my Beretta 84, Walther PPK and some of my ghosts of guns gone by.....colt mustang, beretta 34.
 
Way back when I was tempted by a Sig 232 because of it's wonderful trim size. But the .380 cartridge universally got bad reviews so I went with a .38 snubby instead.


I did handle an LCP out of curiosity, but it's far too small for effective control IMHO.I've never been tempted again until very recently when I saw pics of Glock's new G42. The G42 looks like it just may hit the size range of big enough to shoot well, small enough to be discrete. I look forward to seeing one in person.
 
I have a Sterling D/A .380. Works well - fairly accurate. Thing is, my Firestar .45 isn't much bigger ( it is heavier ). So I carry the Firestar. I did have a P 38 brown handle - 9mm I got in trade for a case of WW2 surplus A Piercing .30. Problem was, every shot, the slide locked up and had to be released manually. Just needed some work. Probably should have kept it. I heard ( I HEARD ) the P 38 would fire .380. I never took the time to research it & it may be a total crock. If true, I would think there may be feeding problems. Just something I heard. As far as the ammo I traded, the collector - dealer just wanted the brass. Had hot primers that were very corrosive - I believe fulminated mercury; so ya had to really give the 03 a good scrubbing if you fired that old ammo. I think ( and I could be dead wrong ) WW2, and it was critical that the round fired at all costs, and hot primers were used. Like I said - I'm just guessing.
 
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The .380acp is a fun round and I've owned a few of those pistols. But I've never been able to justify keeping one in my collection indefinitely. I have always found another more powerful caliber that does the concealed carry job just as well.
 
I came to the Ruger LCP in .380 via a Beretta 930 in .25 ACP. I came into possession of the little Beretta and started carrying it around one summer. Up until then, I usually carried a J-frame S&W or a Glock 19. I kind of liked the lil' auto. Thinner than the J-frame and a little smaller too. BUT, It's a .25 ACP. A co-worker had purchased a LCP and filled me in on it. So, for Christmas a couple of years ago, I gave myself an LCP. The .380 ain't no barn burner, but the LCP is something that I can drop in a pocket and go with very quickly. That's my story.
 
I have three .380s. A cute purple Ruger LCP bought for my wife. Keltec P3AT as my pocket pistol and a Walther stainless PPK/S.
 
fteter said:
Kokapelli,

Thanks for the tip on Freedom Munitions! I'll check 'em out.
Click to expand...
I have a Kahr P380 and the Freedom Munitions will not feed in my gun. Precision One works well in the P380.
 
because there are not a lot of 9mms and bigger that are capable of fitting in your pocket or on your ankle and still keep it concealed.

that is 380s major niche.
 
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