Musings on Today's .380 Pistols

My advice to anyone who carries a micro gun for sd:
Practice, practice, practice with it and your SD ammo.
This is the confounding thing with the LCP. The damned things always seem to work, and you could hit things smaller than a breadbox. But they are just snappy/unpleasant to shoot. Which discourages the frequent practice you need with such a small caliber and gun.
The BG2.0(and 1.0) are answers to that question, as is the G42.
Moon
 
Regarding 380 recoil, my softest one of many is the Walther PK380. Yes, it’s fugly and built by a paint ball gun company, funky safety, but is easy and accurate. Too big for what I want in a deep carry, but fun shooter. Second most fun of mine is my Bersa Thunder plus. Big grip surrounding 15 rounds, and heavy-ish when loaded up, so it’s always fun and fairly soft as well despite blowback design.
 
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I only have two subcompact .380s and one is really a 9x18, my Baby Rock and Polish P-64. All the rest are compact with that being my Beretta 80s series (84 & 85) and one clone (Girsan). I prefer the compacts over the subs. The only "modern" one I own is the Girsan MC14 G84, the one on the bottom.

Beretta and Girsan 84BB.jpg
 
Where I am in finding Goldilocks, with a premium on weight, or lack there of. From top left to bottom right fully loaded weights are 13.8oz, 12.6, 12.5, 11.3, and 10.2. Each have their pluses and minuses of course. The first one, IMO, is almost as cantankerous as number two. Number three is very civilized though a bit big in the butt. Number four is a little bit feisty and five is a 32 kitten. Looking forward to number threes slimmer sister to be arriving in a week or so. I wish that Ruger had done the LCP in 32 as well.
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Well...

I'm VERY attached to my Bodyguard 2.0. So much so, I ordered a second one, just to be sure I still have one after the next time my youngest pays a visit...

:D

I'm also going to pay a visit to a local gun smith to see if the front sight on the one I currently have can be better centered, as I've not been able to budge it myself.
 
The original S&W Bodyguard has been very reliable, easy to carry, the trigger on mine a little lighter, easy recoil. I have the Ruger LCP Max, it is also a great pistol. But my favorite is the Springfield 911, front/rear night sights, ambi-safeties (I'm a lefty), accurate, low recoil, lightest trigger out there.
 
Well...

I'm VERY attached to my Bodyguard 2.0. So much so, I ordered a second one, just to be sure I still have one after the next time my youngest pays a visit...

:D

I'm also going to pay a visit to a local gun smith to see if the front sight on the one I currently have can be better centered, as I've not been able to budge it myself.
I also bought a second one just last week. The XS R3D 2.0 sights for it should be arriving today. One thing I learned is that the first one's trigger is down to 4 pounds after nearly 2000 rounds, and the new one started at slightly over 5 pounds. Two nights of dry firing the new one brought the weight down to 4-1/2 pounds. See if you notice the difference with your second one. The second one also does not have the ridge at the top of the ramp attached to the frame, and the sights are centered unlike the first one.
 
We got my wife a Walther CCP M2 380 last fall. She has arthritis in her hand so between that and other factors she has difficulty racking most autos (even this one is marginal at times). But she seems to like it OK and if she's happy, I'm happy. I'd never get one for myself, though, at least not that gun. I'm pretty underwhelmed with it.
 
We got my wife a Walther CCP M2 380 last fall. She has arthritis in her hand so between that and other factors she has difficulty racking most autos (even this one is marginal at times). But she seems to like it OK and if she's happy, I'm happy. I'd never get one for myself, though, at least not that gun. I'm pretty underwhelmed with it.
Consider yourself lucky. Of the nearly half dozen 380s I've gotten my wife, based on her criteria/wants/suggestions, she's been happy with none of them for one reason or another. The crazy light racker M&P 380 EZ's grip safety bugged her. The crazy light rack Walther PK380 was too complicated. And so on through a few incrementally slightly more difficult to rack, even one that had a tip up barrel....
So, again, enjoy your choice.
 
Consider yourself lucky. Of the nearly half dozen 380s I've gotten my wife, based on her criteria/wants/suggestions, she's been happy with none of them for one reason or another. The crazy light racker M&P 380 EZ's grip safety bugged her. The crazy light rack Walther PK380 was too complicated. And so on through a few incrementally slightly more difficult to rack, even one that had a tip up barrel....
So, again, enjoy your choice.
She likes her Ruger Mark IV Standard better. :cool: She wouldn't even consider the M&P after experiencing the 100+ year old grip safety on our little 1903 Pocket Hammerless. Totally different world now, but that was that.

The CCP fits my hand well enough but the ergonomics of the slide and mag release buttons preclude using my primary thumb on them. I have to reach in with the other hand or break grip to push them. Plus there's the extreme dirtiness of the gas delayed blowback action. Yuck. And that odious mag interlock... double yuck. The striker failing after 19 rounds didn't help. Nor did the migrating roll pin in the slide. Both had to be fixed by Walther, neither with exemplary communication. But it's apparently all past that now. At least until the next thing breaks.
 
She likes her Ruger Mark IV Standard better. :cool: She wouldn't even consider the M&P after experiencing the 100+ year old grip safety on our little 1903 Pocket Hammerless. Totally different world now, but that was that.

The CCP fits my hand well enough but the ergonomics of the slide and mag release buttons preclude using my primary thumb on them. I have to reach in with the other hand or break grip to push them. Plus there's the extreme dirtiness of the gas delayed blowback action. Yuck. And that odious mag interlock... double yuck. The striker failing after 19 rounds didn't help. Nor did the migrating roll pin in the slide. Both had to be fixed by Walther, neither with exemplary communication. But it's apparently all past that now. At least until the next thing breaks.
Ha! The only pistol my wife like to shoot is her Mk III !
 
Having shot the Ruger Security 380 this weekend, all I can say is WHY AREN'T MORE COMPANIES MAKING THIS? This pistol weighs 20oz and has the felt recoil of a .32!

I don't even want another medium/large frame .380 now because they're almost all straight blowback. Besides a fixed barrel, what's the benefit to a blowback .380 when Ruger is making these for under $300 with 15 round magazines?
 
Having shot the Ruger Security 380 this weekend, all I can say is WHY AREN'T MORE COMPANIES MAKING THIS? This pistol weighs 20oz and has the felt recoil of a .32!

I don't even want another medium/large frame .380 now because they're almost all straight blowback. Besides a fixed barrel, what's the benefit to a blowback .380 when Ruger is making these for under $300 with 15 round magazines?
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This pistol stays in my rotation…
I replaced the RSA with a +10 .. from Galloway.. shoots even softer .. follow up shots .. fast and accurate..
 
Recently got a SIG P-238. Absolutely reliable (150 rounds so far) with hardball and BuffaloBore HCFN. Excellent sights. About 1 lb fully loaded and very tame recoil. Goes with me every morning on my dog walks and adequate for any four legged critter in this part of New Mexico, no Grizzlies or Moose here.
 
Recently got a SIG P-238. Absolutely reliable (150 rounds so far) with hardball and BuffaloBore HCFN. Excellent sights. About 1 lb fully loaded and very tame recoil. Goes with me every morning on my dog walks and adequate for any four legged critter in this part of New Mexico, no Grizzlies or Moose here.
Bought one for wife some years ago, probably run 300-400 rounds of ball through it with no hiccups. For JHP it likes Hornady Critical Defense - took a bit to figure that out <grin>. Bought the extended magazine so I have a place to put my pinky.
It is a sweet shooter.
She lets me borrow it once in a while 🤠
 
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