Picked up a Remington RM380

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MAKster,

Not quite Gangsta, but I was worried about the possibility, as this is a self defense gun, that one might be shooting from on the ground and from odd angles between being kicked.

Long ago when I could get away with it I would live fire from the ground at very near targets.....as I was laying on the spoil at the bottom of the back stop.

When someone caught me they had a cow, even though every round was hitting below the center line of the back stop. They expressed concerns about me shooting my own knee or foot or off hand. Gee-whiz, not like that hasn't happened before!

For a bit I used wax loads in the back yard. Then I went to BB guns or air soft.

Still have not shot myself in those drills......yet.

Those pocket pistols are slow to get into action and thugs might not give you any warning at all. Suddenly you are on the ground and you have never even thought about drawing, presenting in a way to clear yourself, and shooting to hit from down there waiting for the arrival of unfriendly brogans. Now what?

If I need to know to never shoot the gun or handle the gun or do immediate action drill with the gun with it turned to either side or upside down to prevent a stoppage, I want to know about it.

Plan ahead or you might not keep yours.

-kBob
 
If I need to know to never shoot the gun or handle the gun or do immediate action drill with the gun with it turned to either side or upside down to prevent a stoppage, I want to know about it.

A legitimate concern, kBob.

Last night I racked the slide at full, medium, and slow speeds with the gun held 90 degrees to the left. The pin didn't not move into the slide unless I would hold the pin aligned with the pin hole and shook it. In that case it would come out partially or all the way, depending on how long I kept shaking it. When that happens, the gun is about 1/4" out of battery. All of this was with the pin being almost dry.

Possibly, this could be replicated with a feed jam if all aligned just right. Of course, testing and using ammo that is highly reliable would minimize this to perhaps zero. The good thing about the RM380 is that the feed ramp is highly polished (yet blackened with the rest of the barrel) and seems to slide in FMJ round nose like butter.

The only other ammo I have on hand is flat nose FMJ which I just bought and haven't tried it yet. JHP needs to be tried as well.

EDIT: By the way, the pin, frame holes, and barrel cam slot have a good bit of grease on them now and the pin isn't moving out of its position unless I use a tool to push it through.
 
The one here has a very sharp & rough edge on that half-inch "insert" in the frame just above the trigger on the right side.

Have not fired it yet, but appears it'll scrape skin on the finger.
Anybody else have a sharp edge there?
Denis

I don't even know what that is, it doesn't exist on the R9.

It turns out that piece is part of the right grip panel and is the right side trigger pin support and also fills the gap in the frame. Both grips retain all the pins in the frame. The only pins that aren't push out style are the extractor pin, ejector pin, and the hammer strut pin.

While I had the gun apart (which is similar to taking apart my NAA Guardian) I used a box cutter blade to trim that molding flash from the trigger pin support of the right grip. Easy, peasy. :)

Here are some photos:

edit: Torx T-7 required for grip removal.

rem-right-grip.jpg


rem-apart-1.jpg


rem-apart-2.jpg
 
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Chic,
Thanks.
I may try that if that edge becomes a problem during shooting.
Most likely will not be keeping the pistol afterward, so if it doesn't need to be done, I won't bother.

If I were keeping it, definitely.
That rough edge shouldn't be there.
Denis
 
ME2. :)

Probably be next month, too many other things to get outa the way first.
It'll be part of a 3-gun shoot-out between it, the Schmidt M&P Bodyguard, and the Rugger Elsie.
Denis
 
chicharrones said:
What kind of holster are you using, Rock?

For a cheap option, I'm using a DeSantis Sof-Tuck (106 sized model) which fits it well. It's more of a small IWB. I plan to get a leather pocket holster for it and was considering even the Crossbreed MicroClip...I just can't pocket carry when wearing a suit.

As to the discussion on the take-down pin, it is an interesting design. I too tried to rack the slide slowly while holding sideways...I never could get it to "fall out". It's pretty damn difficult to just disassembly when you're actually trying to get the pin out! :D

I will admit, the finish isn't inspiring, mine continues to eat everything and runs nonstop...it's a nice little shooter that isn't uncomfortable even after a 100+rounds.

ROCK6
 
The guy that got my RM380 jammed up might be the best at making any gun malfunction.

He is fairly new to firearms and a couple months ago I gave him basic instructions on operating my Norinco SKS. Next thing I know he had a magazine jam. Bolt stuck back on the top two rounds jammed up good and not even trying to chamber.

So, I unhinged the mag to dump the load and pulled the bolt carrier back and all was good again. I've never seen my SKS have that problem, ever. :eek: :)
 
For a cheap option, I'm using a DeSantis Sof-Tuck (106 sized model) which fits it well. It's more of a small IWB. I plan to get a leather pocket holster for it and was considering even the Crossbreed MicroClip...I just can't pocket carry when wearing a suit.

I researched pocket holsters over the last few days until I was tired of it all. My final decision was in between a Guru holster and the double sided Recluse TS Front.

I almost went for a Talon holster, which was originally made for the small Kahr .380, but the Kahr is almost 2 tenths of an inch more narrow than the RM.

I already have two holsters similar to the Guru, so I figured I'd try the Recluse TS. I ordered the tan version in cowhide and expect it to arrive in about two weeks.

It's more money than I'd prefer to spend, but I don't want to wait on other holster makers to catch up to the RM380. I hope it works well.
 
As some of you know I pinch pennies until I hear Honest Abe holler.

My first pocket carry holster for my old Beretta21A was a cheap suede inside the belt holster which I had cut the belt clip from.

Once the outer suede had become so polished from use that I experienced pulling it out when drawing the gun, still on the gun I used an old "Hush Puppy" Shoes brush to rough it up......OK feel free to make comments about me still having a brass bristle brush made to keep suede alive on shoes not marketed in 30 years. I told you he hollers.

This worked a time or two but then no longer worked. I then noticed a couple of fairly wide rubber bands in the business desk drawer and looped them about the holster. It was a balancing act between so tight as to hold the gun in the holster with the rubber band and tight enough to stay on the holster and provide friction. This did work fine and I changed the rubber bands on occasion.

With another such holster I later duck taped a bit of folded over cardboard to give the holster a bit of an L shape so that the cardboard edge of the L would catch in the pocket to ensure the holster and gun separated.

If you think I treat Mr. Lincoln badly you should hear Mr. Jefferson complain.

-kBob
 
My RM .380 is relatively accurate at close ranges, certainly tiight enough for self protection and has operated without incident. It certainly is not going to win a beauty contest with it's flat ugly finish and grips but a working pistol has no place in such a contest. The take down pin bothered me at first but shooting the pistol has laid those concerns aside.
As i have other carry pistols i much prefer the RM has been regulated to my PU as a "truck gun" which can also be dropped into a pocket. My pistol has had a few hundred rounds through it but honestly i would rather shoot my P 238 or P 938, one of which i normally carry.
 
I also have a P938 and searching for a new .380 to replace a firstgen LCP I found the trigger pull comparison to be unfair. No DA is as short or crisp as an SA, even when the SA might be a pound heavier.

I tried the RM380 trigger pull at a gun store when the salesman insisted and found it to be a tad too long for me. It wasn't overly high but I pulling it back to nearly touch the frame was difficult for my aging beat up hand. I choose a different gun - DA - with a shorter pull.

RM380's were first sold at Rohrbaughs and marketed at a pretty high price. They were also recommended to use only ONE ammo IIRC but others tried out the available ones and found the usual suspects were jammomatics just like in other .380s. Having Remington buy out Rohrbaugh to produce the gun was perceived as problematic at first - how bad was it going to be and would the product even measure up to it's previous standard?

Well, you get what you pay for, it's not the high priced finished pocket jewelry the Rohrbaugh was but it's consistently had positive reviews from the beginning. Those who are standing aside waiting for it to be proven are going to realize they are johnny come lately's when they get around to paying attention to it. It's been out long enough it's not beta testing and Remington hasn't gone thru any issues, recalls, or Gen 2 versions in yet. Something Keltec, Ruger, and SIG did go thru with their guns. My P938 is a post 80k serial number with a 9mm extractor not .380 - even SIG can make a design mistake.

For me it came down to pulling the trigger and I went a different direction (I had not even anticipated.) The RM380 is apparently something worth investigating and their owners aren't jumping thru hoops with Customer Service, fluffing and buffing, sending them in for a recall, or throwing them in the back of the safe to buy something else. These days that's pretty good.
 
The Recluse TS front pocket holster came in today. It smells like fresh dyed leather.

The curve towards the bottom fits my front pockets better than the squared off holsters I have for other guns. It's easy to draw from and the holster stays in my pocket due to the way it splays out when my hand goes in it.

So far. So good. :cool:

rec-tsf-1.jpg


rec-tsf-2.jpg
 
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