Reason for choosing a 380 over a 9 mm???

[usp9]

Phil DeGraves,

Personally, with the compact 9mms I see no reason for ME to own a 380.

Following that logic you would not carry a 9mm due to the availability of a tiny .45acp, (Kahr PM45), virtually the same size as the 9mm. Right?

Is there no room for simple personal preference?

 

[antsi]

Is there no room for simple personal preference?

He did put the ME in all caps - I think he was emphasizing that his answer is different than other people's answers. I think that's what this thread illustrates. Everyone is different: different size hands, different bellies, different clothing, different situations where we carry. What the .380 offers has significant pluses for some people but for others, its pluses don't mean as much and they are more worried about its minuses.

The Russians have a saying about how every tongue has its own taste, which always sounded a bit lewd to me. In English, it's to each his own...

 

[Lonestar49]

In a Nutshell

...

+ 1


Ls

 

[mbt2001]

My mom is 53. She can't rack the slide on a 9mm / .40 because MOST of them are recoil operated. The blow back designs don't need the same strength to rack the slide... Perfect for mom.

 

[hexidismal]

One thing that you have to consider when discussing the matter of WHY .380 is even around.. is that the majority of us (but not all) on this board are Americans. As Americans we tend toward different views from many other parts of the world. When you talk to people here, 9mm or 38 special are often considered the minimum in self defense rounds. Elsewhere in the world though, .380 or sometimes more commonly the very similar 9x18 Mak is the standard issue law enforcement pistol round.

 

[Lonestar49]

That is strange, in that..

Quote: My mom is 53. She can't rack the slide on a 9mm / .40 because MOST of them are recoil operated. The blow back designs don't need the same strength to rack the slide... Perfect for mom.
------------
...

I had originally bought the Sig 380, blow-back action gun for my wife, and she struggled with racking the slide every time.. Yet, when I bought her the SA EMP 9mm which has a much shorter and far less, stronger/heavier, spring-load as that of the Sigs far bigger, longer, harder, more resistance type recoil spring for the blow back action to work, and she loves the ease of the slide-racking-action of the EMP 9mm far over the Sigs 380acp (short 9mm) blow-back action.

Not to mention the "ease" of loading all 9 rounds of 9mm into any of the 3 new mags that came with the gun, over, the still, much harder, demands of the 7 round mags of the Sig, yet both are single-stack mags.

It must be a Sig P232 380 blow-back action thing only, including the mags, no?

Stranger things can happen, I guess.. women

It's all good,


Ls


Ps.. my wife is 46, but I didn't tell any of you that..

 

[Ed Ames]

I think it's just one expression of the classic, "High Performance, small and light, or Low price... pick two" joke with a side of physics.

The 9x17mm is a lower performance cart than the 9x19mm. As such you can have a thinner barrel/chamber (for smaller size), lighter components in general, and use reasonably priced materials for low cost. If you want to bump the performance you are either going to bump the size or the cost significantly.

The PF9 type compact 9mm pistols bump the size. Some of the really tiny 9mm pistols significantly bump the cost. On the flip side, Bersa and others sell larger (than p3at size) .380s that have even higher performance in other ways (more accurate, etc) at the same or lower cost. It's all a trade off.

The side of physics is that, in a small pistol, many people are already at their recoil control limit with 9x17mm. They actualy go down to the 32acp and smaller because the 9x17mm kicks too much and "really jumps around". Bump the muzzle energy by 1/3rd and people are going to have an even harder time holding on.

 

[owlhoot]

Lonestar, never mind the guns. That's a mighty fine looking dog.

BTW, when I was a young man virtually every police department in Europe was armed with the .32. The .380 was rarely seen, and the 9mm was never seen. Of course, the British bobbie wasn't armed at all. The Mak didn't come along until many years later and then, only behind the iron curtain.

 

[Phil DeGraves]

"Following that logic you would not carry a 9mm due to the availability of a tiny .45acp, (Kahr PM45), virtually the same size as the 9mm. Right?"
I have .45s as well but to comment no, that is not right, because the 9mm has certain advantages over a .45 such as continuity of fire and low recoil that the blowback 380s do not have over the 9mm. Not to mention the versatility of loads available for 9mm that are not available for the 380.

In other words, why would you carry a less powerful round that is harder to shoot well in the platforms available?

"The side of physics is that, in a small pistol, many people are already at their recoil control limit with 9x17mm. They actualy go down to the 32acp and smaller because the 9x17mm kicks too much and "really jumps around". Bump the muzzle energy by 1/3rd and people are going to have an even harder time holding on."

That is only true if you compare locked breech to locked breech or blowback to blowback. Given the same energy, blowback actions have more perceived recoil than locked breech actions. Since most 380s are blowback and most 9mms are locked breech, this argument is not valid.

"Is there no room for simple personal preference?"

That's why I said no 380s "for ME."

 

[electronrider]

My wife fell in love with the Bersa Thunder 380. Would I want to use that in a "gunfight"? Heck no! Would I use that in a situation where a handgun could mean the difference between me getting beaten by a group of violent youths, a mugger, or a rapist? Heck yes! As gun owners, we take a much more critical look at things like bullett pentration, bullet expansion, terminal ballistics, etc. The common unkowing person does not look at a gun being pointed at them and go " Oh my! a .45 ACP, I better run and hide!, or Meh, a mere .380 ACP, I can still take em!" They simply see a handgun being presented at them in a competant manner.

Shot palcement is absolutely critical, regardless of the caliber of bullet used. While the larger calibers pack more punch, poorly placed shots out of these are going to be just as bad as poorly placed shots out of smaller calibers.

My wife has gotten to where she can place a full mag of .380 into a 3 inch group at 10 yards. For some of us, that is marginal at best. For the average criminal, that is more than sufficient. The fact that she likes the looks of it, and she enjoys shooting it, far far outweighs the fact that I would much rather see her using a .45. ( I prefer my 1911 for carry) It also makes my hobby that much more easier to expand, when she sees guns that she likes as well. ( My gun collection/hobby has become "our" gun collection hobby) What more can a guy ask for?

 

[romma]

I like .380s... I am crrying my .32 today, so a .380 is a step up. But I carry my 9mm more lately.

I think the PPK/s. Sig 232 and Bersa thunder .380 are sweet looking guns.

Also, I am being kinder to criminals that attempt to harm me because,,, who wants to get shot by an ugly gun?

I also believe they will do the job if the job is done correctly.

 

[CJ]

Got to go with size. I have some small 9mm and .45s, but they still need some sort of holster which can take extra time to put on. With a tiny .380, it can be in its pocket holster, grabbed, and slipped into a pocket without breaking stride.