http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3623/is_199509/ai_n8729217
A google search with the terms "1995 sw380" yielded this as the first link. Of course, remembering the model number and the year when it came out helps a bit.
I played with both the .380 and the slightly upsized 9mm version. Didn't get to shoot either one. IIRC, in order to meet a price point they decided to use a zinc slide-- hence the limited lifespan. Keep in mind that at the time, it was as small as anyone could get a .380 and still have it work (somewhat) reliably. Also, this was (just) before the big CCW reform/boom. There was no large (for the gun world) market for high-dollar pocket CCW pistols. In order to successfully market the pistol, they had to try and tap into some of Jennings/Bryco/Raven/etc's customer base. At the time, if you wanted something in production that didn't weigh a ton (like the PPKs) or was actually small enough to fit in a pocket holster (unlike the SiG P230 and later P232) and was .380 caliber or larger then your options were limited. Heh. Actually, they were nonexistant.
When the SW380 and the SW9M came out (this all from memory, I stand to be corrected):
There was no Kel-Tec .32, much less a Kel-Tec .380. The P11 was much, much larger.
There was no Beretta .32. Unless you wanted a .25acp single-action pocket pistol (950), the only thing Beretta had to offer was the model 21a in .22lr.
The Colt Mustang/Gov't .380s had been discontinued for awhile, weren't easy to find and were single-action. (Great for a belt gun, for a pocket gun-- not so much.) Needless to say, the Pony and Pocket 9 didn't exist.
The Seecamp .380 also didn't exist.
North American Arms only made .22 mini-revolvers. Their .32 and .380 autos didn't exist.
Of course, the "J"-frame magnums had just come out, but they were all-steel at this point. The 442 (and 642) existed, but they were revolvers. Also, in 1995, the 442-1 revision hadn't been released. Before the -1s, the official word from S&W was no +P loads. I seem to recall a brisk trade in the 125-grain Nyclad JHPs, since they were the only non-+P .38s that had any reputation at all for expansion from a snubby. Regardless, autoloaders were all the rage. A 6-round .380 auto (excuse me...a 6+1 round .380 auto) was more desirable than a 5-round .38 special. To some people anyway.
Damn kids. Back in my day, we didn't have convienient CCWs. I had to carry a Colt's Walker! Up hill! Both ways! Buck naked in the snow! And we liked it! (Of course, that may have just been me. TMI?)
