The .380

Interesting- I assumed incorrectly that the newer LCP was striker based on the LC9's redesign and the trigger dingus. Learned something new today.

Has the original LCP been discontinued? It's still shown on Ruger's website

 

What appears to be a Bersa Thunder next to a Makarov. Just food for thought regarding size.

What's very clear is how much smaller the Mak is compared to a typical compact 9mm: i.e. my Walther P99, Sig P225, CZ PCR, 3rd. Gen S&Ws.
With the IWB Remora keeping grips of all guns against my hip (no " ***t "), easy to conceal, the Makarov is a good bit easier to conceal. I never needed a smaller gun.

 

I just got a Beretta 85BB, which is my first 380 and I really like it. It has really soft recoil. Follow up shots are probably twice as fast as a 9mm. It is only 8 rounds in the mag, but with the rapid follow up shots, I am certain all my shots will be well placed. I'm no expert, but I think making your shots count mean more than a few hundred more fps. Don't get me wrong, my go to defense pistol is a 40S&W in a 5" barrel. I am very accurate with the 40, but the 380 will unload all 8 rounds into one small circle in just a few seconds. Plus, the 380 will go inside my waistband, while a 40 will pull your pants down.

 

Wow, you're the FIRST person Ive ever heard say a good word for the .380 HsC. Mine was cold trash... supposedly the .32s are better.

Ive had many, many bad .380s and a few good ones. The various Mustang derivatives are good to go, and the Beretta Pico is a surprising gem. My vintage Remington M51 has been flawless as well.

 

The post-war commercial Mauser models were pretty good. That’s what I have. The HK Model 4 is a good variation, too. I had no problem out of it but it’s a little fussy on oal and does prefer fmj. That’s understandable since it’s originally meant to be a military issue pistol. I have a .32 HSc and it’s a real gem, too.
If you find a good one hang on to it.
Edit: but, avoid the Spanish made models. I checked and all three of mine were made in Germany. The .32 is prewar.

 

Then you are a prime candidate for an AMT DAO! It has all that in spades...


Since we are doing comparo pictures... here's mine...

Colt Government .380 next to my current carry piece, a Kahr CW9. The Kahr is actually lighter with a loaded magazine, the CM9 even more so. For the same basic size, you can see why I chose the power of the 9mm over the .380.



There is a tipping point with compact pistols and handling. The CW9 and CM9 are mine. I can draw, present, and shoot my CW9 far better than just the one round smaller CM9, so much so that I've pretty much quit carrying the CM9. Same with the Colt .380. I wanted a Colt Mustang for many years, but I'm kind of glad I never spent the money on one... I would have likely came to the same realization I did between the two Kahrs.

 

Very nice, the LCP Max is kinda tempting me too these days with the whole "bigger than the LCP, which didn't work for me, but smaller than a JFrame, which also doesn't really work for me for a different reason" niche.

Night sights, a pocket holster and the price tag are certainly plusses in my book.

Oof. Guess I shouldn't have been throwing away the plentiful brass I accidentally pick up thinking it's 9mm for years then.

 

We (wife & I) tried several years back to concealed carry a pair of Kahrs, me the PM9 w/CTlaser, and wife the P380. She liked the 9 better, but wanted the smaller gun for carry. Well, now 69 & 72, both are having trouble with our choices. Neither of us shot or guns really proficiently, and are having trouble with not enough hand/arm strength to rack the slides back.

So, eyeing up the newer S&W .380 EZ, and 9EZ models. I swapped out the P380 kahr on a .380EZ to start. Still breaking it in, but it solved the racking issue for both of us. We then rented the 9EZ and shot the two side by side. So, now wifey has her new carry gun, but I'm not sure about the 9EZ for myself, yet.

Any experience out there with these models??
Retfed

 

My 380 armory just went up by one. I added a S&W M&P 380 EZ to the safe in anticipation of the time when old age keeps me from racking the slide on my 9s, 40s and .45s for carry. Found one at a decent price ($280) and jumped on it. I'll shoot it a bit and then put it in the safe for "the day."

And I "converted" a 380 into a 32 acp...by putting a Beretta model 81 .32acp barrel and mag into a Beretta 95F slide and frame. I liked the decock and safety on the the model 85, but for carry, the 32 is probably gun enough. Or was.
But the advent of small 9mms ala my S&W Chiefs Special or 3814 kinda makes 380 or 32 for carry obsolete. And frankly, my Chiefs Special 45 makes everything in that size redundant as well.
But they are all fun to shoot so I won't be selling off anything in the near future.

 

I wanted to get my daughter something to defend herself with, and settled on the .380 when I laid eyes on the Sig 238 Rainbow. She's in the LGBT community, and all about rainbow this, and rainbow that... so I figured perfect for her. Nope. Showed her some of my bullet launchers, and now she's like "I'd rather have a revolver"... (spoiled brat) Guess what crippled old fat man has a new rainbow colored .380 pocket pistol? Lol. Very much like the Colt Mustang I had maybe 30 years ago.

 

I've got a few 380's, most recently a LCP Max. I have to wait a couple of weeks to get healed up before I can try it out.
I've mentioned in other threads that I shoot my gen 1 LCP fairly well with hits on 12-14" steel at twenty years about half of the time.
I'm hoping I can do a little better with LCP Max due to the far better sights trigger.

 

I’ve considered the same in the past but found that by pushing my carry holster from the 3-4 location to the 1-2 o’clock location that it a) conceals better, b) is more comfortable and c) is easily accessed while driving in the car, so that idea kinda petered out.

I’ve also considered the off hand pocket gun in case I need to only use my left hand but after and doing some practicing I realized that I can still draw my primary left handed, if a bit awkwardly, reasonably safely in a pinch and in the event that I’m grappling or something I’d be better off with my left hook (which is still pretty stout) than trying to dig in a pocket.

Still, this summer I did notice a few times that I really wanted to just toss a little gun in a pocket of perhaps athletic shorts and pop across the road to fish with the kids and my jframe just isn’t right for that, which meant I had to go find cargo shorts and at that point I might as well just belt my normal gun on.

So, I’m glad to hear good things from the MAX as I’m considering one for the odd fishing day next summer with the kids. Night sights and a pocket holster as part of the purchase was a good call by Ruger as that makes it more enticing.

 

My personal favorite small gun. Can't see what color it is when you're shooting it either.

Have you done a range report on this? If so I must have missed it.

 

OP, your story reminds me of my first (hand)gun I ever wanted when I was a boy.... It was the Browning 1955...what a beautiful gun. Saw one in a movie.....then went to the library on my bike and looked through a "book of guns" of some type or another until I found out what it was I saw.. the Browning 1955 also happens to be in .380.
I entertained getting one further down the road, when I had means and was of age....never did.

 

MrChgicken writes:

You will. No doubt in my mind. Better sights, trigger, and grip purchase.

 

Enjoy your Max, I wasn't looking for another 380 but my Lgs had this in the used case. $300 with night sights.

 

At today's prices, that sounds like a great deal. I would have done the same.

 

I bought one when they first came out. Been carrying it ever since....either in Glock holster or in a pocket. If SHTF I’ll let ya’ll know whether or not it did the job. I also carry an SP101 sometimes, whenever clothing covers everything. I like them both. They make me happy.

 

Growing up in Illinois before CCW was legal, I purposely didn't buy tiny 380's. Just too much of a temptation to slip one in a pocket and carry illegally. Not worth the felony.

I did buy a surplus FEG PA-63 in 9x18. Every time I get longings for a Walther PPK, I pull out that FEG and shoot it. That cures me of wanting a Walther. It's altogether uncomfortable to shoot. A small gun shouldn't recoil like that Walther style pistol does!

I handled a Keltec P32 when they 1st came out. Pulled the slide back to check clear and the slide locked back. Neither I nor the Gun Store Clerk could get the slide to release. That experience stayed with me when Keltec released the 3AT pistol.

A couple years ago, I bought a Ruger LCP 380. I can't hit anything with it and don't carry it. Shooting at my 25yd gongs, I put them in the dirt way before the gongs. I wont carry a gun I cant hit a 25yd 10 inch gong with. I had the same issue with a Sig P365 and sold it off for what I had into it when Covid 1st kicked off.

My EDC - around the house and short trips to town, in the summertime, is my Ruger LC9s Pro - pocket carried in Cargo Shorts. Heading to the big city - Branson, Springfield, Mountain Home, I'll OWB my Glock 19. Vacationing in Florida my Ruger LC9s and Glock 19 go with me.

 

jimbo555 writes: (of his used-purchase G42)

It doesn't surprise me that the G42's used-price is going down a bit. Between the new breed of similarly-sized nines and the LCP-MAX slapping the tar out of the pocket-380 capacity class, the 6-plus-1 Glock 42 is kind of between markets. A year or so ago, I would have jumped on that, despite my general lack of enthusiasm for Glock pistols, but not now. The money can always be recouped if one decided they wanted something else instead, so still a solid purchase.

 

He probably traded for the lcp max.

 

I can understand why you couldn't hit a 10" gong, at 25 yards their sights, and trigger are crap, but, the only reason I can think of, with the 365 is with the factory sights, they shoot low. I replaced the factory sights with Trijicon HD's, with the yellow front sight, and it will shoot 2-3" groups at 25 yards. Definitely not a target pistol, but, in my book, acceptable for a little gun.