What are your favorite large size .380s?

I only have had the Walther PPK and PPK/S (beautiful but pretty crappy in every other respect), SIG P230 (consistently excellent), and the Bersa Thunder .380 Plus (seemed very good but I sold it to my brother).

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Bersa Thunder 380 Plus: Review, shooting impressions, accuracy testing

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SIG P230 .380 ACP Overview and steel shoot

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Taurus PT58. Its got all the heft of its bigger brother (PT92) but really absorbs 380 recoil nicely.

While comparable in style, its slightly larger than a Beretta Cheeta
 
I haven't fired one I like yet. Small pistols are always tougher to shoot well, and the combo of small grips on 380s (even on the "full size" models) and blowback actions makes them kick out of proportion to their caliber.
 
I have a few 380s. The two that are larger than pocket size are a Beretta 81 (I have a 380 barrel and mags to convert it) and a Glock G28. The Glock is the softest shooting 380 I've ever shot.
 
TTv2 said:
These days the .380 is most associated with extremely small and light pocket pistols, but historically they were chambered in what today would be considered medium sized pistols along the lines of the Glock 19 or P365XL. The PPK would be close to this category as would the Bersa Thunder. More recently Ruger revealed the Security 380, a budget doublestack .380 and Beretta has made the 84, another doublestack .380.

What are some of your preferred bigger .380 pistols? Personally I'm considering getting one to complement the LCP and am eyeing the Security 380. I figure since I have ammo to feed a pocket pistol, why not also have a larger, more shootable .380 too?
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Glock G25
 
The only .380's I currently own are both Colt 1908's, one as a safe queen,
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And the other is a shooter I just picked up because the nickeled one ended up being worth preserving.

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Other than that, aside from a few PPK's that were unpleasant to actually shoot and were traded away, I haven't delved too deeply into the .380 but the 1908 is one of my favorites in the caliber.
 
I wish someone chimed in with a ROXOR. A small number was imported.

The problem here is the lack of competition series that allow .380. You're pretty much limited to local matches.

Also, the largest .380 gun you can buy today is probably the Charter Arms Pitbull revolver. Their website only has a 3" barrel model, but I saw a longer barrel model.
 

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The only .380 approaching favorite status was a Remington PA51. I foolishly sold it because it would not feed hollowpoints. Foolish because now I see no use for anything but ball in .380.

I tried twice with Walther but they didn't stick. I looked at P230 and Beretta 84 but didn't bite.

I have a CZ83 but it is more a memento of a deceased friend than a working gun.
A Colt Government .380 was a handy IDPA BUG back when that was a short side match event, but I don't care to shoot a hideout gun all day.

My Colt Pocket Hammerless is a .32 and I prefer it that way.

Not exactly a .380; but I once had a plan to convert a 1911 to 9mm Makarov. Interest was stimulated by ads for a shipment of Makarov ammo loaded with heavier than usual bullets which I thought would have a better chance of cycling the gun. I loaded some sub-minor 9mm which functioned OK.
The idea was to use a Makarov barrel - $10 at the time - and ask FLG turn it down as a liner for a .45 barrel. Fit that to the pistol known as Franken9, and shoot cheap ammo. The supply of heavy Makarov dried up, must have been just one shipment, so the idea died on the vine.
 
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Hah, someone should start a thread about everyone's favorite large size .32, I've found out about a few .380's I hadn't seen before, I'm keen to see everyone's large .32 selection.
My pick is going to be pretty much the same thing though, I have two guns in .32, ones a Colt 1903 and the other is a Seecamp, so I don't have much of a choice, lol
 
My wife has both a factory engraved PPK/s and a Smith EZ. I consider both to be mid sized guns, The Walther is pretty and very well built but a beast in every way when it comes to shooting it. Hard to rack slide, hard to load magazines, almost impossible to pull trigger in DA and not exactly easy in SA and unpleasant recoil. It is all steel and heavy. The Smith EZ is well named and is indeed, EZ in everything. I am looking at from an older person's viewpoint.

My oldest grandson's father-in-law has one of the slightly smaller than normal sized 1911's in 380. Browning brand I believe. He really likes it but he's a large person at 6' 4 inches. I wish he would visit and we could go to the range together so I could shoot it as I really like 1911's.
 
silicosys4 said:
Hah, someone should start a thread about everyone's favorite large size .32, I've found out about a few .380's I hadn't seen before, I'm keen to see everyone's large .32 selection.
My pick is going to be pretty much the same thing though, I have two guns in .32, ones a Colt 1903 and the other is a Seecamp, so I don't have much of a choice, lol
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Large .32 ACP? I have a Beretta 81BB. A beautimous pistol from a different time.

Unfortunately, my relatively ugly Glock 25 in .380 is easier to shoot and manipulate. The 81BB's slide is a comparative finger ripper when racking it.

When I bought my 81BB, I thought it would make an ideal gun for closing out my elder years in another decade. But the Glock 25 has taken the future role that was slated for the Beretta.
 
doubleh said:
The Walther is pretty and very well built but a beast in every way when it comes to shooting it. Hard to rack slide, hard to load magazines, almost impossible to pull trigger in DA and not exactly easy in SA and unpleasant recoil. It is all steel and heavy. The Smith EZ is well named and is indeed, EZ in everything. I am looking at from an older person's viewpoint.
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This is a great example of the principle of different strokes for different folks. I'm 71 with a surgically repaired shooting hand thumb, arthritis in the other thumb, and severe arthritis in the wrist of my shooting hand. I find the PPK to be very shootable, and it's my EDC. OTOH, the EZ is not reliable for me because of my grip issues. That's why it's great to have choices.
 
Have the 380 EZ and the Browning 1911-380. Both shoot very soft. They both shoot like a dream.
The 1911-380 is easier to conceal, it's thinner, real thin and light. But it's too small for my hands and I don't 100% engage the grip safety.
For smallish hands the 1911-380. Otherwise the EZ.
 
I picked up a Beretta 80x Cheetah when they came out a few years ago. The gun has my favorite DA/SA factory trigger, and I find it easy to shoot well. I carry it on the days when the 92x is too large. Same manual of arms once decocked and placed in the holster.
 
Pistolay said:
This is a great example of the principle of different strokes for different folks. I'm 71 with a surgically repaired shooting hand thumb, arthritis in the other thumb, and severe arthritis in the wrist of my shooting hand. I find the PPK to be very shootable, and it's my EDC. OTOH, the EZ is not reliable for me because of my grip issues. That's why it's great to have choices.
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Yep, everyone is a little different than others. What works for you might be not so great for me. All we can relate as fact is out personal experience and that can vary greatly. Arthritis stated giving me trouble years ago and just this year got into my fingers and my trigger finger especially. If it gets much worse it may make shooting impossible with my strong hand. I may be too old to learn to shoot with my weak hand but I will give it a try if it becomes necessary. It'strigger is much more flexiable.
 
@Jim Watson ;

"I have a CZ83 but it is more a memento of a deceased friend than a working gun."

To better Honor his memory, you should put it through it's paces like he would've. I had one, they are sweet shooters!
 
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