Would you feel comfortable with a pocket .380?

[Newton]

I'm about to switch allegiance between my sweet little Ruger LCP and possibly switch to an ultralight .38 Special +P J Frame.

I know that a .38 +p will give you a lot more thump than a .380, but please factor in the additional capacity of the .380, it's smaller size, easy pocket carry, and lower weight.

Choose your preference in the poll.

 

[jocko]

whatever

it;s ur decision, no one elses, you need not try to convince me . both nice peaces for pocket carry.

 

[outerlimit]

I would have to choose the .38spl +p with preferably 135gr. or heavier bullets. I would not feel very comfortable with either gun though if a situation arose.

 

[bratch]

I have both. I carry the LCP more due to its incredibly small size. A Jframe and PM9 can be pocket carried in the right pants but the LCP is good in almost everything.

I'f I'm going to IWB it'll be the PM9 as a minimum.

My LCP has Corbon DPX in it.

 

[glove]

P3at

I like the Kel-Tec P3AT

 

[Skofnung]

I like them both, though the P3AT is slightly easier to hide.

 

[Olympus]

My family is in law enforcement and we have several friends who are undercover narc officers. They are issued a Kel-Tec and carry them concealed. I'd say if you know where to point the muzzle on a .380, it will do about as good as a 9mm.

 

[Claude Clay]

whichever one you can shoot the best.
if seeing the gun does not deter the animals ( 2 legged or 4) than you need to think like a realtor: location, location, location. size does have its advantages but it is where you put it that determines its ultimate value.
my 642, p3at & p32 are for casual carry and get feed silvertips.
going into town will be a defender or p239/40. their food is seasonally adjusted

 

[M2 Carbine]

I pocket carry a ARMA laser equipped P3AT only because it's the biggest gun I can pocket carry.

If my Crimson Trace equipped 2 inch J Frames would fit my pockets I'd be carrying them. The ammo is 158gr +P LSWCHP.

I pocket carry a Smith Model 60 around my place.
The other day I was at a friend's house and his wife kidded me about the gun's butt sticking out of my pocket when I was sitting, so I can't carry the 38 in town.

 

[meef]

Would you feel comfortable with a pocket .380?

I would unless I happened to be sitting wrong and it was digging into the jewels.

You always have to take that into consideration when thinking about pocket carry, especially the front pocket.

 

[Prepster]

I normally pocket carry a PPK with plain old FMJ. Buffalo Bore hardcast is a little too stout for easy followup shots (at least for me). On the other hand, I keep said Buffalo Bore ammo loaded in a 30 round magazine for my Cobray (Leinad) M12.

 

[Newton]

Thanks for the responses, I confess I'm surprised at the results, I expected people to be overwhelmingly in favor of the 642 option.

Maybe if I had posted this in the revolver forum

 

[Regen]

I pocket carry a 2" barreled J-Frame with Gold Dot 135gr +B Short Barrel

 

[rcmodel]

Kel-Tec P3AT with Speer Gold-Dots, or Remington 102's, or Corbon DPX, or S&B FMJ, or.......

rcmodel

 

[hso]

P3AT with CorBons here, but I'm not a revolver guy.

 

[Defensory]

"Anything distinctly smaller—such as the .380 Auto pistol caliber, which is literally a "9mm Short"—too often fails to make the cut. I've run across shooting after shooting where the defender shot a violent aggressor with a .380 and did little to immediately stop his depredations. A good hollow point load in 9mm or .38 Special will, historically, end lethal assaults more quickly."

--Massad Ayoob

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ayoob110.html

....

 

[LSU Fan]

I wouldn't really feel comfortable with a pocket .380... which is why I bought a G26 instead. Can't see myself having enough balls to draw and fire a 6 shot .380 at someone who's got a full size .45 in my face...

Then again, I might end up getting an LCP later on due to its concealability and option as a BU.

 

[Defensory]

Forget the .380 AND the .38.

The Springfield XD 9mm Subcompact will "Git-R-Done" in a critical situation. Adequate caliber, high capacity, very concealable and extremely reliable.

http://www.springfield-armory.com/xd.php?version=59

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

I'd say if you know where to point the muzzle on a .380, it will do about as good as a 9mm.

Well yeah. If you know where to point the muzzle on a .22 it will do about as good as a 9mm too. Any round can be fatal or even threat-stopping if you hit the BG in exactly the right place.

 

[goon]

I'd prefer the .38. Although the two have comparable ballistics (usually) on paper, the .38 carries a heavier bullet so it's more likely to penetrate into something that will take the fight out of someone.

 

[burningsquirrels]

if i'm not expecting trouble (i.e. up to no good and not in a bad part of town) then a 380 is just fine. i have a bersa 380 cc that's 8+1 and works great. for example: most muggers are lazy ***** looking for easy targets for easy money. take away the easy part, and they'll go looking somewhere else. that's why they're mgugers, coz they're too lazy to earn money honestly. that, and it's all about shot placement anyways. a 380 in the neck or groin will do it.

 

[FLA2760]

Back when my main CCW gun was a 642 I carried a Kel Tec P32 as a BUG with it. Now my main CCW is a Glock27 and the 642 is a BUG.

 

[outerlimit]

To reiterate:

Would you feel comfortable with a pocket .380?

As long as nothing bad happened.

we have several friends who are undercover narc officers. They are issued a Kel-Tec and carry them concealed.

Paging Darwin.

 

[MICHAEL T]

KelTec with Corbon always in pocket .Some times as only pistol some times as back up.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

I'd feel more comfortable with a 38 +P, but it's too big for pocket carry (for me) so I have a P3AT and it disappears. I also carry small autos like a Glock 26, again, too big for pocket carry, those get an IWB holster. The .380 is a backup gun even though there are times it's the primary by default. It's not a great stopper but it's better than nothing.