Would you rather conceal carry 5 rounds of .357 or 7 rounds of .380?

[Old Dog]

The fact that this sort of question comes up so often indicates to me that most folks who can carry a concealed handgun simply don't feel comfortable carrying anything other than a very small handgun.

Not to take this thread further off-topic, and with no disrespect intended to the OP, but over the years, I've simply concluded that if one is going to carry a gun -- one should not, as Mainsail notes above, compromise further. And truly, with the exceptional array of great carry rigs (holsters and belts) out there, no one should carry a tiny gun, not even in church. I carry full-size pistols with a minimum of 8 plus 1 in .45 ACP or 15 plus 1 in 9mm.

I return you now to the discussion of mouseguns. (My SIG P-238 is a back-up to my 938 back-up gun).

 

[Jim NE]

Would you rather conceal carry 5 rounds of .357 or 7 rounds of .380?

I know it's either/or, but I'd rather split the difference and carry 9 to 12 rounds of 9mm. A pistol that size shouldn't be any larger than a .357 snubbie, and maybe even smaller in some dimensions. I have a 6+1 .380, and I would carry it if a larger gun just wouldn't be feasible, but I tend not to like .357 snubbie. I like .357's, and I like snubbies...just not together.

 

[exbrit49]

Easy choice for me

I actually do carry the .357 Its a Charter Arms .357 Bulldog and I have carried it for years. Its lightweight, accurate and with the 4 inch barrel it does a great job, If I compare the 380 to the .357 at the range, there is no question in my mind, That 357 does a lot more damage when I shoot both at the range.
Im not going to get into a discussion of ballistics. I have read too many posts arguing for one or the other.
I have done my own comparisons at the range and the 357 wins on every count (FOR ME)
Each to his own!

 

[Brett Byers AKA Slow]

.357 absolutely

 

[Sean Edmunds]

I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend, but anything BUT an LCP. I owned one and hated it. Sold it off and bought a Shield.

So, of the 2 choices listed, 5 shot J frame please. I had a 640-2 factory ported and loved it. I sold it to my brother n law to carry on duty as a back up or I'd still be shooting it.

 

[BlindJustice]

I have a S&W Model 60 ..357 Mag 3" bbl. HD/SD load is
.38 special +P,but have never carried it. It's a hide out
gun for the house / fun at the range, good shooter.

AND .380 ACP ???
doesn't get in the basement door being occupied by 9mm
Luger. With the sub-compact single stack 9s on the
market why go .380 w/same number of rounds?

My EDC is a Range Officer Compact about the same
length as the 3" model 60-15 with it's magnum J-Frame
and though the grip is smaller it's longer/taller than the
RO Compact so, 7+1 .45 ACP

Randall

 

[.452]

Personally I prefer to concealed carry a .380 in civilization, sometimes even less.

On the other hand if I need it for the purpose you mean, if I have to shoot it, I would prefer it to be a .454 or a #870 12 Ga.

When NOT in civilization, I prefer to open carry my .454 with the #870 not far away.

All hand guns are a compromise tool to let you get to your REAL gun.

 

[Warp]

Personally I prefer to concealed carry a .380 in civilization, sometimes even less.

On the other hand if I need it for the purpose you mean, if I have to shoot it, I would prefer it to be a .454 or a #870 12 Ga.

When NOT in civilization, I prefer to open carry my .454 with the #870 not far away.

All hand guns are a compromise tool to let you get to your REAL gun.

The thing about private citizen defensive gun uses is that you almost surely won't be using a firearm beyond what you have on your person or within arms reach at the moment you need it.

The "handguns are for fighting your way to the rifle" thing doesn't really apply to private citizens...not sure I've ever heard or read of a single such incident, as a matter of fact.

So I would say...make sure the handgun you choose is up to the task.

 

[Mainsail]

The "handguns are for fighting your way to the rifle" thing doesn't really apply to private citizens...not sure I've ever heard or read of a single such incident, as a matter of fact.

So I would say...make sure the handgun you choose is up to the task.

+1

I hate all those sorts of ridiculous statements.

 

[Robert101]

If the only choice is b/n the .357 or the 380. I'll take the 380 in semi-auto.
To those who might say "shot placement is king" should have no reason to object to the 380 platform. Yes, I do believe the .357 is a superior round. I happen to carry a 40 S&W Glock 27 as my daily carry. And, yes I do own several 380's and do carry them at times as well. Every tool has an appropriate application.

 

[Old Dog]

Strongly agree with Mr. Warp and Mr. Mainsail.

If you're already in the poop and shots are being fired, you're dancing with who ya brung ...

Even in the military, the pistol is an afterthought, the primary weapon is the rifle or carbine. And we had a shootout locally a few years back where the responding deputies did NOT immediately deploy with their patrol rifles and got stuck in a brief gunfight at some distance with their pistols.

Even as a private citizen (based on cases I'm familiar with), if one does engage with armed bad guys, they're more apt to be carrying a full-size handgun, so hopefully all you mousegun advocates feel real comfortable with your abilities even at close ranges.

So, no, speaking strictly for myself, I've never felt comfortable with either ONLY five rounds of .357 or seven rounds of .380. Warp and Mainsail

 

[fastbolt]

Would you rather conceal carry 5 rounds of .357 or 7 rounds of .380?

I own a LCP and a SP101. I CC both.

Everything else being equal (comfort, concealability, etc) , would YOU rather carry 7 rounds of .380 in a mousegun, or 5 rounds of .357 in a revolver, and why?

thanks!

--Duck911

Depends on my activities, some prudent risk assessment and what carry method is going to be involved.

I own a SP101DAO. Heavy little belt gun for a 5-shot snub. I've owned it for many years and like it quite a bit.

I own a pair of M&P340's (with & without the ILS). Been shooting the first one since they were first released on the market. Nicely light weight, but a bit more "punishing" to shoot than the much heaver SP101. I typically prefer to use some different +P loads in the 340's. Unlike the 101, though, I can easily slip the 340's (pocket holstered) into an assortment of jeans, shorts, slacks and coat pockets.

I own a pair of LCP's (blued & newer stainless model). I can slip them (pocket holstered) into shorter and tighter jeans and coats pockets in which I can't slip any of my J-frame snubs. That makes then handy for a variety of activities and times when I don't feel like carrying the larger 5-shots snubs, including belting on the 101.

Caliber-wise? I much prefer the bullet weights and velocities of the .357 Magnum to the .380 ACP.

I also prefer the .38 +P loads to the .380 ACP loads, for a ballistic advantage.

Hardly anything is ever "equal" in real life. TANSTAAFL.

If the same size LCP could shoot the .357 Magnum cartridge, but with the felt recoil of the .380 ACP ... I'd naturally choose the more capable caliber, even if it involved 1-2 fewer rounds capacity.

Even so, with the way things work, I usually carry +P loads in my 340's, instead of Magnum loads ... but carry Magnum loads in my 101.

However, a very real question also has to be asked, not just about the difference between calibers or capacity, but regarding how well you can actually shoot either gun accurately, quickly and effectively, especially under demanding conditions.

TANSTAAFL. Pick your compromise, and hopefully for the right reasons, that work for you.

 

[.452]

Warped, your opinion is noted.

Not that I agree but noted.

My answer was given for these reasons:

In my 28 year LE career, the first half at least, all law enforcement officers in our jurisdiction were mandated to carry a .38 special revolver. That meant 6 shots on duty and usually 5 shots off duty.

Now a lot of serious law enforcement was carried out within that mandate. A typical .38 special might have around 200 foot pounds of energy and of course a .357" jacketed bullet.

Under the above circumstances thousands of officers went out each night onto those mean streets of the late 1960's. Yes indeed each and everyone had a dash mounted Model 12 loaded and locked into a quick release rack.

Now things have changed a lot, much of which was because of what the Police of those days found in the filed, concerning penetration into vehicles and all the other quasi military type actions Police became involved in. I was part of that on at least one occasion.

As a retired civilian I look back at those days and then look at what's available to ME *TODAY*.

Buffalo Bore makes several 280 foot-pound type loads in .380/9mm Kurz, which is loaded with a state of the art .355 inch Jacketed Hollow Point diameter bullet and my all-metal PPK as being inadequate? Inadequate for what? Shooting a fleeing felon inside his car? That's not acceptable for a civilian in the first place. If he's in a car, the threat to your life has already ended. You seen to be fixated on a handgun as being only for one purpose and one locale. As a civilian in the deep woods during parts of the year, that purpose for me is VASTLY different than when I'm dressed in a suit and tie at The Hilton Concert room with Magic Johnson sitting next and Natalie Cole on stage.

Maybe you should read up on RUF, the Rules on Use of Force.

 

[Warp]

I don't recall saying anything about carrying guns in the deep woods. I did say you are most likely going to use what is on your person or within arms reach. Are you saying that you go into the deep woods and rely on a gun that is farther away than that?

 

[BearBrimstone]

If I just go by the firepower I would go with the 5 shots of 357 Magnum. When you bring comfort of carry into it the .380 becomes a bit more attractive though.

 

[clutch]

I don't want to carry .357 in an airweight. .38 +p works for me. I can't see me practicing with 25 rounds of full house .357, 25 rounds of .38 +p is where it quits being fun in my 442.

I recently purchased a BG .380 for when I feel like pocket carrying something smaller than my J frame.

Hopefully if I need a gun, I'll have my 9mm shield that day in a IWB, but I like the ease of pocket carry so I likely will have the .380 or .38 unless I get a .327 and carry 6 rounds. My brother in law bought a LCR in .38, I like it, I like it enough that I may get that .327 and have more choices.

 

[mokin]

In my current situation, I'd go with the 5 rounds of .357 although the .380 does have it's appeal.

I normally carry 10 rounds of 175 grain Winchester Silvertips in my 10mm Auto along with a spare magazine.

 

[roscoe]

This is a frequently rehashed discussion here. I always think it is interesting, not because we may learn something objective, but because it has the potential to reveals the deepest fears of the poster.

"If I face ten (Hells Angels/ISIS jihadis/MS13 assassins) then will need my 10mm Glock 20 and two reloads."

or

"I can handle a skinny mop-handle wielding junkie mugger with .22 derringer."

Probabilities of any of these events seem to play no role. Me? I vary from my P32 to a 9mm Shield, depending on circumstance, but in all likelihood the ability to send lead pellets downrange at all is the most important factor.

I feel confident that I could have stopped Dylan Roof with just my P32, but those events are literally 1 in 10 million. The bigger question is whether you have the presence of mind and cool head to deal with a carjacking that comes at you out of the blue, while you are looking at traffic and worrying about the kids arguing in the back seat. The size of the magazine is unlikely to play a role at all in virtually any situation.

 

[ahil925]

I own a LCP and a SP101. I CC both.

Everything else being equal (comfort, concealability, etc) , would YOU rather carry 7 rounds of .380 in a mousegun, or 5 rounds of .357 in a revolver, and why?

thanks!

--Duck911

I'd go with 7 x .380acp. Recoil is lighter and more rounds on hand. Assuming roughly equal handgun sizes the 380 will be slimmer. If reloads are an option then you'll typically be faster with the 380 and carry more total ammo on your person too. While 357 is a powerful and proven cartridge there are many proven 380 rounds available now.

I like revolvers and think they are a good option in many circumstances, but if given an either or situation it'd have to be an unusual one for me to pick the revolver over the auto (assuming I've had enough range time with both to be assured of their reliability).

 

[Sistema1927]

The spousal unit faced this very same question yesterday.

We went looking for a CCW weapon for her, and she was torn between a .38 revolver and a small .380. She quickly dismissed the revolvers, as well as many of the .380's, including the LCP.

Even though it was double the dollars of most everything else we looked at(and she is normally fairly frugal) the fact that the Sig P238 fit her hand, was easy to rack, and had excellent tritium night sights won the day.

 

[meatballs]

.357

 

[Mr.510]

I don't really like wheel guns but I would rather carry five rounds of .357 in one than 7 rounds of .380 in an autoloader. In fact, I'd rather have five rounds of .357 than 20 rounds of .380! I do not consider .380 to be a viable self defense round anymore. 9mm is the weakest round I would even consider for a carry gun.

 

[psyopspec]

@ Mr.510

I do not consider .380 to be a viable self defense round anymore.

What changed your mind?

 

[rdrancher]

Having used both rounds (in short barreled guns) to dispatch four legged creatures, I wouldn't own another .380 if you gave me one with a boat load of ammo.

 

[MechAg94]

I think I would choose 380 with the guns in question. More capacity and easier to carry reloads. Also, 357 in a snub nose is not the same as from a full length barrel. I also think you can get some pretty good 380 self defense ammo these days.

You need to pay attention to the real performance of your ammo choice out the the gun you intend to carry. 357 mag out of a 6" barreled service revolver is a great round. It drops off a bit in performance out of a 2" barrel.

IMO, there is no guarantee you will only need a few rounds. It is better than zero, but more capacity is always preferred. I am not a terrible shot, but I really doubt I will be accurate in a self defense situation. At the very least, you need to adapt your response plan to what you will carry.