bikerdoc
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Would You Trust Your Life With A .380?
- Thread starter Crazy Coot
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Sav .250
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Al things being equal..............yes.
Zaydok Allen
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Depends on the Bond. In Quantum of Solas it was specifically stated that it was a "9mm Short". But that gun had "smart gun" tech in it, and we should never seek to emulate such bad examples.
Edit: It was in Skyfall.
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Depends on the Bond. In Quantum of Solas it was specifically stated that it was a "9mm Short". But that gun had "smart gun" tech in it, and we should never seek to emulate such bad examples.
I'm talking about the "real" James Bond. Written by Fleming, acted by Connery
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Mr_Flintstone
Member
Early Fleming books - Beretta 418 (.25 acp)I'm talking about the "real" James Bond. Written by Fleming, acted by Connery
Later Fleming books starting with Dr No - Walther PPK (.32 acp)
For Your Eyes Only (short stories) - Long barreled Colt .45, Savage 99F, PPK (.32 acp)
Non-Fleming Books - FN 1903 (9mm), PPK (.380 acp), HK VP70 (9mm), HK P7 (9mm), ASP 9mm.
Note I qualified my previous statement saying "Fleming".
You are correct about the Beretta in the early Bond books. The PPK became Bond's standard sidearm for most of Fleming's books. Bond did use other firearms at times but the PPK became his standard.
gsbuickman
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Yes I do, as a matter of fact I bought a new to me Bersa Thunder 380 for my edc yesterday. The 9mm kurtz / Browning 9mm short is better than the 22, 25 or 32 acp and works well for self defense with proper shot placement.
I live in a really low crime area a stone's throw from Boise Idaho. I grew up around here and I've never heard of anyone needing to draw on someone in self-defense. I'm also one of the local bikers here in the valley, so, carrying my 380 is far more convenient than one of my full (duty) size autos.
I live in a really low crime area a stone's throw from Boise Idaho. I grew up around here and I've never heard of anyone needing to draw on someone in self-defense. I'm also one of the local bikers here in the valley, so, carrying my 380 is far more convenient than one of my full (duty) size autos.
Depends on the Bond. In Quantum of Solas it was specifically stated that it was a "9mm Short". But that gun had "smart gun" tech in it, and we should never seek to emulate such bad examples.
I'm talking about the "real" James Bond. Written by Fleming, acted by Connery
............and the AR7 in From Russia With Love
Zaydok Allen
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- Feb 12, 2011
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- 13,274
After I wrote that I thought, "He must mean the real James Bond."I'm talking about the "real" James Bond. Written by Fleming, acted by Connery
Anyway, to bring us back on topic, my answer is:
YES!!!!!! I would trust my life to a 380.
FLNT4EVR
Member
Yes, many times i only carry my Sig P-238 ,loaded with Federal Hydra Shoks and I'm confident it can take care of business.
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Mr_Flintstone
Member
Over the years I've heard lots of people extol the virtues of the Makarov as a self defense weapon. These same people usually badmouth the .380 acp as being ineffective. The truth is, with modern self defense loads like Hornady Critical Defense, the difference between the two are negligible (211 ft-lb for Mak, and 200 ft-lb for .380 acp out of the same length barrels). Soviet era loads were a little hotter, but now they are basically the same. So, a Bersa Thunder 380 and a Russian Mak have nearly the identical performance with these SD loads, and the Soviet Union, China, E. Germany, Bulgaria, and a host of other com-bloc countries used the Mak as their primary side arm for a good number of years. That says something.
Deanimator
Member
It wouldn't be my first choice, but if I couldn't carry anything bigger, it's the minimum I consider acceptable.
I won't even entertain the possibility of anything smaller than .380. .32acp and below are total non-starters for me.
A few years ago, I was thinking about supplementing my Smith 36 with a Walther PPK for pocket carry. The Walther would have been a .380. I was thwarted when I could find nobody with new PPKs in blue. I have a great dislike for matte stainless, which most stainless guns are these days.
tactikel
Member
Yes! Especially with modern self defense ammo.
Edcnh
Member
Yes. My "normal" carry gun is a 9mm Shield. I just picked up a S&W Bodygaurd 380 with a laser. With good ammo I am confident it can do the job. If I carry it I use Federal HST 99g ammo for micro compact pistols. I carry the 380 in a pocket holster vs IWB or OWB for the Shield.
No handgun cartridge makes me "feel safe." A bullet fired from a handgun makes a hole. I consider a .380 ACP to be minimally acceptable for making a hole fast enough, and deep enough, to affect an attacker's ability to continue attacking. A shooting in my patrol area taught me that a .380 bullet can break a femur, which is no small feat. If minimal clothing, plus a need for extreme concealment, were to dictate I must carry my Walther PPK/s, then so be it. I will not feel defenseless. I am contemplating adding/trying a Glock G42 in the near future; its promise of relatively soft recoil becoming attractive as I become eligible for senior citizen status.
Having said that, a more-powerful cartridge would give me more options, such as more-dependable penetration into vital areas from angles other than perpendicular, and improved ability to penetrate intervening objects and body parts, such as arms and hands that may be in the bullet's path.The ability to penetrate an upper arm, and then penetrate a torso laterally, could be important in defending another person, or if I were to flank an attacker. Options are good. A 9mm, especially if +P, or .45 ACP, or .38 Special +P, or .45 Colt, gives me more options, in a wider range of conditions.
^^ And there it is!
Have yet to find an occasion where I can't carry my 9...with any attire, anywhere legal (= "no").
The question, as posed by the OP, attempts to paint over all the decision variables as we choose to arm ourselves (= "yes"). I CAN carry a 9, so I do ("no"). I will not deliberately plan on carrying a .380 ("no"). Obviously, I don't trust it AS MUCH as I do higher calibers but if a firearm is needed and .380 is the only thing within reach...("yes")
So if "yes" or "no" are the only answers allowed, the math says "no."
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CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Yes, all the time.
Hokie_PhD
Member
I trust my many years of martial arts training more than any weapon. That's because situational awareness is important even if you're armed.
That said a 380 isn't my first or second choice but as said they can be deadly.
That said a 380 isn't my first or second choice but as said they can be deadly.
Yes I would and I do!
Carry my LCP and before that it was a PPK and before that it was a Bersa.
Now don't get me wrong at times I carry a Glock 27 and a Smith 36, it all depends on what I feel the need for. Most times of recent it's been the LCP, no muss, no fuss. Just drop it in the pocket and go!
Carry my LCP and before that it was a PPK and before that it was a Bersa.
Now don't get me wrong at times I carry a Glock 27 and a Smith 36, it all depends on what I feel the need for. Most times of recent it's been the LCP, no muss, no fuss. Just drop it in the pocket and go!
Hangingrock
Member
Would you trust your life with a .380, NO!
Armored farmer
Member
If you don't respect a .380, you're not standing in front of it
Terminatorret
Member
.380? Yes.
.50 cal? Yes. (but difficult to CC).
Dress as you do...then, find what you can comfortably carry...
.380 FMJ will work just fine. Disagree?
Erich convinced me:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/ammo/98508-380-load-calling-erich.html
Bigger is better. Anything is better than nothing. .22 does kill.
I wake-up, get dressed, then grab something that "fits".
I'm completely comfortable with a .380, or .32, or .22...
Have Gun, Will Travel.
.50 cal? Yes. (but difficult to CC).
Dress as you do...then, find what you can comfortably carry...
.380 FMJ will work just fine. Disagree?
Erich convinced me:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/ammo/98508-380-load-calling-erich.html
Bigger is better. Anything is better than nothing. .22 does kill.
I wake-up, get dressed, then grab something that "fits".
I'm completely comfortable with a .380, or .32, or .22...
Have Gun, Will Travel.
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