12 shot .380 ,cool just explane to the grand jury that it was ok to shoot something 9 times to make them STOP.But what the heck you will probably never use it anyway.

Ever hear of multiple assailants? Nah, you've probably never had to fire in self-defense either. Let's hope it stays that way. For both of us. But since I've never fired in self defense, and probably never will, a 2 shot derringer should be sufficient, huh?

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otis

Yep, Glock 42 in the pocket every day, with 7 rounds of Underwood extreme penetrator.
In the summer its the easiest to conceal and I feel very confident it would be enough to get me out of an emergency situation.

Derringers are fine for multiple attackers but you need to move into a position so they line up to take down two with each shot.
My "backup" for my 22Mag Derringer, decades ago when fishing, was a Colt/45 prior to an M59.

We have more 380 caliber guns than any other caliber.
We load 115/120 grain bullets.

Pic circa 1980.

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

The reason I bought the M59 and stopped carrying the Colt was when a boatload of foreigners washed up on shore, while on my weekly solo fishing trip near Islamorada, I decided more and flatter shooting ammo was prudent.
That was back around 1980.
Still in use.

Around the house an LCP still gets carried most often when wet chores/lawn work are involved but a stainless S&Walther PPKs, Sig P238HD or 1911 stainless Officer in 45 are carried. The Officer uses an 8 round mag and one in the chamber via some custom full length grips and adaptor.

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

Two law enforcement agencies in North Carolina used to issue .380's for some officers to carry as primary guns. The NC State Highway Patrol issued the Beretta double stack .380 to the Governor's Security when the troopers carried the Beretta 92. The NC License and Theft Bureau issued some headquarters staff the Sig P230.

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Bill

Ah presumptions, no thread would ever be complete without them... Yes, everyone who chooses to carry a double-stack firearm does so for the purpose of riddling a single assailant with as many rounds as humanly possible. Not incase there happen to be multiple assailants, not because people are capable of missing vitals, and certainly not because it's conceivable that an assailant might possibly not go down as quickly as we might like.

Also, it's good to see that you have your priorities straight, what with being more concerned over how it may appear in a court of law under circumstances that nobody has any control over in the aftermath of a self-defense shooting as opposed to your own survival or whom may be adversely affected by your untimely demise in the event that everything doesn't go exactly according to plan should you need to defend yourself with whatever weapon you've so carefully selected for the express purpose of appearing as innocent as possible in a court of law, which really shouldn't be necessary if it's a perfectly legal self-defense shooting with no incriminating evidence to the contrary.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

Now that I finally have a few magazines, the Colt pocket hammerless .380 is in holster quite a bit. I have nearly the same expense in mags that I do in the pistol. I do like the .380. I also have a 238 that get toted when I am dressed up.

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AMT .380 Backup and a Colt Government Model .380 either one is at my side regardless of where or when you might encounter me. Or maybe something larger or smaller. One never knows. Get stupid and take your chances. Llance

Well, good luck with that new 380!

Years ago, I was carrying a Walther 380 caliber PPK-S with 2 extra clips on my belt during the night of our 34th wedding anniversary. We had a very nice, very expensive dinner, stayed out late, and helped to close the restaurant down.

We were one of the very last couples to leave when, all of a sudden, a vicious fight broke out among 5 men at the bar. One of them came up with a shotgun; and, at least, two or three of the others had pistols—big pistols! To this day I still consider my wife and I to have been very lucky to get out of that room alive! In particular I learned two important things that night: First, my wife is a very brave woman who knows how to listen, follow orders, and 'keep her head'.

The second important lesson I learned is to never bring a 380 pistol with however many gizmos, magazines, and/or whiz-bang ammo to a real world gunfight. Why? Because, in all probability, the person (or persons) you have to go up against ain't going to make the same silly mistake! THAT is why!

The .380 is either an effective round or it isn't. It's effectiveness isn't diminished by what the other guy is carrying. Size of assailants, number of assailants, what they are wearing, proximity to yourself, your own confidence and training with the weapon you have; those things affect how effective your caliber of choice will be. That same principle applies to any weapon/caliber that you choose.

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otis

Every Day carry has been A .380 since 2011 for the 1st few years it was a Ruger LCP & still have it but every day carry is a Glock 42 far superior sights & trigger and no snappy recoil like the LCP & the 42 is not all that much larger in size

I carry a seecamp .380 and really like it

I carry a .380 99% of the time. One or the other.

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I carried a LCP 380 for a while. Mostly as a BUG while carrying something larger before I retired. It's an adequate round in most situations but I figured a 9 mm was even more adequate so I moved up to a M&P shield with some nice Hornedy stuff. That's just me though. I recently read some stats on what folks are dying from and the .380 is near the top of the list. I figured that's because a lot more folks are are carrying and using .380's than in the past. The BUGS, no matter who makes them and in whatever caliber, are still good for the close in stuff. I carry on my little farm because of snakes and previous threats I've gotten in a 43 year LEO career. I carry big stuff around the house including a 7 round 686, G20 10 MM, and a few other neat things. If one of my former jailbirds want to come see me I certainly want to give them a proper welcome. I've also got a few strategically placed riot guns and AR type rifles here and there. If you like 380's, that's OK. I just like a little more.

My S&W M-60 3inch....is my daily carry...but on occasion....I will carry a Browning 1911-380...its longer barrel gives the 380 a little more "umph".....is about 6oz lighter than the M60...with eight rounds vs five...

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I forgot to mention my Kimber Micro 9. With it's short bbl I use Lehigh defense rounds. They all fit in my Don Hume belt slide.

As you can see some fit better than others so they get carried more often.

#1 Kimber Micro 9 9mm
#2 Llama semi-auto .32 auto
#3 AMT Back-up DAO .380
#4 Colt Government Model .380

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In close quarters, across the room distances, I would rather have the shotgun but I don't carry a shotgun with me daily and even if I did, it would be quite a bit harder to conceal than the .380 in my pocket. Real world situations are "run what you brung" and the .380 in the pocket is better than anything I may have left at home.

I just spent the past week on vacation carrying my new LCP Max. Typically carry a G43x IWB, but the LCP Max carried very well in an inside pocket of my shorts. Light enough that I could go without a belt... Just a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and sandals. Looked like everyone else on the beach.

Yes, that is exactly correct! (It is also the reason why I said, "Good luck with that new 380!" )

Wife carried a Bersa Thunder in 380 for a while, then she discovered the Glock43. She also has a G17.

Pearl no longer on there. I am not a New Orleans pimp.

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I would have bought a fedora and rocked those pearl grips!

No, really... I like how those look on that particular firearm.

If I were a block watch volunteer and I was jumped in the dark, my head being beaten into the concrete, I think my .380 fired up into the solar plexus might help.

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"Don't Give Up the Ship"

I have been thinking about a 380.
I don’t think I even shot one.
And in spite of the promise I made NO MORE CALIBERS!
There seem to be plenty of 380 Guns available,
Ammo? Not so much.
Maybe I’ll get one of the Rugers, literally bite the bullet and order 500 rounds of Ball.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

That stuff only works in the movies, besides I only shoot the guns out the hands of the bad guys, so I may need more than two shots if I'm facing ten or twenty bad guys.

Primary… no. Today I ran to grab food, and just tossed the LCP in my pocket. Rare, but rather something instead of unarmed.

-or a .22 LR.

Beware of light primer strikes on the Bodyguard after a couple hundred rounds or less.
I have had two, made a couple of years apart.
Same problem with each.

I've got a little Kimber Micro 380 that I carry quite a bit. It's reliable and I seem to shoot it well. It fits my hand well (with a pinky extension on the mag) and the grips don't slip in my hand, even when they're wet. It's got night sights something I've never had before. Kinda nice I suppose.

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John 3:16 .

I mostly carry a Makarov in 9mm Mak, which isn’t much more powerful than a .380, but sometimes I carry a Makarov in .380. They are comfortable and easy to shoot.

380 ................ mm blade.
Shot placement was good but lacked penetration.... must have been a hollow point instead of a solid point.

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

At times the 380 does the job. I loaded up some Lehigh Defense bullets to use with my P238, G42, and LCP.

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For those who carry 380s, which of yours hold the tightest groups offhand at 15 yds?
One round every three seconds with 7 rounds fired.

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

The Sig 238 by far is the most accurate one I have fired.

This one. The slide went to Novak for a good bead front and plain Novak rear sights. They had the slide exactly 14 days.
This one is marked .32 but wears a .380 barrel and magazines. Grips are holly, made by Texas Grips

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Did buy the Ruger LCP MAX.
Have shot it on two outings.
It performs great.
Ammo is a struggle.
My best success was yesterday, got 80 Rounds for $30.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Another vote for the Sig P238 but please buy a good holster for pocket carry. Started with a Keltec 380 but never could get used to the trigger. Tried a friends Sig and had to have one. Perfect for an 83 year old with a bad back!

For me the 238 and the Bodyguard are about the same for accuracy,I am quicker with the Sig but I carry the BG.380 more.

I recently bought an LCP Max to put in the Carry Rotation.
I also alternate with a S & W .22 Airlite and a Taurus PT-.22.
I have no qualms about carrying mouse guns for SD.
If it won’t fit in my right-front pants pocket, I ‘ain’t carryin’ it.
I will not be doing house searches in response to a 911 call, or conducting armed suspect traffic stops.
I load the .380 with ( formerly ) cheap steel-cased Russian HP and Winchester white box flat nosed Ball. Sometimes I alternate the ball and HP in the magazine. In the .22’s, 40 gr. Mini-Mags.
I do not believe ammo selection is all that important as long as it feeds and fires reliably.

Nobody wants to get shot with anything.

Very, very nice. Like this one a lot!

The weather dictates my carry choice.
7 or 8 mos of the year , I simply wear a tee shirt or a golf shirt.
My carry will be a G42 6+1 w Hornady SD ammo , spare mag in the car.

winter mos
M&P 2.0 Compact 9mm
or
PX4 Storm Compact (which is a tank of a gun but it goes bang and Im really comfortable with that weapon)

Colt Ltwt Mustang with Critical Defence ammo. Found a nice pair of stags for it.

The .380 ACP is considered to be a marginal caliber, but with good bullet selection it will get the job done.

I do my own ballistic testing, mostly to see how my ammo performs in my handguns. In my experience, .380 ACP generally doesn’t meet the minimum FBI criteria with anything other than the 90 gr XTP driven at close to 1000 FPS.

I developed a max load (Hornady 11th edition) of Titegroup under a 90 gr XTP and fired it in my Kimber Micro .380 ACP.



I got velocities between 990 and 1000 FPS and penetration right around 12”-13” with decent expansion (by XTP standards, they were never intended to make the large star shaped expansion you get with more modern hollow points).



——

In comparison this is what I get with a 115 gr XTP and a max load of HS-6 in my Kimber Micro 9.



Here the velocities were between 1040 FPS and 1065 fps, well below the 1150 or so I get with that same load in the longer barrel 9mm pistols I normally carry.

The results were 15-16” of penetration, slightly more than I get with the same load in a 4” pistol where penetration is 14-16” with earlier expansion at the higher velocity decreasing penetration slightly.




.380 on the left and 9mm on the right:



The good, although still barely meeting the FBI minimum, result with the .380 here is because the 90 gr .380 load using Titegroup was tailored specifically for the short 2.75” barrel Kimber Micro .380.

——

The points here are:

1) there are a lot of variables involved when selecting a pistol and a load and the two need to be compatible; and

2) in similar compact pistols, a good .380 load can give acceptable performance although probably not on par with a similar 9mm load in a similar pistol.

Although I still don’t have any qualms about carrying a Kimber Micro with this load.

While I do not criticize anyone for choosing the .380 ACP, I would like to share my experience and reasoning regarding this caliber.

For a couple of years I carried a Walther PPK in .380 as a backup, inside my vest, where I could get to it with my weak hand. I upgraded to a Glock model 23, 40 S&W. For the same weight I went from 8 rounds of .380 to 15 rounds of 40 caliber.

I still qualified with a Colt Pocket Lite in 380 for very discreet carry. I found I could conceal my Glock as well and when I got my Sig 365, it further reduced the role of the Colt.

I still have the Walther and the Colt and if the need arises, I would be very comfortable with either.

FWIW, Cor Bon cartridges were my choice.

I hope you find this helpful.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

I have had my Browning BDA380 since 1984 or 85. I would not go to war with it as my primary weapon, but for self defense, I feel it is adequate. About two months before I retired, I was processing a crime scene. A car with 4 Nortenos drove over and were watching us. I didn't know if they were looking for trouble or just curious. After a staring contest between them and me, they decided to leave. I had my Browning BDA380, and if things went bad, I would not have felt that I was under-gunned.

Some time ago I splurged on a Colt 380 Pocketlite. I had been lusting for a Colt 380 for decades.
Mine would not reliably feed the last round from the magazine. I tried numerous magazines and loads, and even sent it back to Colt. Still no dice.
I traded it off and went to a reliable J Frame and have never looked back.

I've yet to meet a small semi-auto I can totally trust.

Obviously posted by someone who’s never been in a gunfight w/multiple attackers & had to reload. Even if the chances are slim for most of us I don’t understand this line of thinking.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

I like your Schrade M2 !

Folks put way too much stock in FBI/IWBA Specifications, especially since the average person knows practically nothing about said specifications save for the fact that they call for a minimum penetration depth of 12 inches in Ballistics Gel with consistent, reliable expansion of the projectile through 4 layers of denim.
However, nobody ever seems to acknowledge why the FBI has such strict specifications, and there's the kicker... The FBI calls for a minimum of 12" of penetration in Organic Ballistics Gel with full expansion through 4 layers of heavy denim because they require their duty cartridge to be able to penetrate barriers such as car doors/windshields or a criminal's forearm with enough force to still penetrate deeply enough to reach vital organs. What's more, said tests are typically performed using either Full-Size Duty Pistols with a 5" Barrel or at least a Compact Pistol with a 4" Barrel, not a Subcompact with a 3.5" Barrel nor a Pocket Pistol with a 2.75" Barrel.
In other words, FBI/IWBA Specifications represent a worst case scenario in which a criminal is behind cover, seated inside of an automobile, is wearing heavy clothing, and has their arms blocking their torso because they're holding onto something like a firearm or a steering wheel.

The average civilian is unlikely to ever require such performance, much less should such performance be expected out of a Subcompact/Pocket Pistol, and therefore even if someone is planning to be prepared for such a worst case scenario, then they ought to be carrying something more like a Full Size Duty Pistol like Law Enforcement carries rather than trying to force a Lightweight Subcompact or Pocket Pistol into the same role by holding it to the same standards.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.