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  #1  
Old 09-25-2018, 03:28 PM
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Default 380 D/D S/A

Who makes a good 380 D/A S/A
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Old 09-25-2018, 03:30 PM
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I like Walther PP series guns.

Beretta makes a single stack and double stack .....84s and 85s IIRC

Sig's 230 and 232s were great guns.............
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Old 09-25-2018, 04:21 PM
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I like the older Ranger made stainless steel PPK/S for concealed carry as a back up.

I was not a fan of the S&W made pistols (yeah, I know heresy on this site), as they made a few changes that were not warranted, there were two separate recalls and they were generally not as reliable as the Ranger, Manuhrin or Walther made pistols. In addition, the longer tang tends to dig into your side in IWB carry.

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Two other great pistols for about half the money are the FEG APK9S and AP9S pistols. The APK9S is an all steel PPK/S sized pistol, while the AP9S is a larger PP sized pistol.

Both are Walther PP series clones that are commercial derivatives of FEG service pistols originally designed around the 9x18 Makarov round. As such the frames are a little larger and heavier and they are even more pleasant to shoot. They also are less picky than a Walther PP series pistol when it comes to ammunition. The Interarms imported versions are very high quality with a superb finish. Interarms started importing them as an alternative to the Walther PPK/S and PP after Walther discontinued its arrangement with Manuhrin, and US distribution rights for the Walther pistols were up in the air. However Interarms continued to import them and sold them along side the Ranger made pistols until Interarms closed its doors in 1999.

----

Top to bottom:
FEG APK9S
Ranger made Walther PPK/S
FEG AP9S

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Old 09-25-2018, 04:24 PM
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Beretta


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Old 09-25-2018, 04:35 PM
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In terms of le action .380s, the Kimber Micro, Sig P238 and Colt Mustang (under any of its various names and forms) are all good pistols.

The Kimber Micro and Sig P238 both cost the same, once you factor in the night sights on the Sig.

My Kimber Micro has been extremely reliable with both FMJ and 90 gr XTP rounds. It's significantly lighter than a PPK/S but has a very similar recoil thanks to the delayed recoil locked breech design, which spreads the recoil out over a greater period of time and reduces the slide velocity. That lighter weight and slightly smaller size make it a better choice for pocket carry.

Below are a PPK/S and a Kimber Micro to show the relative sizes:





Another less costly but still very reliable option is the Rock Island Arsenal Baby Rock. I bought one because it was cheap and I was curious and I had very low expectations. I was very surprised to find it was both accurate for the type and very reliable.

The weight is essentially identical to the PPK/S as is the recoil. It's larger and heavier than the Kimber Micro - but benefits from a longer barrel that really helps maximize performance of the .380 ACP. A 90 gr XTP will do about 975 fps out of a Kimber Micro, while the Baby Rock will launch it at 1050 fps. That 75 fps makes a difference in consistent expansion in heavy clothing.

Here are the two side by side:



And there is nothing wrong with the Baby Rock's accuracy at 10 yards:

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Old 09-25-2018, 04:38 PM
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The Makarov!

Mine's a commercial model, in .380, with adjustable sights.

At seven yards offhand, it will put them all into a group the size of a quarter. And mine's never malfunctioned, not even once.
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Old 09-25-2018, 04:41 PM
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FWIW, you may want to look at Bersa. They are basically a Walther clone and they come in several models. They are pretty good shooters. I've had a couple of them for several years now, (problem free) and enjoy the heck out of em!


Last edited by Dutchboy901; 09-25-2018 at 08:33 PM.
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Old 09-25-2018, 04:44 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by peterGun View Post
Beretta


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Beretta makes a lot of pistols.

One thing most of them have in common is that they are larger than they need to be. The 84 and 85 are great .380 pistols but they are the size of a compact (not micro, compact) 9mm Para pistol. Similarly, the Beretta 92 is a .45 ACP sized pistol chambered in .9mm Para.

The exception here is the Beretta Model 70 in .380 ACP. It's a superb, well made little pistol in a right sized package. Consequently they are not as commonly encountered on the sued market and they are comparatively pricey when you find one.
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Old 09-25-2018, 04:45 PM
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Do you want a large one or a small one?

Beretta's .380s are top notch but they are large.

Not that Walter PPK/S guns are small but they are somewhat more compact than the Beretta Cheetah 84/85 models.

There is no SA out there that I would recommend; I am a diehard TDA fan. Compact 1911s are useless in my opinion. Others will flame me for that, I am sure.

This is a very large gun for a diminutive .380 caliber:



If you had to have a single action .380 then the Mustang, the old .380 Government Model by Colt, like this Star, would be fine:



The Colt Pony is, however, the ideal TDA .380, compact, easy to shoot, no complications with cocked and locked, etc. I guess the Ruger LCP is in that category, too. VERY concealable. TDA aka SA/DA is the way to go.
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Old 09-25-2018, 07:02 PM
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I'm quite partial to the Walther PP Series.



My EDC is a Smith & Wesson PPK/S. Despite there being some inconsistencies in terms of reliability, but mine is rock solid reliable and has honestly never malfunctioned on me once in the past 2 years that I've owned it, and believe me, I really put it through its paces. I've fired it wet, dry, dirty, from a variety of different angles to simulate having to shoot it from a number of different positions in self-defense, but to date it has never failed to function on its own merits. The closest thing to a malfunction I've ever had was from short stroking the slide when chambering a round and one time when I was firing off old carry ammo with quite a bit of bullet setback from repeated chambering/unchambering that I honestly should have just thrown out.

Last edited by Echo40; 09-25-2018 at 09:35 PM.
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Old 09-25-2018, 08:05 PM
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CZ83 in 380 or the CZ82 in 9mm Mak, the 82's have polygonal bores.


or a Walther PPK/S, this one is a Ranger mfg in blue.
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Old 09-25-2018, 08:22 PM
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My favorite DA/SA 380 is the Sig P232.
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Old 09-25-2018, 08:43 PM
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I have a Browning BDA .380 (13 rd magazine) and Glock Model 42 .380.
The Glock is a awesome pocket carry and the Browning is a OWB carry
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Old 09-25-2018, 09:12 PM
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Trouble with all the DA/SA .380 pistols I know is that they are all blowback operation and have harsh recoil. Even the big Beretta had a chunk of muzzle flip for me. The Sig 250s we have barely recoil at all even though they are polymer because they have a locked breech action.
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Old 09-25-2018, 09:17 PM
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Sig 232 (discontinued but a awesome 380 pistol)
Beretta 84/85f
Bersa Thunder 380/380 plus
Walther PPK/s 380
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