Originally Posted by City Boy

I didn't like the look of this gun at all when I first saw it. Then I handled one at the nearest gun shop and immediately traded in my S&W Shield 9mm for it. I love the way it fits my hand, the ease of racking the slide and loading the magazines, the trigger pull--in short, I love everything about it except the fact that it's a .380 ACP and not a 9mm. However, it was extremely difficult for me to lock back the slide on on the Shield 9mm and the recoil on it made follow-up shots slower. I don't even give the grip safety on the .380 a second thought and I've never gripped the gun in a way that didn't depress it completely and the thumb safety is just a matter of practice. For home defense I have a S&W M&P 9mm Compact (and a shotgun). The slide on the Compact is easier to rack than the one on the Shield 9mm and it, too, has a thumb safety for commonality with the .380. The only downside to the 9MM C compared to the .380 is that the magazine is harder to load, but that's why I have an UpLULA magazine loader. I will admit that my .380 is a little big for pocket carry, so I'm looking at one of the smaller .380s or a Ruger LCR in .38 Spl for that role.
My $.02 worth--YMMV....

City Boy