380 what is the draw

[REM 3200]

With the new sub-compact pistols like the Sig P365, Glock 43 and new offering from SA there isn't much of an excuse any more to say a 9mm is too bulky or large to carry.

And sense the P365, the Block 43 and the new offerings you speak of are all new,
pray tell what was I supposed to be carrying for the past 30 years when a 1911A1
was just a little to large for the dress code for the function I was attending?
I found a .380 pistol to fit the situation.

 

[Gene L]

Got two .380s, a PPK and a PPK/S. I got the S in1984 as a UC gun that didn't scream "cop." Bought the SS PPK last year because it was a good buy. It's very accurate at SD range. I.ve also got two .32s, a PPK and a FN 1910.

I have no illusions about either of these calibers...there are a lot smaller and more powerful pistols. My .32 PPK, loaded, weighs about the same as my Sig 365, which holds 4 or 5 rounds more.

Yet I carry both of these calibers occasionally. Why? Because I chose to and my chances of ever using a pistol in SD are very low. So my primary reason for carrying is not to defend my life, it's because I like to carry a gun. As simple as that.

 

[JH1951]

The "draw" to the .380 for me was size. I bought a LCP and carried it for several years. Nice gun and very concealable, no doubt.
I am a firm believer in being proficient and confident with whatever I carry. I struggled with the LCP the whole time that I owned it. I found it brutal on my wrist and a general displeasure to shoot. Therefore my level of confidence and proficiency suffered. I sold it after about five years and now favor carrying what I had before - a .38 Spl. J-frame or my Sig Ultra Compact .45 ACP 1911. Both are less comfortable and less concealable than the LCP, but both satisfy my needs better than the LCP did. I am not condemning the .380. There are some that I really like and enjoy shooting, but they are of WWII vintage, and somewhat bulkier and heavy.
I made the decision based on my personal needs. Everyone has the responsibility to do what is best for them and their loved ones.

 

[uncleted327]

380 gets a bad rap, and almost always from 9mm fanboys. They tell you anything bigger and more powerful than 9mm is completely unnecessary while also saying 380 couldn't punch a hole through wet toilet paper. Nothing disappears in a pocket like an LCP sized 380, period. I've owned small 9mm guns like the Kahr PM9, do they fit in a pocket, sure. Are they even close in size and weight to an LCP...not at all. It can slip in your pocket in the morning and ride there all day, no matter what you are wearing or doing. I know some people think if you aren't strapping on a high cap 9mm with three extra mags, a tourniquet and three frag grenades to run across the road to the gas station you are unprepared, I'm not one of those people. My LCP is always with me, is it always all that's with me...no. But I certainly don't live in fear of 7 rounds of HST or Gold Dot not being a deterrent to any situation I will realistically run into when that's all I have. If I'm going to a more high risk area that day I will add a S&W 360 or a snubby 627 or 629 in case making things extra dead is necessary...

 

[delcrossv]

Well, Sig didn't make the P232 in 9mm, only .380, and I like P232's.

 

[Kifaru]

I have a Beretta Pico for occasional wallet carry. I actually have two as they can now be found all day for under $225. I'm a fan of the DAO, hammer-fired system. Because of that, I recently picked up an ANIB Sig P250 .380 as my eventual "old man gun." Arthritis is slowly creeping in. The other day, I was carrying a pair of 25# bumper plates (one in each hand) using a pinch grip, and it just peeled out of my right hand with no warning. The more things like that happen, the better the Sig looks. I can literally rack the slide with one finger, and the 5^5^5 drill is stupid easy. Even WHO I can easily make par time. The trigger is long, but at just over 6 pounds, it's more manageable than any J-frame I own. Finally, out of a 3.6" barrel, .380 ACP is no slouch, and with 15 + 1 on board, I would feel pretty well protected. This checks all the boxes for when I get old and feeble which may be sooner than I think.

 

[Rammer Jammer]

Because no reliable 9mm is pocketable as something like an LCP or Bodyguard.

 

[Dump1567]

Back-up gun & IWB gun around the house. It's basically the gun I carry when I don't want to carry a gun.

I know 9mm's have gotten smaller, but so have .380's. My LCP is perfect for the above roll.

 

[Boudiepitbull]

I collect a lot of things for no other reason than I like them and IMO my two 380s both have aesthetic value. My Beretta 85 FS nickel finish single stack with wood grips is probably one of the most beautiful little pieces of work I own. It's exquisite to hold and I have no problem with it forever being a range toy/safe queen and not an EDC. Same with my Walther PPK/S except that I don't walk around with the Beretta muttering, "Bond...James Bond" to myself when I take it out of the safe.

 

[Echo40]

My first centerfire pistol was a Walther PPK/S in .380 ACP I carried it for a good 3 years before I finally decided that I'd rather carry something smaller/lighter in Summer, and bigger/more powerful in Winter.

Nowadays a Ruger LCP is my primary Summer Carry/BUG and my Winter Carry is a SW40VE, but I still carry the PPK/S occasionally just because it fits my hand better than the LCP and it's more accurate as well.

The supposed ineffectiveness of .380 ACP is largely based on outdated information or otherwise outright misinformation. For a time, .380 ACP ammo was downloaded domestically thanks to the popularity of the infamous cheaply made Ring of Fire pocket pistols of the time, but European ammo remained hot because of high quality pistols like the Walther PP(K), SIG P230, and Beretta Cheetah, as a result, .380 ACP was written off as a moderately effective mouse gun cartridge in the United States, while in Europe it was carried by Law Enforcement well into the 1980s.
Fortunately, the Ring of Fire companies are no more, most of which were sued into oblivion, so ammo is once again being loaded to full SAAMI Specs for the high quality pocket pistols of today.

Everyone else tends to be someone who knows someone who's father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate had a .380 ACP fail in spectacular fashion to get the job done or otherwise the token insecure 9mm Fanboy who insists that anything less powerful is totally useless, as is anything more powerful because it makes follow up shots take .0003 nanoseconds longer and according to the same authority they insisted were an invalid/untrustworthy source of information 5+ years ago before they issued 9mm, there's no meaningful difference between 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP.

 

[dr. mordo]

One datum you might consider is that modern .380 ammo is pretty dang hot.

Underwood sells a 90gr +P JHP that reaches 1100fps from a pocket pistol. That's getting into 38 SPL power levels...

 

[tops]

I have read that the size of the bullet doesn't matter because the only way to stop a threat immediately is to hit the brain or spine. Anything less and the threat will not stop. I have never shot a person but a .22 RF shot to the brain will drop a 500 lb. hog or a 1500 lb. cow deader than 4 o clock. A .380 FMJ is more reliable and powerful than a .22 so I think one would be just fine. Larry

 

[BAM-BAM]

Well, Sig didn't make the P232 in 9mm, only .380, and I like P232's.

...and IIRC the alloy frame version only weighed 16 oz.

Only down side was the butt heel mag release

 

[Old cop]

My LCP serves as a get off me gun, is lighter and smaller than anything in 9MM so far and is simply easier to carry for me as a handicapped individual. Thirty years as a street cop as shown me that shot placement trumps caliber.

 

[Execpro]

12oz,17oz,23oz. Weight of a S&W 380 Bodyguard, Taurus 38 special 856UL and a S&W 9mm EZ (All Empty).The last two are AIWB carry but for me too large and heavy when loaded to carry in my sweat pants.
So I guess the answer to your question (HOUSTON RICK) as to why a 380, is the small size and lighter weight, for me at least.
chief38: loaded 380 Body Guard 15.5oz. Loaded Sig 365 is 23oz. Just Sayen.
I can carry it around the house without a belt or holster (double action trigger and a safety). JMO

Be SAFE and Shoot Often!

 

[H Richard]

The 380 is about the smallest package capable of stopping a fight/robbery/rape. The LCP is one of the smallest to fit this need, and it is small enough to "always" be carried, not just when you are dressed to cover it up. It is also controllable, and a 9mm in a nearly that small a package normally isn't controllable. Keep in mind that these are carried by people that don't practice 150-300 rounds a week. Most are fired a few times a year.

 

[kbm6893]

There is no small 9 mm that is as small as a Ruger LCP, Taurus TCP or Keltec 380. Some guys can pocket carry a 44 magnum but I wear regular fit cowboy cut bluejeans so my Ruger LCP is the biggest Gun that will fit comfortably in the pocket.

Yep. When they come out with a 9MM the size of an M&P Bodyguard .380 or a Ruger LCP, I’ll be the first to buy.

 

[BC38]

Yep. When they come out with a 9MM the size of an M&P Bodyguard .380 or a Ruger LCP, I’ll be the first to buy.

I don't know man...

The LCP in 380 or the LC9 in 9mm are both hard enough to shoot well. A 9mm out of an LCP would likely be as bad or worse than a 357 in a scandium J-frame.

 

[kbm6893]

I don't know man...

The LCP in 380 or the LC9 in 9mm are both hard enough to shoot well. A 9mm out of an LCP would likely be as bad or worse than a 357 in a scandium J-frame.

Lots of people buy and carry .357 in scandium. For an up close gun I’d take one. Something slightly bigger than the Bodyguard .380 but smaller than the 365. A 7 shot 9MM Bodyguard would be divine.

 

[Echo40]

Lots of people buy and carry .357 in scandium. For an up close gun I’d take one. Something slightly bigger than the Bodyguard .380 but smaller than the 365. A 7 shot 9MM Bodyguard would be divine.

Right up until you pull the trigger.

Seriously, anyone who asks for a 9mm of similar size/weight to a lightweight .380 Pocket Pistol hasn't ever shot one.

Lightweight .380 Pocket Pistols may be comfortable to carry, but they aren't comfortable to shoot.

Take it from me, I bought a Ruger LCP over an EC9s because I wanted something smaller, lighter, and easier to conceal, but my brother's LC9s is far more comfortable to shoot, eventhough it's not all that much bigger/heavier than the LCP overall.

I don't even want to think about what shooting 9mm out of a pistol the same size/weight as an LCP, but I imagine a lot of pain and terrible accuracy.