Pocket 9 vs .380?

[otis24]

Given the choice of a 9mm with lesser capacity and a .380 of similar size with more capacity, which would you choose?

Looking at Handgun Heroes, the Sig P365 and the S&W Bodyguard 2.0 are close enough in size. I’m not sure which one I would most likely prefer if given the choice; 9mm with lesser capacity or .380 with more capacity. I would probably lean towards the 9mm.

 

[326MOD10]

My SIG 365 has a capacity of 10 rounds (flush fit mag), 12 rounds (slight finger extension) and 15 rounds (or more if you want in the mag).

Both the 10 and 12 round mags have been carried in my pocket using a Mika Pocket Holster.

I am not sure but think the difference might be a little thinner with the Bodyguard but I am not sure but the round count seems to be the same.

Now I have never pocket carried in jeans or something with tight pockets. Mostly cargo style shorts but I carry in the pocket not the thigh cargo area.

I will stick with the 9mm in these circumstances and for my purposes.

 

[Rob613]

The one you shoot the best.

 

[hdfinder47]

9mm assuming you can shoot it well. The 365 is VERY manageable, IMO.

 

[cd228]

depends on the size of your pockets. Also, weight gets a vote.

 

[Ματθιας]

9mm vs 380?

9mm all day, everyday

 

[skwchock]

Just shoot what YOU feel comfortable with and are proficient. It is about YOU -- no one else.

 

[Brian Parrish]

.380 IS 9mm at close range.
The further out you go the slower it travels. At some point, the .380 will not be enough anymore but the 9mm will still be enough. A little further out and the 9mm will not be enough and you need something stronger.
Far enough out and you need a rifle.
A little further and you need a mortar.
A little further and you would need artillery, and an Air Force would be nice.

I concur with the opinion that skill trumps everything, but I would also add that you have a fighting mindset that applies to this question. What scenario are you preparing for and how does your weapon/tool fit for that scenario? What other important considerations apply to that scenario? In other words, it is perfectly legitimate to carry a belly gun for fighting at beer breath ranges if you are prepared for what actually happens in a fight when you are that close.

On February 26, 2012, Travon Martin lost his life because he jumped on top of a man, George Zimmerman, who had a pistol under his shirt. For many, many years in all the discussion about the shooting incident ever since, there is nobody, and I mean nobody who thinks that George Zimmerman's choice of caliber is what matters.

I like to watch videos at the Active Self Protection channel on YouTube. In all these years, please correct me anyone, host John Correia has shown no situation where a .380 failed when a 9mm would have succeeded. This is an argument from silence which proves nothing. I am just saying you should get ready for what you believe is most likely to happen.

 

[Doug M.]

I bought a Glock 42 for my wife to be able to shoot it due to lessened physical capacity. I ended up carrying it as the least bad choice after my bypass, usually in a Mika pocket holster in the zipped pocket of my athletic pants. Not great, but the best I could do.

Most of the time my pocket carry choice is a G33 in a Kramer pocket holster. It works for me due to my size and attire. What works best for any one person is likely to vary by size, attire, and life style. You must choose a platform you can shoot adequately well and that you will have with you every minute of every day. If you shoot a platform well, but it is a nuisance to carry and you might leave it home, it is not a good platform.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Given the choice of a 9mm with lesser capacity and a .380 of similar size with more capacity, which would you choose?

From my LEO experience working in the ghetto and Housing Projects; 9mm is significantly a better stopper than a .380 ACP. JMHO.

Of course Professional Training makes a big difference.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

... in my pocket using a Mika Pocket Holster.

Mikas are very nice Pocket Holsters. I got my first in 1989 for my BUG.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

... usually in a Mika pocket holster in the zipped pocket of my athletic pants.

Robert does have a lot of fans of his Pocket Holsters.

Get well my friend.

 

[Brian Parrish]

Otis24, I just looked back and realized in my comment I really did not consider your actual question, so I'll add something. Active Self Protection went back through ten years of videos, thousands of them looking for incidents when a certain number of rounds were needed. He found a few where as many as six rounds were needed. He did not go beyond that. There are plenty of situations where someone will shoot the capacity of their gun and say afterwards that they "needed" all those rounds.

The fact is that the first good hit wins the fight and all the other shots after that happen because handgun wounds just do not take effect quickly enough. A man who is mortally wounded can keep fighting long enough to take you with him to Valhalla.
The extra rounds give you a better chance of severing his spinal cord or taking out his shooting arm.
The extra rounds do not get in the way of anything so why not have them?
The follow up shots are quicker with the .380 at least for me.
The 9mm is always way faster to the first shot because the .380 is in the pocket or on the ankle, harder to get out, than the nine which is in a holster on my belt.

On July 17, 2022, Elijsha Dicken drew his Glock 9mm and fired at an active shooter in the Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood Indiana.
He was 40 yards away when he engaged the shooter.
He fired two shots braced on the column. He missed (I think).
He closed to half that distance shouting warnings and instructions to the bystanders.
He fired a few more times by the next column, all hits.
He closed again half that distance and fired again, all hits.
He fired a total of ten rounds with eight hits.
Which round was fatal for the shooter?
There is no way to know.

I believe that the first round was the most important even though it was a miss because the ********* with a gun, the ASHWAG, had a plan to retreat to the bathroom and kill the cops when they came through the door. I cannot prove any of this you know.

 

[Rammer Jammer]

A problem with "pocket" nines is they may go into the pocket moderately well, but can be very difficult to get out of the pocket cleanly and quickly.

Of course this can vary person to person.

 

[Rodan]

The .380 you have with you is better than the 9mm you left at home, but otherwise, 9mm all day, every day.

Since I bought my P365 three years ago, I think I've only carried my .380 Bodyguard twice... it's reserved for the hottest of days and circumstances where nothing but pocket carry in shorts will work. I don't like pocket carry, but when it's the only option: back to my opening comment...

P365 vs. 380 BG

 

[sureshotbob]

I've always been a fan of the .9mm
But I carry my .380 Ruger LCP Max every day all day in a Desantis pocket holster .

I love my LW CZ 75 P-01 .9MM but rarely carry it as it needs to be carried in a holster on my belt.

Here in Ct. a 10 rnd. mag is the max so both guns fit the bill.

 

[tops]

There are some people that pocket carry when in a crowd or like in a parking lot have their hand in their pocket on the gun. I'm led to believe that is a faster draw than a gun on the hip. Larry

 

[cd228]

Otis, help me bring this back on topic.

Are you intending to pocket carry or did you use the phrase Pocket 9 to describe the current micro compact 9mm handguns? Personally, I wouldn't pocket carry either of the two pistols you mentioned. I own a SIG 365.

If you are pocket carrying, I stand by my above comment that pistol weight and size of the pocket are significant. Also factor in the size and weight of the pocket holster, to break up the outline of the pistol, position it for proper draw and to prevent something from accidentally engaging the trigger. I also recommend that if you pocket carry, the pocket becomes a "gun only" pocket, that way nothing accidentally fires the gun, damage the gun or causes a malfunction. Don't be Plaxico Burress.

As mentioned above, if you leave the gun home because it's a problem carrying it, it's terminal ballistic potential means absolutely nothing. The first rule of gunfighting is to have a gun.

If you are looking at IWB or similar that changes the discussion.

 

[cololab]

Possibly I missed it being stated, but do you currently have any firearms in either caliber? Also the logistics of finding 9mm versus .380 may or may not be an issue for you.

 

[jeffrefrig]

I had a G42 some years back and it was probably my fault but I hated that gun. I dumped it and bought this EC9s Ruger. I like shooting it as it’s never had any issues. I found Stoner Holsters from out near Cincinnati O. It fits like a wallet in my back right pocket. I’ve shot a couple 380s, I think the EZ S&Ws, and like the caliber, but man I hated that Glock. This Ruger is a nice reliable EDC 9mm. I think Ruger makes one in 380, but I’m not changing now. I run a mag or two every range trip and it never fails for an inexpensive (cheap) gun.