You could've written that describing my preferences and thoughts ... except I usually carry one or the other of my M&P 340's, loaded with +P's, versus one of my pair of 642-1's, as they're a bit lighter and arguably have a better sight setup, for distances where I'm going to be aiming shots.
I don't consider reloading speed a high priority.
I tend to agree, and for similar reasons. Now that I no longer have to think about invoking peace officer status and taking an "enforcement action" in an off-duty situation, I have a little different opinion about the need for much "reloading" in a deadly force situation I might encounter now that I'm retired.
Besides, trying to get another magazine in the LCP requires removing much of the edge of my palm/hand to clear that diminutive grip and mag well. Loading my J's is a lot easier (lots of practice), and being a revolver offers an advantage, for an older revolver shooter, even in a smaller 5-shot configuration.
I only picked up a couple of LCP's because I couldn't pocket-holster one or another of my J's in some of my jeans. Not all makers seem to produce deep pockets in their jeans lines, and some of them are also too tight for the J's. The .380 involves some obvious compromises, but it's better than not being able to carry.
Push comes to shove, I do like having the option of using some of the heavier 125gr, 130gr & 135gr JHP's in my .38 snubs, compared to the 85-102gr JHP's in my LCP's. (Well, except for my pristine 347-2DAO, in which I'll
only use standard pressure loads, and the better (hopeful expansion) of the standard pressure JHP's for snubs seem to come in 110gr weights. This puts it perilously close to making it a .380, since the Remington GS .380 JHP is 102grs.
An interesting aside, perhaps ....
I remember discussing .38 snubs as approved secondary/backup duty weapons with Dr Gary Roberts a few years ago. At that time he was working with a major agency on a program to possibly issue them. (I won't name the agency, as I don't know if it was eventually approved and completed, or if he remained involved with the program.) However, he said that range testing of some representative officers revealed that the use of +P loads produced accuracy and controllability that was less than what was considered desirable, but that when 148gr Target WC loads were used the results were noticeably much better. Apparently, the potential penetration of the low velocity WC's were considered acceptable, too. Accuracy and controllability, combined with an acceptable potential penetration, and the wide meplat of the soft swaged Target WC bullet's profile, was apparently being considered an acceptable compromise. Funny how things work, at times.
Anyway, like many retired cops I've developed some easily aggravated "hot spots" caused by many years of wearing too much gear that pressed against my lower back and hips, including leather gun belts and vests, and pocket-holster options are often the easiest way to avoid aggravating those hot spots. Some days/nights I can wear my belt holstered weapons without any problems developing, and other days/nights I can't. It depends. Annoying to have pressure on my glutes and iliac crests (from holster and spare mag/mags) cause discomfort, which can include pain down to a knee, at times.
Now, unlike some other folks, I don't stay awake at night worrying about the lighter bullets commonly found in .380ACP being able to meet the FBI performance specs for
duty ammo. I'm not carrying one as a duty weapon, and despite what some folks might opine about agencies not authorizing .380, the venerable .380ACP
is coming back in vogue. This is likely due, in no small part, to the proliferation of good quality smaller & lighter plastic pistols chambered in the caliber.
Hey, it's probably head and shoulders better than the .22's & .25's of yesteryear, when they were carried as secondary/backup weapons. Of course, I still remember the arguments made for carrying secondary weapons that were
even larger in caliber than a primary duty weapon. The argument offered back then was that if your primary hadn't handled the "problem", you probably needed an "even more powerful/larger caliber" to handle it. In that vein, I remember some guys carrying large guns like a Commander or a M19 2 1/2" tucked away as secondary weapons on-duty.
Last I looked, LAPD authorizes .380ACP as secondary & off-duty weapons (along with .38 SPL), and mandates the use of Hornady CD.380 loads. LAPD is among the agencies I consider somewhat "savvy", FWIW. I can think of some medium-size agencies who have come to approve the .380ACP, too.
The issue of approved or issued ammo seems to lean in the direction of some modern JHP designs being used, rather than ball loads. That may not satisfy the folks who lean toward preferring deep penetration over expansion and more shallow penetration which may not meet the prevailing "minimum" for
duty ammo, but when compromises are inevitably going to be involved, you've probably got to choose the ones with which you think you can live (or are willing to risk hoping you can live with them).
Dunno. Not anyone's expert. I can only make decisions for myself, but those decisions are often heavily influenced by my career's worth of training and experience (as both working cop and firearms instructor), and not everyone's conclusions and decisions based upon their experiential knowledge are likely to agree.
At the end of the day, it is what it is.
