Airweight .38 Special Revolver or .380 ACP Pocket Pistol?

[Echo40]

Both are light in weight, small in size, easy to conceal and are chambered in cartridges which are generally considered to be adequate for self-defense, thus making them extremely popular as EDCC firearms, but which do you carry and why?

Personally, while I like them both, my current choice is a Ruger LCP since it is lighter than any .38 Special Revolver I've ever seen at a mere 10oz, obviously slimmer, costs significantly less, and holds 7 rounds as opposed to 5 or 6.
However, a .38 Special is still a good choice which holds up well due to generally higher reliability and potentially more powerful with +P loads.

 

[BlackTalonJHP]

It depends on how/where I'm carrying and clothing/cover.
Warmer months I'm more likely to have a .380ACP because it's smaller and lighter and the potential assailant would be wearing light clothing.
Colder months I feel more comfortable with a 38 Special. I can conceal it more easily under or in a coat and the heavier bullet should have better penetration on an assailant wearing heavier clothing. Also I find the slightly larger size, controls, and grip on a revolver easier to manipulate with gloves than a small .380, although the trigger guard is pretty small on both guns.

 

[Echo40]

It depends on how/where I'm carrying and clothing/cover.
Warmer months I'm more likely to have a .380ACP because it's smaller and lighter and the potential assailant would be wearing light clothing.
Colder months I feel more comfortable with a 38 Special. I can conceal it more easily under or in a coat and the heavier bullet should have better penetration on an assailant wearing heavier clothing. Also I find the slightly larger size, controls, and grip on a revolver easier to manipulate with gloves than a small .380, although the trigger guard is pretty small on both guns.

I know what you mean, I actually tend to carry a Walther PPK/S in the Winter, but have been looking for something more powerful. I'm not really worried about heavy winter clothing since based on what I've seen, no amount of clothing will stop a bullet, not even the diminutive .22LR, but I do worry a bit about JHPs getting plugged up and failing to expand, so I'm looking into getting a .40 S&W or .45 ACP for Winter Carry.
Also, something with a larger grip would be better if I'm wearing gloves or my fingers are numb from the cold.

 

[buckshotshorty]

I have become very sensitive to weight and recoil as I am aging. Soon, I will be 75 yo.

Considering that, my carry gun is a Sig 238 with 7 round mag + 1 in the chamber of 380. It is small, light and made of all metal, and still weighs less than 16 0z. Loaded. Recoil is extremely light.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I see no logic in carrying a pocket 380 when I can pocket carry a small 9MM.

I purposely buy cargo shorts with oversized pockets. If I'm not wearing shorts, I carry IWB.

Some people are willing to dress around a gun. Some aren't.

 

[Echo40]

I see no logic in carrying a pocket 380 when I can pocket carry a small 9MM.

I purposely buy cargo shorts with oversized pockets. If I'm not wearing shorts, I carry IWB.

Some people are willing to dress around a gun. Some aren't.

I actually thought about getting a Ruger EC9s over a Ruger LCP, but the Ruger was 7oz heavier and quite a bit bigger, so the LCP just made more sense to me.

It gets extremely hot here during the Summer, so it was better to have the smallest, lightest pistol I could carry. Besides, I also wanted something I could use as a backup gun, and the LCP made more sense there as well.

 

[oink]

I didn't see a way to vote for "whatever floats my boat at the moment".
But the most frequent winner is the little shield 9mm although I don't love the gun. It works!

 

[Kanewpadle]

I actually thought about getting a Ruger EC9s over a Ruger LCP, but the Ruger was 7oz heavier and quite a bit bigger, so the LCP just made more sense to me.

It gets extremely hot here during the Summer, so it was better to have the smallest, lightest pistol I could carry. Besides, I also wanted something I could use as a backup gun, and the LCP made more sense there as well.

As long as it works for you. A Glock 43 in my right front pocket isn't too bad. With a flush fit magazine, it isn't a problem getting the gun out quickly. Spare mag in the other pocket.

 

[Spokes]

I carry both, usually pocket not both at one time... I did get a Ruger LC9 Pro that I love. Tried that one in pocket carry, too heavy and big...
My revolver is a S&W Ti in 38 special and the 380 is a Ruger LCP2. with the Hogue beavertail rubber grip..

 

[Echo40]

As long as it works for you. A Glock 43 in my right front pocket isn't too bad. With a flush fit magazine, it isn't a problem getting the gun out quickly. Spare mag in the other pocket.

I honestly would have liked the EC9s better since it would have fit my hand more nicely and I already know from experience having shot my brother's LC9s that it would be more pleasant to shoot, but the LCP was the better choice for Summer Carry/Backup, so it's what I went with.

Often times the gun you need the most isn't the gun you like best.

That being said, I'll likely end up getting either an EC9s or an M&P Shield in the not-too-distant future because I would definitely like to own something flat/sleek which is lighter that my PPK/S yet is chambered in a more powerful cartridge.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I didn't see a way to vote for "whatever floats my boat at the moment".
But the most frequent winner is the little shield 9mm although I don't love the gun. It works!

The Shield is a good gun. A friend and I shot 1000 rounds through my G43 and his Shield one afternoon.

Both guns performed the same. Functioned flawlessly and accuracy was equal.

He prefers the Shield because it fits his hand better. I prefer the G43 for the same reason.

Sorry for the thread drift.

 

[jimmyj]

CCW- different ones but the calibers all start with a "4"

 

[haywood]

Two J-Frames everyday

 

[Echo40]

Annnd...I just realized that I somehow screwed up the poll by posting the .357 option twice. Dunno how I managed that, but there it is...Great.

 

[diyj98]

I prefer to carry an air weight 38 special, but in some pants an LCP is the only thing I can carry.

 

[les.b]

This was a tough one, I voted airweight .357 revolver, which is what I mainly carry, but I sometimes carry all of those listed (not all at the same time!). Plus a bunch of others...like a .45 auto, .38 Super, etc....

Best Regards, Les

 

[Farmer17]

I pocket carry an LCP II because most of the time I wear boot cut blue jeans and a revolver in the pocket feels like a baseball. I've owned a whole bunch of J-frames over the years and currently don't own one but will probably buy a 442 no lock soon because I've seen them for about 300 bucks on line lately and that is really cheap for such a great gun.

 

[ContinentalOp]

I voted Airweight .38 because I don't have a .380. Yet.

I've carried my 642 IWB for several years until it was pretty much replaced as my EDC by my PX4 Compact. However, I still carry it from time to time, either IWB or pocket carry.

The biggest problem for me with pocket carrying the 642 is the bulkiness. Weight isn't an issue, and accessibility is going to be an issue no matter what I'm carrying in my pocket. I have been experimenting with a new pocket holster, a Blue Force Gear ULTRAcomp pocket holster. It's thinner and more comfortable to carry my 642 than the Nemesis pocket holster I usually use, but it doesn't really print appreciably less and has more retention, which is not something you really want in a pocket holster.

However, a small .380 like the LCP would be even less bulky to carry in a pocket with less printing (depending on the pocket holster being used), which is the main reason I would like to get one. I will likely rent one some day to see how they shoot. I've only fired one .380 pistol, a PPK, I believe, several years ago, and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Who knows? I may decide to stick with my snub for pocket carry. I've also been looking into ankle carry.

 

[LostintheOzone]

I carry a model 36 with a hammer.

You never know when you're going to need a hammer.

 

[Echo40]

@ContinentalOp
The Walther PPK(/S) is a straight blowback operated pistol which relies on the combined weight of the slide and recoil spring to hold the breach closed until chamber pressures drop to safe levels, as such, it transfers a lot of recoil force directly back into the hand of the shooter.

As someone who owns both a Walther PPK/S and Ruger LCP, I can personally attest to just how much of a difference a tilting barrel, locked breach pistol makes over a fixed barrel, straight blowback action in terms of felt recoil, as the little 10oz LCP actually has less felt recoil than the 23oz PPK/S.
That being said, neither is particularly pleasant to shoot. So if you're concerned about the felt recoil, then you might want to opt for the bigger, heavier LC380 which is still rather lightweight at 17oz and isn't too much bigger, yet has substantially less recoil because it's essentially the LC9 chambered in .380 ACP.