All things .380

[Protected One]

In early March 2011, the following unsubstantiated information, purported to be from the Los Angeles Police Department, began circulating around several Internet forums. A call to Smith & Wesson confirmed that the content is true.

In order to encourage officers to carry back-up and off-duty firearms, as well as to take advantage of the technological advances in firearm and ammunition construction, the Department has authorized the following .380 caliber pistols and ammunition:

Approved Pistols
Ruger LCP, caliber .380
Smith and Wesson Bodyguard, caliber .380 (LAPD SKU ONLY, no manual safety)

Approved Ammunition
Hornady Critical Defense, .380 caliber, 90 grain load

This is comforting, knowing that my gun AND ammo are being carried by leo's. Granted, its back-up but hey, if I were a LEO and could open carry (without harassement) I would carry a .40 cal primary too.

 

[gm272gs]

...You are in the woods and a momma black bear is upset...

...I just ain't going around saying a mouse gun could have saved General Custer...

You are so right. I completely forgot about the significant bear and archery threat in my day-to-day life in a heavily populated metropolitan area!

 

[kudzu3]

A lot of years ago, I had a Beretta 84, .380. It was too big for the .380 round and I never had much confidence in the round, so I sold it. Now, I am considering getting a small, easy to conceal .380 for warm weather carry. The round seems to have been greatly improved over the years and sometime my Kahr CW 9, which I believe to be one of the best carry guns around, is a little too big for deep concealment. I really like the little Kahr .380 and will probably have one soon. I don't know if this little gun will make me happy or not...we'll see.

 

[wrench]

I only have one role for a .380, that is in my pocket, in shorts, on a hot summer day when I can't carry anything else.
My choice for this is the Ruger LCP. Mine has been completely reliable, and I don't find it unpleasant to shoot.
If I can carry on my belt, there are lots of nice 9's that fit the bill better than any .380.

 

[quinn]

Kel-Tec 3AT fits very comfrotably in my jeans front pocket. Anything in your pocket is far superier to anything in the nightstand at home. I carry the small 380 at those times when I don't feel like carrying anything....

 

[TexasG]

I only have one role for a .380, that is in my pocket, in shorts, on a hot summer day when I can't carry anything else.
My choice for this is the Ruger LCP. Mine has been completely reliable, and I don't find it unpleasant to shoot.
If I can carry on my belt, there are lots of nice 9's that fit the bill better than any .380.

My sentiments exactly.. Summer time cargo shorts - front right pocket Sig P238.

 

[Protected One]

My sentiments exactly.. Summer time cargo shorts - front right pocket Sig P238.

Pocket Carry is just so convenient and comfortable that I haven't seen a reason to carry any other way.

 

[Protected One]

Has anyone used a pachmayr grip (or any other type) for their Bodyguard? I'm hoping the one I just bought will make the grip a little more solid in my hand.

 

[lucasoil4u]

Bodyguard 380 is my new EDC gun. I love it, it shoots amazingly well and half the time i forget im carrying it! .380 What?

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I have several .380s and I think they're great but the Colt Mustang Plus is no easier to conceal than my S&W J-frames and the Beretta Cheetah/M84 and even my Star Model S (a deadly accurate .380) are far too big - if I'm going to carry a gun that big I'll just tote my CS-45 and be done with it. I like .380s and if I didn't have J-frame revolvers the Mustang would see a lot of daylight but, since I have J-frames, that's my first choice. .380s, however, are great fun at the range, and excellent to use for practice if you're planning to carry any pistol (okay, the ammo is pricey, I admit that).

Anyone who thinks modern, defensive ammo in .380 is just an annoyance doesn't understand the power in those cartridges. I have no argument with anyone who chooses a .380 and I have looked at the Bodyguard more than a few times. So you never know....

***GRJ***

 

[eb07]

71 year old man with .380 vs. two armed robbers in FLA

Pensioner shoots at armed robbers in Florida - YouTube

Story:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/florida-man-71-shoots-alleged-robbers-internet-cafe/story?id=16800859

Effective enough in my book. They threatened, .380 made them leave.

 

[Ronbo]

I pocket carry a Sig P238 380 and have a Colt model 1908 nickel 380 made in 1911. Am a bullet caster with 95 grain round nose cast and loaded 3000 rds of 380 this winter on a progressive loader. So won't have to mess with 380's for a long time.

Colt 380

 

[Protected One]

That's a nice looking gun.

 

[AKAOV1MAN]

Couple of things:
1. Lost Lake, bad news for you, there is not a .380 made that will penetrate a bear skull. Or get through all that muscle/fat to the spine.
2. The good news, a .380 WILL stop just about any 2 legged varmint, you just need a central nervous system hit. That is what I train for with flat point 100 gr loads. A CNS or a pelvic cradle hit with one of those will drop anyone-but you must TRAIN to do that.
I carry a Sig 232 or a Walther PPK/S off duty because those are the mandated .380 autos by my agency. My preference is my BHP whenever possible and/or my 940. I have my fathers 100 year old 1908 Colt in 380 and it is as deadly as the day he bought it in 1913, put in a much stiffer recoil spring for the newer hotter loads.
For the .380 I do not trust an HP load, even the really expensive loads. A 100 gr FMJ flat point will do the job if you do your part-bullet placement is king, penetration is queen, everything else is angels dancing on the head of a pin. Not my original, but suffices.
My prefderences for hit areas:
1. Throat right through to the spine
2. Head above the eyes or though one or both eyes.
3. Pelvic cradle-no one can move after a hit there-but they may still be able to shoot. This presumes that the hit shatters something, and my .380 loads will.

 

[Ronbo]

Speaking of Bears/ Woman Stops Grizzly Bear With 380

What is the smallest caliber you trust to protect yourself?

The Beretta 380 auto

While out hiking in Alberta Canada with my boyfriend we were surprised by a huge grizzly bear charging at us from out of no where. She must have been protecting her cubs because she was extremely aggressive.

If I had not had my little Beretta 380 with me I would not be here today!

just one shot to my boyfriend's knee cap was all it took…….the bear got him and I was able to escape by just walking away at a brisk pace.

It's one of the best pistols in my collection……...

 

[KKECK5]

I pocket carry a Sig P238, .380 whenever i go out.. Just something you get comfortable doing. I actually traded a BG .380 in for it...The BG had the longest trigger pull i've ever seen. Felt nice in my hand, BUT........

 

[georgepittenger]

I've got a nickel Browning BDA 380 that I bought because I loved the look of it . It's a double stack and fits my hand perfectly . A metal frame so it's not real light . It's accurate and goes bang everytime I pull the trigger . I don't carry it but I wouldn't have a problem doing so . After all I carry a Seecamp 32 on occasion .

Regards ,
George

 

[losingle]

I'm wondering just when the purported +p rnd will be out, rumor is their is one out their already, and can blowback recoil handle it?

 

[lhump1961]

S&W Walther PPK/S. I bought this gun new and love it. It isn't a pocket gun but since I wasn't looking for a pocket gun it is perfect for me. It feels perfect in my hand and is VERY accurate using the CT laser. The iron sights are accurate as well but are small and would not be easily acquired under stress...I am sold on CT grips for my carry guns. As others have said the Bersa is a PPK clone...my Dad has a Bersa but it is not as reliable as my Walther. In the Bersa's defense it has very few rounds fired and would probably benefit from a little more use.

My Walther loves full power defense ammo and since I load for it I have found a couple of loads that work perfectly. Most .380's will be a little more shooter and ammo sensitive than larger calibers...I found the zone for mine and trust it 100%.

I bought the two tone for my oldest daughter...she liked mine so much I had to get one for her in order to keep mine at home!

 

[Lost Lake]

Couple of things:
1. Lost Lake, bad news for you, there is not a .380 made that will penetrate a bear skull. Or get through all that muscle/fat to the spine.
2. The good news, a .380 WILL stop just about any 2 legged varmint, you just need a central nervous system hit.

Well I'm not taking a .380 bear hunting...

I was trying to get people thinking about the difference in caliber effectiveness.

The more I study bullet energy the more I find there is to know. None of us can use two different calibers in the same exact SD shooting and hit the same exact spot under the same exact circumstances so we have to rely on science and testing to show us the difference in bullet effectiveness.

We've all seen the FBI ballistics report that indicated the smallest round that could be considered effective for stopping humans is the 9mm, but the report doesn't get into the science of the reason why.

I believe (and I'm no physicist) that the 'energy' numbers you see on charts and bullet boxes expressed in ft/lbs of energy are extremely misleading. This is due to a number of factors, all which tend to muddy the equations and field results we observe.

For the sake of brevity, I will cut to the chase and throw this out there: A bullet's momentum is a much better indicator of its stopping power than its calculated energy. Energy and Momentum are not the same. (For more on this you can cruise the physics blogs and really rattle your brain..)

And once we look at why momentum is so important and effective we begin to understand why a low weight projectile is much less effective than a heavier projectile, even if their 'energy' in ft/lbs is similar. (By the way that whole ft/lbs number is extremely aggravating to a physicist discussing bullet effectiveness )

You've heard the old timers, street cops, long time shooters tell us the .38 special is a good round. I used to poo-poo the thought because the .380 posts very similar ft/lbs of energy. But after a lot of digging and scientific reading, I think the old pros really know what they are talking about.

I'll take a 158gr .38 over a 90gr .380 any day because it has a lot more momentum and thus a lot more effectiveness.

I do not wish to argue this at all. My intent is not to disrespect anyone or the .380. I'm just sharing a tiny bit of what I have learned and offering you the opportunity to do your own research.