Anyone using .380 as primary carry?

[Papa-T]

My primary carry is a Sig P365, 9mm, loaded with Federal HST. My smaller, lighter, secondary carry is a Ruger LCPII, 380, loaded with Fiocchi 90 grain XTPs. Here's a good review of 380 ammunition, although a bit dated now:

Ammo Quest .380 Final Wrapup: finding the BEST ammo for a .380ACP pistol - YouTube

 

[mikerjf]

How much 380 ammo can you buy locally?

I dropped it because 9 was cheaper. And now you can't hardly buy either one.

 

[Execpro]

Carry M&P model Bodyguard 380 with PrecisionOne 90gr XTP/HP for carry ammo.
Shoot Sellier & Bellot 92gr fmj for practice ammo.
I wanted double strike capability in case it didn’t go bang on the first try.
Had that happen only one time with my practice ammo. Went off with second trigger pull. Carry AIWB.
Vedder holster with Talon rubber grip (2nd picture). Works for me.

Whatever pistol you decide to on, get the Talon grips. Makes the
grip slightly thicker but gives you better purchase when drawing
and helps mitigate recoil impulse.

Target is 50/50 carry and practice ammo.

 

[delcrossv]

I carried a Sig P 232 for years as a primary. #1 daughter still does and has no desire to change.

 

[Guevera]

Another vote for the SIG P238. It is by far the smoothest shooting auto I have owned and allows multiple, effortless shots to be put on target. I really don't know how they did it in an envelope this small.

Combine that with dependability and adult-size sights that can actually be used and you have a serious self-defense tool. Magguts magazine springs allow one more round - icing on this beautifully engineered cake.

 

[uncleted327]

Always have my LCP in my pocket. Picked up the 10th Anniversary model with stainless slide for under $200 new back before the craziness. Best money ever spent. Now I live in a small town and usually feel good with only the 380, but if I'm going into the big city or the woods I might grab my S&W 360 or a 357 Sig. I always get a chuckle from people who try and deem the 380 as underpowered, they are usually 9mm fanboys who just got done telling people anything more powerful than 9mm is absolutely unnecessary. And yes 9mm guns have been made fairly small, but if you are trying to say they are anywhere close to as small and light as an LCP or similar 380 you are only trying to sell yourself on something...

 

[Buford57]

My wife does and I will for formal occasions. RM380 in both cases.



It's the big one in the picture. The other is my BUG. Set their hair on fire and run like crazy.

 

[Dave from Pa]

S&W Bodyguard, factory .380 FMJ ammo has worked well so far.Its not what you throw, its how you throw it.

 

[Gregor]

Ruger LCP .380

Pocket carrying a 380 is the easiest way to carry, don’t leave home without it!

Me too, Ruger LCP .380

 

[Moo Moo]

I've got a Sig P230 I really like however we don't have Conceal Carry here in Australia.

My friend, at my Pistol club, uses a modified .380 acp Makarov in competitions. See attached.

 

[w.r.gun]

12 shot .380 ,cool just explane to the grand jury that it was ok to shoot something 9 times to make them STOP.But what the heck you will probably never use it anyway.

 

[otis24]

12 shot .380 ,cool just explane to the grand jury that it was ok to shoot something 9 times to make them STOP.But what the heck you will probably never use it anyway.

Ever hear of multiple assailants? Nah, you've probably never had to fire in self-defense either. Let's hope it stays that way. For both of us. But since I've never fired in self defense, and probably never will, a 2 shot derringer should be sufficient, huh?

 

[cometpx4]

.380

Yep, Glock 42 in the pocket every day, with 7 rounds of Underwood extreme penetrator.
In the summer its the easiest to conceal and I feel very confident it would be enough to get me out of an emergency situation.

 

[Imissedagain]

Derringers are fine for multiple attackers but you need to move into a position so they line up to take down two with each shot.
My "backup" for my 22Mag Derringer, decades ago when fishing, was a Colt/45 prior to an M59.

We have more 380 caliber guns than any other caliber.
We load 115/120 grain bullets.

Pic circa 1980.

 

[Imissedagain]

The reason I bought the M59 and stopped carrying the Colt was when a boatload of foreigners washed up on shore, while on my weekly solo fishing trip near Islamorada, I decided more and flatter shooting ammo was prudent.
That was back around 1980.
Still in use.

Around the house an LCP still gets carried most often when wet chores/lawn work are involved but a stainless S&Walther PPKs, Sig P238HD or 1911 stainless Officer in 45 are carried. The Officer uses an 8 round mag and one in the chamber via some custom full length grips and adaptor.

 

[WCCPHD]

Two law enforcement agencies in North Carolina used to issue .380's for some officers to carry as primary guns. The NC State Highway Patrol issued the Beretta double stack .380 to the Governor's Security when the troopers carried the Beretta 92. The NC License and Theft Bureau issued some headquarters staff the Sig P230.

 

[Echo40]

12 shot .380 ,cool just explane to the grand jury that it was ok to shoot something 9 times to make them STOP.But what the heck you will probably never use it anyway.

Ah presumptions, no thread would ever be complete without them... Yes, everyone who chooses to carry a double-stack firearm does so for the purpose of riddling a single assailant with as many rounds as humanly possible. Not incase there happen to be multiple assailants, not because people are capable of missing vitals, and certainly not because it's conceivable that an assailant might possibly not go down as quickly as we might like.

Also, it's good to see that you have your priorities straight, what with being more concerned over how it may appear in a court of law under circumstances that nobody has any control over in the aftermath of a self-defense shooting as opposed to your own survival or whom may be adversely affected by your untimely demise in the event that everything doesn't go exactly according to plan should you need to defend yourself with whatever weapon you've so carefully selected for the express purpose of appearing as innocent as possible in a court of law, which really shouldn't be necessary if it's a perfectly legal self-defense shooting with no incriminating evidence to the contrary.

 

[squidsix]

Now that I finally have a few magazines, the Colt pocket hammerless .380 is in holster quite a bit. I have nearly the same expense in mags that I do in the pistol. I do like the .380. I also have a 238 that get toted when I am dressed up.

 

[Llance]

AMT .380 Backup and a Colt Government Model .380 either one is at my side regardless of where or when you might encounter me. Or maybe something larger or smaller. One never knows. Get stupid and take your chances. Llance

 

[Arc Angel]

Not looking to start a caliber war. Just curious if anyone else feels that the new bullet designs and increased capacity make the .380 sufficient for primary carry.

I'm thinking that my new CCW will be a Ruger LCP Max with Lehigh Defense Extreme Penetrator or Extreme Defense. Will purchase one with a 12 rd mag or buy a 12 rounder after the fact.

Well, good luck with that new 380!

Years ago, I was carrying a Walther 380 caliber PPK-S with 2 extra clips on my belt during the night of our 34th wedding anniversary. We had a very nice, very expensive dinner, stayed out late, and helped to close the restaurant down.

We were one of the very last couples to leave when, all of a sudden, a vicious fight broke out among 5 men at the bar. One of them came up with a shotgun; and, at least, two or three of the others had pistols—big pistols! To this day I still consider my wife and I to have been very lucky to get out of that room alive! In particular I learned two important things that night: First, my wife is a very brave woman who knows how to listen, follow orders, and 'keep her head'.

The second important lesson I learned is to never bring a 380 pistol with however many gizmos, magazines, and/or whiz-bang ammo to a real world gunfight. Why? Because, in all probability, the person (or persons) you have to go up against ain't going to make the same silly mistake! THAT is why!