GyMac
US Veteran
I mostly carry a Makarov in 9mm Mak, which isn’t much more powerful than a .380, but sometimes I carry a Makarov in .380. They are comfortable and easy to shoot.
Anyone using .380 as primary carry?
- Thread starter otis24
- Start date
sourdough44
Member
For those who carry 380s, which of yours hold the tightest groups offhand at 15 yds?
One round every three seconds with 7 rounds fired.
One round every three seconds with 7 rounds fired.
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squidsix
Member
The Sig 238 by far is the most accurate one I have fired.
squidsix
Member
This one. The slide went to Novak for a good bead front and plain Novak rear sights. They had the slide exactly 14 days.
This one is marked .32 but wears a .380 barrel and magazines. Grips are holly, made by Texas Grips
This one is marked .32 but wears a .380 barrel and magazines. Grips are holly, made by Texas Grips
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THE PILGRIM
Member
Kenny D
Member
Another vote for the Sig P238 but please buy a good holster for pocket carry. Started with a Keltec 380 but never could get used to the trigger. Tried a friends Sig and had to have one. Perfect for an 83 year old with a bad back!
garddogg56
Member
For me the 238 and the Bodyguard are about the same for accuracy,I am quicker with the Sig but I carry the BG.380 more.
smoothshooter
Member
I recently bought an LCP Max to put in the Carry Rotation.
I also alternate with a S & W .22 Airlite and a Taurus PT-.22.
I have no qualms about carrying mouse guns for SD.
If it won’t fit in my right-front pants pocket, I ‘ain’t carryin’ it.
I will not be doing house searches in response to a 911 call, or conducting armed suspect traffic stops.
I load the .380 with ( formerly ) cheap steel-cased Russian HP and Winchester white box flat nosed Ball. Sometimes I alternate the ball and HP in the magazine. In the .22’s, 40 gr. Mini-Mags.
I do not believe ammo selection is all that important as long as it feeds and fires reliably.
Nobody wants to get shot with anything.
I also alternate with a S & W .22 Airlite and a Taurus PT-.22.
I have no qualms about carrying mouse guns for SD.
If it won’t fit in my right-front pants pocket, I ‘ain’t carryin’ it.
I will not be doing house searches in response to a 911 call, or conducting armed suspect traffic stops.
I load the .380 with ( formerly ) cheap steel-cased Russian HP and Winchester white box flat nosed Ball. Sometimes I alternate the ball and HP in the magazine. In the .22’s, 40 gr. Mini-Mags.
I do not believe ammo selection is all that important as long as it feeds and fires reliably.
Nobody wants to get shot with anything.
This one. The slide went to Novak for a good bead front and plain Novak rear sights. They had the slide exactly 14 days.
This one is marked .32 but wears a .380 barrel and magazines. Grips are holly, made by Texas Grips.
Very, very nice. Like this one a lot!
Chief Wiggums
Member
The weather dictates my carry choice.
7 or 8 mos of the year , I simply wear a tee shirt or a golf shirt.
My carry will be a G42 6+1 w Hornady SD ammo , spare mag in the car.
winter mos
M&P 2.0 Compact 9mm
or
PX4 Storm Compact (which is a tank of a gun but it goes bang and Im really comfortable with that weapon)
7 or 8 mos of the year , I simply wear a tee shirt or a golf shirt.
My carry will be a G42 6+1 w Hornady SD ammo , spare mag in the car.
winter mos
M&P 2.0 Compact 9mm
or
PX4 Storm Compact (which is a tank of a gun but it goes bang and Im really comfortable with that weapon)
Baltimoreed11754
Member
Colt Ltwt Mustang with Critical Defence ammo. Found a nice pair of stags for it.
The .380 ACP is considered to be a marginal caliber, but with good bullet selection it will get the job done.
I do my own ballistic testing, mostly to see how my ammo performs in my handguns. In my experience, .380 ACP generally doesn’t meet the minimum FBI criteria with anything other than the 90 gr XTP driven at close to 1000 FPS.
I developed a max load (Hornady 11th edition) of Titegroup under a 90 gr XTP and fired it in my Kimber Micro .380 ACP.
I got velocities between 990 and 1000 FPS and penetration right around 12”-13” with decent expansion (by XTP standards, they were never intended to make the large star shaped expansion you get with more modern hollow points).
——
In comparison this is what I get with a 115 gr XTP and a max load of HS-6 in my Kimber Micro 9.
Here the velocities were between 1040 FPS and 1065 fps, well below the 1150 or so I get with that same load in the longer barrel 9mm pistols I normally carry.
The results were 15-16” of penetration, slightly more than I get with the same load in a 4” pistol where penetration is 14-16” with earlier expansion at the higher velocity decreasing penetration slightly.
.380 on the left and 9mm on the right:
The good, although still barely meeting the FBI minimum, result with the .380 here is because the 90 gr .380 load using Titegroup was tailored specifically for the short 2.75” barrel Kimber Micro .380.
——
The points here are:
1) there are a lot of variables involved when selecting a pistol and a load and the two need to be compatible; and
2) in similar compact pistols, a good .380 load can give acceptable performance although probably not on par with a similar 9mm load in a similar pistol.
Although I still don’t have any qualms about carrying a Kimber Micro with this load.
I do my own ballistic testing, mostly to see how my ammo performs in my handguns. In my experience, .380 ACP generally doesn’t meet the minimum FBI criteria with anything other than the 90 gr XTP driven at close to 1000 FPS.
I developed a max load (Hornady 11th edition) of Titegroup under a 90 gr XTP and fired it in my Kimber Micro .380 ACP.
I got velocities between 990 and 1000 FPS and penetration right around 12”-13” with decent expansion (by XTP standards, they were never intended to make the large star shaped expansion you get with more modern hollow points).
——
In comparison this is what I get with a 115 gr XTP and a max load of HS-6 in my Kimber Micro 9.
Here the velocities were between 1040 FPS and 1065 fps, well below the 1150 or so I get with that same load in the longer barrel 9mm pistols I normally carry.
The results were 15-16” of penetration, slightly more than I get with the same load in a 4” pistol where penetration is 14-16” with earlier expansion at the higher velocity decreasing penetration slightly.
.380 on the left and 9mm on the right:
The good, although still barely meeting the FBI minimum, result with the .380 here is because the 90 gr .380 load using Titegroup was tailored specifically for the short 2.75” barrel Kimber Micro .380.
——
The points here are:
1) there are a lot of variables involved when selecting a pistol and a load and the two need to be compatible; and
2) in similar compact pistols, a good .380 load can give acceptable performance although probably not on par with a similar 9mm load in a similar pistol.
Although I still don’t have any qualms about carrying a Kimber Micro with this load.
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While I do not criticize anyone for choosing the .380 ACP, I would like to share my experience and reasoning regarding this caliber.
For a couple of years I carried a Walther PPK in .380 as a backup, inside my vest, where I could get to it with my weak hand. I upgraded to a Glock model 23, 40 S&W. For the same weight I went from 8 rounds of .380 to 15 rounds of 40 caliber.
I still qualified with a Colt Pocket Lite in 380 for very discreet carry. I found I could conceal my Glock as well and when I got my Sig 365, it further reduced the role of the Colt.
I still have the Walther and the Colt and if the need arises, I would be very comfortable with either.
FWIW, Cor Bon cartridges were my choice.
I hope you find this helpful.
For a couple of years I carried a Walther PPK in .380 as a backup, inside my vest, where I could get to it with my weak hand. I upgraded to a Glock model 23, 40 S&W. For the same weight I went from 8 rounds of .380 to 15 rounds of 40 caliber.
I still qualified with a Colt Pocket Lite in 380 for very discreet carry. I found I could conceal my Glock as well and when I got my Sig 365, it further reduced the role of the Colt.
I still have the Walther and the Colt and if the need arises, I would be very comfortable with either.
FWIW, Cor Bon cartridges were my choice.
I hope you find this helpful.
jag312
Member
I have had my Browning BDA380 since 1984 or 85. I would not go to war with it as my primary weapon, but for self defense, I feel it is adequate. About two months before I retired, I was processing a crime scene. A car with 4 Nortenos drove over and were watching us. I didn't know if they were looking for trouble or just curious. After a staring contest between them and me, they decided to leave. I had my Browning BDA380, and if things went bad, I would not have felt that I was under-gunned.
max503
Member
Some time ago I splurged on a Colt 380 Pocketlite. I had been lusting for a Colt 380 for decades.
Mine would not reliably feed the last round from the magazine. I tried numerous magazines and loads, and even sent it back to Colt. Still no dice.
I traded it off and went to a reliable J Frame and have never looked back.
I've yet to meet a small semi-auto I can totally trust.
Mine would not reliably feed the last round from the magazine. I tried numerous magazines and loads, and even sent it back to Colt. Still no dice.
I traded it off and went to a reliable J Frame and have never looked back.
I've yet to meet a small semi-auto I can totally trust.
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Obviously posted by someone who’s never been in a gunfight w/multiple attackers & had to reload. Even if the chances are slim for most of us I don’t understand this line of thinking.
During the summer especially, when it's too darn hot to wear a vest or jacket, the LCP is the one that usually gets the nod.
I like your Schrade M2 !
Echo40
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Folks put way too much stock in FBI/IWBA Specifications, especially since the average person knows practically nothing about said specifications save for the fact that they call for a minimum penetration depth of 12 inches in Ballistics Gel with consistent, reliable expansion of the projectile through 4 layers of denim.
However, nobody ever seems to acknowledge why the FBI has such strict specifications, and there's the kicker... The FBI calls for a minimum of 12" of penetration in Organic Ballistics Gel with full expansion through 4 layers of heavy denim because they require their duty cartridge to be able to penetrate barriers such as car doors/windshields or a criminal's forearm with enough force to still penetrate deeply enough to reach vital organs. What's more, said tests are typically performed using either Full-Size Duty Pistols with a 5" Barrel or at least a Compact Pistol with a 4" Barrel, not a Subcompact with a 3.5" Barrel nor a Pocket Pistol with a 2.75" Barrel.
In other words, FBI/IWBA Specifications represent a worst case scenario in which a criminal is behind cover, seated inside of an automobile, is wearing heavy clothing, and has their arms blocking their torso because they're holding onto something like a firearm or a steering wheel.
The average civilian is unlikely to ever require such performance, much less should such performance be expected out of a Subcompact/Pocket Pistol, and therefore even if someone is planning to be prepared for such a worst case scenario, then they ought to be carrying something more like a Full Size Duty Pistol like Law Enforcement carries rather than trying to force a Lightweight Subcompact or Pocket Pistol into the same role by holding it to the same standards.
However, nobody ever seems to acknowledge why the FBI has such strict specifications, and there's the kicker... The FBI calls for a minimum of 12" of penetration in Organic Ballistics Gel with full expansion through 4 layers of heavy denim because they require their duty cartridge to be able to penetrate barriers such as car doors/windshields or a criminal's forearm with enough force to still penetrate deeply enough to reach vital organs. What's more, said tests are typically performed using either Full-Size Duty Pistols with a 5" Barrel or at least a Compact Pistol with a 4" Barrel, not a Subcompact with a 3.5" Barrel nor a Pocket Pistol with a 2.75" Barrel.
In other words, FBI/IWBA Specifications represent a worst case scenario in which a criminal is behind cover, seated inside of an automobile, is wearing heavy clothing, and has their arms blocking their torso because they're holding onto something like a firearm or a steering wheel.
The average civilian is unlikely to ever require such performance, much less should such performance be expected out of a Subcompact/Pocket Pistol, and therefore even if someone is planning to be prepared for such a worst case scenario, then they ought to be carrying something more like a Full Size Duty Pistol like Law Enforcement carries rather than trying to force a Lightweight Subcompact or Pocket Pistol into the same role by holding it to the same standards.
