Anyone using .380 as primary carry?

[Onomea]

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]

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)

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

Colt Ltwt Mustang with Critical Defence ammo. Found a nice pair of stags for it.

 

[BB57]

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.

 

[pawncop]

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.

 

[jag312]

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]

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.

 

[Old cop]

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.

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.

 

[jpage]

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]

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.

 

[wuluf]

Another P238 fan here. When my back won't let me carry a .45 or a 9, the .380 is light, reliable and accurate. I've started collecting the Black Hills Honey Badger ammo in every caliber I carry, but started with the .380. I feel confident I can do some damage if, God forbid I ever need to.

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

 

[growr]

But, I read on the interweb that the recoil of a .380 is "snappy" and might hurt younger shooters or shooters with smaller hands................

Sarcasm intended!

Randy

 

[crstrode]

Tune your TV to Forensic Files, The First 48, Homicide Hunter, et al, and you'll soon learn that lots and lots and lots of folks have been sent to the morgue via teensy little .380, .32, .25, and yes; .22 bullets.

Happiness is a warm gun - even if it is a Baby Browning or a Colt .380.

 

[BAM-BAM]

My "suit gun" and primary carry gun was a Walther PPK/s then a PPK in .380 from about 1985 until I got my first 3913 in 1990(?).

The PPK got some work; polished the feed ramp, add a beavertail and Hogue checkered wood grips.....carried in a Milt Sparks Summer Special with a spare mag.

When I first trained to shoot double taps in response to a threat.

 

[sigp220.45]

Inspired by this thread and this big box o' ammo from Cabelas, my lovely 84BB has dethroned my Colt Agent.

I know it's basically the same size as a Glock 19. I don't care. My shooting-people days are most likely behind me, and try as I might I can't come up with a single realistic scenario where I would prevail with a Glock 19 and expire with this Beretta. And this way I don't have to be yet another guy with a Glock 19.

 

[Jim1392]

Other then taking my dog for a walk in my neighborhood I carry a Shield 9 Gen one with the 8 round mag, and the 7 round in my pocket. If I'm just going to take the dog out I'll drop a LCP Gen 2 with an extra mag in my pocket.

 

[Echo40]

I had a dental appointment this morning, so I left my M&P40 Shield at home and just brought the LCP in my pocket with a spare magazine.

 

[Buick]

Forgot to mention i also occasionally carry a Kahr CT380. It is even smaller than the Bersa, and has a great striker fired action. Not 100% reliable for me so far. Im looking for a new magazine.

 

[ladder13]

Yeah, because in the hot months when wearing gym shorts almost every day I don't want to wear them around my ankles.

Coming into the cooler weather going back to my P365.

Of if I need to go through some **** area like Durham or Greensboro then I'll bring the 365.

The Max is a handy little gun for my needs.

Ruger is selling a boatload of these.

 

[Old cop]

I've been burnt by new models before so I'm waiting awhile. For those that made the leap what's been your experience?

 

[NCBeagle]

My primary carries are .38 or 9mm, but .380 has a place in the rotation. Deep concealment, short walk with the dog, etc. Like the Glock 42 and LCPII. Had a Kahr CW380 but it was never reliable enough for carry. To be fair, I did not give it much of a chance.

My wife has carried an LCP since Ruger released the model. No problems.

 

[ladder13]

I've been burnt by new models before so I'm waiting awhile. For those that made the leap what's been your experience?

I've only put about 75 rds through the Max due to conserving my 380 ammo.
Not a single issue from round one.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I've put about 75 rounds through my new Ruger LCP Max.
No problems.

 

[minconrevo]

A Ruger LCP II with a spare mag in a pocket holster works when it's not possible to tote a belt holster gun. With both mags loaded with the current best JHP I figure I can get myself and those I need to protect out of harms way if the threat is 15 yards are closer. The LCP II shoots good enough I can make all headbox shots if I hold where the bowtie would go on a threat. Good center of mass hits at that distance are easy. Carry transitions back and forth between a carry size Glock and the LCP II are seamless since the trigger pulls are very similar. I'll consider getting a LCP MAX in the future to double my ammo carried.

 

[JDBoardman]

I am another carrier of the venerable Colt Model M Pocket Hammerless in .380. During the summers here in Texas, it is too damn hot to strap on a belt and holster for my 1911 or my S&W Model 58. And any bad guys I should encounter are probably wearing lightweight clothing as well. Besides, all my .380 has to do is give me a running start outta Dodge; I am not going to stand toe-to-toe and slug it out with some miscreant.