Best Back-up .380acp?

[J.P.60]

I have just acquired a Sig P238, .380acp. Like the Colt Mustang, it is built as a scaled-downed 1911 and it very comfortable as such. It fits in the right rear pocket very well and carries in a lightweight IWB so that you might forget you have it. It came from the factory with Night Sights, a little ambitious for a mouse-gun - but, make no mistake, this is a serious piece of equipment. For anyone who prefers the smaller caliber and wants reliable equipment, this little gun, firing flat tips, gets amazing penetration and acceptable wound channel, at short range. It's very manageable and, although it barks like most small .380's, it's not uncomfortable.

This is a stock pic of the model I have:

Before you laugh, consider the numbers of bodies in Europe, NYC and Chicago all laid to rest as a result of the .380. Frank Nitti's favorite gun was the 1903 .380 and he ordered six of them as gifts to his cohorts.

 

[enfield]

Frank Nitti's dead.

Do you carry that SIG cocked & locked?

 

[safearm]

As a small back-up gun, I routinely carry a Ruger LCP. It's lightweight, reliable and carries well in a pocket holster.

 

[Big Foot]

More power to those that can handle a B.U.G. In a winter wardrobe up in Chicago, yep, but here in hot-Phoenix, never been able to master concealment-comfort with a b.u.g. To the OP, I've used a .380 as a primary carry the majority of the time...

 

[dmar]

I think the new Sig is a very nice gun, they make good stuff. I really like the looks of the OP's model. I'm not, however, a big fan of cocked and locked for a pocket gun, even in a pocket holster. I do carry a Defender and Commander, cocked and locked, so I am not unfamiliar with the concept... I figure, if you are going to carry the .380 size '1911' in a belt holster, why not just go with the larger 1911 variant/caliber, or a small 9mm auto like the PM9...? My PM9, in a IWB holster is like it is not even there...

For .380 backup piece (pocket gun) I went with the Kahr P380. Top notch quality, great trigger, accurate, very good sights, and really good size and weight. Mine has been 100% reliable. I have a Ruger LCP, a good gun, but after getting the Kahr, the LCP now sits in the safe... My two cents, YMMV.

 

[alwslate]

Not being in law enforcement I often carry one of my 380s as a primary
carry. Don't see a need for BU for self defense. My favorite 380 is the
old 1934 Beretta. A single action exposed hammer gun with a half cock
notch and inertia firing pin. Given the weight of the trigger pull on
mine I would carry one in a pocket or belt holster that covered the
trigger with the hammer cocked,safety off, with no worries if I felt the situation warranted it. This is me, YMMV.

 

[J.P.60]

Frank Nitti's dead.

Do you carry that SIG cocked & locked?

Yes, of course, Nitti is dead - but not because a .380 wasn't gun enough. He was a pro at his chosen profession and could have chosen any gun, including the 1911. I use him as an example, given his circumstances and dress very closely approximates a self-defense situation. Given the popularity of the caliber and the .32 in Europe, amongst both police/state security and military, and the numbers of graves filled with victims of the caliber, I am surprised that so many have so little faith in the gun or, perhaps, their ability with the gun. Perhaps, it's just the American attitude that "bigger is better." That said, my own primary EDC is an Ed Brown or a Colt Commander, depending on dress. There are times, however, that my clothing will hide neither - but will conceal the mouse-gun. Those times, it becomes the primary carry and I do not feel defenseless carrying it.

I do, indeed, carry cocked and locked. However, in the car, I remove the gun from a pocket because I feel that if the safety is going unlock in any situation, the bumping and movement in a car seat would be the place.

Just my way...

 

[Lost Lake]

Given the popularity of the caliber and the .32 in Europe, amongst both police/state security and military, and the numbers of graves filled with victims of the caliber, I am surprised that so many have so little faith in the gun or, perhaps, their ability with the gun. Perhaps, it's just the American attitude that "bigger is better."

We were just discussing a case where a BG took something like 19 rounds of .40 and .223 and still was reloading and fighting the police. Is .380 big enough?? I think so. I'll carry mine if it ever gets here!!!

 

[enfield]

A lot of people have been killed with .22's and .25's also. That doesn't make them good carry calibers, because of the lack of adequate penetration. Penetration is the major issue with .380 also.

However, that's an attractive little SIG. My .380 backup is an NAA Guardian.

Just being a smart*** about Nitti being dead.

Nitti committed suicide with a .32 revolver in 1943. It was big enough for his purposes, even though he apparently missed with his first two shots.

 

[Rule 303]

I have several .380s, but for ease of carry for a BUG I like the Ruger LCP. Runs and is easily concealable. Plus I carry and extra mag for it.

Rule 303

 

[Rule 303]

Example of a reason I still carry a BUG, because I did it for almost 34 years and old habits are hard to break.

Officer Clark of the Houston PD was shot and killed while responding to a silent alarm at a check cashing store on South Loop East.

Officer Clark arrived less then four minutes after the alarm button was pushed. As he entered the store, the suspects opened fire on him, striking him in the shoulder. He returned fire but his service weapon jammed after he fired the first shot. As he called for assistance, one of the suspects shot him in the head execution style. The suspects then executed the female store clerk before fleeing. The three suspects were apprehended the following day. The shooter was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.

Officer Clark was one day shy of his 20th anniversary with the Houston Police Department, and was assigned to the Southeast Patrol Division. He is survived by his wife, mother, brother, and two sisters.

Rule 303

 

[InTheWoods]

I usually carry a Kahr PM40 or a 642 when I pocket carry during the warmer months. I did, though, just pick up a Kahr P380 that is just amazing. I also have a Keltec .380, but after getting the Kahr I am selling it. No comparison!

 

[GKC]

A number of people have reported problems with the P238s. I had one, but it was a little on the small size for me, and I was not comfortable with the cocked and locked action in a pocket pistol.

The LCP is even smaller, too small for me, and while many like the Bersa Thunder 380, it is a little too big for a pocket pistol. I want one, just to have one...but I think I have found my ideal CCW pistol: a Ruger LC9. I know that .380 can be effective, and it certainly is better than nothing (no insult intended against your pistol) but if I can opt for 7 + 1 rounds of 9mm in a small DAO pistol, that seems to me to be a better choice...for me. To each his own, of course.