Teach me about the .380 caliber

[Kanewpadle]

Ruger has updated the LCP for this year. It now has sights you can see (but still small) and they have changed the trigger pull so that it breaks quite a bit sooner than previous models. Both things should help improve accuracy, but it still is basically a spittin distance weapon. I am considering getting one for those low threat social occasions when most people would leave the gun at home...like church. Last year a guy walked into a sunday church service in a town near me, and shot his ex wife who was the organist. She wasn't dead, and he walked from where he shot to where she was laying. The people got between them and he threatened to shoot them too. They moved and he finished her off. If one of the congregation had been carrying a gun, she would be alive. It might only be a 380, but in that situation it would have been enough.

I know people that carry at church where legal. No offense, but church is the last place I would carry a mouse gun.

If you intend to defend yourself and only yourself up close and personal with such a gun, fine. But if defending yourself AND others a bigger gun is needed. Church is one place where anyone could find themselves taking a shot at longer distances with people moving about. Mouse gun ain't gonna cut it.

That's one big reason why I don't like them. Too many limitations.

 

[alwslate]

The 380 is truely one of the best handgun cartridges of the world.
Another winning design from John Browning. Same diameter as the
38 spl and 9mm in a short round that works in very compact handguns
and has enough power to completely penetrate the upper torso of a
large assailant at SD distance. The 380 should be appreciated for what
it is rather than compared to much larger hanguns. I own several 380s,
all classic designs made of machined steel. For consistant performance
I think good 95 gr FMJ is the best choice in ammo.

 

[dsink]

A 380 is at its best in a pocket gun. Something like the Keltec, Ruger LCP or Diamondback 380.

I love my J frames but I have some pants and shorts that the pocket is not deep enough to let me carry one. This is where my Diamondback comes into play. And it being striker fired is just a bonus.

I think the 380 has its place. I do not care for it in a larger size frame. Might as well step up to a 9mm but in a small compact mouse gun is where it belongs. These days the 380 is put into 25 acp size mouse guns. I would much rather have a 380 than a 25.

 

[drinva]

I have been use to a .25 for many many years. My reason for the new .380 was more power, same size, that simple.

Besides all the "bad" you read on the .25, I never once felt "under armed" in close situations. I have many old soup cans that looked like major pin cushions, in and out and gone.

So the new .380 I cannot wait to try, being use to the .25 as a pocket rocket, the .380 should be a power house

DR

 

[FloridaFlier]

Of course there are bigger, better and badder guns. The problem is that all to often, they're in the glovebox, or the safe, or at home when you're not.

Rule #1 for winning a gunfight is "Have a Gun". Rule #2 is "Practice with it, a lot".

Follow those two rules, and the gun will do it's job. Nobody wants your wallet so much that he'll risk a second or third hit from a .380 at close range, assuming he even is still breathing.

When you have other practical alternatives, such as a home defense gun, consider something a bit more powerful.

 

[shouldazagged]

I fail to see the advantages of a pocket .380 (the only kind of .380 I'd consider) when a .38 Special J-frame is an option, but I'm known to be an old throwback. I certainly would prefer a .380 over a .25 or .22, but I'd consider it as a BUG.

 

[getoff]

i carry and shoot my LCP on a regular basis. i have Glaser Powerball in it. velocity is king here, and they are fast. is it my only gun? no. do i carry it everywhere i can legally? yes. is it the only gun i carry? heck no. it is a back up gun. that is all it is ever going to be. is it enough when i go to the garbage cans? yup. was it ever meant to be a primary? don't think so. it fills a role like every good tool. i love my LCP and will continue to carry it as my #2.

 

[jtcarm]

Ok for defending yourself if you don't have a gun.

 

[Engieman]

I have a Kahr .380 that I carry when wanting more concealment than normal - weather, attire, event, etc. The .380 has it's place, and was a widely used Police issue caliber in Europe during the same time as our own .38 Special was used by LEO's here in the states. Are their better options out there, sure. But I also think many of us need to re-think the capability of rounds based on past reputation. There have been such advances in bullet design and propellents over the past few years that's it's a whole new ballgame in terms of performance. I recently read a test/comparison report on self-defense rounds and was astonished to see the new generation .22 Magnums ranking up there with a lot of the favorites. Wow. In this case, it had to do with penetration. A small round able to penetrate layers of clothing and wound/stop/kill an assailant does the job.
It isn't all about supersizing as the fast-food industry has conditioned us to believe. The self-defense rounds produced by all the major manufactures now days are downright nasty....and very effective for there intended use. The .380 is a viable self-defense choice at close range; which is where it all happens.

 

[Old cop]

My experience w/the super small .380 has been abysmal so I went back to the J frame. If you can get one to run for you go for it but understand the limitations. Some alternate FMJ w/HP in the mag, just make sure it will work that way.

The only sub compact polymer gun that ever worked 100% for me is the Keltec P32, and that only gets carried (w/FMJ) when deep concealment is mandated by social circumstances.

 

[mscampbell2734]

LAPD approved the LCP for back up and off duty carry only when loaded with Hornady Critical Defense.

Yes, until last year when due to failure to fire/misfire issues we went to this.

Speer Lawman, .380 ACP, FMJ, 95 grain, FMJ, Product Number 53608

 

[Erich]

Judging from what I've seen, that will serve you much better, my friend. You can make fun of the Feebies all you want, but those protocols of theirs are pretty darned sensible.

 

[gregintenn]

I carry flat nose FMJ ammo in my LCP, and have for years. Everyone has an opinion, but where I live, I don't have to shoot my way back home every night. I cannot attest to it's ability in a firefight, but it has served flawlessly dispatching opossums, stray dogs, and other assorted varmints. It also is small enough to be comfortable in my front pocket.

If I felt I was going somewhere that trouble was probable, I'd take a rifle, or better yet, stay home. No handgun, in my opinion, is a good fighting weapon, but the one you have with you is much better than nothing in a pinch.

 

[Florida J Frame]

Yes, until last year when due to failure to fire/misfire issues we went to this.

Speer Lawman, .380 ACP, FMJ, 95 grain, FMJ, Product Number 53608

Thanks for the update. I did hear that Hornady had some issues with hard primers a while back but I hadn't come across this info.

 

[gregintenn]

I fail to see the advantages of a pocket .380 (the only kind of .380 I'd consider) when a .38 Special J-frame is an option, but I'm known to be an old throwback. I certainly would prefer a .380 over a .25 or .22, but I'd consider it as a BUG.

I'm a revolver guy at heart, and own several j frames. I switched to carrying the LCP because it is flat, and therefore much more comfortable in the front pocket. I found the cylinder of the j frame less comfortable and more difficult to conceal than the flat profile of the LCP.

 

[Maze 686]

In a Sig P238 the Corbon Pow R Ball works well. The bullet expands and does not clog.

There is a place for the .380acp. In my mind it can be a backup that I can hand to someone I'm with in a dire situation or as a backup for the primary going down. Great for stuffing in a pocket holster for those times a tucked in shirt is needed.

 

[bmcgilvray]

I hold my nose and carry this Kel Tec P3AT when I can't contrive to carry anything larger and that ain't too often. A supply of the hot Santa Barbara surplus .380 ammunition was laid in back in late 2005 when the pistol was purchased. This speedy flat-nosed (slightly concave nose) bullet clocks an realistic 1033 fps out of the P3AT's short barrel and gives flawless function. I'm not a big believer in "trick, expando-matic" bullets anyway and would not carry the .380 with any sort of hollow-point bullets under any circumstances.



This P3AT was a stinker that wouldn't give dependable function at all. Rather than to go the "fluff & buff" route suggested on the Kel Tec forum I determined to make a hobby of shooting it until it either became reliable or got tossed in disgust. It took around 600 rounds to iron things out but it runs right now.

I don't personally find the .380 ACP very inspiring and loathe the P3AT's DAO trigger, the indistinct lumps that are provided as sights, and the plastic. My brother-in-law has an early Ruger LCP and I felt its sights were a marked improvement to an otherwise identically wretched pistol. I'd trade into one of the LCP's with the improved sights as was mentioned in the above post but it's not worth the bother and expense.

 

[M_E_]

Better than a rock or big stick. That said, I still would NOT shot with one. Just empty the mag first!!

 

[drinva]

Taking the new .380 to the range in the am. Finally drove around today and found a couple boxes of ball ammo. Two blazer and one blue box fioochi (sp?) . Can't wait to see how she shoots!

 

[jag312]

Is there anyone here who can honestly say that they would not have fear facing someone ready to shoot them with a .380? A .380 is no one's first choice as a self defense weapon, and a .380 isn't going to have much effect against a PCP-fueled attacker unless you can put one into what is left of his drug-ravaged brain. However, as a small concealable firearm to be used in a self defense emergency, it will serve it's purpose 99% of the time.