Two more .380s, two more fails

FWIW, younger son has a Bersa that's been as reliable as the sun rising and setting. I had a couple in CCW class with a Beretta 85(?), the service pistol sized .380 they (used to?) make. The gent said the gun had been back to the factory several times and it still had problems. I went through 3 mags without issue and suggested they hold the gun tighter. Neither had any issues during the class which was much more than 12 rounds.

Wonder how many newbies show up for class with guns that haven't been cleaned & lubed?

I'm personally on the fence about the effectiveness of the round. Ball appears to be the best choice and it's better than a harsh word.
 
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The only .380 I have any interest in is the Beretta 84 Cheetah, an old blued one with the round trigger guard. Not because I'd ever carry it, but just because I thinks it's so darned sexy.
 
I chronographed several different factory loads in my sig 238 this fall

Win white box 95 gr FMJ 825 to 888
ASYM 80 gr Barns Tac xp HP 966 to 982
Speer 90 gr Gold dot HP 936 to 970
Rem 102 gr ultimate defender 840 to 883
Federal 90 gr Hydra shok JHP 859 to 910
Hornady 90 gr Zombie Max Z Max 897 to 976
Freedom Munitions 100 gr RNFP 817 to 868

The listings on the boxes are with different test barrels so this may help a few people here.

BTW No malfunctions. YMMV
 
Rather than argue the reliability of the cartridge, it would be better to argue/test the reliability of the COMBINATION of gun and cartridge. My EDC is a converted G27 in 357 SIG. I ONLY carry Sig or Underwood ammo. I do not carry any Buffalo Bore because I have found it NOT TO BE RELIABLE in semi autos (OK in revolvers but not in MY semi-autos.) My 40 cals like XTPs and my 10mm likes Underwood and XTPs. Better to know what works in YOUR gun than to gripe about the caliber in general!

BTW: I'm not a fan of the 380.
 
kraynky said:
My Russian Makarov 380 feeds & shoots to point of aim, as long as I can still see that itty bity front sight. It actually has a pretty good trigger now.
Click to expand...
12-15 years ago the front sight of a FEG 380 got damaged, my local gunsmith tried an XS sight- Huge front sight, out to 7 yards just put the dot on the A-ring and the bullets follow. It looked odd but it worked very well, very fast on target. Be Safe,
 
Muss Muggins said:
Well, to take your "observation" argument in a slightly different but still parallel direction, having observed multiple Boy Scouts in Wilderness Survival training classes fail at starting a fire with only two matches allotted, I have come to the conclusion that fires cannot reliably be started with two matches or less . . .
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No, this is different. If you had said, "Every scout failed to start a fire with just two matches..." then I might agree with you. That's my issue, I have yet to see a single .380Auto gun, of any manufacture, using any ammo, run through 35 rounds without a malfunction. It's crazy.

Lots of people here have said that they've had guns that work perfectly. More power to them. Please let me know when you're going to be at a range near me and I'll come and watch just to see one work flawlessly.

A few years back Rob Pincus said that he thought the 1911s with shorter than 4" barrels were junk. He said that he had never seen one survive his class without malfunction. Many people argued with him and claimed their guns were perfect. I don't know if Rob has recanted, but I now understand what he was seeing.
 
Rastoff said:
Lots of people here have said that they've had guns that work perfectly. More power to them. Please let me know when you're going to be at a range near me and I'll come and watch just to see one work flawlessly.
Click to expand...

Ask and ye shall receive. :) Perhaps this will suffice.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzSS9GzEBd4[/ame]
 
Well I’m totally confused!
As I degrade and sink into the abyss and need to lighten up on my caliber,
Which 380 should I buy?
I have shot a few, but never owned one.
Actually I have owned a few when I was gun dealing, but never had any intention of keeping one.
I am a known 22 shooter, own several, been shooting them since I was a kid.
So I can slide on down to a 22.
The Beretta 21a is in the safe right now, ready to rumble!
 
I'd bet on it being the shooter, Rastoff. But, of course, I wasn't there.

I have many, many rounds through my Glock 42, never, ever a failure. My EZ is in the safe since I got it shortly before my latest medical problem, so I haven't shot it much.

FWIW, I've used mostly Hornady Critical Defense in my 380s, 9mms and 38s.

Bob
 
I would never bet my life on any 380. It's really hard to beat a S&W J frame revolver. If it should misfire, just pull the trigger again. Also, I doubt that many people who carry 380's have any clue on what to do if it misfires.
 
Over the 26 years I've watched cops bring off-duty guns through ranges, and the 10 years I watched private citizens bring personally-owned guns through some ranges, I've seen my fair share of shooter, gun and ammo problems occur.

Just considering guns chambered in .380, though ...

The most common stoppages I've observed have been in Walther PPK/S & clones. Those often seemed to involve some combination of shooter-induced (usually slide bite involving slide drag), lack of lubrication and dirty/fouled guns (neglect) and/or aging mag springs or dirty mags.

As some of the newer models of the really small plastic guns starting making their appearance, it rather seemed that more shooter-induced issues made their appearance. Seemingly some of the smallest guns were just so small the shooter's hands started to interfere with function (thumbing the slide), or pressing against another part of the gun (like a mag catch button on a Walther, causing the magazine to drop at least once during every magazine load).
 
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kraynky said:
My Russian Makarov 380 feeds & shoots to point of aim, as long as I can still see that itty bity front sight. It actually has a pretty good trigger now.
Click to expand...

Mine, too and it has over 7000 rounds through it, almost all reloads. It's my practice gun - I carry a Bulgarian Makarov in 9mm Mak. But I wouldn't hesitate to carry the .380. I choose the Makarov because I like it.
 
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