.380 ammo is the most inconsistent of the major calibers I have seen.
Different power factor. Some more powerful than others. Extractor rims with differing dimensions.
I went through a .380 kick about 10-12 years back. Bought about every small .380 on the market. Most of them choked hard. I also bought thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of expensive (back then) .380 ammo. Like ALL the brands of ammo, from Serbian, to Italian, to American, to Mexican, etc.
Basically, what I learned was many .380 pocket pistols are not reliable. Some of them were. When you do find a good, reliable, .380 pocket pistol, DON'T sell it or get rid of it. Its a gem. I had a Kel-Tec .380 with over 1000 rounds through it that never jammed. I sold it, unfortunately, and spent literally thousands of dollars in my quest to find my next reliable pocket .380. That gun ended up being one of the first Ruger LCP pistols. It currently has over 2000 trouble free, jam free rounds through it. I will never sell it.
I bought a newer LCP with the better trigger and it was a pile of junk that jammed 10 rounds out of 100. So they are not equal. Some work, some don't.
I am a perfectionist in every sense of the word and a maintenance freak, and I overly maintain every single piece of mechanical equipment I own. I can tell you that an LCP recoil spring would be absolutely shot out at 1000 rounds, let alone 2000 rounds. I change them at 500 rounds. Also, the magazine springs take a huge set, compared to any other magazine spring I have ever seen. A one year old magazine spring is literally an inch shorter than a new spring. I change my magazine springs about every year. I also meticulously lube my guns, and make sure that they are "properly" lubricated. Proper means that the lube hasn't evaporated or ran out of the gun.
Basically, what I'm getting at, is it takes a lot of work to keep a small .380 reliable, if you shoot it. I put WAY more care and effort into maintaining my guns than probably 98% of the public. And I typically have good results because of it.
Most folks I see at the range have a dirty, unlubricated/dry gun. If the gun is older, do you think the person inspected the condition of the gun, to include the springs, and repaired/replaced them as necessary? The majority of folks you see at the gun range just do not know how to lubricate and care for semi auto pistols. Which can be a good reason why they tend to jam. Especially the small .380's that have less margin for error.
Different power factor. Some more powerful than others. Extractor rims with differing dimensions.
I went through a .380 kick about 10-12 years back. Bought about every small .380 on the market. Most of them choked hard. I also bought thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of expensive (back then) .380 ammo. Like ALL the brands of ammo, from Serbian, to Italian, to American, to Mexican, etc.
Basically, what I learned was many .380 pocket pistols are not reliable. Some of them were. When you do find a good, reliable, .380 pocket pistol, DON'T sell it or get rid of it. Its a gem. I had a Kel-Tec .380 with over 1000 rounds through it that never jammed. I sold it, unfortunately, and spent literally thousands of dollars in my quest to find my next reliable pocket .380. That gun ended up being one of the first Ruger LCP pistols. It currently has over 2000 trouble free, jam free rounds through it. I will never sell it.
I bought a newer LCP with the better trigger and it was a pile of junk that jammed 10 rounds out of 100. So they are not equal. Some work, some don't.
I am a perfectionist in every sense of the word and a maintenance freak, and I overly maintain every single piece of mechanical equipment I own. I can tell you that an LCP recoil spring would be absolutely shot out at 1000 rounds, let alone 2000 rounds. I change them at 500 rounds. Also, the magazine springs take a huge set, compared to any other magazine spring I have ever seen. A one year old magazine spring is literally an inch shorter than a new spring. I change my magazine springs about every year. I also meticulously lube my guns, and make sure that they are "properly" lubricated. Proper means that the lube hasn't evaporated or ran out of the gun.
Basically, what I'm getting at, is it takes a lot of work to keep a small .380 reliable, if you shoot it. I put WAY more care and effort into maintaining my guns than probably 98% of the public. And I typically have good results because of it.
Most folks I see at the range have a dirty, unlubricated/dry gun. If the gun is older, do you think the person inspected the condition of the gun, to include the springs, and repaired/replaced them as necessary? The majority of folks you see at the gun range just do not know how to lubricate and care for semi auto pistols. Which can be a good reason why they tend to jam. Especially the small .380's that have less margin for error.
