Two more .380s, two more fails

[moosedog]

The 380 cartridge has been used successfully since 1908. I truly believe
it's the guns or shooters that are the problem.
My Ruger LCP has never jammed or misfired.

 

[old tanker]

In nearly 50 years of ownership... a Llama 380 ( I know hard to believe) early locked breech pistol...

Fort Campbell, 1971, a fellow drill sergeant swapped me a .380 Llama Especial for some car parts. Cute, broke down like a mini 1911, didn't think much of it until I shot it. Had always heard Llamas were made of soft steel, at best, a "better grade" of junk.

Just like yours, it turned out to be reliable, accurate and pleasant to shoot. It has held up pretty well, so it appears they are better built than rumor had it.

 

[nipperdog]

I trust my NAA Guardian 380. I have carried it for years and it has countless rounds of 380 fired through it. These days I my main Carry Gun is a Glock 26 9mm, However I still rely on the Guardian when Pocket Carry is necessary. The only other 380 that I own is a Bulgarian Makarov that I re Barreled to 380 with a conversion barrel. It's a great shooter, but too large for carrying since my Kahr K9, and even the G26 are of equal size as the Mak.

 

[Johnrh]

I have two 380's, an older Colt Govt Pocketlite and a Sig P232. Never had a problem with either one.

 

[Rastoff]

In nearly 50 years of ownership of various 380s, maybe 15 or so, I have only had three that were reliable.

20% doesn't surprise me.

Over the decades, I have had probably 30 of various .380 pistols and I never had one that was 100% reliable, even with ball ammo. These were from every major manufacture. (No junk manufactures)

Two more examples of why I don't trust the .380Auto.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Two more examples of why I don't trust the .380Auto.

And yet you dismiss those with tales of 100% .380 ACP reliability. I’m toting my Glock 42 while I type, only because I can’t find a good holster for the Colt Pony Pocketlite I recently bought back. And I know that pistol will fire when it counts . . .

 

[PALADIN85020]

Actually, the .380 has a long history, and one of the earlier pistols chambered for it, the Beretta Model 1934, has been known as being as close to 100% reliable as a semiauto can get. Even though designed to feed hardball, most examples also feed hollowpoints flawlessly today. It was made as a very robust pistol, and most work as well today as when they were made.

The Italian Army liked it so much that from 1936 to 1990, it was officially in use. Returning WWII veterans who served in the Italian campaign brought thousands of them back, and found them to be reliable "pocket pistols."

John

 

[glenwolde]

I like the .380. I've had several, from small to large. One developed a problem and was fixed. I find them exceptionally accurate. Of course in the case of pocket pistols that doesn't matter so much. But still, accurate is better than not.

Larger versions are fun to shoot. The cartridge is inexpensive to reload. I find the large versions a good choice to use for newer shooters when you want to take them to centerfire from rimfire. In a larger gun they are a mild shooter.

I have about as many .380's as I do 9mm's. I'd rather shoot the .380's. But yeah they are marginal for self defense. Still, I used one for my Texas CHL qualification.

Count me a fan.

 

[Rustyt1953]

First one then the other have long served me well. Billy Joel told me : "don't go changing".

 

[jag312]

I have had my Browning BDA380 since 1984. The serial number is 425PX - - - -. PX indicates made in 1983. Two of my friends have them. All with zero problems. The Browning BDA380 is a well made gun made by Beretta. A clean gun is the key to reliability. Will I stake my live on it? Yes I have.

 

[washerman]

I have actually been thinking a 380 revolver might be a good choice for my daughter. Taurus has a 5 shot with moon clips and Charter Arms has the Pitbull in 380 without moon clips and is a 6 shot. Don't know about any other brands.

 

[Walkingwolf]

I have actually been thinking a 380 revolver might be a good choice for my daughter. Taurus has a 5 shot with moon clips and Charter Arms has the Pitbull in 380 without moon clips and is a 6 shot. Don't know about any other brands.

While I like the 380 cartridge, I believe a LCR in 327 loaded with 32 long would be a better choice. The LCR has more ammo options, and being an owner of a pitbull much easier to load with a speed loader. I like my pit, but it is a real hassle to reload, it would be an even bigger hassle with the smaller 380 ACP case. Add to that in the case of a reload with just a few rounds in a hurry can damage the pins in the empty chambers during recoil.

 

[Rastoff]

And yet you dismiss those with tales of 100% .380 ACP reliability.

Absolutely not. In fact, I've never said that I don't believe those with such experience. I do in fact take them at their word and I believe they are telling the truth.

Even so, just because one person has a positive experience doesn't mean anyone else will. This applies to any gun. If I'm going to use it for self-defense, I'm going to test it, regardless of caliber, make, model or experience of others. If it passes my test, I'll carry it. If not, I won't. So far, no .380Auto I've used or personally witnessed being used has gone a sufficient number of rounds without a malfunction. This is just my experience. Yours may be different. By all means, use what you like.

 

[Gene L]

I think reading this there are more people who trust and like the .380 than who don't. So I wouldn't let that color my choices, especially when there are numerous reviews of various .380s and tests recorded on its performance.

Like my Interarms PPK/S in .380, it's never let me down or jammed that I can remember. Had it for 40 years or so. Very accurate and I think the round has enough punch...ballistic gel demonstrations make me believe this.

I had a .380 Bodyguard. It didn't do anything wrong, but the trigger and hammer-fired situation made it impossible for me to shoot...not the gun, but the problem was me.

I'm a certified LEO Firearms Instructor. I've seen a lot of guns fail, regardless of caliber. We held specialized classes for women who had rather shoot with other women. (Good reasons, once you think about it.) Some were armed with .25 Ravens, some with Highpoint 9mms, several Glocks, one with a Model 14. Most of them had never fired a handgun, they bought them out of fear for their own safety, not for the love of guns...what they needed was encouragement and confidence, and we gave them that. Being armed with a .25 or a 9mm Highpoint (which is what a lot of older women on fixed income could afford) is better than a harsh word to an aggressor.

I even like my .32 PPK, and don't feel unarmed when I carry it. Of course, the Sig 365 is about the same size as the PPK, weighs loaded about the same. Plastic is fantastic. But I like nostalgia. If it was good enough for James Bond, it's good enough for me.

 

[Protected One]

Fascinating thread - long, but I enjoyed going all the way through it. I'll just share my experience. I'm 78, have 16 or so handguns, and ten of them are .380's:

Browning 1911-380 Black Label
Beretta 84F Cheetah
Beretta 85F Cheetah
Beretta 86B Cheetah (tilt-up)
Ruger LCP Custom
Bersa Thunder 380
Sig Sauer P238
S&W M&P 380 EZ
Taurus Spectrum
Walther PPK/S (S&W)

They don't all get fired regularly, but they all get to the range at least once a year, followed by a thorough cleaning. I use ordinary brass-cased commercial PMC or Fiocchi or Federal 95-gr. FMJ ammo or 95-gr. reloads sold by the range. I've been well aware of the possible results of loose grip or limp-wristing automatics for many years, and I can't recall any malfunction incidents with any of my guns. I've never tried any steel or aluminum-cased ammunition in any of them. The P238 is my favorite carry gun, and I bought the 380EZ for my wife (70), who has had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands after 30 years on a GM graphic illustrator's drafting table and arthritis, which limits her hand/finger strength. She uses a two-handed grip and has no problems. We both have our CPL's and have taken several rounds of handgun refresher training.

I also have a .45 Long Colt SAA replica, a couple of wartime Walther P.38's, several 9mm Berettas, Bersa Pro 9mm, an S&W 5906 9mm, and five different .22's. Gun enthusiasts and always learning.

What do you think of the Browning Black Label?

 

[max503]

I traded off my 380 yesterday for a full-sized double stack 9mm range gun. From now on I'll just use my totally reliable J frames for concealed carry thank you very much.

 

[max503]

Absolutely not. In fact, I've never said that I don't believe those with such experience. I do in fact take them at their word and I believe they are telling the truth.

Even so, just because one person has a positive experience doesn't mean anyone else will. This applies to any gun. If I'm going to use it for self-defense, I'm going to test it, regardless of caliber, make, model or experience of others. If it passes my test, I'll carry it. If not, I won't. So far, no .380Auto I've used or personally witnessed being used has gone a sufficient number of rounds without a malfunction. This is just my experience. Yours may be different. By all means, use what you like.

^^^I couldn't have said it better.
However, I wonder how many people actually put at least 200 rounds of carry ammo through their 380 to test it for unquestioned reliability? That's my test.

 

[Walkingwolf]

^^^I couldn't have said it better.
However, I wonder how many people actually put at least 200 rounds of carry ammo through their 380 to test it for unquestioned reliability? That's my test.

I don't, it's none of my business. I only concern myself with how a firearm ammo works for me. So far I have had very good luck with the 380 in several different firearms. Personally 200 rounds is just break in some need even more before carry. But many people buy a new gun, never fire it, then carry it. Some probably cannot afford the ammo. On occasions they have used the guns successfully to defend themselves. Seems to me there was a inner city elderly woman who used a Hi Point carbine to successfully defend herself from a home invader. Hi Points are not at the top of most people's list for self defense, and I doubt she had a whole lot of rounds through it.

 

[BC38]

I traded off my 380 yesterday for a full-sized double stack 9mm range gun. From now on I'll just use my totally reliable J frames for concealed carry thank you very much.

Just curious, but what 380 was it - and did you try several or just the one?

 

[max503]

Just curious, but what 380 was it - and did you try several or just the one?

It was a Colt Pocketlite. It was the only 380 I have ever shot. I tried all kinds or factory loads as well as reloads. It worked pretty good - but once every couple hundred rounds or so it would have a hiccup. And that is too much for me, for a SD gun.

I've got other irons in the fire and I'm just not going to try another 380 at this time. There's a lot of really cool 380's out there. Personally, I like the looks of the Bersa. And people really like their LCP's. But I'm just too busy right now.