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Old November 27, 2012, 01:37 AM   #1
Chris9472
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Taurus M380 mini Revolver.

I had been interested in something like this, and I got a chance to check one out at a gun shop recently. I can't say I was too impressed. The quality wasn't the greatest, and the trigger pull was excessively hard.

I wish Charter Arms would do their own version of a .380acp revolver, similar to their 9mm and .40 semi-auto cartridge Pitbulls, but a true mini revolver with a lightweight aluminum frame and DAO. The quality and looks would be better as well.

I think there is a need for something like this for us who only carry revolvers. There really isn't anything out there between one of those tiny NAA revolvers and the standard .38spl/.357 snubbie. Sometimes, I don't want to carry something even that big.

I'm not against the concept of a .380acp revolver, I just didn't care much for the way Taurus did theirs. Still, I might get one if I come across a great deal. I have a feeling these unique and unusual revolvers won't find too many buyers, and may become collectible someday.
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Old November 27, 2012, 02:09 AM   #2
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Chris... I also have looked at(well, here on the net)the M380, as I have older parents, and eventually the question will come up about hand strength, autoloaders vs revolvers, recoil tolerence, and all the things that goes with older people and guns. I would really like to have a revolver in a common caliber, but ballistically lighter than 38 special. Yes I know there were some 32 cal revolvers, but I want something you can get ammo for at any LGS. Unfortunately, the Taurus M380 just doesnt get the comments I want to hear. I dont like the fact its DAO, and from what I have read about the trigger pull, it seems that its not something Im going to be interested in.

I just bought a KelTec P32, have not fired it yet, but will be at the range tomorrow for a shake down of it. It might just be the answer Im looking for.

Taurus could certainly make the M380 I want. I have the Taurus 905(9mm revolver)and recommend it when ever I can. A 380 revolver, Double Action, 6 shot, with a useable trigger, would be perfect. Offer the same in 32ACP, a 3 or 4" barrel, and either one would be a winner.
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Old November 27, 2012, 02:17 AM   #3
Bill DeShivs
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I still say that if a major manufacturer introduced a D/A revolver in .32 acp, and SCALED TO THE CARTRIDGE, it would sell like hotcakes (or Judges!)
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Old November 27, 2012, 02:31 AM   #4
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Quote:
Chris... I also have looked at(well, here on the net)the M380, as I have older parents, and eventually the question will come up about hand strength, autoloaders vs revolvers, recoil tolerence, and all the things that goes with older people and guns. I would really like to have a revolver in a common caliber, but ballistically lighter than 38 special. Yes I know there were some 32 cal revolvers, but I want something you can get ammo for at any LGS. Unfortunately, the Taurus M380 just doesnt get the comments I want to hear. I dont like the fact its DAO, and from what I have read about the trigger pull, it seems that its not something Im going to be interested in.

I just bought a KelTec P32, have not fired it yet, but will be at the range tomorrow for a shake down of it. It might just be the answer Im looking for.

Taurus could certainly make the M380 I want. I have the Taurus 905(9mm revolver)and recommend it when ever I can. A 380 revolver, Double Action, 6 shot, with a usable trigger, would be perfect. Offer the same in 32ACP, a 3 or 4" barrel, and either one would be a winner.
Agreed. I like the idea of the lesser recoil and slightly smaller size of a .380acp, while still having borderline acceptable stopping power, but the trigger pull on the Taurus was ridiculous, something like 14-15 pounds. Definitely not for elderly or weak hands.

I've read that the trigger had to be that way in order for the hammer to hit the rimless cartridges hard enough to ignite, but something tells me it could be done differently, and better. I actually sent an email yesterday to Charter Arms marketing suggesting they come out with a .380acp version of their semi-auto cartridge "Pitbull" revolvers. But I haven't yet received a response.
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Old November 27, 2012, 04:05 AM   #5
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Charter Arms is a pretty small company (I think they employ about two dozen people). I really don't think they'll take the gamble of designing and producing a .380 revolver from the ground up.

I do wish the .32 family would see more of a comeback in smaller revolvers. A five (heck even four!) shot .327 magnum would be some good medicine in a small package.
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Old November 27, 2012, 07:37 AM   #6
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I am not a Taurus basher, first of all. But.....I bought one and it was not a very good example of very good quality control. Uneven finish, EXTREMELY heavy trigger, and the gun shot 8 inches low at 10 yards regardless of ammo. Just my two cents. And I like Taurus.

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Old November 27, 2012, 08:59 AM   #7
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A friend let me shoot this thing (.25 ACP):



And guess what? I absolutely loved it. I someone made a modern equivalent in .32 ACP I'd jump at the opportunity to buy one.
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Old November 27, 2012, 12:22 PM   #8
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My wife was looking for a smaller and lighter than my old taurs 85 to carry and the m380 was on the list but after pulling the trigger on one that took care of that. We all ready have a TCP 380 in the family, daughter claimed mine as her CC and after my wife shot it she bought her self one of those .
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Old November 27, 2012, 04:32 PM   #9
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There has been one of those Taurus .380 ACP revolvers in the case at the local range shop for many months. No sign that anyone is remotely interested. It's one of those things that's an answer to a question nobody asked.

The fact that it uses moon clips doesn't help. Yes, I understand why, but I don't think people are willing to deal with the nuisance factor (or the expense) of the clips for the dubious benefit of firing an underpowered round in a revolver. The .380 ACP round makes more sense in places (countries) where "military" calibers (such as 9mm Parabellum) are not allowed for civilian ownership. Here in the U.S. we can buy and shoot 9mm, so guns the same size as 9mm but firing a less powerful round are very much a niche product. There's just no good reason for most people to buy one.

And, yes ... Taurus generally has horrible trigger pulls on their revolvers.
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Old November 27, 2012, 04:51 PM   #10
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I have a 26 years old model 85SS that when new I radiused the edges of the trigger parts and polished them. And carried it for 20 years. Allways seem to have a very smooth trigger. When it was retired from CC I lightend the pull for my girls to shot and learn with a larger caliber handgun, I put a wolf RP hammer spring only and was suprised by the weight and ordered a trigger gauge. The DA pull is 4 1/2lb pull and SA is 2lb pull weight. Fires every handload or facrtory load ever tried. Must be the new revolvers have redeigned lawyer triggers inthem and are lost. This is the unly taurus revolver I have ever pulled the trigger on. My only other revolvers are DW revolvers.
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Old November 27, 2012, 06:38 PM   #11
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I have a new(2012) Taurus 905(9x19) revolver. It has a very nice trigger. I also have a new(2012) Taurus 94(22LR) and the trigger pull was RIDICULOUS. It must have been 50#. Seriously. I understand that rimfire revolvers need a strong mainspring, but out of my 7 other 22 revolvers, it was the worst, by a long ways. I installed a centerfire mainspring, and smoothed thing internally, and it is much improved. Reliability is still 100%. I would assume the M380 has the same spring weight that the rimfire versions come with. Its a shame, because it doesnt need to be that heavy. I have a Taurus POLY PT-22 and its a DAO 22 LR pistol. It has a smooth, reasonably light trigger, the M380 should also have a trigger like that. Its a shame because I would buy one. I might end up buying one anyways, and fiddling with the springs, as they have to be able to be lightened, without effecting reliability.
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Old November 27, 2012, 08:11 PM   #12
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Quote:
A friend let me shoot this thing (.25 ACP):



And guess what? I absolutely loved it. I someone made a modern equivalent in .32 ACP I'd jump at the opportunity to buy one.
It looks like a cigarette lighter!
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Old November 27, 2012, 08:29 PM   #13
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There has been one of those Taurus .380 ACP revolvers in the case at the local range shop for many months. No sign that anyone is remotely interested. It's one of those things that's an answer to a question nobody asked.
Well, I'm asking. If you only carry revolvers, and you want to carry something a bit smaller once in awhile then the standard .38spl/.357mag snubbie, with less recoil while still having somewhat (barely) adequate defensive capabilities, then it makes sense. It also makes sense if you love revolvers in general and your a collector, but that's a different story.

Quote:
The fact that it uses moon clips doesn't help. Yes, I understand why, but I don't think people are willing to deal with the nuisance factor (or the expense) of the clips for the dubious benefit of firing an underpowered round in a revolver.
Yes, it would be best if the M380 had a built in ejector like the type Charter Arms uses, but many people who CCW don't even bother to carry extra rounds anyway, rationalizing that 95% of the time they wouldn't need more then a full load. While I might caution against that mindset, they would probably be right.
Quote:
380 ACP round makes more sense in places (countries) where "military" calibers (such as 9mm Parabellum) are not allowed for civilian ownership. Here in the U.S. we can buy and shoot 9mm, so guns the same size as 9mm but firing a less powerful round are very much a niche product.
Again, those of us who only want to carry revolvers for SD don't necessarily worship at the alter of 9mm, although I understand that the 9mm is a fine, proven cartridge.

Quote:
And, yes ... Taurus generally has horrible trigger pulls on their revolvers.
From a qualitative standpoint, the M380 in particular was nothing to write home about either. I know that a quality .380acp revolver with the right features could be made, but so far only Taurus made the attempt, and I'm not liking what I see.

But I may still get one if and when they go for cheap on a close out deal or something. I'm not expecting these to be in their catalog for very long.

Last edited by Chris9472; November 27, 2012 at 08:38 PM.
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Old November 27, 2012, 09:24 PM   #14
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For those of you screaming about a .32 revolver, most of you let one go by without even a nod. Taurus had an M327 revolver in 2" and canceled it last year.
This revolver would shoot 327 mag., 32 H & R., 32 Long and 32 acp. I have one that has never failed and has a good trigger. Wish I had another.
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Old November 27, 2012, 09:32 PM   #15
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For those of you screaming about a .32 revolver, most of you let one go by without even a nod. Taurus had an M327 revolver in 2" and canceled it last year.
This revolver would shoot 327 mag., 32 H & R., 32 Long and 32 acp. I have one that has never failed and has a good trigger. Wish I had another.
I didn't even know such a thing existed. Thanks for the info, I'll keep my eyes open.

BTW... the M380 will most likely go the way of the M327 in a year or so.
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Old November 27, 2012, 09:54 PM   #16
Dave Chuppa
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Will 380ACP work in Charters 9mm?
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Old November 27, 2012, 10:00 PM   #17
Chris9472
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Will 380ACP work in Charters 9mm?
I've thought of that, kind of like a .38spl works in a .357mag. I should email Charter and ask!

Too bad though that their 9mm revolver has no DAO verison.
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Old November 27, 2012, 10:11 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by igousigloo
This revolver would shoot 327 mag., 32 H & R., 32 Long and 32 acp. I have one that has never failed and has a good trigger. Wish I had another.
I recently bought one of those from CDNN ... they may still have them.

Without question, the WORST trigger I have ever encountered on a new-in-box revolver. Even worse than my Taurus Model 94 ... and that's tough to be worse than.

But it's a magnum, and built on the same Taurus frame as the Model 94 and the M380. It's not scaled down to be proportional to a lower-power .32 caliber round.
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Old November 28, 2012, 02:15 AM   #19
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Again, those of us who only want to carry revolvers for SD don't necessarily worship at the alter of 9mm, although I understand that the 9mm is a fine, proven cartridge.
Chris... there are 9mm revolvers. Taurus, Ruger, Smith & Wesson and Charter Arms all have made in the past, or still have, production revolvers in 9mm. I have the Taurus 905, and its excellent. It uses moon clips, which I think are a non issue. You dont actually even need to use the moon clips, they only aid in extraction. The gun will fire just fine without them, but the cases can be sticky to eject, as the cartridge has no rim to push upon. If you really want a revolver in a different chambering, consider a 9mm. The ammo is the cheapest centerfire ammo there is, available anywhere ammo is sold, and performance is between .38 Special, and 357 Magnum. Whats the downside? Since you are considering a revolver that uses moon clips anyway, check into the 905. You will be very happy. Forget about that 380. Oh... and as far as that Charter Arms 9mm... I dont even know if they are in production yet. No one has them in stock, and the reviews have said the extractor setup is fragile, and makes loading the cylinder difficult. The Taurus IS available, uses a simple, proven system(moon clip) and is a quality revolver. The 905 is built on the Taurus standard small revolver frame, so all the accessories for those revolvers, will work with the 905. That includes Crimson Trace LaserGrips, Wolff spring kits, aftermarket grips & holsters. The M380 uses a smaller, different frame from all the other Taurus revolvers. I would be careful about that M380, unless you are simply in it for the novelty.

Last edited by weblance; November 28, 2012 at 02:27 AM.
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Old November 28, 2012, 02:32 AM   #20
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Will be the only 380 I will ever buy again, looks neat I must say.
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Old November 28, 2012, 09:17 AM   #21
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Originally Posted by igousigloo
This revolver would shoot 327 mag., 32 H & R., 32 Long and 32 acp. I have one that has never failed and has a good trigger. Wish I had another.
I missed this ... and I didn't know the gun will fire .32 ACP. How does that work -- are there moon clips available for it?
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Old November 28, 2012, 10:04 AM   #22
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^^^ +1 Aquila.

Igousigloo: Although firing .32ACP in a .32 H&R Mag revolver isn't necessarily unsafe from a pressure standpoint, the undersized case rims can cause ejection problems. There is a very real risk of bending or breaking the ejector star if it tries to jump over one of the case rims and gets hung up.

IMHO using the proper ammo is a better choice; .32 S&W Long isn't much more expensive than .32ACP if you mail order or shop around.
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Old November 28, 2012, 10:40 AM   #23
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For me, the crucial fact in a .32 ACP revolver would be its size. If the cylinder can accommodate 327 mag, I am not interested.
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Old November 29, 2012, 05:57 AM   #24
Chris9472
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Chris... there are 9mm revolvers. Taurus, Ruger, Smith & Wesson and Charter Arms all have made in the past, or still have, production revolvers in 9mm. I have the Taurus 905, and its excellent. It uses moon clips, which I think are a non issue. You dont actually even need to use the moon clips, they only aid in extraction. The gun will fire just fine without them, but the cases can be sticky to eject, as the cartridge has no rim to push upon. If you really want a revolver in a different chambering, consider a 9mm. The ammo is the cheapest centerfire ammo there is, available anywhere ammo is sold, and performance is between .38 Special, and 357 Magnum. Whats the downside? Since you are considering a revolver that uses moon clips anyway, check into the 905. You will be very happy. Forget about that 380. Oh... and as far as that Charter Arms 9mm... I dont even know if they are in production yet. No one has them in stock, and the reviews have said the extractor setup is fragile, and makes loading the cylinder difficult. The Taurus IS available, uses a simple, proven system(moon clip) and is a quality revolver. The 905 is built on the Taurus standard small revolver frame, so all the accessories for those revolvers, will work with the 905. That includes Crimson Trace LaserGrips, Wolff spring kits, aftermarket grips & holsters. The M380 uses a smaller, different frame from all the other Taurus revolvers. I would be careful about that M380, unless you are simply in it for the novelty.
Thanks for this info Weblance, I will check out the Taurus 905. Sounds like something I'd like to have.

Does S&W still make a 9mm revolver? I'd rather support my American arms manufacturers if possible.
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Old November 29, 2012, 09:15 AM   #25
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For those wishing for an "in-between" revolver, I would suggest finding a good old Smith and Wesson in .32 long. I see them very frequently at gun shows, and in gun shops. It seems there is not a huge demand for them, so the prices are usually surprisingly low.
I still plan to buy one, simply because they are so well made, but SMALL. The double action is the classic smooth-as-glass Smith and Wesson, and they hold 6 rounds.
Since I reload, I would have a ball with it, but even non-reloaders can find ammo for it pretty readily. I think some of the russian/czech/import companies have loads for it.
Worth looking at...
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