Going to give a .380 a try

[Cowboyfromhell]

So I'm really thinking hard about picking up a .380 for the first time. Hoping to find a good deal on a Sig p238. Maybe a black Friday sale..Will see

[dyl]

Neat, I thought about 380 once. Still might do it, but part of me thinks, "I really don't want to have to reload another caliber". And I know I would carry it all the time instead of my pocket 9.

[TJB101]

My P238 is in my pocket all the time here at the house, even while doing outdoor chores for the wife. It never gets in way. Great little pocket pistol. I never have one in the chamber. (Yeah, I know) ... it is what it is.

I also bought a 380ez for the wife since it is incredibly easy to rack

I don’t mind reloading for it ... And it is incredibly cheap to do so. (2.8gr TG with a 95/100gr proj)

I won’t be buying another 380 ... 2 is enough for me. 9’s, 45’s and 357’s are way more fun to shoot and that’s where I spend my fun money.

My LGS just posted about 5 different 238’s for sale ... Tanners Sports Center on FB ... look them up ... they are a large vendor and will ship.

[USNRet93]

My first EDC was a Glock 42...’Clipdraw’ and trigger cover with belt cord lanyard, great for summer, Tshirt. Plus into my jersey pocket when I ride my bike(4-5 days per week). Great little gun, yes, others smaller, almost as big as some small 9mm but for me, not a ‘PITW’ to shoot(Pain in the Wrist)...others, like Ruger LC9, was.
Also 16 oz. loaded with (mag ext) 7+1...

BTW- had a Ruger LCP...yup, reliable, small, thin, light and a PITButt to shoot for me..adios...

[FrankenMauser]

Neat, I thought about 380 once. Still might do it, but part of me thinks, "I really don't want to have to reload another caliber".

I entertained the same thought process for a long time. All it did was make me miss out on a lot of fun and some cool firearms.
Another set of dies and some different bullets isn't really a big deal. (Whether a common handgun cartridge, or obscure rifle cartridge.)

With .380 Auto, in particular, though... Most owners that I know don't shoot their .380s enough to really warrant reloading, anyway. Combined with the fact that most people lose 50% or more of the cases at a range, and 70%+ in the desert/mountains, it actually makes reloading even less desirable. It isn't a big deal to buy a box or two of factory ammo per year. (Or every two to three years.)


Of course, I reloaded from the get-go and am now sitting on an assortment of bullets, set of dies, pile of brass, and stack of ammo that doesn't get used, because I sold or traded all of my .380s. But, I'll end up with another one at some point...
(The handguns were the problem, not the cartridge - if anyone was wondering.)

[Ruger45LC]

I have a G42 and I have had several 380s, but the Glock 42 is the best shooting one of the bunch.

[blchandl2]

I have always liked .380s, not exactly sure why. I started reloading because ammo became scarce and expensive when the pocket pistols became popular.

[HighValleyRanch]

I've gotten spoiled shooting .45 and picking up brass...easy to find.
Now 9mm is harder to find even though before it was easy.
And my Sig p230 throws the brass so far, that I only recover 2 out of 10 of the tiny .380.
And .32, I gave up on reloading those a long time ago! Sill looking for the first one that ever ejected!LOL

[wild cat mccane]

Suggestion?

Go with the smallest. LCP or ish.

My pics of the LCP vs the P365. The larger 380s approach CM9/P365 sizing. Either weight or thickness killed those 380s for me.
https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho....php?p=6721033

For me, the LCP does what others don't: small and light.

Meh

[Forte S+W]

My first centerfire pistol was a Walther PPK/S in .380 ACP, which remained my primary carry gun until very recently. As of this Summer I have started carrying a Ruger LCP which is significantly smaller, lighter, and cheaper. I've also begun carrying a Smith & Wesson SW40VE during colder weather simply because I can and just in case I should encounter anything that the LCP can't handle.

The LCP goes with me literally everywhere now because it's just so thin, so small, and so lightweight that there's no valid reason or excuse not to have it in my pocket.

[libiglou]

another vote for the 238. Its a great little pistol. the best part is you can shoot it all day and your hand will not hurt. Not the case with all 380"s

[tarhealcracker]

If you are going to look at small .380s do look at the Beretta Pico in .380. I have had mine for a few years now and it's a quality built flawless shooter that minimizes the usual drawbacks of extra small pistols.

Oh yeah. The price is right.

[Road_Clam]

My wife has the P238, and i have the Kimber Micro . Both are outstanding shooters and conceal very well. My micro is just a tad lighter than our p238. Felt recoil they both feel identical. Accuracy is also identical between the two. The P238 will have a slide locking thumb safety, the Kimber's identical thumb safety only locks the trigger and does not lock the slide. The Kimber fits my hand slightly better than the P238. I give a solid plug for either.

[TailGator]

My wife and I have his and hers 238s. Hers is in her purse, mine gets used once or twice a week as a pocket pistol, when IWB with a larger gun doesn't work. They shoot remarkably well for such a small pistol. The trigger isn't particularly light, but it is nice and short, smooth, and fairly crisp.

My other .380 is a Beretta 84. Nothing close to being a pocket pistol, but a nice shooter and silky smooth like most Berettas.

[AgedWarrior]

Originally Posted by Cowboyfromhell

So I'm really thinking hard about picking up a .380 for the first time. Hoping to find a good deal on a Sig p238. Maybe a black Friday sale..Will see

Okay...why?

[Cowboyfromhell]

My lgs has a S.A. 911....how do these compare to the Sig p238?

[lapetrarca53]

Love my .380's! I've got a 380EZ, LCP II and a SCCY CPX-3.

The LCP II is a great gun but, not much fun to shoot. My favorite is the SCCY. It's a high quality, well made gun at a great price!

I shoot them enough to make it worthwhile to reload.

[FizzyP]

I can't speak for smaller .380s (which are the norm) but my G42 is most definitely my favorite handgun to shoot. My dad and I put some work into the trigger and now, after a little take-up, it breaks clean with little force. I shoot great groups with it compared to full sized handguns with rapid follow up shots. Recoil is nonexistent if you're used to gripping the small frame, especially with a pinky extension on the magazine. The balance of weight and recoil is ideal.

That being said, out of the box, the trigger was *heavy* and my accuracy definitely suffered. Double action only autos like the LCP will be at least as bad and their tiny sights don't help. A friend of mine visiting from out of state loved my G42 so much he ordered one on gunbroker and then later was disappointed that it didn't behave the same.

It's pretty much what you'd expect from a Glock. It's a reliable, smooth shooter with awful sights and a trigger that needs some love if you want it to be a real shooter. (the sights were so bad that the channel in the rear sight making the notch was embarrassingly crooked along two axes) If you want a real pocket pistol get something else. But if you want something to play the role of a 21st century PPK that's concealable but with the feel and functionality of a much larger gun it can't be beat.

Random aside: there's a Hickok45 video where he reviews the G42 and at the end they slow-mo him shooting a soda bottle. If you step through it frame by frame you can see, first, the delay between firing and the bullet arriving on target. Second, his sights come back to level and stick 2 frame after bullet impact. That's exactly how it feels to shoot this gun. I haven't felt that with larger 9mms or with smaller .380s.

[cdoc42]

If you like a 1911 style, take a look at Browning's 1911-380. I just got one and it's great. Very accurate at 10 and 15 yards with 90gr Hornady XTP. Traded a Beretta 84B-380 which was nice but more bulk than the 1911-380. Light, flat, nice trigger.

[blchandl2]

RIA Baby Rock is another nice 1911 style .380. It has a metal frame vs the Browning's polymer frame.

[kmw1954]

Have two that are not pocket guns. Witness Pavona and S&W EZ. Just shot both yesterday with some new cast loads I just started with. These cast lead loads are costing me about 4cents ea. Make for great cheap practice shooting.

[OhioGuy]

I had the same thoughts, twice. I owned a S&W Bodyguard for a time. Practiced a lot, couldn't get used to such a tiny gun and never could shoot it well. Even more, I never could draw it well from concealment and was prone to fumbling it given its tiny size, so I sold it.

About 6 months ago I got into the idea of pocket carry, which I hadn't tried before. Picked up a Beretta Pico for $210 online, nice and well made little gun, even smaller than the Bodyguard! I could shoot it better, owing mainly to better sights and a very nice trigger, but I still wasn't crazy about it. I quickly discovered I could not realistically carry it in the kinds of pockets I have, and that it was uncomfortable for me, although it's super easy to conceal in something like a smart carry holster.

Still, I've decided to sell it (want it? ) and will pick up a used J-frame revolver. Much larger than a .380 pocket gun, not much smaller than the 9mm Walther PPS I usually carry, but easier to conceal deep under tucked-in clothes because the revolver's grip is easier to reach when it's down under the belt line. I can shoot the snubbie much better than I can any pocket gun. And that's saying something!

Plus, revolvers are cool. Did Wild Bill Hickok carry a Glock? Of course not. Cuz he was too cool for one.

[tarhealcracker]

I too have a Pico and as good as it is (and that's quite good) it's not a pocket gun, given the kind of clothes I wear. This is sub tropical Florida. No jackets or vests for daily wear. That applies to all the other so called pocket guns too.

The problem for me is comfort and accessibility. They just put a lump in your pocket that you can't sit on, that pulls your pants out of the comfort zone and you can't deploy in any kind of fluid quick way. So what happens? You end up with an IWB or OWB holster. And then you discover that since you have a holster you might as well carry your Walther, Bersa Thunder or Thunder cc which conceal just as well.

I really like my Pico and I'm going to keep it but it's really really happy home ------- the ash trey of my car.

[Lohman446]

My wife has the P238, and i have the Kimber Micro . Both are outstanding shooters and conceal very well. My micro is just a tad lighter than our p238. Felt recoil they both feel identical. Accuracy is also identical between the two. The P238 will have a slide locking thumb safety, the Kimber's identical thumb safety only locks the trigger and does not lock the slide. The Kimber fits my hand slightly better than the P238. I give a solid plug for either.

I like how the Kimber continues to me "mine" and the P238 goes from being the wife's to being "our"

[Road_Clam]

Originally Posted by Lohman446

. like how the Kimber continues to me "mine" and the P238 goes from being the wife's to being "our"

When i pay for it and purchased it specifically for me, it's "mine". When i pay for it and purchsed it specifically for her it's "ours"