.380 Opinions?

My early dash serial number LCP has been in my pocket every day for most of 10 years. It also has been shot in excess of 1000 rounds. Shoots well, 100% reliable, carries well, and disappears in my pocket. Always in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster with nothing else in the pocket.
Even when I carry something bigger IWB the LCP is in my pocket.
 
My wife recently acquired the Sig P238 in .380 and we both love it. Feels very accomidating in the hand despite being designated as a "compact" . Feels even better in the hand with the mag extension. Excellent shootability, accurate as intended and felt recoil was very smooth and managable. My wife rented several compact and sub-compact platforms, and at the end of the range day she chose the P238 by a comfortable margin. The deciding factor for her was the smoothest felt recoil.
 
Couple of suggestions for Sig 238..but OP said
I currently have a Ruger LC9 for concealed carry but I’m looking for something smaller for every day carry
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Sig 238 ain't much smaller than the LC-9, if at all..

BUT if looking for a Sig 238 size..Glock 42 all the way...:)
 
I wouldn't go any smaller then a PPK/S in 380 , a small handgun in that caliber is pretty snappy . You may fire it once or twice but to practice even once a month I don't think so. I carry a 1911 in 45acp with full loads 230 fmj . It's a Colt New Agent 3" barrel and I love shooting it once a week 50 rounds . Just my 2¢ .
 
Each to their own, but I see no problem shooting my LCP often. Maybe not every range trip, but at least 25-50 rounds several times a year, and always at least two mags of fmj range ammo.
I couldn't go with a Sig 238 for several reasons. No cocked and locked exposed hammer SAO for me. No safety to possibly fumble, or even forget in a high stress situation either. Don't see a reason to spend more than twice the price for a pocket pistol when the LCP does an excellent job. Finally, at almost twice the weight, and a bit larger overall size, the 238 feels like a brick in my pocket.
 
I've owned several .380 ACP pistols (6?). The one I found most pleasant and accurate to shoot is my SIG p232. And, it's easy to carry. m/b not everyone's idea of a pocket pistol. My experience with the .380 cartridge is that it's a snappy round, likely because the guns are small and light weight. However, I've owned a couple of Kimber 9mm's that are less snappy than most of the .380's I've experienced. I currently carry a Kimber9, swapping off with a Shield .45ACP depending conditions. Been considering a SIG p365 to replace the Kimber9.
 
There is a substantial difference in the felt recoil between blowback and locked-breech .380s of the same size. I generally find blowback .380s have sharper recoil than 9mm pistols of similar size. Locked-breech .380s have very mild felt recoil.
 
I like the rm380. I agree that it is underrated. I have not experienced any problems with mine and it is comfortable to shoot. It is not as easy to shoot as a full size, but I don't think it is unpleasant or painful. It is at least worth consideration and very competetively priced.
 
This is not intended to initiate a cartridge debate. It's merely an observation. With specifically designed compact 9MM's that are not much larger than compact .380's, it might be wise to determine whether a Springfield Armory EMP 3 9MM would be a suitable substitute for a pocket .380. With the right clothes, I could pocket carry an EMP 3 9MM.
 
P3AT, a small nine is not pocket friendly for most pockets. Now do the right thing, have it in a holster, and it's even less pocket friendly. Same things apply to another small package, the P365. They both work great IWB, Append, or Larger pockets.
380 or smaller for Small pockets is best. I thought that I'd upgrade from the blow back to locked breech with the LCP some years ago. It didn't work for me. After break-in, my TCP's runs excellently. I don't feel much love for Taurus in the net. But I did buy a second TCP, both run great. The TCP's did have teething problems, unlike my G2c or P365, which have run without a hiccup. I'm approaching 1000 rounds for them both. MagPro magazines made a useful tight fitting mag for my TCP's. BestAll
 
Another worthless 2 cents.

I have 2 380 pistols and neither would be considered pocket pistols. One is a Witness Pavona and the other is a 380EZ. I like them both and shoot them both. they were not purchased as carry guns. They were purchased as range training guns.

I have shot my brothers LCP and hated it. a two finger grip is not for me.
 
I've got two .380's. I've had my PPK for many years and back when purchased it was considered as a small pistol. Now I've got a LCP Custom and while it's not the most pleasant pistol to shoot it sure is easy to carry and disappears with ease. The only .380 I'm know of that hides better is a Seecamp and I Don't want to shoot one of those. The .32acp version of the Seecamp is all I want to shoot in that size pistol.

I do recommend a LCP Custom for those of you who understand it is a carry a lot and shoot a little kind of SD pistol.
 
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Browning 1911 380 Black label is a similar concept but in .380 per the OP. Its basically a scaled down .45ACP.

Recoil is minimal.
 
My three possibilities are Ruger LCP, Ruger LCP2 and S&W Bodyguard.
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I'm familiar with all three. I carried the Bodyguard for a while and never managed to train around the trigger. It's my fault for carrying something I hadn't mastered but I almost got into a real jam because of it. Of these three, I'd recommend the LCP2 because it doesn't have a terrible trigger.

In general, I don't love .380. The guns are small and that's the main selling point. As we've seen in some of the comments here, that comes with its own drawbacks. Something we are discussing in another thread on pocket carry is the possibility of a small revolver. As you may have noticed, there is a noticeable size gap between smaller guns in .380 and 9mm. Depending on how you carry, an LCR or J-frame can fall somewhere in between due to shape differences. They can be more comfortable to shoot in some calibers and have decent DA triggers.
 
Which one is the best? Do a search on this forum. There are a few that are a vast cut above some of the others. Build quality, mild shooting, durability, magazines, sights, etc. Break down the guns side by side. Compare parts, sights, ability to change out to night sighs, best trigger for safety and shooting. You have to do some research. There is one gun mentioned on many post in this thread that I feel is the most OVER rated pocket gun I have ever owned.

And do not buy into the garbage that they are NOT range guns. They are. Train diligently with them and they can do wonders. They can be fast to the draw, and deadly accurate at center mass shooting. You HAVE to train on a regular basis.
 
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I'd probably get a G42, I've had the LCP/LCPII and they're smaller but they're not real good to shoot. If you want a 380 that's actually a good shooter and still quite small, the G42. It's big enough to tame it down but small enough to hide well.
 
Look at Bersa in Firestorm or Thunder. Less than $300, closer to $150 - $200. Like mine: long trigger, but otherwise no complaint.
 
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