.380 pistol or .38 special revolver

S

SRT2

New member
.380 pistol with 6 rounds or a small .38 special revolver such as
the S&W 642 with 5 rounds for concealed carry? Your choice?
 
Both have pros and cons.

For a pocket gun, you can't beat the 380 for deep concealment. Easy to carry a spare mag and quick to reload. Kahr CW380 would be my choice.

Now for IWB it would be a Kahr CM9 for the same reasons. I have several Smith and Colt revolvers but they are just harder to conceal and slow to reload.
 
I've seen first hand the lack of penetration of a .380 at point blank range, in that regard the .38 special is a better choice. I would choose the .38 myself.
 
Unless concealment was the primary consideration (in which case I might prefer a .25 auto or one of the tiny revolvers) I would go with a J frame in .38 Special due to the greater versatility. A gun the same size in .357 will give even more, but no one shoots much with that combination.

Jim
 
Without a doubt...

The .38 Special gets the nod. Deeper penetration, greater load power "latitude" and accuracy being the primary reasons.

Scott
 
I went with a 642 and a model 60 for concealed carry but you may wish to try different revolvers and .380 pistols before you decide.
 
Between your two given options - S&W642 38 Special; however, I mostly leave mine at home because it's just as easy to carry a 9mm Kahr with higher capacity(8 or 9 rounds), faster reloading, better trigger and sights.

I find the smaller .380 and .38 Special lightweights are more difficult to shoot good and fast - important considerations if you are looking at these for self defense.
 
The five-shot J-frame Smith is the clear winner for several reasons already mentioned.

That said, I carry a Glock 26 in a pocket holster, right front pocket. Comfortable even in summer heat. Ten rounds on tap immediately.

I do wear Cabela's loose fitting hiker pants almost exclusively, though.....might not work for Levi or some such pants.
 
I would not personally trust the .380 auto to save me if I really needed to use it. I would be much more comfortable with a 38 Special revolver rated for P+ ammo, or a small .357 Magnum revolver loaded with 38 Special P+. That will give you a round with effectiveness comparable to that of 9mm, much more effective than .380.
 
I have two different pistols I use for CC. I have a 10.2 ounce 380 I sometimes carry. I also have a Glock 19 size S&W SD9VE I carry IWB. With a good IWB holster, it conceals very well and is very comfortable. I'm not fond of a revolver when I CC. I open carry my revolvers.
 
I have both, but neither is my primary CCW. The .380 is for deep concealment. The .38 (bobbed hammer) is mostly used for pocket carry when I'm wearing a heavy overcoat or jacket, but I'll sometimes wear it OWB with a cover garment. My 9mm pistol is actually lighter than my all steel .38 snub. They each fill different roles, but I get more use out of .380.
 
my smart alex answer is yes. I have and carry both at various times. do not feel like there are any advantages to warrant one over the other for concealed carry

David
 
To answer your question 380 or 38...I would choose the 38. I like my 442.
380 if you absolutely need a smaller gun to conceal.

Edit: Maybe a better answer would be to try both. And see which one you shoot better.
 
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I know I've shot over a thousand rounds of .380 in little guns. I can't say that any of that was exactly pleasant. The first time I really had fun shooting it was in a friend's larger and all-steel CZ 83. It's got a classic cool and feels good in a shoulder holster but for that much real estate, I might as well carry a 9mm.

I actually carried a Bodyguard for over a year. As I recently said in the thread on it, "the Bodyguard fit wonderfully in a DeSantis leather IWB holster. Ease of carry is the major selling point... It is surprisingly comfortable in hand for such a small gun but was unpleasant to shoot. I know it's all subjective but I hated the trigger. The laser was cool but the switch was mounted in a funky place." It gave me a few hiccups in training but worked fairly well. I was impressed with it mechanically but some of that was surprise that the thing worked as well as it did. Given that and the fact that it was .380, I just became uncomfortable relying on it as a primary defense tool. I ended up trading it to someone who had the better idea of using it as a back-up.

I feel much more comfortable with .38 special. I have more faith in the round and the reliability of small quality revolvers. They are a little bulkier but are easy enough to carry in a lot of circumstances.
 
I feel much more comfortable with .38 special. I have more faith in the round and the reliability of small quality revolvers. They are a little bulkier but are easy enough to carry in a lot of circumstances.
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+1 on that.
 
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