.380 pistol or .38 special revolver

Generally speaking, I'd take a .38 over the .380 every time. That said, for deep concealment it's hard to beat a small .380 like a Ruger LCP.

Each gun can have a time and place and both the .38 and .380 fall into that category nicely.
 
Another vote for .38 special. Many load options. Is there a .380ACP +P?. Buffalo Bore probably makes it. They make everything.
 
380

I find my Walther Pare you more accurate with?
Also, 7 shots v 5 shots is a consideration as well.

Which gun will you be more accurate with?
 
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If you feel the 380 is inadequate, I think the next logical caliber starts with a 9. Better availability of both ammo and guns, better price and better selection of both.
 
I carry both a TCP and a S&W Mod.36. The TCP fills the bill when I I need to throw it in a pocket. I feel much better when my 36 is on my side in a pancake holster.
 
If I could only choose one I would choose the 38 spl. It will be more reliable in the long term and will require less maintenance and is a more powerful round.

The only reason in my book to take the 380 auto is if the situation you find yourself in requires capacity so where you only have 6 in a 380 auto vs 38 spl makes no sense.
 
It depends on the guns in question. I'd take a Glock 42, Mustang or P238 over a J Frame or LCR, but I'd take the .38s over guns like the P-3AT, LCP or Bodyguard.
 
For concealment, capacity, faster reloads and less recoil the 380 wins. The 38 Special has more power but then again neither are powerful. I prefer the smaller 380 guns.
 
Well it depends. A lot of shooters have a hard time mastering a revolver trigger, for them, the .380 is probably a better choice. Some recoil sensitive shooters prefer the .380 as well, but, then again, they're are some really light .38 loads out there that are comfortable to shoot from a small revolver. The revolver has a lot of advantages, comfort of carry because of the shape, light weight, good power and excellent reliability, even during a contact shot or firing from the pocket. They just aren't easy to master without practice.
 
I am much better with a sa semi auto, that being said I prefer a .380 over the 38 any day, sig 938, but if I am not worried about concealing it a 1911 in 45acp is my personal choice
 
I've seen first hand the lack of penetration of a .380
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I have seen the same with 38 Special and 357 Mag.

You really can't count on penetration for just one shot.

I think it is really a crap shoot if you are in a defensive situation no matter what you are shooting. You may get lucky and hit a soft spot or maybe get a head shot. There are a lot of projectile stopping or projectile deflecting bones in the human torso.

Bottom line: if you can't hit your target, it does not matter what weapon you are trying to use. Practice 'til your trigger finger turns blue.
 
Dufus - isn't that the truth! Good quote!

Bottom line: if you can't hit your target, it does not matter what weapon you are trying to use. Practice 'til your trigger finger turns blue
 
I like revolvers, but end up carrying my KT P11 more. The KT P11 or Glock G26 is about the same size a weight as a 442 and carries twice the ammo. For true pocket carry the .380 or .32 ACP is the clear winner.
 
I also carry both... a TCP, & either a 32 H&R Magnum J Frame ( 6 shot ) or will be carrying a new LCR-X once I put it through it's pre-carry paces...

the TCP still probably gets carried more, even though I'm a revolver guy, because of it's size, weight, & thinness... plus it always goes bang reliably when I have to dispatch farm varmints...
 
The .38 and .380 are a lot closer ballistically than many realize.

At the heavier end of bullet weight for the 380, and the lighter weight for the 38, they are almost identical:

380: 102 gr/940 fps.
38: 110 gr/980 fps.

Your preference might be heavy/slow or light/fast; that debate can go on forever. But the fact is, in the bullet weights where the two rounds are similar, it's almost a wash.

If you have a 380 gun that can handle +P, it trounces the 38 standard load. (Naturally you can also up the ante in that direction with 38+P)

I switched from a 5 shot 38 to a 380, and haven't looked back. The comfort and concealability of the auto, combined with quick reloads, are much more important to me than splitting hairs over the ballistics of one mediocre round compared to another.

David
 
.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?
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Personally I would go with the .38 seeing most newer manufactured rated for + P, .38 ammo for the most part is cheaper, and a revolver is more reliable then a semi-auto. In a revolver if you have a bad round you just keep pulling the trigger until it goes BANG! A semi-auto you have to keep racking the slide to chamber a new round until the thing goes bang...

If I was looking for a nice little revolver I think I would start with a Ruger SP-101. They're solid little revolvers, reasonable in cost and while heavier then the alloy frame revolvers they are far easier to control due to the added weight. I also would get the .357 seeing that you can shoot .38s as well if you don't want to shoot magnum loads...
 
In a revolver if you have a bad round you just keep pulling the trigger until it goes BANG
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Do that and you might wind up with a BOOM and be wounded worse than the perpetrator.

Same holds true for both pistols & revolvers.
 
For maximum concealment I chose a Kahr P380. I recently upgraded the magazine with MagGuts internals. Now the gun holds 7+1 rounds.

My next step up is a Kimber Solo DC. 6+1 9mm.

For hiking/camping, I usually carry a S&W 340 PD. 5 357mag. It is ultra light weight with high power.

Frankly, if I feel I need more firepower, I just DON'T GO THERE!
 
Personally, I'll take the .38 snub. There's only about two or three non-boutique .380 loadings that I'd trust to both expand reliably and penetrate adequately from a 3.5-4" barrel and even then the penetration is on the shallow side for my taste. From the short barrels of the micro .380's which seem to be the rage these days all bets are off with a JHP as far as I'm concerned; I'd only carry one with FMJ. A .38 +P, on the other hand, offers me common factory loadings (my preferences are Remington 158gr LSWCHP +P and Speer 135 gr SBGD +P) that will both reliably expand and penetrate adequately even from a 1 7/8" barrel.

I also cannot bring myself to entirely trust the reliability of a .380 much smaller than a Walther PPK or similarly sized gun. I have pretty large hands and these micro .380's just don't have enough for me to hold on to in order to ensure reliability. So, my S&W J-Frame Airweight is no more difficult or uncomfortable to carry than the size of .380 which would be practical for me. If I really need something smaller, I'll step down to my Beretta 950B .25 Auto because the extremely light recoil of that cartridge allows me to shoot the gun reliably in spite of its diminutive size.
 
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