.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?
Well, the increasing availability and popularity of the newer .380 pistols has certainly reawakened interest in the cartridge.
My answer?
Sure, one or the other, depending on owner preferences (lawful concealment) and familiarity (skillset shooting either).
Both are pretty much at the lower, marginal end of personal defensive weapon options, with a slight advantage probably going to the .38 Spl for the heavier bullet weight options and development of modern defensive bullets/loads.
I've been a DA/DAO snub revolver shooter for some years, and presently own (8) 5-shot snubs (only 3 of which are steel).
I picked up my first .380 in more than 25 years back in 2012, a blued Ruger LCP (picked over the laser-equipped and slightly larger S&W Bodyguard .380). Handy little .380, to be sure. Fits and conceals in some front pants pockets which won't hold and conceal my snubs.
I just picked up a newer stainless LCP (after reconsidering the new M&P Bodyguard, without a laser, and the Glock G42 (far too large for my needs). I haven't had the chance to get it to the range to confirm feeding & functioning with my assortment of JHP's, yet, but initial inspection shows it to have much better sights and trigger pull.
The sights are larger (taller), more easily picked up by my eyes, and that distracting recessed notch under the rear sight is gone, replaced by the smooth bevel of the rear of the slide. Cleaner and faster to see with my eyes.
The trigger is surprisingly shorter and lighter, to the
feel (haven't measure it or gauged the pull weight). I'll probably continue to use my older LCP for practice, along with my assortment of J-frames, of course. Continuing to run the little pocket guns with the heavier triggers will probably make the new LCP seem even easier to shoot when it gets used for quals/drills.
The only way to develop and maintain skills with the little guns that have a lot of recoil snap & muzzle whip is to shoot them, and the littlest of the newer .380's probably aren't as easy for many folks to shoot as larger, heavier .380's or revolvers.
Now, when it comes time to ring steel at 30-50yds, or I want to use some heavier loads (+P or Magnum), I can get easier, faster shot strings on-target using my 5-shot snubs at longer distance. I like to double check and assess my skillset at longer distances, looking for any degradation or bad habits, and shooting at longer distances helps me do that. (Meaning it's unforgiving compared to close range shooting.)
The LCP's can run fine, though, for my needs, at 1-10yds for drills and quals.
Today I've got to make a run over the hill to my credit union, and then up the peninsula to meet a friend at a cigar lounge. The weather is going to be warm (75) and I'm not planning to wear a shirt that would easily cover a belt scabbard or IWB snub ... so the very pocketable (holstered) LCP gets the duty in my jeans with shorter/tighter front pockets.
I'm old enough, and I've carried an off-duty & retirement CCW long enough, that I don't feel the need to constantly wear a larger belt gun anymore. The low-powered (relatively speaking) .38's & .380's suit my needs well enough for most of my daily activities.
Of course, I'm not trying to make either caliber into something it's not, meaning I don't expect it to necessarily "equal" the performance standards of the larger, more powerful duty/service size calibers (9, .40 & .45).
While 3 of my snubs are chambered in .357 Magnum, the only one I regularly use with Magnums is the SP101 DAO, and it's at the "belt-gun" end of the CCW scale
for me. In my opinion, it pretty much eclipses the .380 & .38 +P loads used in my other lighter guns.
When a 5-shot snub fits snugly in a front pants pocket, it's typically one of my pair of 642-1's or M&P 340's, loaded with any of a handful of +P loads I've found acceptable for my use.
It's nice to have options.