380 Suggestions

H

hdwhit

New member
For many years, I went along quite happily with the 1911 I inherited from my grandfather than the S&W revolver I inherited from my grandmother.

Then, some friends who don't reload gave me 991 rounds of 9mm brass. Well, if you give a mouse some brass... He's going to reload it. And if he reloads it, then he's gonna have to shoot it. You can work out the rest.

Well, I recently ordered some previously fired brass and it came "contaminated" with a surprising number of pieces of 380 brass. So, if you give a mouse some 380 brass... the cycle begins again.

How about some suggestions on an inexpensive 380 pistol?

I'm 73 days from retirement and I have the brass, bullets, primers and powder laid in for what I anticipate shooting for the rest of my life, so if I'm going to add 380 at this late date, price is an object in every respect.

Thanks.
 
I'm impressed with my new Remington rm380. It's priced in the mid $200's. Unfortunately, you just missed the $100 rebate.
 
I have a Kahr CT380...my most recent of several .380's...my favorite one, yet.

But, there are a lot of fine .380's in the market...get the one that best suits you.
 
Bersa Thunder 380
Click to expand...

Yes, I have a Bersa, too...probably the easiest to shoot and as reliable as any I have.

My personal preference for the Kahr is overall function and length of grip on a very thin pistol.
 
My brothers wife carries a Bersa Thunder. I don't like it but she does. My dad has a couple ruger LCPs, decent for carry, not much fun to shoot.

If you want to carry it, I personally like the s&w m&p body guard. If you want to shoot targets, CZ'83. If you want to do a bit of both, Glock 42.
 
.380 acp

Check out the Walther PK-380.

Slick little CCW with a great grip and light brecoil.

For deep cover, the AMT Backup is hard to beat.

Have fun.
 
Always like picking up a Bersa Thunder, but don't own it. My only .380 is a LCP. Replaced the spring with a stiffer one. That really tames it.
 
For a low cost, duty-sized .380 I would also recommend the classic Bersa Thunder. I think it would fulfill the role you are asking for rather well.

There are other options out there too, of course. Most will be more expensive and/or harder to find.



For something more pocket-sized, there are more choices than ever. I went with the LCP.
 
The Sig P238 is the king of compact .380s.

But, if you're looking for a 'full-size', find yourself a Beretta 84BB or Browning BDA. (The latter can be found "new", currently.)
Recoil is a little more sharp with the 84 or BDA, due to the fixed barrel. But they're reliable, durable, and fun to shoot.
 
Well, I am going to bring it up since I own one and it goes bang every time I pull the trigger. $149.00 and less sometimes. Hi-Point CF380. It's heavy. To me, not as ugly as a Glock, and a lot cheaper. Lifetime warranty. As accurate as any of the cheaper guns.
 
SCCY has recently announced a Model in 380, if it is anything like the inexpensive, robust pistol my 9mm SCCY is the 380 ought to be a keeper. The 9mm is often found under $200 bucks.
 
My Bodyguard was very good, I sold it a few years ago when .380 rounds were harder to find on the shelves and were ridiculously priced when you did find them.
I decided to get back into the pocket carry game a couple of months ago and to also start culling my polymer firearms, just lost interest in them and prefer metal frames, so the RM380 fit that bill at a very reasonable price point. Other than it having issues feeding Fiocchi rounds I have been pleased with the gun.
 
I love my Sig P238 Spartan all steel model. It's fits perfectly in my hand and in my pocket (with a sticky holster). It is one of the best SAO pistols out there. I can shoot it remarably well for having a 2.75" barrel. Perhaps most importantly, it goes bang for me regardless of what brand or type of ammo I feed it.
 
I would go with a Rock Island Baby Rock. A nice inexpensive1911 clone .380. If money were not an object I would say the Browning Black Label 1911.
 
Wife and I have a Smith 380Bodyguard that's worked out well for us. It's truly a pocket pistol, tho I'd recommend one of the pocket holsters to keep it upright and available as needed. Great reliability too. Rod
 
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