380 Suggestions

Depends on your purpose. If you want a pocket pistol, the small polymer pistols would be the way to go. I love the Sig P238, but "inexpensive" is not in its description.

If you want something bigger, just for a range pistol to burn up that .380 ammo you make, you could consider a used Beretta 84. It's not hard to pick one of those up for a price between $350 and $400, if you don't mind some minor cosmetic issues. Very nice shooting pistol and rock-solid design and construction.
 
I have the Bersa Thunder, Colt Mustang, Sig P238, and Ruger LCP. I've carried all of them at some point. For the OP's purposes, I would recommend the Bersa Thunder. Mine has been reliable and reasonably accurate. It's big enough so that it fits the hands of most folks. It's small enough that you can carry it concealed if you should choose to do so. It's reasonably priced at under $300.

All the other pistols I listed are fine pistols with their own strong and weak points. All of them, however, are subcompact guns which diminish their appeal as range guns. The Ruger can be purchased for under $200 right now but I don't consider mine a fun gun to shoot. It's strictly a tool -- I carry it when clothing and circumstances severely limit what I can carry.
 
Just to shoot... surplus Beretta 84's and CZ83's are easily found for less than $300. They are medium-sized service pistols and good shooters.

For carry, the LCP-sized pistols are super easy to carry, but not necessarily fun to shoot.

Another used pistol is the Russian "commercial" Makarov in 380acp.

I own all of those listed above. I've heard that the Bersas are similar, but I've never shot one.
 
The LCP is fine as a carry gun, but not exactly a fun one for plinking. It's not comfortable to shoot. Nor was it designed for regular use.

The Beretta 84s and Browning BDAs that I brought up, however, are much more fun. The Bersas are decent, but they never really appealed to me.


I was very happy with my LCP until the last range trip it went out on. It had issues on the second magazine fired, and continued crapping all over itself for the rest of the day. Still trying to figure out what went wrong...
(It may have to go back to Ruger.)
 
I like my Sig 230. It points nicely and is pretty. For shooting I prefer the slightly larger Beretta or CZ, but the Sig is nice.

My very favorite 380 to shoot is my Colt Government Model. It fires from a locked breech and is very accurate for its size. They aren't usually cheap, though.

I have a pretty nice old FEG model, too... I think it's called an smc. It's maybe a little smaller than a Walther PP.

Really, all of the milsurp type of 380's I've had have been good solid guns. Usually the aforementioned CDI sales has several models to choose from for under $300.
 
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Don't know what your budget is but here are my suggestions

Walther PK380 around $350.00

EAA Witness Pavona 380 around $300.00 the black with gold or silver speckles are not very speckley. The one I have you have to look close to see them

Beretta 84 Cheetah. If you look on gun Broker for CDI Sales they can be had used for $275.00 and up depending on condition.
 
I've always liked the looks of the LCP, but I've seen on a lot of firearms posts complaints about pins walking out under use so I've been a little hesitant.

I have to admit to a sneaking admiration for the Hi-Point. B*** Ugly, but what I read they're like a Timex from the John Cameron Swasey days so that it takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.

I didn't see any mention of the Taurus 738. Any experience with them?

I honestly had not thought about Bersa because I've never seen one in any of the gun stores around here. I'll keep my eyes out. Thanks for the head's up.
 
kmw1954 wrote:
Don't know what your budget is but here are my suggestions
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The budget is "the cheaper the better".

But, if $30 or $50 buys me an appreciably better gun, then I can just save up another month or two. I'll be retired, so it won't hurt to be patient. The bible says that Jesus learned patience through the things that he suffered. If all the suffering I've got to do is just wait until the bank account is large enough, then that's really all that much suffering.
 
hd I do have a Witness Pavona. I bought it to use as a range gun, therefore the full size. It is about the same size as the XD 4.0 4" barrel. I really enjoy shooting it and as I do hand load for it it's costing me just about 11cents per round. I paid $315.00 locally for mine but I've seen them under $300.00 online. I've got 100 rounds of factory and about 350 rounds of reloads thru it.

Anyways I hope you find something you like.
 
I vote for the Bersa Thunder .380. My cc version was good, but the standard version with the longer grip tang is more comfortable to shoot. I compared it directly to a SIG P 232 one range session and actually thought the Bersa shot better.

The little SIG 238s are fun but pricey. The LCP is great for carry, not much fun at the range.
 
I've shot a friends SW Body Guard a few times and that thing hits exactly where I point it. I'd at least give it a look.
 
Having owned 4 LCP's, I personally would look elsewhere, especially if you plan on putting a lot of ammo down range. And if just fun plinking is what you are looking for, then I would say the Bersa. Besides for the fact they hold up well, they feel great in the hand, well balanced. If you are looking for CCW then that is a different subject.
 
I'm impressed with my new Remington rm380. It's priced in the mid $200's. Unfortunately, you just missed the $100 rebate.
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I agree with GarandTD. I'm very happy with my RM380.
 
The rm380 is my first 380 and pocket gun, so I have no basis for comparison, but I enjoy shooting it. I don't find it snappy or unpleasant. I even like the trigger pull and the sights which are the main complaints from people that review them.
 
I have the SIG p232 and the Bersa. My wife likes both. So, the Bersa is her carry gun. I find the SIG to be more refined, but they shoot equally well. I have owned several other .380s, Browning, Beretta, etc.. For the money, the Bersa is a good choice. Need to remember the trigger bar is external and avoid letting your hand rest against it.
 
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