Beretta Cheetah 380: My Best Option for Home Defense?

J

Joshua 2415

New member
Ha! Gotcha!

I knew the title would get your attention. Of course the little 380 round can't be the best option for home defense, or any other kind of defense, when all sorts of better calibers are available in a gun of similar size to the Cheetah.

This is not a caliber "effectiveness" debate, but I do want to have a caliber "choice" discussion. I happen to believe that a 380 pistol is adequate for self defense, but I do find myself almost always reaching for one of my 9mm, 45, or 357 magnums when it's time to actually get dressed.

I love my two nickel Cheetahs, but they tend to sit in the safe, simply because I have the more powerful options. So, here's my question: Is there any application where my Cheetahs might actually be preferable to the larger calibers?

For example, in the case of a self-defense situation inside my home, and assuming "adequate" if not "maximum" caliber effectiveness, wouldn't the 380 be less likely to penetrate into other rooms in my house, or out a wall into the neighborhood? Is there enough difference in flash and noise that it would be a tactical advantage, relative to my larger caliber options? Does anyone believe that a lighter caliber such as 380 could actually be a better tactical choice in a home defense situation?
 
I no longer know the source of the following quote but at the time I thought it interesting enough to save. It addresses your question obliquely without truly answering it, but here it is:

"The late lawman, gun scribe and knowledgeable pistolero, “Skeeter” Skelton, used a hardball-loaded Walther PP as a backup gun, writing of it several times. The only loaded handgun in Uziel Gal’s (inventor of the Uzi SMG) home at the time of his (natural) death was reported to be a SIG-Sauer P230 loaded with FMJ ammunition."
 
The problem with the Cheetah is that for the caliber, its big. For the caliber, it kicks like a 9mm so that pretty much limits it for me to a range gun and something beautiful to look at.

I normally carry my PPS or LCP. But just put a XD mod 2 .45 on hold
 
For the caliber, it kicks like a 9mm
Click to expand...

I have not fired a Cheetah, but the comment that in general blowback .380s kick as hard or harder than locked breech 9mm is made quite a lot on various forums. I realize felt recoil is very subjective, but yesterday I fired a Walther PPK/S containing Winchester 95 grain FN bullets at a nominal 950 fps side by side with a Sig P290rs containing Federal 100 rd pack 115 grain FMJ 9mm at a nominal 1125 fps. Both the .380 and the 9mm were comfortable to shoot and both quite accurate, but for me the Walther had lighter recoil and shot to shot recovery was noticeably faster with the little Walther over the little Sig, blowback vs locked-breech notwithstanding. I'm certainly keeping both and plan to use the Sig tomorrow to qualify for CC but the .380 is not without its plusses in my view.
 
To me, the sole advantage of the .380 ACP is that small pocket-sized pistols can be designed around them. Some of the really small 9s are nearly, but not quite, as small as the small .380s.

Cheetahs are beautiful and shoot well, but at the same size there are numerous 9 mm pistols that would be more effective for home defense. I would call it a range gun if I had one in my safe. But I would dearly love to have one in my safe.
 
The Beretta is a great gun, one of a few world class guns that I'd stake my life on. I carried one for many years because I was very proficient with it. It's an easy gun to shoot well. IMHO, that point makes it a first class choice for protection.
 
You don't needs no steenkin' justification,,,

You don't needs no steenkin' justification.

If you have faith in the cartridge and like the gun,,,
Load that Cheetah up and keep it in your living room.

"Nuff said?

Aarond

.
 
I shoot the .380 (a Makarov) a lot and reload for it. I just like the round and the gun. I've read about the snappy recoil of blow-back pistols but really don't experience it. So for me, the .380 is a great range gun, but the only reason is I don't have to worry about cleaning it. For carry, I rely on a Bulgarian Makarov in 9mm Mak.
 
I'm the OP.

I shoot the Cheetah exceptionally well, and don't notice the recoil at all. So, no issues there.

And it's true, I don't really need "justification". Sometimes I do carry it, just 'cuz I want to.

There is something to be said for the idea that, once you have enough effectiveness to get the job done, then other considerations perhaps come into play, such as avoiding over-penetration, damaging your ears, etc. I know this is why many folks carry 38+P in their 357 magnums, even though they COULD carry the full-house magnums. Might that logic apply to the choice of carrying the 380 around the house, instead of 9mm or 45?

Or is there really not that much difference, so I might as well carry the heavier loads?
 
Get a shot timer and take all your firearms to the range and see which one you can shoot the fastest with an acceptable level of accuracy. If you're a lot faster with follow up shots with the Cheetah, you may want to carry it.
 
The .380 will do just about as well as any other handgun caliber-as long as you hit the right spot. If you don't, a .44 mag won't make much difference.
I have more guns than many gun shops. I have an NAA .32 on my headboard.
Why? Because it's cute! and, I can shoot it.
 
As we all know, a lot has changed in the effectiveness of handgun calibers. Remember when the 9mm was dismissed as ineffective? I believe the .380 has benefited from those advancements, too and I think it's fine for home defense. Just my opinion.
 
With JHPs the .380 is less likely to overpenetrate than JHPs in service calibers, because most JHPs in .380 fail to penetrate ballistic gelatin adequately. With FMJs you get more than adequate penetration, but you probably have a good chance of overpenetration and, of course, a narrower wound channel.

If you shoot your .380 better than your service caliber pistols, I see no problem putting your .380s to use.
 
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Shot placement matters a whole lot more than caliber. I think all the caliber debates get micro-focused on what are really minor details which seem not to matter so much in the real world. A .22LR will absolutely do the job if you hit the assailant in the right place.

Personally, I use a side-by-side shotgun wit short shells for HD.
 
There is no advantage for the cheetah, other than if you can shoot it well. Well I take that back there might be an advantage if you use 86 in certain scenarios
 
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