Best .380

Well for me a gun in 380acp the Beretta 85 single stack(8+1) is a great gun. I have one I got for the wife but even with my big hand's I shoot it well. And much thinner then the 84 for a ccw.. I call it the baby Beretta its just like a small M9 in 380. Very well made gun. I know I can pocket carry it,make's a great Bug. For a smaller pocket carry I would go with the NAA Guardian in 380 6+1 but you can get 10 rounders,also a very well made gun I can use hot B/B +P round's in it & the all steel frame makes it shoot just fine. I can even get hits out to 25yr's with it. Not bad for a small little 380. If it was me I would say away from the Polymer/Plastic guns. liter to carry but harder to shoot & get hit's with.
Good Luck.:)
 
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For me, the LCP has been my goto backup handgun and primary pocket gun for years. I have never experienced a malfunction of any kind, and this is even after I was able to salvage this beauty from my house fire.

This is my refinished LCP and what it is capable of doing in terms of accuracy... What more could I ask?


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For guys with the S&W M&P Bodyguard .380...has yours given you any light primer strikes?

This gun just got back from S&W CS to address that issue, and round #2 didn't fire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feH-ILQJr4k

Hickok45 had some light strikes in his video as well. Also, the slide acted different regarding last round hold open. Sometimes it would stay back, sometimes it wouldn't. And when inserting a loaded mag with the slide back, sometimes the slide would shut on its own, other times he'd have to rack it. Is that because of different mags (like LCP vs LCP II mags)?
 
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Kahr CW-380

The Kahr P380 and CW-380 are quality pocket pistols, very small and light. They shoot comfortably and accurately. The CW version is less expensive but functionally the same as the P. Info from the Kahr website:

The CW380 pistol has a 2.58 inch barrel, an overall length of 4.96 inches and a height of just 3.9 inches. It weighs just 10.2 ounces without a magazine. The pistol has a black polymer frame and features 4140 steel inserts molded into the front and back of the frame for added rigidity. It has a machined, solid 416 matte stainless steel slide and a textured polymer grip.
The Kahr CW380 features a lock breech, modified Browning type recoil lug, ... a micro-compact pistol with very little recoil and quick follow-up shots. ... the slide locks back after firing the last round – another feature missing on a number of other value-priced compact semi-auto pistols.
 
I currently carry a Shield but my daughter and her husband both swear by the LCP.
Before I got my Smith & Wesson I carried the Taurus TCP and while it was a decent little pistol the Ruger is easier to shoot. The trigger pull is slightly heavier but not as long and creepy.

Since Ruger has come out with the Gen 2 version of the LCP bargains abound on the earlier pistols.

You also mentioned FMJ ammo.
That's probably only going to piss off whoever you shoot with it.
I personally use Hornady Critical Defense in my 9 and did use it in the TCP, but there have been a lot of advances and just about any decent defensive hollow point should be fine.
 
Can't really say which .380 is the best as I have only had 2.. A Colt Mustang XSP and a Sig P238..

Both very small and easy to conceal and very reliable with the Colt being the smaller than the 2.

Both very easy to use.. Can't go wrong with either one.
 
Glock 42. That said, you can step up in caliber, and just as easily carry a Kahr cm9 or pm9 in your pocket. I easily carry a Kahr PM9 in a Desantis nemesis pocket holster.
 
PS: The best .380 ever made was the Colt 1908 hammerless. Gosh, I wish Colt would manufacture and sell them as retro guns, the same way Smith and Wesson has done with some of their old models.
 
I have a number of pocket 380's looking for the perfect gun for me.
Glock 42 reliable but just a bit to large for me to pocket carry.
Browning 1911 380 love this gun but again a bit too large for pocket carry.
S&W Bodyguard just did not like the trigger.
Colt Mustang XSP reliable carries good.
Kimber Micro another good reliable pocket carry piece.
Kahr CW 380 love the gun but not reliable enough to carry.
Ruger LCP II for me the perfect pocket piece goes with me everywhere.
 
I agree. I also do not understand how someone can recommend or bash a gun they have no experience with. That is not helpful and usually just passes on rumors or fanboy reviews.
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hey now....so many rely on what they see on utube....and then declare thats what they recommend over all others....having absolutely no personal experience...with said firearm....I will not name names....you know who you are!


but to play the popularity game...Browning 1911-380....locked breech..not a blow back....and the controls...are the same as the big daddy 1911-45.....
ours had functioned 100%...
 
Oldjarhead said:
PS: The best .380 ever made was the Colt 1908 hammerless. Gosh, I wish Colt would manufacture and sell them as retro guns, the same way Smith and Wesson has done with some of their old models.
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Actually, the Colt 1903 Hammerless .32ACP is being reproduced under Colt license by this company:

https://www.usarmcorp.com/manufactured-products/colt-1903-pocket-pistol

From what I understand, the MSRP is $1,100+. :rolleyes:

Might as well buy a nice original example for that princely sum.
 
I just picked up this Remington RM380 - $221.36 delivered from Bud's to my FFL. After the $50 cash rebate, that'll drop to $171.36 - plus the FFL transfer fee.

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Pretty darn good deal.... if it works reliably. Remington bought out this model's original manufacturer Rohrbaugh a couple of years ago. The RM380 is about the same length & height as the LCP, but is considerably thicker and about 4 ounces heavier.
If this thing runs reliably and Remington brings it out in 9mm in the same size package like Rorhbaugh did, I'll buy that one too.
 
For me, the LCP hands down. I have the newer LCPII and love it. My son got the Glock 42, and he loves it, but he does not like carrying it in his pocket. He has said he often wishes he's bought my LCP for pocket carry.
 
Yes, it's hard to beat the LCP for pocket carry (that's what I currently tote around in rotation with a Kahr CT380) unless one downsizes to the nifty little KelTec P32.
 
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I used to cannelure all my reloads at one time, an easy and quick option for factory ammo too.
I guess everyone fell for the argument that reloads pose some problem during a law suit, I don't buy it, and a state policeman told me he had never noted the ammunition used in a homicide by that criterion.
Perhaps a slick lawyer could imply that canneluring the cases of factory loads had some sinister intent as well. :rolleyes:
I carry a KelTec, consider it a last ditch throwaway gun. If I thought there was much chance of a gunfight I'd pack my 10MM DW. :D
 
oldfart1944 said:
Speaking from a pistol-smiths perspective, I find South American steel to be very poor quality. I recall inspecting a Bersa Thunder that was dropped without the slide and the barrel simply broke off the aluminum frame when it hit the floor. I have attempted to change out a barrel after a squib load mishap only to find the aluminum could not withstand the pressure of the press to remove the securing pins. I will no longer work on ant Bersa products1
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Well, speaking from a non pistol-smith's perspective (and the perspective of an Argentinian who lives less than 10 miles away from the Bersa factory, and has been talking to one of their engineers about 2 weeks ago), I have to tell you that Bersa uses Italian steel and aluminum, since neither 4130 nor 7075 are produced in Argentina. Actually, the single biggest problem they're having lately is our beloved government making them jump through hoops to get the permits to import the stuff.

On the other hand, I'm glad you like Sig's and Glock's German steel. But Glocks are Austrian, not German.
 
A Makarov in .380 (commercial Russian) or the typical Bulgys or East Germans in 9x18.

They've always been considered very reliable and easy to conceal, being single stack. Some commercial Russian versions are double-stack, and Those magazines are pricey.
My only carry gun is the .380 Russian, typical single-stack.

By the way, you might be familiar, but for those who are not, the only plastic is in the grips.
 
For pocket carry my opinion is that the "improved" version of the LCP I is the best .380 for the money. It doesn't get much better for $200. Get 'em before they're gone.
 
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