Best .380

1) Colt Pony Pocketlite - Light (13 oz)& Reliable, 6+1, but big $$$
2) AMT Backup - Heavier (18 oz) & Reliable, 5+1, less expensive
?) NAA 380 Guardian - New, haven't shot one, 19 oz, 6+1.
 
Top 3: (They are all on the "big side" though)....

Sig P232 (excellent quality, very reliable)
CZ 83 (excellent quality, very reliable)
Beretta 84 & 85 & 86 (very good quality, very reliable)
 
I would recommend a Sig 232 (alloy frame, dark finish). I had one--needed some immediate funds, and it sold fast.

I believe it was 7+1...it was DA/SA, decocker, weight about 16 oz., and two mags. It not only shot well and felt like part of my hand, it was just one damned handsome looking gun.

I replaced the plastic stock grips with Hogue soft rubber, and WOW--what a gun. Wish I had it back.
 
Here's one more thumbs up for the SIG 232 or of course the SIG 230. Great little gun. Very reliabable and solid!
:)
 
I have and like my Colt Pony Pocketlite. While I can shoot it at some distance, I do not consider it as anything but an up close and personal weapon. Given the size of some 9 mm guns, you might be better served with a 9 mm that will be more powerful and yet come in a comparable sized package as compared to some of the .380s.
 
Wherein Ledbetter states his own preference

Hands down best inexpensive .380 is the FEG Walther clone. I have the SMC-380 referred to by bullet44. Cost is around $170-180. You can also get the two-tone FEG PA-63 for less than $100. Check out Shotgun News.

I also own two Colt Govt. .380's which are like small Series 80 1911's. Single action, manual safety in same place, points like a 1911. About two-thirds the size, all steel, locking breech means less recoil than blowback action.

Note that the Colt .380's are no longer manufactured.
 
My and my brother-in-law's Pony Pocketlites were unreliable. On his, the trigger would fail to reset and mine was a complete piece of crap (the slide would lock back with rounds in the mag; the trigger was cracked from the factory). On the other hand, his single action Colt .380s were excellent.

If I were to get a .380, I'd probably get a Guardian, assuming they work out all right. Beyond that, not much appeals to me.
 
I wasn't going to post because...

..I've said it so many times before, however my Colt Mustang Pocketlite is a wonderful .380! 12.5 ounces, never a malfunction, plus a locked breech makes it a soft, accurate shooter. (It is a single action auto. Looks like a "baby" 1911.:)) Just about everything else in .380 is blow-back. It easily gets my vote.

Kentucky Rifle
 
Good concealed carry weapon

Brandon, I have a Colt mustang pocketlite. Best thing Colt has done in many a year. Of course, as soon as they realized how good the gun was, they quit making it. Far be it from Colt to exploit a potentially excellent and profitable product. One of the features I especially like is the fact that it has an external slide lock. This gun has never jammed or failed to feed, but I like having the slide lock just in case. It also has a firing pin safety just like the newer 1911s.

It is also a soft shooter due to the locked breech. And if all this hasn't sold you, the slide racks easily enough that people with weak hands can put the gun in service. The pocketlite comes in stainless. They are easy to take down and clean. Yes, they are expensive. Ocassionally you will see a post on this forum about someone who got a bad one but that can happen with any gun by any maker. Good luck.
 
Best in my opinion would be the beretta 84 series (or browning BDA). My personal favorite would be the colt gov 380. Great gun, locked breach and very accurate. To bad they don't still make them.
 
I'll have to toss in another vote for the Colt Mustang Pocketlite. It's the nicest shooting .380 that I've ever shot, and other than the new Seecamp and NAA models, the smallest. It shoots a lot bigger than it looks, and the locked breech makes it a pussycat, even with hotter loads. Mine was sent off the SM&A to let Mac Scott work his magic on it, and it's a great carry gun.


86259_Colt_Mustang_Pocketlite.jpg
 
Makarov or CZ-83

You can get both the Makarov and CZ-83 in either .380 (9x17) or 9MM Makarov (9x18) calibers. Pretty similar performing rounds, although 9MM Mak is a little hotter and readily available and cheap. Can't go wrong with either gun.
 
Personally, my top pick would be the Beretta 85F Cheetah. It's a bit large, and the safety is a bit odd. But it's very well made and its reliability is flawless.

After that, the P232, which is well made, accurate, and easy to shoot. I have two, and the only problem I've encountered with them was failure of the slide to lock back on empty mags with one of them.
 
Had PPK/PPK/s- kick , bite & Jam,
Had Beretta 84- kick& WAY too big,
Have a Mustang Pocket lite- Just right- Shoots well & soft.
I bought a Govt. top end & now have a Colt.380 CCO
 
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