Softest Recoiling 380

the Colt Government 380
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Oh how I wish Sig would produce even a limited run of a government-sized P238, preferably in HD form. I know they won’t but...they’d sell at least one...or two.
 
Laz, The Star S or SS is the pistol the Colt Government is copied from and nice examples are often available at the auction sites. The Star pistols have been imported from the middle forties until end of production in the nineties. The pistol is reliable and accurate and has about the best feeling grip of all the 380 pistols around.
 
Have not shot one but judging by my experience with both the 9mm and the 45ACP versions of the S&W Shield, I would also suggest the .380 version.
 
There is a lot of non-facts thrown around on this thread To answer the Op's question,

Glock 42 4.63 ft-lb
Sig 238 4.1 ft-lb
Walter Pk 3.35 ft-lb

I honestly do not understand how some folks think that a gun that weighs over 19 oz. is going to give more recoil than a gun that weighs 14oz,
 
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Carl the Floor Walker said:
There is a lot of non-facts thrown around on this thread To answer the Op's question,

Glock 43 4.63 ft-lb
Sig 238 4.1 ft-lb
Walter Pk 3.35 ft-lb

I honestly do not understand how some folks think that a gun that weighs over 19 oz. is going to give more recoil than a gun that weighs 14oz,
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Ya mean glock 42?
 
GarandTd said:
Carl The Floor Walker said

OP said

Seems like the OP asked for it. ?
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My bad, actually tried to delete it. Also Meant the Glock 42. Now as far as talking about the lightest recoil, then Maybe consider the Hi Point at CF-380 at 31 oz. A recoil factor of 2.13 ft lbs.

But what is interesting is the Little Pico at 11oz with a recoil factor of only 5.42 but feels much softer due to the build. And for sure has much less muzzle flip than many other guns in the same class.
From big to small, the Op has a lot to choose from.

Fully loaded Pico with 7 rounds of defense ammo and mild shooting.

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I appreciate for all the pointers. This is very useful when I help new female shooters find a non intimidating pistol
 
The S&W EZ is now the most popular for older and female shooters, according to sales statistics. Next in line is the 380 Sig. Both are chosen primarily for the ease of racking.
The minimal recoil is a plus. But the heavier the pistol the lighter the recoil. It depends on what you want to carry on your waist, or ankle or your purse.
 
Well the softest shooting .380 I've ever shot/owned is the Taurus PT638. It's a 15 round locked breech poly frame design and a pocket pistol it is not. Super accurate. But it's long discontinued and finding magazines will be expensive.
 
MoArk Willy said:
The S&W EZ is now the most popular for older and female shooters, according to sales statistics. Next in line is the 380 Sig. Both are chosen primarily for the ease of racking.
The minimal recoil is a plus. But the heavier the pistol the lighter the recoil. It depends on what you want to carry on your waist, or ankle or your purse.
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Sales statistics? Got a good chuckle out of that one. I would never buy a firearm based on "Sales Statistics". While the EZ which weighs a whopping 18oz has a low recoil, the heavier Bersa Thunder Pro Plus has a low recoil of 2.81.
I would advise the OP to try out as many large 380's as it can and find the best one suited for himself or herself. I would imagine most in the size will be about the same. None of them should be difficult to shoot. And even some of the smaller pistols which conceal better might have a little heavier recoil, but still be pleasant enough to shoot.
 
GarandTd said:
I've not had any other micro 380's to compare it to, but the Remington rm380 is a locked breach design and is not uncomfortable to shoot. Mine has proven quite reliable and it is bargain priced.
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For the size, I really have to agree. The Remington RM380 is about the only mouse gun I can shoot all day without any issues. Pretty soft shooting and quite accurate for a pocket gun. While size matters, some of the direct blowback guns in .380 kick about as much as a 9mm. Much depends on the design, but size does often help with getting a full hand on the grip for control. I need to eventually get a little shorter reset for my RM380 trigger; it's like shooting a new J-frame trigger...looong!

ROCK6
 
Carl the Floor Walker said:
I would advise the OP to try out as many large 380's as it can and find the best one suited for himself or herself. I would imagine most in the size will be about the same.
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The recoil in blowback designs is substantially different from locked breech designs. Blowback designs have much sharper and more abrupt recoil and feel more like shooting a similarly-sized 9mm.
 
I have to agree the RM380 is a joy to shoot. Another soft shooter is the Sig P290rs in 380acp. Might be hard to find a P290rs though since they are out of production.
 
PSP said:
I've owned a bunch of .380s. The softest of the lot is a Walther PK380. A tiny .380 that shoots way softer than it should is the Beretta Pico.
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From my experience, I agree with the Walther PK380. Not the finest fit, finish, or reliability, but I was searching for the “perfect” handgun for my wife. That means lightest recoil, easiest to rack, easiest mags to load since her hand strength isn’t great. And that’s compared to my .380 accumulation of: Glock 42, Walther PPK/S, SIG P238, CZ82, KelTec P3AT (& Ruger LCP), Kahr CT480, Imez “Makarov” IJ70A, Bersa Thunder, and Remington RM380. Of note, the RM380 comes in second place even with its small size; easy to rack, too. (I wish I had a Beretta 84, but being a blowback design, I don’t think it would win. I’ve racked one at the gun shop and the recoil spring was fairly stiff, too) I also agree that the locked breech design uses up a lot of the recoil energy; the heavy, blow-back pistols listed convey more recoil that I’d expect.

One day I’ll get the S&W Shield 380EZ; from what I read it is the new champion of soft-recoil-380’s. It wasn’t available when I was searching.
 
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