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Colt Mustang hands down the best small 380 I have ever ha the pleasure of shooting.
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Bang for the Buck goes to the Bersa Thunder, for less than 3 Bills new.What Is A Veteran?
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+1 for Bersa Thunder. I put about 350-400 rounds through mine, both FMJ and HP, with two FTF in the first dosen rounds. After that not a single problem. Love it. Plus it make nice fireballs.
"The police cannot protect the citizen at this stage of our development, and they cannot even protect themselves in many cases. It is up to the private citizen to protect himself and his family, and this is not only acceptable, but mandatory" Jeff Cooper
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I'm wondering about your use of the term
"budget" in your post; .380 ammo is pretty expensive.
Also, if your wife is not an experienced handgun shooter; she might be better off with a wheelgun. .38 special is more affordable than .380.Last edited by tonelar; 12-07-2008, 10:47 PM.sigpicComment
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budget is for the pistol the gun wont be fired very much just for my wife so the ammo wont be a factorComment
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If you want a cheap gun with a good reputation, the Bersa Thunder is the best choice. While I don't have one (yet), the CZ 83 would be my next step up the cost ladder. I have a couple of CZ pistols and they are both excellent.Comment
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BERSA THUNDER .380Comment
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+1 for the Bersa!
Now thats sexy!
LouNRA Certified Pistol Instructor
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"The police cannot protect the citizen at this stage of our development, and they cannot even protect themselves in many cases. It is up to the private citizen to protect himself and his family, and this is not only acceptable, but mandatory" Jeff Cooper
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I am going to take a guess and say you want something tiny for your wife but the 9mm mini's are too snappy. So you want to go down to .380 for a defense weapon. When it comes to a defense weapon there is never a time to be cheap. PPK isn't all it's made out to be, I shot many .380's before and I have to say the Colt .380 pistols are by far the best that I have shot in a small form factor. A Colt Mustang felt like a .22 and had the familiar features of a 1911. They go for around $600. I don't mean to push this on you but I feel really strongly about this pistol and if I had to pick a .380ACP for defense it would be that.
Also if you are looking for a tiny defense weapon that isn't too snappy, the I would recommend the Kahr 9mm MK9 featured here: http://www.kahr.com/PA-1_9mm_mk.html
It is not on the safe list but I found one less then a year back in great condition for $450, I still regret not buying it.Comment
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+1 on this... but I don't think the OP realizes how much more snappy DIRECT BLOW-BACK can be. There are some delayed blow-back .380s out there, but I don't believe they're going to be on the 'inexpensive' side.
In addition, my wife can barely rack the slide on most .380 semis because of the spring. It MUST be stronger than in a delayed blow-back system because it's the only thing holding the breech face to the barrel.
However... If you're truly looking for an awesome .380 at a great price, you just CANNOT go wrong with the Bersa. Stick with FACTORY magazines and the platform will outlast you.
MikeComment
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What about a lorcin .380 a guy at work has one that I can pick up for cheap I have never ever seen nor or heard of this brand ,anyone heard of this brand?Also I would like to say thanks for all the input coming my way keep it coming. I pick a .380 pistol because of size,special rounds and kick if there is some other route that is better please set me strait thanksComment
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