Colt .380 autos

[GunDog]

This past week I have purchased two Colt .380 Government models, one stainless and one in blue. Had the opportunity to shoot the stainless and was very impressed at it's accuracy and ergonomics. These are some sweet shooting and handling pistols for concealed carry. Used to think that my Ruger LCP was king of the hill when it came to concealed carry .380s. The Colts are just about perfect in every way imaginable. Full grip, 7 round capacity, and single action much like their big brother 1911s. Would appreciate hearing from other CalGunners who have experience with these classy .380 Colts.

[nickel plate]

Extremely jealous so bump to the top!

[CapnHawk]

I bought one in 1991 or so. Still sitting in the safe NIB.

[GunDog]

I bought one in 1991 or so. Still sitting in the safe NIB.

Well one thing is for sure.......yours has certainly increased in value over the last 24 years.

[RealBarber]

I love mine

[GunDog]

I love mine

Nice. Since both of mine are still in jail, I need to wait a few more days to bail them out. Going to be a long wait.

[ojisan]

The "full size" steel-framed Government .380 is definitely a sweet shooter and much under rated.
I have the Mustang Pocketlite which is a bit of a handful sometimes.
The larger and heavier Gov't model soaks up all the recoil so you can really focus on the sights and follow through without fear of being bit.
Being an old fart, I'm pretty satisfied with what I have already but one of these Gov't 380s would be something I would add to my collection.

Back in the day, the wives would grab the Colts and all the 380 ammo and shoot away, while us guys played with the 9mm, .357 and .44 mags.

BTW, many years later, when my buddy and his wife got a divorce, she kept his Gov't .380 : ((

[Pauliedad]

Picked up a Colt Mustang here some time ago and I love it.

[RustyIron]

I bought my .380 Government new, some time in the '80s. It had some problems out of the box. There were a lot of failures to fire, and it would frequently have feed jams. I sent it back to Colt TWICE. They helped the failure to fire, except for one every several boxes of ammo. The feeding was still terrible. The experience bittered me on Colt, and I've not purchased another since.

I decided that if I wanted it done right, I had to do it myself. I ended up taking quite a bit off the ramp and polishing it. Then I gave the hammer spring a little bit of preload. After that, the gun performed flawlessly with all types of ammo.

I hadn't shot the gun in years, and a couple months ago I thought of selling her. I took her to the range, and quickly remembered what a nice gun it is to shoot. Her single stack makes the whole package svelte for easy concealment, and the .380 is quite friendly in that size of frame. I think she'll remain in my collection for a long time.

AFTERTHOUGHT EDIT:
One more thing... the factory sights are terrible. Don't like 'em. No sir. I should change them.

[morrcarr67]

This is what I'm waiting for

http://www.gunsandammo.com/video/first-look-rock-island-armory-a380-baby-rock/

[TrailerparkTrash]

I have the Mustang pocketlite and love it. Been carrying it for years. Shoots really nice, unlike any .38spl out of a 2" revolver.

[rickterscale]

I had a Gov. Model .380 for a few months. Extremely soft shooting, like a .22. But the sights kind of suck. They were too hard for my eyes to pick up. Since I was in the process of filling up my concealed carry permit, and didn't really have a practical use for a gun that expensive, I sold it. I don't regret it, though it would definitely be a favorite with better sights.