Is 380 the thing now for SD ?

[acaligunner]

1st it was 45 acp / 357 magnum
Then it was 40 S&W
Then the 9 was fine
Along with 30 super / 32 mag / 327 federal mag etc
Then 38 spl + P with 135 / 158 lwchp

NOW ~ there’s a breakout with 380’s hitting the market with such firearms as the S&W bodyguard / Ruger LCP max and Hellcat and Sig P 238 .

I like the 90gr flex tip round for SD, and that little firearm is like a little pop gun going off in my hands.

For a while I carried a J-framed scandium model with the 135 +P round ~ but the 380 pistol does have a few things going for it. Slim, better sights, easier to reload ( if ya get a chance ), and slightly better recoil control.

Thoughts

[BillSmith]

Define self-defense. Night table gun? No. Truck gun? No. Camp gun? No.

Concealed carry? An alternative to be sure.

If on roster, I'd pick the 9mm Sig Sauer P938. The .380 version is, so...Sig Sauer P380 is the viable choice if IA requires on roster only OR one doesn't want to pay the perceived CA ROSTER TAX if allowable.

[acaligunner]

Define self-defense. Night table gun? No. Truck gun? No. Camp gun? No.

Concealed carry? An alternative to be sure.

If on roster, I'd pick the 9mm Sig Sauer P938. The .380 version is, so...Sig Sauer P380 is the viable choice if IA requires on roster only OR one doesn't want to pay the perceived CA ROSTER TAX if allowable.

For Carry ..

[acaligunner]

Define self-defense. Night table gun? No. Truck gun? No. Camp gun? No.

Concealed carry? An alternative to be sure.

If on roster, I'd pick the 9mm Sig Sauer P938. The .380 version is, so...Sig Sauer P380 is the viable choice if IA requires on roster only OR one doesn't want to pay the perceived CA ROSTER TAX if allowable.

I have the sig P238 in an Alabama holster with the 90gr flex tip rounds ~ Very light recoil and a nice little pistol.

[turbolarry]

Is 380 the thing now for SD ?

Thoughts

I think it's always been there and it's California's Roster that pushed .380's off people's radar.
Just like any popular caliber, shot placement is what matters. If you can shoot .380 accurately it'll get the job done. A lot of people have been put down with .380

[acaligunner]

[QUOTE=turbolarry;n54721351]

I think it's always been there and it's California's Roster that pushed .380's off people's radar.
Just like any popular caliber, shot placement is what matters. If you can shoot .380 accurately it'll get the job done. A lot of people have been put down with .380
/QUOTE]

Very True ~ I believe the only nice compact 380 was the sig P238. Years ago I was looking for a LCP but it didn’t hit the roster until recent ( LCP max ).

If we can get some cor-bon or buffalo bond ammo - I would also use that ammo.

🙂

[L84CABO]

It is not the caliber I want to fight with or bet my life on. YMMV.

[oddball]

I have the sig P238 in an Alabama holster with the 90gr flex tip rounds ~ Very light recoil and a nice little pistol.

My P238 is loaded with 99g HST, my backup carry, but also at times my primary. It is a great shooter, very small and thin, an excellent micro pistol. My wife loves and carries her G42, so .380acp definitely has a place in our defense system.

[sonofeugene]

I prefer 9mm.

[9Cal_OC]

It’s not my go-to but I don’t knock those who choose to carry it. I love the P238 but ended up getting an LCP Gen 2 which I can pocket carry if I want without worrying about a safety. Given it’s closer to the size of a PM9, I opt for that instead due to capacity and it’s 9mm (magguts makes it 7+1).

[AreWeNotMen?]

I think it's a "cute gun thing" because the ballistics comparatively suck:

https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/#380ACP

[Title1guy]

I pocket carry an LCP Max as one of my CCW pistols with the Underwood Xtreme Defenders in it. Very light, 10+ 1 rounds, great for up close and personal defense. Not the best for the recoil averse, though a Hogue Grip, MCarbo trigger and a stronger recoil spring helps mitigate some of that. Not very accurate at distance compared to a P238, Glock 42, P365-380 or the S&W Bodyguard 2.0 (from what Ive read); but it works for my purposes. I’m waiting to see if S&W will bring the 2.0 to the roster. YMMV.

[Ora Serrata]

Summer time, shorts weather I usually have an LCP variant in a pocket holster. If I don’t want any chance of printing I’ll pocket a Gen 1 LCP, but mostly I’ll carry a max. I also own a P238 and it’s a much more accurate and recoil pleasant gun, but it’s also single action and I never liked pocket carrying it and would carry in a OWB holster. These days if I’m OWB I’ll carry my P365 or my XDS-45.

With either of my LCPs I have no problem hitting my target at CCW range and I’ve never found the recoil to be a problem.

[jarhead714]

The Rainbow Titanium 238 has been calling me for months.

[mossy]

I love .380 and carry one regularly. The bodyguard 2.0 is one of the best micro pistols on the market right now. I think its important for people who are planning to carry 380 to realize carrying just about any JHP in a pocket sized .380 is pointless. JHP'S don't build up enough speed out of micro barrels to reliably expand. they end up getting sh*t penetration with partial expansion or good penetration with no expansion. If you are carrying a micro 380 load it with flat nose FMJ.