Which .380? & which round?

[Sam Z]

SIG P238

CorBon DPX
Speer Gold Dot
Hornady Critical Defense

[BajaJames83]

I love my bodyguard 380 great grip for a pocket gun.
as for ammo Ive always been a fan of federal hydra shock

[Tanner68]

Colt 1908, it's a natural point shooter, and utterly reliable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Model_1903_Pocket_Hammerless

I put less stock in wonder bullets in handguns, and shoot FMJ. My practice rounds are my HD rounds.

And if you want the gun to appeal to a woman, you have a better chance with the styling and handling of an old and small Colt auto. I've seen it several times.

[Lone_Gunman]

I carry an LCP loaded with Hornady Critical Defense in a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster.

It's thin, light, and easy to pocket carry.

[Steve_In_29]

I have the Taurus 738. Personally while it's trigger is VERY smooth and easy to shoot at the range, I think I would prefer the heavier trigger on my friends LCP in a high stress situation.

I read a very compelling article (sorry don't have a link) which made the case that the .380 doesn't pack enough oomph to drive an expanded hollow point deep enough into the bad guy to be a dependable stopper. The recommendation was to use a FMJ round to insure adequate penetration.

From a seat of the pants observation (level of recoil and how far the brass is thrown) I have found the Federal (black/red/gray box) ammo to be the stoutest non +P on my WalMart's shelves.

[BigL]

I would not recommend the polymer line of Kahr pistols.

[smle-man]

I like my Mauser HSc. It is very compact, reliable, and accurate. No longer made but I see civilian versions for sale in Ca in nice shape at a reasonable price now and again. Old world quality in a nice looking package.

[SoCal Gunner]

From experience with some friends and our wives; a big part of the preference comes from what you're used to shooting. The LCP has a single-strike, double action trigger. The gals that learned on a 1911 HATED it and yet the other that shot revolvers all the time loved it. The Colt Mustang was the preferred .380 for the 1911 ladies (and myself), but the other didn't like the "flip" it produced.

[ElvenSoul]

LCP loaded with Barnes Brass Bullets from hand loads.

[saki302]

This.

Also, consider an old Colt Pocketlite .380.

Ruger LCP or Kel-Tec P-3AT loaded with Speer 90gr Gold-Dot JHP or Winchester 95gr SXT JHP in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster.

[sakosf]

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=57

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=29

[paratroop]

No woman that has shot my LCP liked it at all. You might have to take that into consideration. The lc380 is a little bigger, but might be more comfortable to shoot.

[Steve_In_29]

^^^^^ My wife loved the 738....until she shot it. She much prefers her .45.

[klewan]

Taurus 738

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/05/jeremy-s/gun-review-taurus-738-tcp/

It's reliable...

[dkthree]

This is one of the .380 ammo tests that I appreciate the most: http://shootingthebull.net/blog/

When I pick up my new LCP I'm going to run a few boxes of some of the finalists (that I can find anyway) through it and see what I'll go with.