Several newbie questions regarding CCW, .380, and general purchasing options

[Krusty]

Greetings!

While I've been a gun owner for some time (I have a S&W M&P 9mm), the recent changes in law regarding CCW in Orange County have got me thinking it can't hurt to get myself a tiny pistol and see if I can get my CCW. I did some research on some good compact .380s and stopped by my local range to see what I can try out only to discover that there's a not-so-long list of guns I'm able to buy here and pretty much nothing on my list is available in California.

So without further ado, here's my fat list of newbie questions.

1. This list is the master list of everything I'm allowed to purchase and nothing outside of that list can be purchased, yes?

2. I'm only a brief drive away from Vegas. Is there a legal method to purchase a firearm that is not on this list and then bring it into the state?

3. I see that there's an exemption for "private party transfers.." Does this mean I can purchase anything off an auction site such as gunbroker.com and legally acquire something not on this list, provided I go through a FFL dealer?

4. I'm sure there's a plenty good, and recent, thread out there regarding the process to get your CCW in Orange County. anyone got a link for me that requires less searching around?

5. My local range had a couple of Sig P238s (one new, one used) in the $700-$800 range. Doing a brief search online reveals that some people are finding them for $500-$550. Anyone have advice on how/where to get a Sig p238 for that "sale" range instead of full MSRP?

5. The two guns I was looking to try out were the Beretta Pico and the Ruger LCP as they're compact, don't have anything that'll badly snag clothing, and have a nice budget price tag. Both these guns also indicate that they are double action only, which I'm assuming means it has a longer and harder trigger pull more like a revolver. Am I correct in that assumption, or am I entirely wrong? I liked the idea of a double action pistol as I can have a round chambered and the safety off and still feel like it's not going to mistakenly go off.

6. Which of these options would you guys consider to be the best .380 options out there that get me closest to something like the Beretta Pico?

CZ 83
firestorm 380
Kahr P380
Accu-Tek AT-380
Beretta 84FS
Beretta 85FS
Hi Point CF380
Sig P232
Sig P238

It appears to me that literally the only option for an ultra compact .380 pistol would be the Sig P238 as everything else on the approved list has a barrel over 3" in length.

[Librarian]

Simpler to embed answers in your post - see bold - and, nice job splitting out your questions to make that easy!

So without further ado, here's my fat list of newbie questions.

1. This list is the master list of everything I'm allowed to purchase and nothing outside of that list can be purchased, yes?
Purchase directly from Dealer stock, yes.

2. I'm only a brief drive away from Vegas. Is there a legal method to purchase a firearm that is not on this list and then bring it into the state?
No. See the sticky http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=503873

3. I see that there's an exemption for "private party transfers.." Does this mean I can purchase anything off an auction site such as gunbroker.com and legally acquire something not on this list, provided I go through a FFL dealer?
That works ONLY among CA residents; a CA PPT is limited by the software implementation of DROS to accept only CA ID.

4. I'm sure there's a plenty good, and recent, thread out there regarding the process to get your CCW in Orange County. anyone got a link for me that requires less searching around?
Several threads in the Concealed Carry forum

5. My local range had a couple of Sig P238s (one new, one used) in the $700-$800 range. Doing a brief search online reveals that some people are finding them for $500-$550. Anyone have advice on how/where to get a Sig p238 for that "sale" range instead of full MSRP?
Not me ...

5. The two guns I was looking to try out were the Beretta Pico and the Ruger LCP as they're compact, don't have anything that'll badly snag clothing, and have a nice budget price tag. Both these guns also indicate that they are double action only, which I'm assuming means it has a longer and harder trigger pull more like a revolver. Am I correct in that assumption, or am I entirely wrong? I liked the idea of a double action pistol as I can have a round chambered and the safety off and still feel like it's not going to mistakenly go off.
You'll have to try them to see how you like them; DA is almost always longer and heavier than SA.

6. Which of these options would you guys consider to be the best .380 options out there that get me closest to something like the Beretta Pico?

CZ 83
firestorm 380
Kahr P380
Accu-Tek AT-380
Beretta 84FS
Beretta 85FS
Hi Point CF380
Sig P232
Sig P238

No opinion - never shot any of those

It appears to me that literally the only option for an ultra compact .380 pistol would be the Sig P238 as everything else on the approved list has a barrel over 3" in length.

Happy shopping!

[Krusty]

Hmm...I decided to post this in handguns and can't find a way to delete the thread...

Well..I reposted here as I thought it was a bit more relevant.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?p=14782918#post14782918

edit: Thank you for the quick answers

[Librarian]

Hmm...I decided to post this in handguns and can't find a way to delete the thread...

Well..I reposted here as I thought it was a bit more relevant.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?p=14782918#post14782918

edit: Thank you for the quick answers

You're welcome.

The second half of your questions probably are better answered in handguns, but the first half is a mixed bag of CA law, Federal law and how-to-get-LTC. Those I could answer ...

[T6pilot]

Ruger LCP
Oc Armoury SSE
You won't go wrong

[Krusty]

Ruger LCP
Oc Armoury SSE
You won't go wrong

I was looking at the Ruger LCP and liked everything but the sights.

No idea what you mean by OC armoury SSE. I had to google what SSE was about 15 minutes ago to figure out what that meant. Care to connect the dots a bit? I'm finding out only now that there's a gun store called OC Armoury near me.

[mif_slim]

If could do it all over again, Ruger LCP all the way. It doesn't look cool, but it doesn't matter when SHTF..for me, it's the sights that wins me over. It's smooth with the frame. If it's a pocket carry and not IWB, it's the best of the bunch IMO. No chance of it snagging. My Bodyguard 380 can't be pocket carried. It can but the chance of it's sight being caught on my pocket is too great to risk when I need it most. So, I IWB the BG...which isn't what I wanted it for originally.

Happy hunting for a 380. And cross you fingers that you get the LTC. We all are.

[T6pilot]

Krusty
Oc armoury off lake Forest and 5fwy
Single shot exemption
Mike or pat can set you up
LCP is more a point and shoot type
I have purchased many SSE guns through these guys, small store, gets crowded in afternoon
Tu-sat noon to about 9

[cdtx2001]

My friend had one of those Ruger LCPs and hated it. Double action only and a very long trigger pull. I tried it out as well and didn't like it. Try firing off all rounds as fast as you can at a target and see how accurate you are. That long trigger pull was the deal breaker for me when I thought of buying one. Sure it looks and feels nice in the hand and appears to make a great CCW gun, but functionally it is not something I would depend on to accurately put rounds downrange in a life or death situation.

I do like the Beretta 84. Better built gun and the DA/SA option is nice. Parts are easily available and maintenance is great. The trigger pull is short when the hammer is cocked and you can get multiple rounds downrange fast and accurately in a tense situation.

In a situation where you will need your CCW firearm, you will most likely be shooting as fast as you can and not be thinking about a lot of things. Whichever gun you plan to buy, see if you can try it out and do rapid fire just as you would an assailant who's trying to _______ you. See how accurate you are, that will be the deal breaker for most guns.

[cdtx2001]

Oh and another thing, DON'T GO CHEAP!!! Do you really want to trust your life to something you bought just because it was cheap?

[mif_slim]

^ I wouldn't spray bullets down range as fast as I can.. it'll be more shoot as fast as you can accurately. Since every round you send down range you are accountable for, spraying and praying is a bad idea.

Also, most engagements are 3 yards, accuracy won't be an issue at that range. If you're shooting further then 10 yards, make sure you have a good valid reason to why you shot a guy 30+ feet away.

When we think "gunfight", we tend to think long distance shooting, yes, good trigger and all that matters, but when we are talking about your life being threaten, a mugger will not hold you at gun point from across the street.. it'll be up close and personal. Maybe 7 yards or less. And if you can't hit a man size target at that range, I say get proper training, lots of it.

[john67elco]

Don't get a hi-point. Remember your favorite gun will be the one you have on you when the bullets start flying.

[Krusty]

Krusty
Oc armoury off lake Forest and 5fwy
Single shot exemption
Mike or pat can set you up
LCP is more a point and shoot type
I have purchased many SSE guns through these guys, small store, gets crowded in afternoon
Tu-sat noon to about 9

Stopped by there yesterday. I'm now the owner of a Ruger LCP which I got for under $400 out the door (well...at least 10 days from now).

The thing looked ridiculous with the enormous barrel on it. I can't believe we need to resort to such silly gimmicks to purchase a pretty standard fare pistol.

I tried the trigger a few times in store. it is certainly a long trigger pull, but that's specifically what I was looking for. I want something that I could keep loaded with a safety off and not need to worry about accidentally shooting my dick off. The longer trigger pull of a DA pistol fits that need nicely.

I would have preferred something that starts out as DA and all subsequent rounds are SA but as far as I was able to find, there wasn't something that'll do that with under a 3" barrel. I'd expect the Beretta to do it but it's a larger gun.

Perhaps when the Beretta Pico actually becomes available I'll give it a look.

[Ricky-Ray]

Take a look at the S&W Shield. It's not 380 but you can get it in 9mm so it's not like you don't have 9mm to start with.

[SOAR79]

Let us know how you like it