.380 and crime: why?

[westfork]

why do i notice .380 as the caliber of choice in so many crimes? here in bloomington there was a murder committed with a .380. the accused murderer happened to have been shot in the past with a.... .380.

i realize that other calibers are used in gun related crimes, but the .380 seems to pop up a lot more than others and is on my mind as of late due to the local happenings.

is it because of the price of a low-end .380 pistol? availability? concealability?

i know why i carry one when i opt to not carry something larger or with a higher capacity. why do the bad guys seem to favor this round?

discuss.

 

[armedindy]

criminals are whimpy pathetic things, and theyre scared of a little recoil...so they like .22's .25's and .380's

 

[DanO]

Criminals like small, concealable pistols. Easier to carry and hide. Smaller caliber pistols have less pressure and can be made from cheap materials if needed.

 

[IndianaGTI]

Is there really anything cheaper than a .380 that will make holes in both sides of a milk jug?

Also, if I recall correctly, didn't some guy that "just likes to sell guns" make his fortune selling Davis .380's for $119 when the MSRP was $99? Remember those chrome Davs .380 autos? I can't imagine how many are in circulation here in Indiana.

 

[Westside]

Mosin Nagant.

kind of hard to CC one of those though.

I am with the group .380's are some the most easily concealable guns out there.

 

[japartridge]

I don't know how they afford the ammo!!! .380 ammo is expensive!

 

[LFD102]

[QUOTE
I am with the group .380's are some the most easily concealable guns out there.[/QUOTE]
That's why I love my 380 But i spent the money and got a goood one Sig 230

 

[Dirc]

That's why I love my 380 But i spent the money and got a goood one Sig 230

Are those things as big as they look? They remind me a lot of a PPK which is still bigger than I want to cart around.

 

[LFD102]

[QUOTE
I am with the group .380's are some the most easily concealable guns out there.[/QUOTE]
That's why I love my 380 But i spent the money and got a goood one Sig 230

 

[turnandshoot4]

I don't know how they afford the ammo!!! .380 ammo is expensive!

They don't shoot much. Ammo could be $50 for 10 rounds and they would be fine with that.

 

[geronimojoe85]

Because some of the cheapest 'matics are in .380
As far as ammo cost, I can't tell you how many times I've seen guys come in to a gun shop usually right before new years and the fourth of July (or a felony arrest), hand a "clip" to the guy behind the counter and say "fill er up"
What's really shocking is that some shops will do it!

 

[Jtgarner]

I just read about that shooting in the IDS today and was wondering the same thing. Best I could come up with is that the guns can be bought really cheap and then they will still have some $ left over for ammo. Like geronimojoe just said, they probably don't need much ammo.

 

[crispy]

That's why I love my 380 But i spent the money and got a goood one Sig 230

Yup

Mine weren't cheap though.

The .380 crime with these guns is when the boss finds out...

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I have a Diamondback DB380 that I like a lot. Had some problems initially, but DB's customer service is top notch and they replaced the gun and this one has been flawless ever since.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

Second pistol I ever bought was a Sig 230, and it disappears really well for me, but EDC is Para P12, so I can hide a lot. We're concerned with ammo cost because we expect to put in some range time, and that eats a lot. Bad guys are more likely "the end with the hole in it points at the guy with the wallet". Bonus: it doesn't matter so much that they don't get cleaned.

 

[westfork]

Time did an article in 2002 based on an "unpublished study" done by the ATF indicating the following list of firearms as being the top 10 guns used in crimes:

1. Smith and Wesson .38 revolver
2. Ruger 9 mm semiautomatic
3. Lorcin Engineering .380 semiautomatic
4. Raven Arms .25 semiautomatic
5. Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun
6. Smith and Wesson 9mm semiautomatic
7. Smith and Wesson .357 revolver
8. Bryco Arms 9mm semiautomatic
9. Bryco Arms .380 semiautomatic
10. Davis Industries .380 semiautomatic

Granted this "unpublished study" is now a bit dated, it does show us that the .380 is indeed a popular caliber among wrong doers. One should note that the 9mm seems to be a bit more popular.

I am not surprised to see the .380's on the list are junk guns.

 

[gunman41mag]

Cause there are some many cheaply made .380 acp

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

It's all about the Benjamins...

-J-

 

[gglass]

Your observations on the increased attacks with the .380 ACP cartridge, might just be anecdotal.

The linked table shows the FBI's data concerning which cartridges are used to kill police officers. The data points cover all gun related deaths of LEO's over the last decade, and it does not show any increase in the usage of the .380 ACP cartridge.

Although this data set does not show all crimes committed by caliber, it does give an accurate sampling of what the bad guys are using to kill cops, and can be extrapolated to what the bad guys are using overall.

FBI — Table 35

 

[dice dealer]

It's a a Vicious lie by the Media .....Any INTERNET EXPERT will tell you , The only round with the ability to kill is the .45 A.C.P.
And that round MUST be fired from a Glock