.380 vs 9mm carry gun

[lovemachine]

.380 VS 9mm.

IMO, a .380 is more of a back up gun. And, I believe it's like the 1911. It takes a little more skill to handle it well.

I think you should stick with the 9mm.

As for what gun, hit the gun shop and feel them in your hand. Sometimes a single stack, like the kahr, CAN be harder to shoot accurately.

I would recommend you check out the M&P 9 compact and Glock 19 instead. They are both quality reliable guns. Very easy to conceal all day comfortably, and large enough to use as a house gun and range gun.

 

[Willegene]

I am a fan of the Taurus 738. Very concealable. 7 Rounds of .380



[9mm Shield]

I coonfingered one of these ^^^ last night at Gan ..I better not say where... I really Liked it.[/QUOTE]

The Tauras 738 was on my list but I head that there is issues with the casing hitting you, have you experienced this?

 

[BrewerGeorge]

You should ALWAYS carry a gun in a holster. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!

Except for Condition 3, I agree strongly. No offense, but carrying a charged pistol without a safety in a pocket with nothing covering the trigger is madness. Many of the pocket holsters are so small that they actually increase concealability by reducing printing.

 

[tfouty]

Here's an interesting perspective on the two: When does a .380 beat a 9mm? - Personal Defense Network

Great article, thanks for posting.

 

[Cameramonkey]

IF you choose 380, be very selective on your defense ammo. Just went through the motions for my wife's LCP and there are very few reliably performing loads. AND with the shortage, its nearly impossible to find those. COR-BON is one that we use, and if you are in Indy, Profire can custom load some good performing ones for you as well. They use the bullet that is recommended as a solid performing projectile. (I had a nice chat with the guys there today about this when I stopped by)

 

[BrewerGeorge]

I coonfingered one of these ^^^ last night at Gan ..I better not say where... I really Liked it.

The Tauras 738 was on my list but I head that there is issues with the casing hitting you, have you experienced this?

I own this pistol. It hurts to shoot, and it squirms around like crazy in your hands. I carry it when nothing else is possible, but I wouldn't make it the primary EDC.

 

[lovemachine]

Except for Condition 3, I agree strongly. No offense, but carrying a charged pistol without a safety in a pocket with nothing covering the trigger is madness. Many of the pocket holsters are so small that they actually increase concealability by reducing printing.

Doesn't matter what condition it is. It should always be carried in a holster.

 

[SpaldingPM]

I vote for a sig p938

 

[Dirka74]

I held the Glock 42 the other day. It felt better than it thought it would. I have yet to shoot one. I think the striker fire will shoot better than a double action. The LCP has a terrible trigger pull.

 

[gm652]

.380 with jhp just as effective as 9mm. Pick what fits your style of carry.

 

[Cool Breeze]

+1 on the 9mm.

Also, I'll vouch for the CM9. it would not be fun to pocket carry, but great for IWB. Reliability is phenomenal, trigger takes some practice, but the gun is ultra simple. The grip is quite different than the shield/nano... It is smaller, and I can get my hand all the way around it, which I like. The shield and nano and some others are to long (from front to back) and make my fingers feel like they're stretched to hold them. There has got to be a "thats what she said" joke in this post somewhere...

 

[nakinate]

I held the Glock 42 the other day. It felt better than it thought it would. I have yet to shoot one. I think the striker fire will shoot better than a double action. The LCP has a terrible trigger pull.

The LCP trigger pull is way better than the Bodyguard. But the best trigger on any mouse gun in .380 is the P238.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

The .380 is the absolute smallest I'd go with a carry gun. It is *not* the same as a 9mm, but it does have sufficient power to break bone and to penetrate well. The problem is hollowpoint penetration can be insufficient depending on where it hits, angle, etc. I'm still on the fence on if its better to carry FMJ, in which case it penetrates very well in most conditions and can even over penetrate, or JHP, which sometimes doesn't penetrate sufficiently.

Unless you have arthritis, need a DEEP conceal gun, or have some other specialty requirement, I see no compelling reason to purchase a .380. I don't see any reason to carry a micro-gun either, especially as your only gun. If you're going to carry IWB, there's plenty of guns that are big enough to be accurate, comfortable to shoot, have adequate capacity, and in a less marginal caliber. The Shield is a great example, but not the only one. It carries very well, has good sights, a reasonable trigger, etc.

 

[Indyelmo]

Try both , I carry 9mm as primary and will be getting new Glock g42 380

 

[SpaldingPM]

.380 with jhp just as effective as 9mm. Pick what fits your style of carry.

I'd like to see the valid source of this stated info. Almost anything I've seen on .380... all but VERY select FEW JHP .380 meets FBI standards.

When I use to carry a .380, I carried with FNFMJ. Some will disagree and some will support, but it has been proven to meet penetration standards and the flat nose would cause more tissue disruption than a RN.

 

[Glock10MM]

Op, I'd go with the Kahr PM or, CM9.

I'd like to see the valid source of this stated info. Almost anything I've seen on .380... all but VERY select FEW JHP .380 meets FBI standards.

You beat me to it.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

Modern ammo has improved .380 immensely, but it's still no 9mm.

 

[IndyGal65]

The P238 is very accurate and reliable. It's also small enough that you'll take it everywhere.

^^^This. I love mine and carry it everywhere (except work).

Edit: although as others have said, finding .380 ammo is not fun nor fruitful.

 

[Gluemanz28]

I agree with BBI that test have proven that FMJ is a better choice for a 380. Take this one test further and Spanding is correct that the flat nose FMJ will cause the most damage. It will not tend to bounce around like a RN round will do.

There are always trade offs, penetration or expansion when it come to a 380

I have and my wife has shot the following guns:
Ruger LCP (I have 2 of these)
Taurus 738 TCP
Ruger LC380
Glock 42

She carries everyday the Glock 42 in an elastic waistband holster that looks like a back brace. Her dress pants that she wears for work doesn't have a belt or belt loops. The elastic band would drive me nuts, but she love it and says it is very confortable.

We added the Pierce pinky extensions for the Taurus TCP and the LCP comes with them. This does help me with the grip.

I am considering putting one HP in the pipe and one HP as the first one out of the mag then follow up with FMJ FN rounds. What say you INGO peeps on this setup?

 

[wesnellans]

I agree with BBI that test have proven that FMJ is a better choice for a 380. Take this one test further and Spanding is correct that the flat nose FMJ will cause the most damage. It will not tend to bounce around like a RN round will do.

There are always trade offs, penetration or expansion when it come to a 380

I have and my wife has shot the following guns:
Ruger LCP (I have 2 of these)
Taurus 738 TCP
Ruger LC380
Glock 42

She carries everyday the Glock 42 in an elastic waistband holster that looks like a back brace. Her dress pants that she wears for work doesn't have a belt or belt loops. The elastic band would drive me nuts, but she love it and says it is very confortable.

We added the Pierce pinky extensions for the Taurus TCP and the LCP comes with them. This does help me with the grip.

I am considering putting one HP in the pipe and one HP as the first one out of the mag then follow up with FMJ FN rounds. What say you INGO peeps on this setup?

I was as still am a graduate of the "bigger is better" school on caliber, but I've come to realize (call it "continuing education"?) the place for the smaller rounds. Now, I'm not going below 9mm in my carry gun most days, but for work, where I must remain incognito, or for my wife when we're out together and I'm carrying my G19 and she's wanting to wear closer fit clothing that would reveal her G26 more than she cares for, we've got a Kahr P380.

I carry what works in it and after finding Shooting the Bull's well-thought-out Ammo Quest for a 380 load that meets the FBI protocol, I'm carrying XTP loadings, which the little P380 and G42 before it seem to love.

Final Results of the .380 ACP Ammo Quest | Shooting The Bull