What is the best all round 380 ACP??

[jhammer]

I love my Glock 42. It’s become my favorite gun when bumming around the woods with my dog. It’s small, light, easy to shoot and it won’t make my ears (or the dogs) ring if I have to use it without hearing protection.

I’ve been a revolver guy for years, but this little thing has really opened my eyes. It’s not my first plastic auto, but it’s the only one I really like.




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[BigAlofPa.]

I like my little Kel-tec pf9 for deep concealment. I load my rounds with the starting data of titegroup. Makes the gun very manageable and fun to shoot. I hated it at first with factory ammo. Out of my 380's i like my Walther pk380 the most. Although my RIA 380 1911 is catching up as i get used to it. I like my bersa thunder alot too. I have a Saturday night special 380 stashed at my desk for a break in. Just a little Jimenez JA380. I have a Hi-point 380 too for range play.

[fecmech]

Keltec P3AT for me. I personally think it and the Ruger LCP are the only "real" pocket pistols. All the baby 9's and many of the mentioned .380s IMO are holster guns. If it needs a holster than you have to think about the ability to conceal it etc. I'm 5'7" and the KT rides in my front jean pocket behind my wallet.

[Drm50]

Ruger LCP is hard to beat. Dependable, small & light and reasonably priced. There is no doubt more expensive choices that are a lot nicer guns, but they don't work any better. I hate all plastic pistols but vouch for LCP.

[Outpost75]

Your fondness for the Ruger LCP surprises me, Outpost. I had one of the early versions of that grouchy little gun, and I found the trigger so awful as to make the pistol virtually unshootable for me... ...I know that Ruger, over the years, made two or three attempts to improve the atrocious trigger-pull of their original LCP offering, and I'm guessing you must have one of the later versions with the updated trigger improvements. Of course the new model, the LCPII, has a completely different trigger system...Despite our differences, though, I suspect we're both pretty well-armed.Happy trails, -- Cary Gunn --

My original model LCPs are not the first year production. As my flight instructor at NAS Whiting Field, Pensacola, FL told me years ago, "never fly the "A" model of anything!" Also, I was in another life an engineer at Ruger, Newport, NH and I know the glitches to be fixed and how to do them. I was an instructor at the police armorers school, although LCP was only a design concept when I left the company...

As an old wheelgun guy, I dislike the Glock trigger.

[Baltimoreed]

I also have been using a used Colt Mustang for a while for my edc. I did have to do some work to it, replaced recoil springs, nice stag grips and tinkered with the slide lock but it’s 100% now. Use Critical Defense ammo. Previously I carried a scandium J frame.

[poppy42]

If I were you I would check out a kel-Tex pf9. In my book it’s a great little gun. I’ve put close to 5000 rounds through mine with zero issues And it’s a 9 not a 380 and surprisingly accurate for a small gun. If you’re dead set on a 380 or something smaller than a 9 then check out a p3at. Or maybe a p32. I love my pf9. It’s my normal summer and sometimes winter ( when attire preclude a full size 9) edc. Good luck in your search. I hope I was helpful.

[Texas by God]

FN model 1910. Ok, I woke up. Ruger LCP with DA not Glockish trigger would suit.

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[ewlyon]

Tried the LCP, hated it. Have a BDA which is nice but not an efficient carry gun. My sig p238 on the other hand rides in my pocket everyday and shoots like a dream. Low recoil, actual sights make accurate hits very easy, and has been insanely reliable with a variety of hollowpoints and cheap target ammo. I can easily ring steel with it at 95yds and there are enhancements that allow fitting an extra round in the mags so I can have 8rds of 380 in my pocket gun even with the smallest mag. I recommend it or one of the similar guns from Kimber to everyone who asks about guns of this size.

[EMC45]

Just tore the P3AT down to pins and springs. Pretty grimy in there. I cleaned it and oiled it all back up and put it all back together.

[EMC45]

After the rebuild and oiling I ran a box of 102gr. Lee bullets through it without a problem.

[7000al]

I have 2 LCP gen 2. It fits easily in any front pocket in a Desantis pocket holster. I wish I could find the real estate inside my waist band that you guys seem to! Very reliable and the price is hard to beat. I feel sure i will buy a LCP 2 before long for the much better trigger. It seems to me that the bottom line is that you need a gun that you actually will carry. Small is what i will carry. It is hidden in my front pocket everywhere but work. If the gun is uncomfortable it will be somewhere else when you need it. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Lefty Red]

The Kel Tec 3AT are bullet proof, I washed one up in the washer twice now! “Wonder what that is bouncing around in the dryer?” Broke it down, dried it out with the hairdryer, and test fired it. Works every time. I DID THIS TWICE! I carried it in my left hand jeans pocket with a clip. Still carry it when I don’t carry the BGs. I will phase it out due to it being TOO SMALL for me. No Hogue Beavertail Grip fits it without modifying a LCP one. Have ruined two trying to modify one. Would be cheaper to just the new LCP with the higher sights. LOL

Kimber Micro 380 TLE, beautiful firearm. I think it feels better in my hand than the SIGs or the 911, which are both excellent pistols too. But it matches my Ultra II TLE and I wear it when the boys get together for a day of showing off and gun shop running. It has night sights and rounded and smooth, which is way I prefer it over the sharp edges on the 911 and 238. FYI, you can get the SIG’s SAS model and even the more expensive CDP from Kimber and it’s the “melted” treatment for a really smooth draw from the pocket. I carry my Micro in a Desantis Nemesis. Even with the 7rd magazine, it’s an easy pocket draw for me.

SW Bodyguard and M&P380 Bodyguard are my daily carry. I put a Hogue Beavertail Grip on them. It adds a little girth, but no weight which I view more important for pocket carry. They are my pick, not perfect, but I can hit the A Zone out to 15 yards.

Glock 42 is what I always suggest to someone. It’s a great pistol, soft shooter, and great accuracy. Most say it shoots as good as a full size Glock, and I have to agree. I can hit a head size target out to 25 yards with it. You can upgrade your sights, it handles the heaviest loads (yeah, I know), and it’s (now!) very reliable. The trigger has finally gotten decent and 03 versions of magazines keeps it feeding flawlessly. I don’t carry one because it’s too big for pocket carry for me, or I should say too heavy. I can carry it in a Desantis Superfly or Nemeses or Vedder Pocket Holster, when wearing cargo pants. I would carry it on the belt, but I need a Hogue Beavertail Grip for it to fit my hands. With the way my hands are going, I might end back up to the G42 in a few years.

I will be the odd man out and say I do not like the LCPII. Even with a Hogue Beavertail Grip (see a pattern here), I just don’t like the way it felt. I will say I have yet to hear of anyone’s having any problems. And a lot of people I know carry it. I think it’s the sights on the BG that I like over the LCPII’s.

I think weight it the most important factor in if a pocket pistol is going to work for me. The LCR is very light and a tad bulky, and I use to carry it a lot. Very comfortable but I could not shoot it accurately. So even by adding a Hogue or Pachmayr slip on grip, or grip tape like Talon or others, it will help you shoot better and more comfortable in your hand if you need it.

Be safe,
Lefty

[Sig556r]

+1 for the LCP1 for me, always in my left back pocket...

[osteodoc08]

The Sig P238 I had for a while was an easy to carry and fun to shoot pistol. It went down the road when I figured out I could carry a Shield9 or even my XDS45 with minimal difference.

[Uncle Grinch]

I went from a Colt Officer 45 to a Ruger LCP2 and after a few weeks, I finally said NO! That thing was too plasticy (if that’s a word). We back to my LGS and came home with a Sig P320 9mm Subcompact. It’s little bigger than I needed for carry, but I’ve got 13 rounds and it’s fairly light for its size.

Now my some picked up a Kahr CW380 and it is really nice. It’s got enough weight and is small and Hickock45 seems to say good things about it. May have to start looking for one of these!

[RED BEAR]

I see a lot of people are down on the 380 for defence and i don't understand. The 380 has been used for defence for well over 100 years now and has went to war. There is a trend to have to be bigger and bigger and big today is just not big enough tomorrow. If you do your job the 380 will definitely do its job. I feel perfectly comfortable carrying a 32 or 25. Its not what you shoot its were you shoot.

[FergusonTO35]

I see a lot of people are down on the 380 for defence and i don't understand. The 380 has been used for defence for well over 100 years now and has went to war. There is a trend to have to be bigger and bigger and big today is just not big enough tomorrow. If you do your job the 380 will definitely do its job. I feel perfectly comfortable carrying a 32 or 25. Its not what you shoot its were you shoot.

This 100%. Shot placement is king, penetration is queen. I can shoot my Glock 42 as well as any other handgun I have ever tried, love that pistol!

[EMC45]

I see a lot of people are down on the 380 for defence and i don't understand. The 380 has been used for defence for well over 100 years now and has went to war. There is a trend to have to be bigger and bigger and big today is just not big enough tomorrow. If you do your job the 380 will definitely do its job. I feel perfectly comfortable carrying a 32 or 25. Its not what you shoot its were you shoot.

I agree. A couple in the belly button/windpipe/eye sockets and you have a desired affect.

[MOA]

Got a Browning 10/71 back in 1972 but lost it in a burglary in 75. I never got rid of the second magazine all these years. Came across another one recently an said why not, now I can put that second mag to good use after 44 years. Many have never heard of this model. It is a blow-back operated action, single stack, small and slim well made pistol. I plan on removing the front and rear sights and putting some quality nite sights that will not slow or hamper a cc draw.

Will practice with my 115gr RCBS cast using 700X. But carry with gold dots.