.380 Carry Gun

[Shooter Eighty-Eighty]

I'm looking for a good .380 to carry, of course i have looked at the LCP and now i have been turned on to the new S&W Bodyguard in .380 coming out sometime soon. Anybody know anything about either of these or other good solid .380's?

 

[Dogman]

Might look at the Kahr P380.


Kahr Arms | Maker of high quality handguns in USA

 

[Regionnus Rattis]

Just picked up the LCP 3 weeks ago and have run about 300 rounds through it...without a hiccup. Excellent pocket gun when wearing dress pants or t-shirt and shorts or a perfect purse gun for the SO.

So far I am please with it and have no complaints.

 

[Shoots4Fun]

I like my LCP and I don't think you'll find a better pocket gun. It is a nice shooter and looks great in terms of fit and finish. If you're going to carry it, that'd get my vote.

If you want something larger that you are going to plink with and shoot a lot at the range, I'd go for a Bersa 380. I had one that was a real great gun. Very comfortable and nice to shoot. It had almost no recoil and I can't really say anything bad about it.

I also like the look of the Diamond Back 380 but I've done nothing more with it than hold them in a few stores. Although I like the design since they look like a "mini-Glock", I can't see spending more than I could get an LCP for.

There's been lots of discussion about this and I had a poll about it once when I was looking hard at the LCP compared to the Kel-Tecs, so look through the old Handgun threads and you'll find a lot of information.

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/handguns/57248-pocket_gun_poll.html


My ...

 

[emfloyd]

we have a p3at and a bersa and we like them both

 

[shooter521]

SIG P238 if you like a single-action, Kahr P380 if you don't. Either way, be prepared to search one out and when you finally find it. Hopefully production will catch up with demand later this year and they will become more plentiful, if not less expensive.

The Taurus 738 and Diamondback DB380, while better in many respects than the P32/P3AT/LCP, still leave something to be desired. The SIG and Kahr, OTOH, are absolute jewels, IME. For the price, I would expect nothing less!

The Bersa line is outstanding, if you don't mind a bigger gun. Inexpensive, reliable, and pleasant to shoot. I prefer the standard Thunder 380 models to the newer and slightly slimmer Concealed Carry version.

 

[Eprobertson1]

The Bersa line is outstanding, if you don't mind a bigger gun. Inexpensive, reliable, and pleasant to shoot. I prefer the standard Thunder 380 models to the newer and slightly slimmer Concealed Carry version.

Agreed! The Bersa line give you a good feeling pistol that is very reliable and has the safety features that most of the newer one's don't have. Bersa does have the Thunder 380 C/C (Concealed Carry) and this is little bit smaller than the standard Thunder 380 but give you a comfortable grip.
Standard Thunder 380



Concealed Carry

 

[clt46910]

I personally always liked the Mauser HSc for a .380 carry gun. Just hard to find them anymore. Would love to find another good one someday. Sold the last one for a good profit and regret doing so.

 

[cosermann]

The Bersa line is outstanding, if you don't mind a bigger gun.

Yup, outstanding value, however, they're just as big as some 9mm pistols out there.

 

[shooter521]

Yup, outstanding value, however, they're just as big as some 9mm pistols out there.

Heck, they're bigger than some 9mms! But that does make them very comfortable and controllable compared to the small Nines or the .380 pocket guns. And compared to .380s like the Taurus PT58 or Hi-Point CF380, they're downright svelte.

 

[88E30M50]

I have a Bersa 380CC and a SIG P238 and both are great shooters. I keep the Sig in my pocket pretty much all the time as a BUG and switch between the Bersa 380, Bersa 9 or RIA 45 as a main carry weapon. I'm a fan of the Bersa 380s but they can be big if you are planning on pocket carry. The do make great shooters though.

The Sig P238 is the perfect pocket pistol for me. It's a hair larger than the LCP but still carries and conceals well in a pocket and is nice to shoot. I used to have a PK380, but found it too large for a 380. It's almost the size of most 9mms but it was nice to shoot. It had the softest recoil of all the 380s I've shot. It was just too big for what I wanted though.

 

[Packin-Heat]

I have the Bersa Conceal Carry model in Duo-tone. Great little gun, very accurate, great fit in hand and still small enough to carry in back jean pocket. It is definitely a great buy for the money!

 

[stilllearning09]

I have an LCP and it has been a reliable weapon.

 

[buckstopshere]

My wife loves her Bersa Thunder .380 duo-tone. It's light and fits in her purse nicely. I love the Walther PPK .380 in stainless. It's heavy and large but shoots like a dream IMO. I had one but sold it and have regreted it ever since.

 

[samwathegreat]

My preferred CC is the Keltec P3AT

Some have had reliability issues, and I did plenty of research before choosing it. The small price tag had alot to do with it, honestly.

I'm happy with my decision though - mine has performed flawless so far, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone as a CC weapon. Just be sure to put a couple hundred rounds through to break it in.

 

[DanO]

COLT. But if you can't find one, a new SIG 238. Least muzzle flip, sweetest shooting .380s you will find. As long as you are OK with cocked and locked.

Most lightweight pocket .380s stop being fun for the average shooter in less than 50 rounds because of the bite. The COLT or SIG are shoot-all-day guns.

 

[88E30M50]

COLT. But if you can't find one, a new SIG 238. Least muzzle flip, sweetest shooting .380s you will find. As long as you are OK with cocked and locked.

Most lightweight pocket .380s stop being fun for the average shooter in less than 50 rounds because of the bite. The COLT or SIG are shoot-all-day guns.

My P238 is a great shooter.

 

[AJBB87]

I agree about the P238's. I carry mine everywhere cocked 'n locked in a modified high-noon holster @ my 1 o'clock. I've got 150 flawless rounds through it so far and if ammo weren't so expensive, I'd have more. It's so accurate and very easy to reacquire the target. I love shooting it, and highly recommend it!

AJB

 

[88E30M50]

Here's my P238. I carry this gun everywhere. I've even tossed it into the pocket of a bathrobe when heading for the shower. It carries very well even when in the front pocket of jeans.

 

[Koukalaka]

+1 on the Bersa Thunder (mine was the Concealed Carry version). Never had any malfunctions, and I was reasonably accurate with it. However, I personally feel that DAO is a better type of action for a concealed carry weapon. If I ever have to draw a weapon, I would like the function to be a simple and reliable as possible...no external safety to fiddle with, etc.

Ultimately I needed to sell some guns and chose to keep my Kahr PM9 instead of the Bersa. With a choice between the two, it seemed to make more sense to me to keep the larger caliber. Plus, the PM9 carried more comfortably and "felt smaller" in my pocket. So I guess what I'm saying is...there are many great .380s, including the Bersa, but some of the small nines are comfortable enough to be worth considering.

A friend of mine just bought a Sig P238 and I have to admit it's pretty darn cool. But I am just not comfortable with a SAO pistol...cocked-and-locked in a pocket holster seems to work for a lot of people but it would make me nervous enough that I personally have to stick with a DAO, or at least a DA/SA like the Bersa or Walther PPK.

I am very attracted to the NAA Guardian for some reason, and have one on order in the proprietary .32NAA caliber (.380 necked down to accept a .32 bullet, supposedly for a more effective impact on the other end). When I do receive this pistol and have a chance to try it out, I'll try to post a review on INGO as I haven't read much here about this caliber.