Buying the wife a 380 suggestions

[cue7467]

Beretta 84 is nice if you find a Italian made one. Plus it is 13 rounds...

 

[Joe Williams]

Beretta 84 is nice if you find a Italian made one. Plus it is 13 rounds...

I'm not a fan of those, because of the double stack "feature." That gives you a .380 sized about like my XD9sc, just a bit smaller than a Glock 19. If you are going to carry a gun that size, why make it a .380 when you can have the much more effective 9mm?

 

[wally05]

We just shot our beautiful Beretta 85f cheetah. Single Stack, She did great with it, but it kicks hard and actually kind of hurt my hand, so we will be looking for a small 9mm.

 

[Shep79]

Bersa for your price range. Save a little more and get a PPK/S for the ultimate .380 fun and reliability.

 

[cosermann]

Among the full-size .380s, the SIG is the best overall IMO. The Bersa is the best value for the money. The Walther PPK/S has a little of the James Bond panache, but at OVER 22 oz. for a .380 acp, I just don't get it. (?)

Might as well carry a 9 mm (like a Kahr CW9) if you're going to carry something that big and heavy.

The pocket .380s are another matter. I still like the Kel-Tec P3At better than the Ruger LCP. It's as good a pistol in every area where it counts and is cheaper. The Ruger beats it on fit/finish/cosmetics.

 

[Crownhilldigger]

I haven't seen any .380 cartridges for sale anywhere in quite some time-where are you finding shells?

 

[OldFaithful]

Another Bersa Recommendation

I've been CC for years with several different pistols, but my current favorite is the Bersa Thunder 380. It's small, yet fits my hand very well. Perhaps the best feature is it's ability to conceal completely, with no print. I've put hundred of rounds through it, with various types of ammo, and never had a jam or misfire. My only complaint would be that the slide is some soft, lightweight material and it has begun to show signs of wear at the points of contact with the steel frame. Otherwise I'd still recommend this pistol to anyone!

 

[stilllearning09]

I haven't seen any .380 cartridges for sale anywhere in quite some time-where are you finding shells?

I was at Atterbury on Sunday and the SRO said he had a lot of .380. I was surprised that they had that ammo in stock. Not Wally world prices, but not bad. Probably because they aren't open through the week.

 

[Indecision]

My girlfriend carries a LCP, and loves it. Difficult to operate slide, but very high quality.

My girlfriend's sentiments as well. She manages the slide though, and the more she does it, the easier it gets. Technique, not wear.

 

[bigray46725]

i would say a bersa .380 i have one and it is a very good gun for the price

 

[Taipan]

Yep, can't beat the price of the P3AT!

 

[Adrenaline]

I haven't seen any .380 cartridges for sale anywhere in quite some time-where are you finding shells?

One thing about .380 ammo it is VERY hard to come by. I have been looking and looking for some for my new RUGER LCP to just break the little gun in with. And I had to finally buy some more expensive 50 round Independence 90 grain FJM for 29.99. It was tough to find even the more expensive stuff (here in NC I had to drive 30 minutes to find some, and even then I had to drive there twice because the first time they only had hollowpoints which I only needed one box for home defense as it was so spendy).
So far I love my little Ruger LCP, but have not shot it as I just finally got ammo for it today after about a 20 days of looking for ammo. I do like that it is easy for me to rack the slide, but the sights leave much to be desired. I love it for my soon to be open carry and in the future after my conceal carry class I will love it more because it will be very EASY to hide. I think I would advise you to find a gun maybe that it is easier to get ammo for.

 

[cosermann]

Rooster007, maybe a little insight into your decision process for deciding on a 380 for your wife would help us provide more helpful feedback.

 

[gglass]

Your quest mirror my own. When my wife fist received her LTCH, she wanted something concealable, controllable and powerful enough to get the job done.

This is what she chose as her first real handgun:

Bersa Thunder 380cc (Cost ~390 bucks)

After some time with the Bersa 380cc, she finally decided that she wanted more power and the utmost in reliability. This is what she now carries:

Ruger LCR .38 Special (Cost ~390 bucks)

 

[Roadie]

Your quest mirror my own. When my wife fist received her LTCH, she wanted something concealable, controllable and powerful enough to get the job done.

This is what she chose as her first real handgun:

Bersa Thunder 380cc (Cost ~390 bucks)

After some time with the Bersa 380cc, she finally decided that she wanted more power and the utmost in reliability. This is what she now carries:

Ruger LCR .38 Special (Cost ~390 bucks)

Both are awesome choices.
How's the trigger pull on the LCR? My wife has weak hands, and that is the only thing that concerns her about a revolver.

 

[gglass]

Both are awesome choices.
How's the trigger pull on the LCR? My wife has weak hands, and that is the only thing that concerns her about a revolver.

The LCR has the best out-of-box trigger of any small frame revolver. That is the one constant theme you will see when you read professional and personal reviews of the LCR. My wife could not pull the trigger of any of the J-frame Smiths without having her hands begin to shake. She tried the LCR and said right away, "this is my new gun". The best part is that the LCR's trigger gets even better after a couple hundred pulls. My wife also learned right away how to stage the double action trigger for increased accuracy... She's a dead shot with it. She also learned to control recoil by changing her supporting hand thumb position over the back of her strong hand. She now says that the felt recoil is half of what is used to be... she's a happy shooter.

This video link shows the best way to shoot a snubbie revolver:
Tiles with Categories

 

[Roadie]

The LCR has the best out-of-box trigger of any small frame revolver. That is the one constant theme you will see when you read professional and personal reviews of the LCR. My wife could not pull the trigger of any of the J-frame Smiths without having her hands begin to shake. She tried the LCR and said right away, "this is my new gun". The best part is that the LCR's trigger gets even better after a couple hundred pulls. My wife also learned right away how to stage the double action trigger for increased accuracy... She's a dead shot with it. She also learned to control recoil by changing her supporting hand thumb position over the back of her strong hand. She now says that the felt recoil is half of what is used to be... she's a happy shooter.

This video link shows the best way to shoot a snubbie revolver:
Tiles with Categories

Awesome, thanks for the info!
My wife likes the simplicity of a revolver, so we will have to give the LCR a look.

 

[Rollo]

My wife has a Ruger LCP. It is by no means a fun gun to shoot but it gets the job done in a small package. 500 Rounds through and no failures what so ever. It's amazingly accurate for the size.

 

[latigo]

You might check out the Taurus PT138 line up. I bought one for my wife and I really liked the price and the trigger take up,grip, very reliable easy to rack slide also the new models have a thumb safety

 

[55spartan]

ruger lcp. my wife's past carry gun. now she is into a 9mm.