Who owns a .380, and why?

[orange]

...would YOU want to get hit with a .380?

Sorry, but this is really a dumb argument. What WOULD you want to be hit with? .32? .22?

I DARE ANYBODY THAT DISSES MY .177 BB GUN CCW TO TAKE ONE TO THE EYEBALLS AND NO YOU DON'T GET TO WEAR GLASSES

 

[Tim-g19]

I don't own a .380 yet. The walther PK380 interests me ALOT though. As soon as I fondle one and see how it feels and looks It may just be added to my stable.

 

[dross]

Why you ask?.............Bond, James Bond . ......That's why.

I think JB used a .32. Sorry to ruin it for you.

 

[Tommy2Tone]

Sorry, but this is really a dumb argument. What WOULD you want to be hit with? .32? .22?

I DARE ANYBODY THAT DISSES MY .177 BB GUN CCW TO TAKE ONE TO THE EYEBALLS AND NO YOU DON'T GET TO WEAR GLASSES

Anything is better then a stick. I say carry what you want but carry.

 

[gfry12]

I have a sig p232 and love it, it's technically the wife's gun but in this case what's hers is mine.

 

[sunspot]

I carry a Bersa 380, small enough to conceal 12 months a year, and it fits my hand very well, for the extremely slight chance it will ever come out of the holster, I believe the 380 with a decent round will deter most agression, it sure would mine !!

John

 

[Turtle]

bersa 380 great lil gun! Will bite the hand at times to keep ya alert. Its the wifes gun now.

 

[Tommy2Tone]

I believe the 380 with a decent round will deter most aggression.
John

I completely agree. It is all about confidence and being comfortable. Yeah a desert eagle has more stopping power then my little bersa but can you CC the DE in the summer. It just really bothers me when people say stuff like 9mm is a 45 set on stun, i only carry something that starts with a 4, blah blah. I believe that is complete ignorance. I am 100% confident that 10 rounds of .380 DPX to the chest WILL stop the bad guy long enough to get myself/loved ones out of the situation, if not i will have 14 more rounds for the BG to try. Like i said earlier, i want everyone to carry, and who am i to tell them what to carry. I want them to be confident in their weapon of choice.

 

[dye]

I have a sig 232 that's easy to carry. Another advantge of a .380 is that you can spend as much spare time as you want trying to find ammo for it

 

[Roadie]

I have a sig 232 that's easy to carry. Another advantge of a .380 is that you can spend as much spare time as you want trying to find ammo for it

Yeah, I am finding that out! lol

I shot my new (to me) Bersa 380 today for the fist time. Wow. I made the right choice as far as fitting me. My hands are small, and it fits me perfect. Lite muzzle flip, which is good since I have carpal tunnel.

I dropped it in a cargo pants pocket, and even without a pocket holster, it was pretty camouflaged.

I like!

 

[jajwrigh]

I carry a KelTec 3AT a lot because there is almost no time that I can't carry it. It drops in my pocket and is unnoticeable. The cartridge is considered "marginal" by most experts. However, like the old saying goes; "The best gun to have is the one that you're carrying when you need it". IMHO, Having a gun and being able to be accurate with it is far more important than what you carry.

That being said.... When I can carry a larger gun, I do.

I am 100% agreeing!

 

[INRanger]

The first gun I bought for my wife was a Bersa Thunder .380ACP. She really liked it, aw hell I did too. A couple of years ago I bought her an XD40 sub compact and the Bersa hasn't seen the light of day since. She finds the sub compact 40 more comfortable to carry than the Bersa.

 

[kludge]

Another Bersa thunder .380 here.

I just wanted one, that's why. A lady brought her Thunder .380 CC to one of the classes, and I really like it. Since a .380 would not be a CCW for me I opted not to get the "CC" model.

I'm gonna get me some of that new Hornady "critical defense" stuff too when I can find some. Right now I have Gold Dots.

Much softer shooting than my Kel-Tec P-11, but much more accurate in my hands (I blame the trigger ).

A couple of years ago I bought her an XD40 sub compact and the Bersa hasn't seen the light of day since. She finds the sub compact 40 more comfortable to carry than the Bersa.

I'm curious... What is her mode of carry? (An XD-40 is my usual carry piece, and I've been considering the sub compact.)

Also how comfortable is she shooting the .40? (The standard "guy answer" is the .40 is too snappy for a woman, which I don't agree with.)

 

[cce1302]

I'm curious... What is her mode of carry? (An XD-40 is my usual carry piece, and I've been considering the sub compact.)

Also how comfortable is she shooting the .40? (The standard "guy answer" is the .40 is too snappy for a woman, which I don't agree with.)

I know you didn't ask me, but I'd like to offer an answer. I own both the XD40SC and the 40 Service. My wife shoots both (but likes my P95 and her .32 Beretta better) but doesn't like the recoil much in the SC. She likes shooting the 4" better, but will shoot the 3". It's not painful or anything.

Many of the women that post here claim that the .40 is too snappy for them. I think that 9mm is too pingy (as long as we're making up strange descriptions for different calibers).

 

[INRanger]

My wife is a high school teacher and a few years ago one of her colleagues was attacked, not on school grounds or by a student or anything. He shot his attacker 4 times the guy ran away. The police caught up to him a few hours later and he still had all 4 Gold Dots in is jacket. A freak concurrence? Maybe. BTW it was one of those overstuffed sleeping bag looking things. She lost confidence in the round and wanted to switch. She really liked the way the XDsc shoots its comfortable and accurate and most importantly she has confindence in her weapon. I'm not trying to put down the .380 as a defense cartridge based on one isolated occurrence, I carry one as a BUG on occasion. In my wifes case she lost confidence in the cartridge that she was carrying and that can be almost as dangerous as not carrying. I hope this helped.

 

[Colt556]

I carry a PPK (Not PPK/S) with a flat bottom mag in my back pocket. It fits perfect and I have no qualms about it being a lowly 380. A 380 GD or Hydra Shok has plenty of stopping power, shot placement just becomes more important.

 

[Roadie]

So keep in mind I am a total n00b here....

...but I was reading somewhere that it has been suggested that if you carry a smaller caliber like the .380 you should alternate FMJ and JHP in your magazine and practice 2 round "bursts". That way you have penetration, AND spread.

Any comments?

 

[Bubbajms]

I'd rather spend the time practicing than alternating rounds, but to each their own..

I spent a quality half-hour at a range one afternoon next to a guy who was advocating this, and proceeded to show everybody his 1911 with alternating rounds. And brands, too, because a leather coat may stop gold dots but not hydrashocks..

I bet this is the guy that's buying all the FMJ at Wal-Mart before I can get there..

To be frank, I've always carried hollowpoints in my mags, top to bottom. If shots to center mass don't seem to be working, I'll switch my point of aim to something more stopping..

 

[INRanger]

So keep in mind I am a total n00b here....

...but I was reading somewhere that it has been suggested that if you carry a smaller caliber like the .380 you should alternate FMJ and JHP in your magazine and practice 2 round "bursts". That way you have penetration, AND spread.

Any comments?

I wouldn't recommend alternating ammunition types, stick with a quality HP round. As for "2 round bursts" I believe you are referring to controlled pairs. It is an often misunderstood technique it is not acquire target and pull trigger twice. It is acquire, fire, reacquire and fire. It takes allot of practice to get right, but it's a technique that I endorse. Another common misunderstanding is that you fire your controlled pair and pause to assess. That is a fundamentally bad idea. You dont stop shooting until the treat stops. Controlled pairs is a technique designed to control rate of fire, not the "double tap" fight ender.

 

[rmcrob]

To your original question, I own one because it's really tiny and will fit in my wife's purse or pocket.