[wsearfoss]

BTW I have had two miss fires with Blazer Brass 380 ammo. Thank God I was at the range and not in the Wal-Mart parking lot trying to save my life.

[UnderFire]

.380's are great little carry guns, but with the ammo demand for .380's the price has gone through the roof. I was talking to my brother-in-law how .380 ammo was more expensive than .45 cal- go figure.
I suggest a 9mm for the simple reasons of; it's a proven round and the ammo is cheap. A cheap price for quality ammo is a big plus at the range during practing.

Everyone has their view on caliber & stopping power.
This is mine...it's all about shot placement. The only way to disable someone really really quickly is with a shot to the heart or central nervous system. A hit anywhere else doesn't guarantee that the person is going down. Despite what you see in movies, any handgun bullet is going to do very little damage as compared to a shotgun or rifle. Any good defensive round (.380 & up IMO) is going to be able to drop someone with a well-placed shot. Another big factor (IMO more important than caliber) is bullet design.

[gorknoids]

Originally Posted by robocop10mm

In Northern Michigan weather gets pretty darn cold. In the winter months you should anticipate encountering people wearing heavy clothing. .380 will NOT be adequate to deal with a heavily clothed attacker. The .380 will (at best) be a summer gun and a marginal summer gun at that.

I would prefer a subcompact 9mm for your climate. I have and carry a .380, but only as a backup to a more substantial caliber.

I concur, and I carry a .380 from time to time. The money you save buying a bargain .380 will be eaten up in the first 10 trips to shoot it, also. I carry ball ammo simply due to the fact that JHP .380 doesn't provide acceptable penetration.

[supergus]

The guns themselves for the most part are readily available. Yes, you'll wait longer than you would have 8 months ago, but they're out there. .380 ammo on the other hand(at least in my area) is impossible to find. If you do find it, you need to make the choice whether or not you'll pay the outrageous prices. I've seen people at the gun shop buy a Kel-Tec or Bersa, and one box of .380 ammo, only to come back a month later freaking out 'cause there's no .380 to be found. My local gun shop has not had .380 ammo in 4 months. AND he has just now started to be able to get JHP .45. BTW Remington has a flat nose JHP for .45
that is only a little more than Gold Dot or Hornady JHP, but you get 25 rounds instead of 20.

[spittinfire]

I'm curious as to why you are against carrying a S&W model 19? Not the smallest gun in the world but concealable and a 357 is head and shoulders above a 380. Do you have a 6" model?