[amstutz]

I am interested in getting a .380 for a carry weapon. Not being from a city, or even close to a city, gun shops are few and far between. No one in our area has any .380's in stock and I am told they have long waiting lists for those that may come in soon. I guess the recent election has motivated folks to make purchases. Any ideas where I can get a good .380? I am not sure about purchasing from the internet.
I'm not interested in carrying my S&W model 19.
Thanks
AL

 

[chopkick]

I personally would order said pistol from the internet and have it shipped to the nearest gun store. My personal choice if money were no option would be the Sig P232. If my cash flow was limited, I would get a Bersa .380

 

[Boris]

I am interested in getting a .380 for a carry weapon. Not being from a city, or even close to a city, gun shops are few and far between. No one in our area has any .380's in stock and I am told they have long waiting lists for those that may come in soon. I guess the recent election has motivated folks to make purchases. Any ideas where I can get a good .380? I am not sure about purchasing from the internet.
I'm not interested in carrying my S&W model 19.
Thanks
AL

If you want to carry a pocket pistol personally I would, and have carried a 7.65mm in preference to the 9 mm Short. reason, low recoil, more accurate, greater penetration and usually an additional round over other pocket autos. Choice of pistols slightly better and as I'm an old fart so I prefer as a choice the Walther PP or PPK/S or if you can find one a Sauer 38H. The Sig pocket autos based on the Mauser HSc I find shoot low when point shooting.

As for finding one I think I would research when the next gun show is and make a trip to the bright lights, look at as much as you can..........

 

[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.

 

[CA357]

I just bought a CZ 2075 RAMI. It's a 10 round 9mm subcompact. They cost around $500. If you can fit that in your budget, CZ makes outstanding pistols.

If you absolutely must have a .380, consider moving up to a 9mm Makarov There's some choice in pistols too. The 9mm Mak round has a bit more horsepower.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[DuckA]

The P3AT is a good option for a .380. The LCP is probably the one with the long wait.

 

[Wheeler]

.380 Carry??

Oh Yes! Just remember what has been said about encounters with boogers wearing heavy clothing. That being said, one must remember that it is the hits that count and where the hit is placed. Practice enough and even in a tight situation, when one must react quickly, shot placement can stop nearly any escalation of negative events.

I carried a Govt model for 30 years as a primary carry in the Marine Corps and a KIMBER in .45 for 12 years in law enforcement. I truly have a love affair with the Browning design. My carry now for summer is a Bersa Thunder .380. Break it in well (about 500+ rounds) and you won't be disappointed. Don't want to break it in like that?? Then don't carry it. I also carry any of my four .45s, a CZ-75B in .40, a CZ-2075 RAMI in .40 (break this one in well too) and, a well broken in polished Sarsilmaz Hancer (from Turkey), in 9mm. I LOVE this gun. Good heft, quality design a la CZ, comfortable grip. Sarsilmaz has been in business since about 1880 so it's not a new guy on the block.

Still, for summer, I prefer my primary carry to be my BT .380. Ammo is getting more readily available (keep going to Academy, Monday, Wednesday and Friday about 9:30 - 10:00.

Semper Fi,

Wheeler

 

[gorknoids]

Oh Yes! Just remember what has been said about encounters with boogers wearing heavy clothing. That being said, one must remember that it is the hits that count and where the hit is placed. Practice enough and even in a tight situation, when one must react quickly, shot placement can stop nearly any escalation of negative events.

I carried a Govt model for 30 years as a primary carry in the Marine Corps and a KIMBER in .45 for 12 years in law enforcement. I truly have a love affair with the Browning design. My carry now for summer is a Bersa Thunder .380. Break it in well (about 500+ rounds) and you won't be disappointed. Don't want to break it in like that?? Then don't carry it. I also carry any of my four .45s, a CZ-75B in .40, a CZ-2075 RAMI in .40 (break this one in well too) and, a well broken in polished Sarsilmaz Hancer (from Turkey), in 9mm. I LOVE this gun. Good heft, quality design a la CZ, comfortable grip. Sarsilmaz has been in business since about 1880 so it's not a new guy on the block.

Still, for summer, I prefer my primary carry to be my BT .380. Ammo is getting more readily available (keep going to Academy, Monday, Wednesday and Friday about 9:30 - 10:00.

Semper Fi,

Wheeler

.380 is actually 9mm short. "Kurz", if you will. It is absolutely a man-killer, particularly if fired into the head from the eyes down to the Adam's Apple. Ideally, you'll impact the medulla oblongata and drop the BG quicker than a shot to the heart. Mine keyholes at about 30' with the 2" barrel, so it's definitely not a sniper round, but for close-in personal protection, trust in it.
You can't carry a 1911 in hiking shorts, no matter what DJ says!

 

[layton]

I personally prefer the 45 ACP, guess just old fashioned, but I like the way it hits and what it does, to me any thing under a 40 caliber is just subject to tick some one off, if it is not a motor hit, of course a 22 is a man killer, if you stop the motor, but is almost all aggressive actions, they only last seconds and are real up close and personal with no time to place the hits, also you will at best be only half as good as your worst day on the range.



Layton

 

[wsearfoss]

ammo

Ammo is hit and miss

My brother in-law was at Walmart when they just happen to bring out the only case of 45 they received and he told them not to bother opening the case basue he was buying it.

 

[wsearfoss]

380 2 Miss Fires Blazer Brass

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]

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?