Keep or sell the .380s?

[A.J. Holst]

In my less than learned opinion, most .380/9mm pocket guns are perfect for the 3-3-3 rule.

If you are proficient drawing from the pocket or carry position, it is reliable with a good .380 round and you've spent some time practicing to actually be able to shoot it well.

Depending on level of concealment, I've found it's grip height vs. thickness which increases concealability.

There are time when I need the size of an LCP,  in my case, it's a Kimber Micro with flush mag. 

Heavier than, but worth it since the few extra ounces make it a fun shooter.

.380 is also a little more affordable to practice with, I've seen shelf prices 12.99-14.99/50. One line, as cheap as 9

I also have a PK380, which is bigger, not sure how it compares to your Remington, but is also a great SD/HD/range gun.

[cybernorris]

On 10/31/2018 at 4:46 PM, tercel89 said:

How has the Remington ran for you ? Reliable or not ?

The Remington runs quite well. I assume the additional bulk of the steel frame makes it more comfortable to shoot than the LCP. Of the two, I am able to get better accuracy with the RM380. 

[cybernorris]

12 hours ago, 221 Fireball said:

Selling the .380 short? C'mon, I've seen James Bond shoot guys at 100 yards with his PPK ... while skiing down a mountain.  

Except Bond was issues the PPK in 7.65mm Browning, aka .32 ACP.

[A.J. Holst]

7 hours ago, cybernorris said:

Except Bond was issues the PPK in 7.65mm Browning, aka .32 ACP.

Which, according to Major Boothroyd, will blow a man through a plate glass window. 

[A.J. Holst]

And 007, leave the Beretta...

[tnhawk]

Before I got a P938, my LCP got much more carry time.  However there are times when if I didn't have the LCP I would be unarmed.

[Moped]

The LCP has it's uses.  I carry mine probably 90% of the time.

[bersaguy]

Back when I had my S&W Bodyguard I would many times carry it and a concealed side arm together depending on where I was going.

[cybernorris]

Update: Am keeping both of the .380s. Discussion here convinced me that 1) their resale value is minimal, 2) there are circumstances where either one is ultimately more concealable than anything else.

BersaGuy also made a good argument for spreading them around the house ... which at the moment I'm not going to do as we have a 13 year old daughter who has friends over.

Thanks to everyone for the conversation. BTW, my next purchase will likely be a Glock 26 Gen5.

[tnhawk]

I could never sell my 380 as it is there when none of my other guns fit the task. 

You will like the G26.  I've have carried a G27 for several years but would choose the 9mm if I were purchasing it today.

[ChanceMcCall]

On 10/31/2018 at 6:13 PM, deerslayer said:

I don’ t understand the difference between a gun used to “get the bad guy off me” and a gun used to neutralize a threat, but these are apparently two different things.  

Hey. I'm very new on this forum, so please take that into account.

They are two different things. I have no problem with a North American in .22 as a last ditch gun. Some guns are purely for getting someone else off of you. The distances are almost always contact distance so sights and aiming are of lesser importance. No one likes getting shot and they will normally react to it which may give you time to get away from the immediate danger.

However, if someone else is already displaying a firearm, or intends to, many of the smaller guns .22 - .25 - .32 - .380 may not stop them from doing or planning to do. These situations call for a larger caliber, and often for some accuracy. My belt gun is a Springfield Armory XDs because it is the smallest, lightest .45 I'm comfortable with. 

I do not consider either a 9mm or a .45ACP to be a one shot stopper unless you get the right head shot, but several rapid fire shots usually work with the right ammo out of a .45. I have some limited experience with 9mm and I would likely shoot until they went down to ground if I were dealing with an armed and determined adversary.

Different guns for different purposes.

[bersaguy]

34 minutes ago, ChanceMcCall said:

Hey. I'm very new on this forum, so please take that into account.

They are two different things. I have no problem with a North American in .22 as a last ditch gun. Some guns are purely for getting someone else off of you. The distances are almost always contact distance so sights and aiming are of lesser importance. No one likes getting shot and they will normally react to it which may give you time to get away from the immediate danger.

However, if someone else is already displaying a firearm, or intends to, many of the smaller guns .22 - .25 - .32 - .380 may not stop them from doing or planning to do. These situations call for a larger caliber, and often for some accuracy. My belt gun is a Springfield Armory XDs because it is the smallest, lightest .45 I'm comfortable with. 

I do not consider either a 9mm or a .45ACP to be a one shot stopper unless you get the right head shot, but several rapid fire shots usually work with the right ammo out of a .45. I have some limited experience with 9mm and I would likely shoot until they went down to ground if I were dealing with an armed and determined adversary.

Different guns for different purposes.

 If a person places a 22 LR round in the right place a bad guy will go down like a ton of bricks. NO, IT IS NOT a self defense weapon but can be as deadly as any hand gun out there in the right hands of someone with knowledge of bullet placement..........JMHO

[Dennis1209]

On 10/30/2018 at 9:56 PM, cybernorris said:

My primary carry is a Glock G19 (Gen2). I plan to add a G26 for something more compact, but still with decent capacity.

Do I keep the Ruger LCP (with upgraded trigger) and/or the Remington RM380? We all know the LCP fits in a pocket very easily. The RM380 is a bit bigger but also pocket sized. It also seems to get on target and is easier on the hand & wrist. Of course I don’t have to get rid of either.

Anyone got any thoughts or opinions on the subject?

I was in the same thought process. My primary CCW is also a G19 Gen 3, and I also have a baby Glock 9mm Gen 3. I also had a Ruger LCP, small great dependable gun. I was inventorying my ammunition one day during the last ammo crunch, to see how many rounds I had for each caliber or gun I had. To see if I was getting close to having to cut back on my shooting matches and practice, as all popular ammo was difficult to get at reasonable prices.

Then the thought hit me... Why am I stocking so many calibers, I don't carry a back up gun, and about the only time a use the LCP is to walk the 200 yards down to the mail box or trash, and I slipped it into my pocket. 

I've since standardized my handgun collection to 9mm, with the exception of my .357 revolver. Now a short trip to town or the mail box, I slip a small 9mm into my belt with a sticky holster appendix position and good to go. 

Being an old man with diminishing eye sight and not wearing my glasses; not long ago running late to a pistol match, I reached into the safe and grabbed a few boxes of 9mm for my G19 I was going to use. Long story short, arrived at the match and began to load the first magazine and the round wouldn't fit. I grabbed .45 caliber by mistake. Do you know the feeling that came over me?

But anyway, the LCP is a great little gun and has its place. I find since I consolidated ammo it's much easier grabbing what I need, how much I have and need to keep on hand, etc. Just a matter of personal preference I suppose. 

[Dennis1209]

On 11/2/2018 at 6:46 AM, Gotthegoods said:

Which, according to Major Boothroyd, will blow a man through a plate glass window. 

Apparently he didn't watch any American cowboy movies with the 12 ga. shotgun blowing a person back 15 yards 

[Dennis1209]

On 11/12/2018 at 9:48 PM, cybernorris said:

Update: Am keeping both of the .380s. Discussion here convinced me that 1) their resale value is minimal, 2) there are circumstances where either one is ultimately more concealable than anything else.

BersaGuy also made a good argument for spreading them around the house ... which at the moment I'm not going to do as we have a 13 year old daughter who has friends over.

Thanks to everyone for the conversation. BTW, my next purchase will likely be a Glock 26 Gen5.

Again we have a lot in common. I was going to upgrade my G26 gen 3 to the gen 5. Looking through the glass counter I spied a Sig 320 sub-compact and asked to see it. Long story short, I walked out with the new Sig and kept my G26.

BAD, BAD sales counter gun guy! There should be another liberal law against impulse buying  

[cybernorris]

5 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

I was in the same thought process. My primary CCW is also a G19 Gen 3, and I also have a baby Glock 9mm Gen 3. I also had a Ruger LCP, small great dependable gun. I was inventorying my ammunition one day during the last ammo crunch, to see how many rounds I had for each caliber or gun I had. To see if I was getting close to having to cut back on my shooting matches and practice, as all popular ammo was difficult to get at reasonable prices.

Then the thought hit me... Why am I stocking so many calibers, I don't carry a back up gun, and about the only time a use the LCP is to walk the 200 yards down to the mail box or trash, and I slipped it into my pocket. 

I've since standardized my handgun collection to 9mm, with the exception of my .357 revolver. Now a short trip to town or the mail box, I slip a small 9mm into my belt with a sticky holster appendix position and good to go. 

Being an old man with diminishing eye sight and not wearing my glasses; not long ago running late to a pistol match, I reached into the safe and grabbed a few boxes of 9mm for my G19 I was going to use. Long story short, arrived at the match and began to load the first magazine and the round wouldn't fit. I grabbed .45 caliber by mistake. Do you know the feeling that came over me?

But anyway, the LCP is a great little gun and has its place. I find since I consolidated ammo it's much easier grabbing what I need, how much I have and need to keep on hand, etc. Just a matter of personal preference I suppose. 

Ya know I hadn't even considered relieving myself of particular guns for the purpose of consolidating to a single caliber. I bought the LCP after being gun poor for a couple of years because it was inexpensive. The RM380 was purchased for my wife ... and at that point we only had .380... as I don't count the .22 rifle purchased for my daughter. So the G19 was actually the odd ball. I will probably only purchase 9mm in the future... probably a G26 in the next couple of weeks. I've also considered the SCCY CPX-2, but likely to stick with the Glocks.

[OLDNEWBIE]

Well, I've decided to sell my .380 LCP to a guy at my Company. He's borrowed it to see if he likes it.

I liked it but cant get accurate with it. I have no problem with the round or the tiny concealed concept but this gun wasn't for my hand.

Question....

Here in TN no laws against face to face transfers yet, correct? No FFL middleman.  

 

[Dennis1209]

48 minutes ago, OLDNEWBIE said:

Well, I've decided to sell my .380 LCP to a guy at my Company. He's borrowed it to see if he likes it.

I liked it but cant get accurate with it. I have no problem with the round or the tiny concealed concept but this gun wasn't for my hand.

Question....

Here in TN no laws against face to face transfers yet, correct? No FFL middleman.  

 

Still legal, I'm sure I would have heard of any changes. Just make sure you retain a signed copy of the sale with model, serial, D.O.B., address, telephone, cal., date, drivers licence, etc. for your records. You just never know?

[peejman]

2 hours ago, OLDNEWBIE said:

Well, I've decided to sell my .380 LCP to a guy at my Company. He's borrowed it to see if he likes it.

I liked it but cant get accurate with it. I have no problem with the round or the tiny concealed concept but this gun wasn't for my hand.

Question....

Here in TN no laws against face to face transfers yet, correct? No FFL middleman.  

 

Your only obligation is to confirm the buyer is legally alllowed to own a firearm. How you do that isn't defined. Most people just ask. No paperwork is required. 

[Moped]

If I were going to replace my LCP, I'd probably go with a little Diamondback DB9.  I really like that size and it would consolidate my calibers.

[cybernorris]

Photographed a wedding today and was very comfortable with the LCP in the pocket. I couldn't have easily carried anything much larger.

The LCP isn't easy to control with larger hands. I have problems pulling to the right on the LCP that I don't have with the G19. Looking forward to trying out the G26.

BTW, some of us have used a concealed permit to give a seller confidence he's not selling to a prohibited possessor.

[OLDNEWBIE]

27 minutes ago, cybernorris said:

Photographed a wedding today and was very comfortable with the LCP in the pocket. I couldn't have easily carried anything much larger.

The LCP isn't easy to control with larger hands. I have problems pulling to the right on the LCP that I don't have with the G19. Looking forward to trying out the G26.

BTW, some of us have used a concealed permit to give a seller confidence he's not selling to a prohibited possessor.

The guy I'm selling to just got his permit so no problem there.

I did however sell a shotgun here awhile back to a coworker at a shop I worked at. Reasonable guy, steady job etc.

Never gave a thought about transfer laws or if he was a felon or not till a few days later. Then I got to thinking.....

Never went and asked, at that point it was too late.

I also did a trade here in TN but that guy had recently purchased through an FFL so I'm ok there I guess.

 

 

 

 

[chadbuddy]

I love the LCP 380 because it can be pocket carried and is also small enough to ankle carry.  I know that ankle carry isn't the most efficient draw but on long road trips for the holidays it is nice to have it on my person without the bulk in my pockets. I liked the term I heard in a Paul Harrell video recently, "Program Compliance".  I know I would be better off with my Glock 22 but sometimes it is just too much of a hassle and I would be unarmed if it weren't for the LCP.  You made the right call to keep the 380 IMHO.  

[JustEd]

Finally decided to get a .380 and walked out with a Sig P365 instead.  No not as small, but very small.  Shoots well, but I don't like the Sig sights

[Guest PAULSHOOT]

I would love to get rid of my Hi-Point 380 - different category than what is talked here (smaller 380s for Carry).

I just don't have a use for it, too big to Carry (OK for home or vehicle I guess). AMMO too expensive for target shooting. Plus it Keyholes a lot. Hi-Point said send it in probably need barrel replaced, not sure I want to spend the money tos end it in.

I  don;t know why I bought it.

I shoot 22's (four of them) for fun and practice target and defense shooting (22LR is much cheaper to shoot).

I have a 9MM Taurus Millinneum G2 (2016 purchase) for defense. That AMMO is cheaper than a 380 as well and I mostly practice Defense Shooting with it after warm up with 22s - do very little aim and shoot targets with the 9MM.  

That Said, saw Taurus Spectrum 380 at Knifeworks (Smoky Mtn Guns) with a sign for $35 rebate on a $170 gun (Net $135).  Sale is til Dec 31 I think. That is size of the small guns talked about in this topic and feels decent in hand for a small gun. Tempting at that price.