Honest Opinions on small 380's??

[JWKilgore]

When I was thinking .380 I'd narrowed it down to most likely a S&W Bodyguard. Then I realized that 1) my dad and brother both have 9mm Makarovs, and the cartridges are all but identical and I didn't want any mix-ups, and 2) the Walther PPS in 9mm Luger met my needs absolutely perfectly.

So another vote for the Bodyguard .380 Auto with built-in laser.

[Patton]

The bodyguard has had a few reliability complaints and the laser isn't as good of quality as CT.

[Steelharp]

If you can find a SIG P230... best .380 ever. IMO...

[MikePapa1]

As usual, Mike's right but I love my P238, too.

[hornett22]

I'd go with the Sig p238 or Colt mustang. Both excellent. You get what you pay for. You want a cheap fire extinguisher when your house catches fire?

Bills outpost and sevier indoor range are gonna have best prices and selection around these parts. I'd highly recommend sevier indoor range for 380 selection. Great guys worth the drive.

[Guest dubaholic2]

theres really no way to argue that the sig is not the best .380 on the market. it is of superior quality, and has better feel and accuracy that any of the others. its a miniature 1911. it has a hammer, a safety, and is all metal. none of the others can say this. even at their price point i sell a lot of them. the rugers are the most popular pistols we sell and the price point and the fact that they are from a reputable compay is what sells them. the taurus is the worst selling .380 we carry, i actually have not seen one sold and only know of one that was sold and it came back for repair shortly after. we have gotten quite a few of the rugers back for repair also, but we sell a lot more so take that how you will. we have never gotten a complaint on the sig and most everyone who comes in to get one says they want it becasue they know someone who is in love with theirs. they are a little more expensive, but with firearms more than anything, you get what you pay for. its all about what you would trust your life to. here is a link to the best deal i have found on the sigs: SIG SAUER P238, 2-TONE, SLITE, LSR, BLK GRIP [238-380-TSS-LSR-C] - $479.95 : Pistols and Parts LLC, Leave Nothing To Chance just my $.02.

[monkeylizard]

I have an LCP. I don't like the long trigger pull but it's a good gun. I have almost 250 fmj and 30 jhp through it with no failures at all. The only issue I have had is that occasionally I will hit the mag release with my thumb while shooting. My wife hates it. She says it hurts her hand with its recoil.

I picked up a kahr pm9 and now the LCP just sits around.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I've got an LCP..... Its a great gun, but I cant seem to hit the broad side of a barn with..... I bought a Crimson Trace thinking that would help and it hasn't.... lol Don't get wrong, I have had no complications with it, but I jus find it hard to shoot (really thinking of selling the darn thing)..... I can drive tacks with my Glocks, so thats no the issue....

That is also my experience with tiny guns with stiff triggers. I can't drive tacks with fullsize guns, but can usually at least hit a barn with a fullsize gun if the barn is close enough and I haven't been drinking too much coffee.

I put crimson trace laser grips on my NAA 380 and it didn't help my accuracy even one little bit.

Might try a P238 sometime. The sights look better than most of the small ones and a good trigger might make it easier to shoot accurately. At the range saw a fellow's P238 he said it was a little less than $500 at Academy. That Academy model had fiberoptic night sights on it. I like fiberoptic sights. Fiberoptic night sights even more gooder!

Edited December 14, 2011 by Lester Weevils

[tnhawk]

I went into a gunshop planning to get an LCP and decided a 442 met my needs better.

[xRUSTYx]

Hmmm...

I've owned the following:

(3) P238's.

(2) P380's - Originally one, then replaced with a brand new one.

(1) LCP

P380 gave me the most problems. P238's were finicky but worked. LCP hasn't let me down yet.

Wish I had gone with the cheaper one first (ie: LCP) -- When my Boberg's arrive, .380 will no longer be mentioned in my house

I encourage you to google boberg arms !!!

[Patton]

I decided there was no perfect 380 so I got a classic j frame and I have never looked back.My friends p238 sig has too heavy of a trigger for my liking. I would rather have a lighter long trigger than the heavy short trigger of the sig. I also think the SAO of the sig makes it a lot less desireable.

[Guest Wildogre]

I have a Browning BDA 380 that I really like. It fits me well, has 13 rounds in magazine, and the manual of arms is much like my Beretta 92s. I only have about 150 or so rounds through it. The only problem that I have had with it is that the magazines are a bit hard to seat when you have them loaded with 13 rounds and one still in the chamber.

I well be picking up a Kel-Tec P3AT soon I found that it fit my hand better than the Ruger.

The BDA is no longer made so you will have to find a used one somewhere.

[TNWNGR]

I've owned and shot a KT P32 and P3AT as well as a PF9 (wife's gun now), all worked fine after a break in period. Then I bought an Lc9 and liked it so much that I bought an LCP, the LCP has become my pocket carry pistol of choice and is super nice. One other .380 ACP not mentioned yet that you should consider is the Berretta Tomcat, it's slightly thicker and larger than the LCP but it also has very good fixed sight's and a nice trigger pull. I was very suprised at how well it compaired to all of the newer pocket .380's that have come out these last few years.

[leroy]

Catfish:___________

I've carried a sig 238 everyday just like a pocket knife in my right front pocket for about a year and a half (...my old pocket carry pistol was a smith model 36; i still carry it from time to time...). The sig stopped the "hammer snag in the pocket" problem. I never go anywhere without it. It is light, reliable, and unobtrusive; exactly what a pocket pistol should be. I highly recommend it. All that bein said; it is a right handed pistol. I'm a lefty and had to learn to shoot it right handed. That wasnt a big problem, but it is an issue for some folks.

I have been shootin pistols and revolvers for about 50 or so years now; and im a big believer in the words that other posters have spoken here: "... you get what you pay for..."; choose very wisely. If i liked the glock trigger system (...and i do, i've got 3 glocks for CCW...), i would look no farther than a kahr or a s & w 380. I like 'em both. I also like the bigger 380's like the walthers, sigs, and makarovs; even though they have fell out of favor with some. They are a little bit bigger than the current crop of small pistols; but are thin and easy to conceal. They work just fine too.

I never worry about "customer service" on pistols. It has been my experience that abut 95%+ of problems can be traced to magazines with semiauto pistols. A mag may be a little bit pricey (...like the sig; -- $30 or so dollars; but so is a colt aftermarket...); but it will most likely fix the problem. The insides of these little pistols aint too complicated.

Whatever ya decide to do, pick one you like, make it reliable, and practice with it.

Have fun.

leroy

[chances R]

The FEB '12 edition of Shooting Times (i know it is only Dec.) has a very thorough article covering the Kahr P, Kel-Tec P-3AT, Ruger LCP,S&W B'Guard, and Taurus TCP. The only one that did not fare very well is the Kel-Tec. The most expensive, S&W and Kahr were favored, but LCP and TCP were also favorably reviewed. It really now comes to price. I have a LCP. Let's be real, these guns are made to carry and not shoot. They have to be reliable, and have pointability accuracy. If we had a choice we would all have a shotgun if the SHTF, but these little guns beat throwing rocks.

[MacGyver]

Between the TCP and LCP, the LCP points more naturally in my hand. I recently shot a new TCP that a friend had purchased and was having issues with out of the box. He got me to shoot it to see if I experienced the same issues, which I did.

I carried a Crimson Trace equipped LCP for about a year in my pocket with a couple of different holsters. I liked the weapon, and it was perfectly reliable with just over 550 rounds through it. My only complaint with the platform was that despite trying several different holsters, I could never seem to draw it from my pocket without having to readjust my grip. Since having a good full firing grip is important to me, I removed it from daily carry service (full disclosure - I do still carry it from time to time as a backup with a Raven Concealment holster using a merc harness).

I've gone to a j-frame as a daily pocket carry. A decent new or used 442 or the like is pretty close to your budget with an aholster for pocket carry. I find it carries better than most autos in my pockets.

[bronco302]

I'm kinda like pfries, I was looking at .380s and got a Kahr CM9 instead.

Joe W.

[JAB]

I have to give a shout out to the Kel Tec P3AT. While the first gen I bought NIB did have several 'issues', the second gen with which the factory replaced it has been 100% flawless (actually, they built me a brand new, second gen on my old frame, replacing everything but the frame free under warranty.) I will say that I liked the 'looks' of the first gen better but find the sights on the second gen to be more useful, probably due to the flat topped slide.

The Ruger is probably a good little gun but I really can't see a reason to go with the Little Copied Pistol when you could go with the original. Maybe the Ruger looks a little better but IMO the claims you constantly hear about how much better the fit and finish are when compared to the Kel Tec are at least a bit exaggerated. The ones I have looked at in gun stores simply don't bear this out, IMO. Besides, the Kel Tec must be a pretty good gun for a company like Ruger to want to steal the basic idea/design - and Kel Tec has been building them for a lot longer than Ruger. I love Ruger guns but in this case I'll take my P3AT and pass on the LCP.

I like the look and feel of the Taurus TCP a lot. That said, while I have no problem with Taurus revolvers, I am wary of Taurus semiautos.

I haven't fired one of the Sigs but I have fired an older Colt pocket .380 that I believe is the same design. Really nice gun and I'd love to own one. That said, for daily carry - especially when pocket carry might be in the mix - I'll still take my P3AT (or even a Little Copied Pistol) over that design. Part of that is just personal preference but I do not like the idea of a single action pocket gun. I wouldn't want to carry such a gun cocked and locked nor would I want to be trying to thumb back the hammer if I needed to use it. Further, the P3AT is lighter and thinner. In fact, as you mentioned ankle carry, the P3AT is so light and thin that I have found it to be extremely comfortable as an ankle gun - even in just an inexpensive, elastic ankle holster I bought for $15 at a gun show. In fact, it is just about the only gun I have that I ever use for ankle carry despite my erroneous notion that I might use my 642 for that purpose when I bought it.

A recent development that makes me like the P3AT for carry even more is the 9 round extended magazine that is available from Kel Tec. It really makes the grip too long for carry - kind of defeating the purpose of having such a small gun -but makes for an excellent backup carry mag.

Edited December 14, 2011 by JAB

[Guest olddog]

I have a S&W bodyguard. It has been back to the factory twice. once for the laser and once for the trigger not reseting. It works now but I am not sure I trust it. The laser is useless in a fast need event. I am saving up for a Sig

[Derek]

Too bad you didn't mention the P238, most likely the best of the bunch.

i cant agree more. reading the OPs post, sounded like it was written by me a couple months ago. I saved up and went with a Sig 238...hands down WELL worth the extra money....i cant tell you how much better they are...the cheaper 380s are a pain to shoot, the bodyguard is ok, but still nothing in the ballpark of the Sig.

[True Grit]

I've got an LCP..... Its a great gun, but I cant seem to hit the broad side of a barn with..... I bought a Crimson Trace thinking that would help and it hasn't.... lol Don't get wrong, I have had no complications with it, but I jus find it hard to shoot (really thinking of selling the darn thing)..... I can drive tacks with my Glocks, so thats no the issue....

That was my experience. I gave it to my son and he doesn't mind the long trigger pull and shoots much better than me. I will just keep my Sig P238 HD which is a little heavier but much less recoil. I really like the 380 round and just use it as a BUG to my Walther PPS 40.

[peejman]

The P3AT, LCP, and TCP are all essentially the same design. Ruger copied the Keltec, added a slide lock, and made it a little prettier and smoother. Taurus copied the Keltec and made it swoopy looking. Functionally, they're all the same.

All 3 are known to have various problems, most of which are easily resolved. Such is life with any assembly of mass produced parts.

You have to keep in mind that these are last resort, defensive pistols. A "get off me" gun as it were. Accuracy beyond 10 yds is irrelevant. Get the one that feels the best in your hand within your budget. If I could afford the SIG, I'd probably buy it. I got a great deal on a P3AT from someone here. I carry it frequently.

[daddyo]

Don't know anything about the Ruger or the Taurus, but I do have experience with the Kel Tec, and I share this guy's opinion on it:

A Short Rant About A Small Gun: Eric on The Kel-Tec P3AT | The Truth About Guns

[Guest Catfish36]

Wow! Thanks to all for the overwhelming response. You all gave me alot to think about. And as expected, I am still just as torn...if not more so now. haha..but at least i have a little more education and experience of others under my belt.

I think my next step now will be to go and look at that Sig and compare the weight and feel to the Ruger as well as price. May go do that tomorrow. Then if I like that Sig and bring it home..wife is going to shoot me with it!! ha.

[Guest rebeldrummer]

Wow! Thanks to all for the overwhelming response. You all gave me alot to think about. And as expected, I am still just as torn...if not more so now. haha..but at least i have a little more education and experience of others under my belt.

I think my next step now will be to go and look at that Sig and compare the weight and feel to the Ruger as well as price. May go do that tomorrow. Then if I like that Sig and bring it home..wife is going to shoot me with it!! ha.

i could see that happening!!! she dont play.......