Is a .380 enough?

[rundmlee]

Shot placement.. shot placement.. shot placement! :-)

[Spicy McHaggis]

.380 vs. .45
Ford vs. Chey
Republican vs. Democrat

Go anywhere and you will hear that conversation and everyone will give you their opinion on it.

When it comes down to .45 vs. .380, I can tell you my opinion on that one too. I'd rather have the gun with in the biggest caliber. But when it comes down to gun vs. no gun, any gun will work for you. Carry whatever you can afford and whatever you feel like. It really only matters to you, since any gun is better than nothing.

[CCWInstructor]

Originally Posted by Karatediver

Sure I would love to carry concealed my 1911 in 45 ACP but it isn't practical.

I carry a Kimber Ultra CDP in a Milt sparks Versa Max II, 17 plus hours a day. Yes, I have a Colt Mustang 380 on my CCW, it is my beach gun.

[akulahawk]

I've seen what a .25 ACP can do... a .380 will do the job if you do yours... but it might not be an instant stop. The best CCW gun you're going to have is the one you will actually carry... not the one that you'll leave at home in the safe. If a .380 is all you can shoot well and conceal well and you're going to have it with you, then that's the gun for you.

Oh, and there's a reason why military forces all over the world arm themselves with rifles and use pistols as backup weapons... it's because pistols do not have the stopping power that rifles do. Shot placement is key...

[swdr]

Originally Posted by Jonnyboy182

ANY gun if used correctly (shot placement) will drop an attacker. ... But again, ANY gun if used correctly will stop most attackers.

This works best for assailants who are willing to stand still out of arm's reach for your shot. Otherwise there's a bit of luck involved even with correct gun handling. That's why you might want to take multiple shots, or even use a larger caliber. That way, if you don't use the gun "correctly", you might get lucky and stop the assailant. Be advised that a fatal shot may not take your assailant down before he/she has taken you down; expect one-shot drops to be either luck or movie magic. That's another reason why many people prefer larger calibers. The feeling is that bigger holes are more likely to cause the assailant to stop, other things being equal.

That being said, as has been mentioned, if you don't carry it (for whatever reason), you can't use it. People have been killed from a .22LR. So carry something. A .380 is the same diameter as a 9mm, just with a shorter case -- it's called a "9mm short" or "9mm kurz" in Europe. Not all .380 handguns are smaller or lighter than 9mm handguns -- the Kahr PM9 comes to mind as a very small handgun (but a small 9mm handgun has a bigger kick than a same-weight .380). Police typically go with 9mm handguns due to cost and armory maintenance issues -- some guns are cheaper to maintain from a kick-it-across-the-pavement standpoint. Some special forces prefer a .45 because they prefer the "bigger the holes, the more likely the stop" theory. They're willing to pay for extra training, etc., to carry that larger caliber. The .40 S&W is a hotter cartridge than .45 and almost as large (though not as heavy a bullet), and is used by the FBI. It's a shortened version of the 10mm cartridge which they tried to carry (and apparently got sued out of it, hence the .40 was born). Most people will tell you to find a gun that feels right. I suggest learning to shoot well with them all -- practice until you're accurate with everything you can find, regardless of the handguns you own. Shooting a handgun isn't a natural act, so it shouldn't need to feel natural to do it without a lot of practice. Best of luck.

[darkwater]

Originally Posted by EM2

I have a Mustang .380 on my permit along with a Kahr CW9 and a Glock 23. I carry the Kahr mostly due to small size= comfort and the 9mm caliber. My Glock 23 was a bit of a chore to carry comfortably all day and not worry about concealability.
If you decide on the .380 be aware that for the time being .380 ammo is very difficult to find but 9mm is a bit easier. Since I added my .380 to my permit I have not been able to find any more ammo and this is the one caliber I am short on.

This reminds me of an article I read recently, which indicated that as ammunition manufacturers try to keep up with current demand, the .380 is going to be manufactured after the demand has been met for the more popular rounds, such as the .38 spec, .357, 9mm, .40 and .45. So, it could be a bit of a wait on .380, and depending on your urgency to purchase and practice with it, this may affect your caliber choice as well.

[Jonnyboy182]

Originally Posted by swdr

This works best for assailants who are willing to stand still out of arm's reach for your shot. Otherwise there's a bit of luck involved even with correct gun handling. That's why you might want to take multiple shots, or even use a larger caliber. That way, if you don't use the gun "correctly", you might get lucky and stop the assailant. Be advised that a fatal shot may not take your assailant down before he/she has taken you down; expect one-shot drops to be either luck or movie magic. That's another reason why many people prefer larger calibers. The feeling is that bigger holes are more likely to cause the assailant to stop, other things being equal.

I agree, I was just saying that any gun has the capability to stop an attacker, of course (I will be carrying a .45ACP once my background check is done) bigger may = better, but if faced with the choice of a 9mm or nothing I would sure as heck take the 9mm. There ARE small guns out there that can fit on smaller frames that shoot big bullets. My Taurus is a Sub compact, 10+1 .45 ACP. It hides very well in my Crossbread as long as I wear the correct clothes.

[Tom98915]

Originally Posted by Spicy McHaggis

.380 vs. .45
Ford vs. Chey
Republican vs. Democrat

Go anywhere and you will hear that conversation and everyone will give you their opinion on it.

When it comes down to .45 vs. .380, I can tell you my opinion on that one too. I'd rather have the gun with in the biggest caliber. But when it comes down to gun vs. no gun, any gun will work for you. Carry whatever you can afford and whatever you feel like. It really only matters to you, since any gun is better than nothing.

+1

It comes to what you can carry within reason and can shoot accurately.

I definitely prefer to carry my 45, but sometimes it's just not practical due to size, so I carry my Cz52 since it conceals better under clothing.

I know, some of you are going "What? A Cz52?" Well, hey, I can shoot it as good as my 45 and I got it dialed in to be a good reliable firearm I know I can count on. Having it is better than not.

[DParker]

I prefer my Kahr PM9 or Kimber, but I do have my AMT .380 Back Up on my permit. The only time I have ever needed to draw a gun (25+ years ago) it was that little AMT. It saved my wife and I from certain assault. No shots fired, but it did it's job. I'll always keep it just for sentimental reasons...

[Tom98915]

Originally Posted by DParker

I prefer my Kahr PM9 or Kimber, but I do have my AMT .380 Back Up on my permit. The only time I have ever needed to draw a gun (25+ years ago) it was that little AMT. It saved my wife and I from certain assault. No shots fired, but it did it's job. I'll always keep it just for sentimental reasons...

And the best part was, you did not have to actually use it!

[spc]

Originally Posted by darkwater

This reminds me of an article I read recently, which indicated that as ammunition manufacturers try to keep up with current demand, the .380 is going to be manufactured after the demand has been met for the more popular rounds, such as the .38 spec, .357, 9mm, .40 and .45. So, it could be a bit of a wait on .380, and depending on your urgency to purchase and practice with it, this may affect your caliber choice as well.

Thanks for the heads-up on the ammo story,, do you have a link?.

Welcome aboard, good to have you with us.

spc

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by DParker

I prefer my Kahr PM9 or Kimber, but I do have my AMT .380 Back Up on my permit. The only time I have ever needed to draw a gun (25+ years ago) it was that little AMT. It saved my wife and I from certain assault. No shots fired, but it did it's job. I'll always keep it just for sentimental reasons...

Care to post what happened? Experiences/Stories While Carrying

[darkwater]

Originally Posted by spc

Thanks for the heads-up on the ammo story,, do you have a link?.

Welcome aboard, good to have you with us.

spc

Thanks for the welcome, and it took me a bit to retrace my steps, but I found the link: Here

[spc]

Thanks for digging that up. It makes a lot of sense.

spc

[donron1]

I carry a Glock 23 .40 and a Bursa Thunder 380, both were selected for there size and comfort fit in my hand.
Don't think the Bursa is a 'cheap' gun just because it's inexpensive, I hand load some hot loads 3.3gn PowerPistol using 115gn JHP 9mm bullets, have run almost 1000 rounds of the load and the Bursa handles it just fine.
Larger capacity 9 +1 after market magazines are also available for the Bursa.