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How many here carry a .380acp?

APBTloverAPBTlover Member Posts: 128
edited August 2003 in General Discussion
Is this round good,bad,pointless?I like a Colt Pony Pocket lite on auction here for carry but dont know if I could spend that much money on a .380 which from what I understand is not a strong round or is it?I dont know ballistics or power about the round all I really know is I hear alot of people talk bad about it as being weak.
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Comments

  • pack rat633pack rat633 Member Posts: 1,052 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The .380 is a fairly good self defense round. It is ALMOST as powerful as a 9mm luger, but both are" just enough" gun for self defense. Learn to shoot it well, and always have it with you, it'll do!

    SEMPER FI MAC, SEMPER FI
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  • NighthawkNighthawk Member Posts: 12,022 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    This is only my opinion,I wont carry any semi-auto Handgun under 9MM Luger.Or nothing smaller than a .38Special Revolver.My reasoning for this is mainly based on our Depts.Policy on back up weapons.And secondly I feel the .380 is an anemic cartridge.However you might find a NAA .22LR Revolver in my front pocket.Most importantly with Handguns is shot placement and knowing your gun.But I feel more confident with one of the hotter calibers.Just my 2 cents!!

    Best!!

    Rugster


    "Toujours Pret"
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  • trooperchintrooperchin Member Posts: 2,632 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Where does the 7.62x25 round fit in compared to tp the .380?

    d852d797.jpg

    Go Army Beat Navy
    IF you wanna have fun join the cavalry
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  • gunpaqgunpaq Member Posts: 4,607 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Every once and a while I will carry my Femaru M-37 in .380.
    It is a Browning design and similar to the Colt Pony.
    I can't see any difference between it and my 9mm's within
    10yds in penetration of wood, phone books, etc.

    Pack slow, fall stable, pull high, hit dead center.<BR>
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  • 257izmycal257izmycal Member Posts: 684 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Sig 230 as backup.

    257

    You're a statistic whether you want to be or not.
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  • maggiethecatmaggiethecat Member Posts: 2,381 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    consider that any gun on you is better than a 357 mag at home. i carry a small .32 when condition dont permit my much, much larger sig 229.
    bottom line, something is better than nothing

    SGT USMC
    SSGT USAF
    The greatest happiness is to see your enemy scattered before you, to see his village in ashes, and to gather to your bed his wives and daughters.-Genghis Khan 1226
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  • mohawk600mohawk600 Member Posts: 5,529 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I would not ever admit to carrying "anything" personally......but.....the .380 is marginal at best. Go wih a .38 snubbie at the least and more preferable....a sub-compact .45 if you're going to carry.
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  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    No comparison between the 7.62x25 and the .380. The Tokarev is essentially an old semi-auto magnum. It will peel your eyebrows back, and it is LOUD. Mil surp ammo is 1500-1600 fps and the selection goes up from there. While the .380 can work in a simple blowback action, the Tokarev needs a locked bolt-type action or something comparable. Quality Cartridge loads 110-gr. lead hollowpoints at these velocities and they have a ".223 Timbs" sabot that moves out at 1800 fps. MagSafe Defenders in 7.62x25 run above 2200 fps.

    In short, a whole different kettle of fish.

    I like the .380 for one reason only -- it's the most powerful round in a gun of a certain slim pocket-size, at least up until the .32 NAA came out. If nothing else fits what you've got on, either change your clothes or grab a pocket .380. I love the lines of the Mustangs, Ponies, and clones, and their size does have a "miniaturized" feel. I prefer a rounded hammer on a pocket gun though. I had an FI clone once, and the only way to get that kind of snag-free draw was to carry with the hammer cocked.

    T. Jefferson: "[When doing Constitutional interpretation], let us [go] back to the time when [it] was adopted. [Rather than] invent a meaning [let us] conform to the probable one in which it was passed."

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  • HangfireHangfire Member Posts: 3,010 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Maggies got it!!I'm a shorts and sandels guy in SoCal, and my TPH 22 will make you realize I did not bring a knife to a gunfight-Bob

    Gun control is a steady hand
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  • trooperchintrooperchin Member Posts: 2,632 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    WOW!!! quote:Mil surp ammo is 1500-1600 fps and the selection goes up from there

    d852d797.jpg

    Go Army Beat Navy
    IF you wanna have fun join the cavalry
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  • wundudneewundudnee Member Posts: 6,108 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    trooperchin,

    .380 to 7.62x25

    .....is like....

    etch a sketch is to art

    There is no comparison.[:p]







    ....................
    Old? First you forget names; then you forget faces; then you forget to pull your zipper up; then you forget to pull your zipper down.
    standard.jpg
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  • trooperchintrooperchin Member Posts: 2,632 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    OK then how big are the pistols that shoot them. If you can get this muh power out of a pistol then why hasnt more people turned to his round?

    d852d797.jpg

    Go Army Beat Navy
    IF you wanna have fun join the cavalry
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  • knucklehead14knucklehead14 Member Posts: 2,278 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I dont have any first hand exp with 380s but
    I bet they would be superfast in a full auto.
    Yow!
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  • Supreme OneSupreme One Member Posts: 1,423 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hello, my SW380 is very handy and comfortable to wear. I have also heard that the .380 is better than the 9mm, but I would still prefer my Glock 27.

    Michael

    Paranoid keeps you alive, worry just gives you stomach problems.
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    If "con" is the opposite of "pro," then what is the opposite of progress?
    sound
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  • select-fireselect-fire Member Posts: 69,535 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Supreme, comparing the .380 to the 9mm is like comparing the.22 short to a .22 long rifle. In fact it is a 9mm short round.
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  • searcher5searcher5 Member Posts: 13,511 ✭
    edited November -1
    If a .380's all you've got, it beats throwin' hedge apples. I've got a couple of them. Wouldn't be my first choice, but not my last, either.

    Proud member of the NRA

    If it ain't broke-it ain't ours!!!
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  • mballaimballai Member Posts: 1,280 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    We're still not allowed carry where I am, but I wouldn't feel underarmed with a .380 with the right ammo. The problem is that a 9mm is not that much bigger and little .45s aren't in short supply either. As a backup gun, a 380 would do just fine.

    Three Precious Metals: Gold, silver and lead
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  • Supreme OneSupreme One Member Posts: 1,423 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hello, true the .380 is also known as the 9mm Kurz, which means "short". I have heard that the .380 is actually more effective as a defensive round than the 9mm, but I don't know about that.
    Rule #1. Have a gun.

    Michael

    Paranoid keeps you alive, worry just gives you stomach problems.
    - .- -.- . / -- -.-- / .- -.. ...- .. ... . --..-- / .. .----. -- / -. --- - / ..- ... .. -. --. / .. - / .- -. -.-- .-- .- -.-- .-.-.-
    Politics- From the words poly, meaning many, and tics, which are just little blood suckers.
    .-.. .. ..-. . / .. ... / .- / ... . -..- ..- .- .-.. .-.. -.-- / - .-. .- -. ... -- .. - - . -.. / -.. .. ... . .- ... . .-.-.-
    If "con" is the opposite of "pro," then what is the opposite of progress?
    sound
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  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,085 ******
    edited November -1
    I carry a Colt Pony Pocketlite daily, under my shirt. It is small and light and stays out of the way.

    I can shoot it well enough to defend myself out to 25 yards. It never jams.

    As to effectiveness? I have never shot anything with it but paper and steel. BUT...Because it is THERE, where I need it, IF I need it, it is far more effective than a bigger gun that might get left in the car because it is too big to conceal.

    SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the best gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net
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  • spectre7spectre7 Member Posts: 965 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Trooperchin, the pistols are about 8.5 inches in length and fairly heavy. The firing pin in the pistol is very brittle and can be easily broken by dry-firing; so it should be replaced if you pick up one of these pistols (about $109.00 surplus). I have a feeling that the lack of popularity is due in part to their rather unappealing appearance, and as Bambihunter and others have pointed out; the tendency of some superior cartridges to sipmly never gain a following. Anyway, here is a picture of the gun. As a side-note, I really like mine.

    cz52.jpg

    Typos and profanity, oh my! http://www.funky-town.org
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  • boogerbooger Member Posts: 1,463 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Yes I occasionaly carry a AMT .380 DAO. While the stiff trigger leaves much to be desired, it has always functioned.

    Them ducks is wary.
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  • dheffleydheffley Member Posts: 25,000 ✭
    edited November -1
    I sometimes carry a Colt Mustang (.380 ACP). Never had to use it, but it's better than a sharp stick.

    Measure twice, cut once.
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    Empty the clip!
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  • gmayesgmayes Member Posts: 415 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I use to carry a SW380 but have switched to the NAA32. I liked the 380 but it jammed on me a few times. My NAA 32 has yet to jam after putting 250 rounds through it. Of course I always have my S&W model 36 on my side too.

    G. Mayes/// Part Time FFL Dealer/No expert on guns by any means just a Gun Loving Nut
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  • pickenuppickenup Member Posts: 22,844 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Sometimes I carry a Colt "government model" 380.
    It is small enough I sometimes forget it is there.
    (When I can pry it away from my wife, that is.)


    The gene pool needs chlorine.
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  • toolmaniamtoolmaniam Member Posts: 3,213
    edited November -1
    I carry a .380 ACP Long.[:D] HeeHee, I mean a 9mm. .380 is underpowered in my opinion, a 9mm is minimum for manstopping. The good thing about the .380 is they are easy to conceal.

    A dead intruder cannot testify against you in a court of law!
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  • WyomingSwedeWyomingSwede Member Posts: 402 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I carry a 9x18 Makarov. I do it cause it is light, readily concealable and accurate. It is right dab in the middle between the 9mm and the .380. I would not feel undergunned with the .380 in a Makarov. The Makarov is an East Bloc knock-off of a Walther PPK. Either way I have the confidence to carry it...it is accurate enough that it wont let me down. You wont feel undergunned if you shoot accurately. If you do have to use it the other guy aint gonna say...ouch...was that a pesky .380??? My $.02

    swede

    WyomingSwede
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  • jwhardingjwharding Member Posts: 2,897 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I carry a Colt 380 Mustang plus 2. Small easy to conceal and shoots great. It may not be a large gun but I'm sure it would get someone's attention after the first shot hit them.

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  • One Tall MamaOne Tall Mama Member Posts: 74 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I carry a SIG P232. Love it. My husband carries an identical one as well. Conceals well, shoots well. What more can ya ask for?! [:D]

    The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.
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  • scrollworkscrollwork Member Posts: 227 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    My opinion of the 380 is the same as the 9mm, or any round in their class for that matter. Loaded with quality hollow points and not cheap surplus they should be more then enough for a defense round.
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  • redcedarsredcedars Member Posts: 919 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The two guns I carry concealed are a 1911 (yes the original, built in 1919, tuned but pretty much stock configuration) and a Star Model S .380. For those not familiar with the Star, it is very similar to the 1911 in design, and the controls are exactly the same. The little Star is more easily concealed, weighs far less, and I carry it far more often than the big Colt. This way I don't have to manage different controls for the different guns; I don't have to remember or practice different techniques. Both are stone reliable, and I have confidence in both, which is important. Discretion and comfort are also important, which is why the Star is carried more.

    I rely most on staying out of trouble in the first place. Of course, if the chips were down, I would rather have the big Colt. I carry it if I have to go into certain areas or situations I would normally avoid, or if I just have a gut feeling that I should. But I don't think anyone wants to get hit with a .380 either.

    redcedars
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