is .380 enough gun?


GLOCK9 said:
Avidshooter... My New Girl Friend Looks A lot Like my Old Girl Friend,,,But She is So Much Better!!!

For being AVID, I'm surprised you havent read anything on these guns... But, You Could Not be More Wrong. I think ALL Black Plastic autos "Look" the same... Its How they are made and designed... The Grendal had two models..One that loaded from the top (ughh) and then they came out with a magazine fed gun.. Neither worked... It was a High Capacity 10 shot or so Pistol that was thick with a heavy trigger.

The Keltec .380 works..and I doubt you'd find a bad test report on them now... some very first runs...several years ago, the extractor had some problems in strength...but that problem was very quickly solved.
With several LE Agencies even issuing them as BUGs and Many More authorizing them as Off Duty guns... I'd say they have some field record...They work.

Philippine Extraction Services "Captain"
Click to expand...

I don't understand the personal attacks on this board. My moniker means that I'm an avid shooter. I've replaced 2 barrels on my Baretta FS92 and gone through probably over 30k rounds in that pistol. I haven't put as many rounds through my Taurus titanium .38+P but enough. I've been happy with these firearms and was just asking about the 380 since my wife had one in addition to her .38+P. I read about firearms in American Rifleman and Guns and Ammo and other magazies but all the gun mags rave about every gun that comes out. Hell, they liked that Grendel when it came out. In my opinion the gun writers don't want to piss off the manufacturers and stop getting the cool new guns to test so they tread very lightly. So how about everybody being a little more civil?
 

As I understand it the negativity with the 380 is from FBI test's that say it does not pass min reqierments for penatration, personaly I really dont care that a 380 wil only go 10 inches into ballistic gel and the 38+p, 357, 40, 45, will go 12 inches, I have done test's with all the above mention'd weapons useing stacked newspaper, there is a noticable differance between the 380 and bigger stuff but not much, at typical ranges where defensive shots would be fired, 21 ft + or - the 380 will do lethal damage, as far as comparing the 380 to the 38+p, my 442 Smith stings a lot more than 380 when fired
 
AvidshooterTX said:
I don't understand the personal attacks on this board. My moniker means that I'm an avid shooter. I've replaced 2 barrels on my Baretta FS92 and gone through probably over 30k rounds in that pistol. I haven't put as many rounds through my Taurus titanium .38+P but enough. I've been happy with these firearms and was just asking about the 380 since my wife had one in addition to her .38+P. I read about firearms in American Rifleman and Guns and Ammo and other magazies but all the gun mags rave about every gun that comes out. Hell, they liked that Grendel when it came out. In my opinion the gun writers don't want to piss off the manufacturers and stop getting the cool new guns to test so they tread very lightly. So how about everybody being a little more civil?
Click to expand...

I agree. In-fighting is unproductive and can create tension. We are all here on this site for that one reason, we carry. What we carry is as personal as the brand of underwear we like, the deodorant we put on, the car/truck we drive... etc. Respect opinions and offer your own. Keep it friendly and respectful.

If the .380 makes you a good shooter and allows you to have that level of comfort. SO BE IT...

If you like the bigger bores and they make you feel that same comfort. MORE POWER TO YOU...

Do what makes Ya Happy... :shout:FREEDOM!!!!

Yea...:pleasantry:
 
I like my kel tec p3at a lot. Of Course, there's bigger rounds, but great little gun fits right in my pocket. I bought it last year and it have been jam free since then. I wish I could fit my glock 26 in my pocket the same way. Somebody on this thread a few posts back compared guns to insurance policies which makes a lot of sense.
There's so many situations to compare here. When I drive to work in New Jersey, my "insurance policy" is 3/4 ounce of pepper spray, which in comparison, makes the 380 seem very big!
 
I ReRead my Post and Still Don't see a "Personal Attack".... The Post You highlighted from ME was directed at the Keltec..And you made an assumption that the Keltec was Like the Grendal, purely because of its Looks. I was Merely pointing out that your assumption was very completely wrong... and I didn't see how someone could compare the two in design and function.... Was it That I said you were WRONG? That is an Assault?? WOW.... I didnt say you were Stupid or anything...Thats a personal Attack. I didnt do that...
But, being the KelTec has been out for several Years...and The Grendal never made it very long... I thought with a Moniker like yours, You'd have a understanding of the difference of the two pistols... Thats All...
No Attack... Thats called a difference of Opinion...
WOW... I call two Guys in my Command Much Worse names for their Opinions on Firearms... LOL.

Stay Safe God Bless Captain
 
GLOCK9 said:
I ReRead my Post and Still Don't see a "Personal Attack".... The Post You highlighted from ME was directed at the Keltec..And you made an assumption that the Keltec was Like the Grendal, purely because of its Looks. I was Merely pointing out that your assumption was very completely wrong... and I didn't see how someone could compare the two in design and function.... Was it That I said you were WRONG? That is an Assault?? WOW.... I didnt say you were Stupid or anything...Thats a personal Attack. I didnt do that...
But, being the KelTec has been out for several Years...and The Grendal never made it very long... I thought with a Moniker like yours, You'd have a understanding of the difference of the two pistols... Thats All...
No Attack... Thats called a difference of Opinion...
WOW... I call two Guys in my Command Much Worse names for their Opinions on Firearms... LOL.

Stay Safe God Bless Captain
Click to expand...

It was because you implied that I don't read enough about firearms and therefore my moniker didn't fit. You basically called me ignorant and I took offense. It's pretty ironic because after your first post I had gone and read a lot on that pistol and looked at the personal reviews, most of which were very positive.
 
For me, this topic is alot like a chambered - not chmbered discussion. If you're comfortable with it, carry a .380. If you're not, don't carry it.

I carry a .40 when I can. But more often than not I can't, so I go with the .380 - with one in the chamber. I'm comfortable with that.
 
I got this from another thread and am posting it here. Obviously there are different opinions about the Kel Tec products. Note the FTF's that are mentioned.

"I'm assuming you're talking about the Kel Tec PF-9. I don't believe there is a "P-9". There's the PF-9 and the P-11. I haven't heard much for reviews of these, but both myself and a friend own P-11s. We both like ours but don't use them for full time carry. It's pretty accurate, PLENTY accurate for defensive purpose, but we have learned that they both need to be very clean to perform well. After some soft holster carry and sitting around and getting a little dusty, the combination of some dust and lint caused them to perform poorly, specifically had several FTFs. When clean, tho, they've performed very well. My friend even accidentally loaded his with .380 ammo (brain-fart). Had a couple FTFs but most of the magazine was fired before I saw that he'd loaded it with the wrong ammo and made him cease fire immediately. Talk about being red in the face! He was more than a little embarassed.

It's a toss-up between the PF-9 and the P11. Personally I like the P11 for the 10-rd capacity coming from such a small pistol. On the other hand, the PF-9 has, I think, a 7-rd capacity but has an accessory rail to accomodate a light or laser. Things to weigh.

Lastly, I've thought for a while that a big reason for my Taurus PT140's flawless performance might be at least partly due to having kept it very clean and lubed. "
 
At the Risk of you feeling a "Personal Attack" again... WHAT are You Talking About Avidshooter??
That's Like Comparing A Dodge Ram to a PT "Cruiser" (PT LOSER) Car.... BOTH Chrysler Products But Completely Different Vehicles... The Keltec .380 is NOT the PF9 or P11 or Whatever...I fail to See what (or WHY) you are saying...(?)
ANYWHoooo, The Topic of this POST was About the .380 Being Enough for Defense...Not if the .9mm keltec was a Good Gun.
Lets Keep it about .380 Autos...

I think HardCorps and Father3 are correct..better Guns, But the .380 is Enough if That is ALL you can Carry at the Time.

Stay Safe Out There... Captain
 
A lotta Hooey being flung about here!

So - you're in the local 7-11 with a .380 auto in your pocket.

A bad guy comes in and starts acting like a bad guy.

Are some of you geniuses telling me that you would grab a peperoni stick to defend yourself instead of your .380 because a .380 is "not enough gun"?

When Slim Jims are outlawed only outlaws will have Slim Jims.
 
Captain Glockaroo I didn't start the personal attacks. I just made an observation that it looked a lot like a piece of crap I once made the mistake of buying. And I never said .380 wasn't enough gun. I simply posed the question because it seems that a lot of shooters seem to think it isn't and I wanted to hear why. Obviously any firearm beats no firearm but I wouldn't carry a flintlock either.
 
.380s normally don't have the "manstopping power" of a higher caliber round like .40 or.45 cal semi-autos.

Your ability to throw off an assailant's aim is less than the heavier caliber weapons.

That being said, if you're able to place the round in a location on the assailant where it can do maximum damage (head shot for example), firing for traditional "center mass" of the chest may not cause enough shock/desensitization.

Penetration is another factor. I'd recommend ball ammo vs. hollowpoint to ensure your round penetrates into the body. With the lower caliber, I don't believe you'd have the same high velocity "burn through" and out the back as you would with a 9 mm or .40 cal ball round.

If you're a person that doesn't want a lot of recoil or you find you can't control a recoiling heavier caliber, then the .380 is a popular light weapon.

Is concealability more a concern? There are plenty of small frame 9mm and .40 cal weapons on the market (Beretta 2000 and Glock 27 for example) that are very concealable.
 
The thread was started to ask the question if the .380 is enough gun.
Perhaps adding a voting tool would be a good idea. The results would be posted.
so without further hesitation..I'll start another thread with the needed voting tool...
 
I'd say for "most" cases that a CCer is likely to encounter, .380 is enough gun. My personal minimum is 9x19, but that's also partially based on availability and price of ammo. HootmonSccy's post on the first page made some very good points.

Remember, the gun you are likely to carry everywhere is far more effective than the gun you leave behind when you're not dressed heavily enough because it's too big.
 
crstrode said:
So - you're in the local 7-11 with a .380 auto in your pocket.

A bad guy comes in and starts acting like a bad guy.

Are some of you geniuses telling me that you would grab a peperoni stick to defend yourself instead of your .380 because a .380 is "not enough gun"?

When Slim Jims are outlawed only outlaws will have Slim Jims.
Click to expand...


Laughing my F-ing azz off !
 
Let me preface this by saying that I'm pretty old and have been shooting for about 60 years. During that time, I've either owned or shot just about every "knock-em" flat super magnum that ever came down the pike. In fact, I went to the same high school in Utah as Dick Casull who developed the 454 Casull which was the first of the wildcat super magnum revolvers. With that being said, I'll say now that my primary concealed carry guns are a Taurus 605SH2 titanium J-frame .357 revolver which weighs 16 ounces (18 3/4 loaded) and my Kel-Tec P3AT 380 which weighs 8.3 ounces (11 ounces loaded with 7 rounds of Buffalo Bore). I live in Arizona so T-shirts and shorts are the uniform of the day most of the year. The .357 is pretty light and small but when I drop the little Kel-Tec into the pocket of a pair of cargo short, it just disappears. Every time I see this 380 debate started I find that I must post this test:

Link Removed

It pretty well speaks for itself. The Buffalo Bore (BB) rounds from the little Kel-Tec are at least on a par with the average 38 Spl +P rounds and, me, I'd take the Kel-Tec.
 
I have several different carry guns.
Colt Pocket 25 with FMJs
S&W J-frame .38 Cal. with Speer Gold Dot +P
Kel-Tec .380 with Speer Gold Dot +P
Star .380 that looks like miniature 1911 with Speer Gold Dot +p
Glock Mod 27 .40 Cal with, yep you guessed it Speer Gold Dots

Each gun has a specific carry purpose.
The Colt for the shorts and t-shirt mode, because it fits nicely in the inner pocket located in the right front pocket and does not print because my wallet is in front of it.
The Kel-tec because it goes nicely in the jogging suit jacket pocket. Not too heavy.
The J-frame is nice for the ankle holster when I am in chinos and a polo.
The Star is nice for IWB of a pair of jeans and a t-shirt
Glock mod 27 for the SOB with two extra mags in a leather mag holster. This is nice when I am going to be out for a while and I can cover with a jacket or if i want to open carry. I have been known to keep the baby Glock in the jacket pocket too.

The point to all of this is, choose a gun that fits the purpose and carry a round that will do the job. Shoot all of your guns often and get some training.

And don't laugh at the pocket 25. I once investigated a case where one single well placed shot brought down a drunk bully 6'5" and over 300 pounds. Right through the throat, into the spinal column and the guy drives himself around in a wheel chair with his tongue. BTW it was a legally justified and jury proven self-defense case that took place in the late 90's in Caser, NC.

Troy Perry
Link Removed
 
gvaldeg1 said:
Let me preface this by saying that I'm pretty old and have been shooting for about 60 years. During that time, I've either owned or shot just about every "knock-em" flat super magnum that ever came down the pike. In fact, I went to the same high school in Utah as Dick Casull who developed the 454 Casull which was the first of the wildcat super magnum revolvers. With that being said, I'll say now that my primary concealed carry guns are a Taurus 605SH2 titanium J-frame .357 revolver which weighs 16 ounces (18 3/4 loaded) and my Kel-Tec P3AT 380 which weighs 8.3 ounces (11 ounces loaded with 7 rounds of Buffalo Bore). I live in Arizona so T-shirts and shorts are the uniform of the day most of the year. The .357 is pretty light and small but when I drop the little Kel-Tec into the pocket of a pair of cargo short, it just disappears. Every time I see this 380 debate started I find that I must post this test:

Link Removed

It pretty well speaks for itself. The Buffalo Bore (BB) rounds from the little Kel-Tec are at least on a par with the average 38 Spl +P rounds and, me, I'd take the Kel-Tec.
Click to expand...

Data like this is why I bought a Bersa .380, I researched this gun and the ammo before I bought it .... Don't ask me why when BUT when I go to the range and shoot my .380 most times I draw a croud due to the groupings I get on my targets .... the Bersa's are just EZ to shoot accurate.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Members online

Total: 138 (members: 1, guests: 137)

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
49,543
Messages
611,260
Members
74,964
Latest member
sigsag1

Share this page

Back
Top