Is the .380 auto enough Gun?


Is the .380 auto in your opinion, enough gun?

  • YES It's enough for me

    Votes: 103 60.9%
  • NO It's not enough for me

    Votes: 52 30.8%
  • Not sure or No opinion...

    Votes: 14 8.3%

  • Total voters
    169
  • Poll closed .

6shootercarry

New member
The question has been posted on this site so I decided to add a voting poll to get the results.
The question: Is the .380 auto in your opinion, enough gun. Or to keep the firearm type out of the discussion enough bullet?

Have fun and keep 'em in the 10 ring...
 

The newer ammo selections bring it almost to the level of 9mm. However, ball ammo in .380 or 9mm, or for that matter .45 is not an option if you have any other choice. IMHO
 
The newer ammo selections bring it almost to the level of 9mm. However, ball ammo in .380 or 9mm, or for that matter .45 is not an option if you have any other choice. IMHO

The newer bullets bring the 9mm and 45 to new levels beyond the 380 with the newer bullets!

-Doc
 
Any gun

Any gun can be enough gun. Any handgun is a compromise. A Bersa 380CC was my first CC pistol. Never felt bad about it. My dad(ex green beret '71-'72) now carries it as his 1 and only CC handgun loaded with FMJ and Golden Sabres(penetration is prime). The only problem with the 380 is the scarce ammo supply.

Currently I carry my 45ACP PT145 stoked with 230gr Corbon +P unless clothing dictates something smaller and then I carry a little P32. I went in to buy the P3AT(380ACP) but they were sold out and ended up taking the little 32 home.

I may feel underarmed with the little 32, but that is the compromise.

I would only feel adequately armed with a concealed AA-12:
YouTube - AA-12. World's deadliest shotgun!
 
I prefer AND carry a .45 as primary CC gun. Also carry a .25 in my pocket. A .380 is DEFINITELY better than no gun at all. Shot placement and tactics mean more than size. As with any self defense weapon, practice until you know you can trust it, and yourself.
 
any gun is better than no gun. at least i think. id rather have a .40, .357, or .45 but id take a .380 over nothing. thats just me.
 
I, too, would carry it as a last resort. I'm much more comfortable with a larger caliber. I suppose with enough practice and training, I could get comfortable with a .380.
 
The .380 ACP has killed quite a number of people over the years. In my opinion, the .380 will git er' done:biggrin:
 
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
 
Granddad always said...

Never take a gun to a gunfight that does not start with the number 4!

Make mine a 45!
 
I carry a .380 loadied with 102gr Remington Golden Sabers whenever the clothing I am wearing won't permit me to carry a 45 or a 357SIG. Shot placement is as important as the size of the pills. At the very least, the .380 will make'em leak! :cool:
 
I'm not sure a .380 is enough. The thug you encounter as a CCW holder is likely to be high on drugs and not readily perceiving pain. These individuals can laugh off pepper spray and unless the bullet hits the spinal cord or heart they can often keep going long enough to do you serious bodily harm even though they are "dead and don't know it yet". I think the bigger the caliber the better - except for maybe a five-seven.
 
I'm not sure a .380 is enough. The thug you encounter as a CCW holder is likely to be high on drugs and not readily perceiving pain. These individuals can laugh off pepper spray and unless the bullet hits the spinal cord or heart they can often keep going long enough to do you serious bodily harm even though they are "dead and don't know it yet". I think the bigger the caliber the better - except for maybe a five-seven.

I have been carrying a handgun open and concealed for 20 years. I have yet to come across the drug crazed maniacs that I hear so much about. Where do people live that the zombies are so darn prevalent? Heck, I even spent 28 days in post Katrina NOLA (starting on labor day 2005) and I haven't seen a zombie yet.
 
I have been carrying a handgun open and concealed for 20 years. I have yet to come across the drug crazed maniacs that I hear so much about. Where do people live that the zombies are so darn prevalent? Heck, I even spent 28 days in post Katrina NOLA (starting on labor day 2005) and I haven't seen a zombie yet.

I guess it only takes one, huh? My Bro-in-law was a Dallas cop years ago and dealt with a guy that couldn't feel any pain like this.
 
I do own an older PPK/S .380 (pre S&W) and it's a wonderful shooter but my carry guns are a PPS40 (180 gr. JHP) and XD45 Compact (230 gr. JHP). If the chips are down I'd rather face trouble with a major caliber (9X19 and up). I grew up as a hunter and it's important to hit an animal in a vital area but it's also good to have a bullet with enough punch to bring it down in a hurry. I'd use the .380 if I had to but I'd rather have a bigger hammer to stop a bad guy.
 
I guess it only takes one, huh? My Bro-in-law was a Dallas cop years ago and dealt with a guy that couldn't feel any pain like this.

I do know they exist, but I know if I stay away from certain places, the chance for me to encounter a zombie is decreased.
 
To make you feel like you're covered. I'm looking for personal feeling and opinion. What do you think? Does it work for you?

Peace...

My carry pistols are a 9mm and a .45 semi-automatic pistols. For close encounters of the coyote, stray dog, or bobcat kind, I think they would work just fine. Whether or not any firearm is coverage enough for self defense would surely depend upon the situation.

I've really not done a whole lot of research, but IMHO,* and giving my best SWAG,* it seems to reason that the range and stopping power are greater with the these two, or even with a .40 semi-automatic pistol, with their longer barrels, larger bullets, and differing grain measurements over my .380s.

The following 3 paragraphs are from this site:
9mm Versus .380 ACP For Self-Defense
by Dick Metcalf, Technical Editor, Shooting Times
"The .380 is simply not in the same performance class as the 9mm..."

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Some have argued that in the very short barrels (in the 3.0- to 3.25-inch range) typically found on small pistols, the apparent ballistic advantage of the longer case 9mm is canceled and the two loads' performances are essentially the same. [/FONT]...

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"The .380 ACP is nothing other than a short 9mm (its German name, in fact, 9mm Kurtz, literally translates as 9mm Short), and like the .22 Short in relation to the .22 Long Rifle, or even the .38 Special in relation to the .357 Magnum, the shorter cartridge has only a portion of the authority of the longer 9mm.[/FONT] ...

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Overall, the 9mm provides a 40 percent greater wounding effectiveness (based on wound channel surface area) than does the .380. When equivalent bullet designs in the two cartridges are compared directly (for example, the Winchester SXTs and Remington Golden Sabers), the distinction is obvious. The .380 is simply not in the same performance class as the 9mm, even though the subjective experience of firing the two pistols is very much the same.[/FONT] ..."

Back to my thoughts.

If a .380 is really just a "shorter" version of the 9mm, and if the 9mm provides for a greater wounding effectiveness" for self defense, would not also the .40 and a .45 provide for a greater wounding effectiveness than the .380?

I'm sure there are other arguments for all the firearms and their respective "projectiles" for grain, weight, and performance; for the weight of individual firearms for comfort of carry, (heavy v light;) and for the overall sizes and lengths of each for ease of concealment, (small/short v large/long.)

However, IDK if any of them would be "enough" defense to feel "covered" against a BG Link Removed when they don't feel anything at all, or a BG shooting at me from a great distance as from a university tower, or a BG who "goes off" as did the Beltway Sniper from the Washington DC area.

We used to hear on the Los Angeles area news where BGs were shot multiple times by police, but then they kept on coming, "running dead," charging toward officers, out of control, stripping off their clothes, ranting and raving, on PCP, commonly known as Angel Dust, or on something else.

In these types of cases, what most people CC or OC might not be good enough for ANYONE'S defense. We all just take our chances and hedge our bets the best we can that we prevail in our self defense efforts against the BGs.

Like we used to say years ago when we heard the Friday morning, 10 am sirens in L.A., CA., "If a "nuke" (or in this case, a high-powered, long-range bullet) ever came my way then that's the time that I could just bend over and kiss my arse goodbye." :fie:

IMHO - in my humble opinion
SWAG - scientific wild arse guess
 
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