My favorite .380 pistols

C

cluznar

New member
These are my 3 favorite .380 pistols:

1. Bersa Thunder .380 --- This is my most favorite, it is accurate and dependable while being
thin and easy to conceal. I carry this often.

2. Walther PK380 --- I believe Walther got it right on this one. Nice shooter and seems
dependable.

3. Ruger LC380 --- A very nice CCW gun. Easy to conceal, decent accuracy and dependable.


These are listed in the way I prefer them. The Bersa Thunder is my favorite. Maybe because I own one and have shot it most. While I do not own the Walther a friend of mine does and I have shot it a fair amount. I am thinking seriously of buying one. I also do not own the LC380 but have shot them a fair amount. The LC380 is probably the best .380 for a woman who wants to carry in her purse or someone wanting to pocket carry.

I DO NOT like the small .380's such as the LCP, P3AT, etc. these small guns are much to snappy with recoil. I'm not saying they are no good, if you like them fine, but I do not.

:big_boss:
 
I can't stand the PK380. It has a horrible heavy trigger with lots of stacking. I hate the fact that you need a proprietary key to field strip it, and to detail strip it to the frame is almost impossible. Just about the only think I like about the gun are the ergonomics and the sights. Everything else about it blows IMO.

The Bersa and the Ruger are both nice guns though. I like them both.
 
If I'm not mistaken the Bodyguard .380 had trigger problems when it first came out. I'm thinking they have that issue solved. My friend who owns the PK380 says he has no problems stripping and cleaning it. I don't think the trigger is all that bad on the PK 380 maybe a little heavy not a lot and a small amount of stacking. With practice you can shoot it very well, plus it is a locked breech and not bad at all on recoil.
 
Had an S&W Bodyguard 380, the laser would never work properly and yes, the trigger was a bit on the heavy side. I have an LCP 380 with a Hogue Handall Jr on it, it is wonderful. Light, very accurate for short range 5 yards (well within Self Defense range) and cycles most everything I have ever put in it. Occasionally has issues feeding certain hollow points on the initial round, but not cycling while shooting. Have had it for over 3 years, at least 500 rounds through it; it's a keeper for warm weather or back up. Another I like is the Browning BDA 380, mostly found at Cabela's. It's an FNH/Beretta specifically built for Browning. It's a double stack that holds 13 rounds! Comes with a de-cocker and two mags and is also very accurate. About the same size as a Bersa Thunder or Sig P232, just a little fatter in the grip; which are nicely finished wood. A couple I don't own but would suggest trying are the Sig P238 and the Kahr P380.
 
cluznar said:
If I'm not mistaken the Bodyguard .380 had trigger problems when it first came out. I'm thinking they have that issue solved. My friend who owns the PK380 says he has no problems stripping and cleaning it. I don't think the trigger is all that bad on the PK 380 maybe a little heavy not a lot and a small amount of stacking. With practice you can shoot it very well, plus it is a locked breech and not bad at all on recoil.
Click to expand...

That's true, as far as recoil it's one of the softest shooting .380s I've shot. Firing slowly it is an accurate gun. It just take a lot of practice to learn to work with the stacking. As a gun I bought for my girlfriends first carry gun, I found she frequently ends up jerking the trigger to overcome that stacking.

Field stripping isn't hard I just don't like that it takes a proprietary key that comes with it. It's not like a Glock where you can rip it apart anywhere. Even with 1911s you can use pretty much anything to depress the recoil spring cap. With the Walther you have to carry that key with you. Detail stripping and pulling the trigger mech out is the annoying part.
 
Yeah there were reports that the laser screw would loosen come out of the housing and jam the slide open. I took the laser out because it wasn't accurate out of the box and with the sights the way they are, I automatically draw down the sights anyway. Didn't really care about the laser and its just a basic insight laser. Other than that, I've had no problems, sights are dead on and with the addition on a rubber grip it feels fuller in your hand.
 
cluznar said:
These are my 3 favorite .380 pistols:

1. Bersa Thunder .380 --- This is my most favorite, it is accurate and dependable while being
thin and easy to conceal. I carry this often.

2. Walther PK380 --- I believe Walther got it right on this one. Nice shooter and seems
dependable.

3. Ruger LC380 --- A very nice CCW gun. Easy to conceal, decent accuracy and dependable.


These are listed in the way I prefer them. The Bersa Thunder is my favorite. Maybe because I own one and have shot it most. While I do not own the Walther a friend of mine does and I have shot it a fair amount. I am thinking seriously of buying one. I also do not own the LC380 but have shot them a fair amount. The LC380 is probably the best .380 for a woman who wants to carry in her purse or someone wanting to pocket carry.

I DO NOT like the small .380's such as the LCP, P3AT, etc. these small guns are much to snappy with recoil. I'm not saying they are no good, if you like them fine, but I do not.

:big_boss:
Click to expand...
The Bersa is good, I've recently had my eye on the compact 45 acp but why 380? I'm not convinced the 380 has knock down power.
 
Not sure I have a "favorite" .380 - I do own and carry as a BUG sometimes a Taurus TCP .380 on my ankle. It has been reliable and run flawlessly for a couple of years. I liked it because the slide locks on the empty magazine - a feature I value. It is very very rare that it is my primary carry.
 
Bigrebnc said:

The Bersa is good, I've recently had my eye on the compact 45 acp but why 380? I'm not convinced the 380 has knock down power.

A man heard someone breaking in his house one night. He got up and investigated. Encountered an intruder and put 1 round in center mass, intruder fell dead. The home owner was using a .380. A guy was walking through a field when he was charged by a wild boar, all he had was a
.380, he puled it and fired one shot, the boar went down. A wild boar has tougher hide and muscle than a human. So don't think a .380 can't do it.
:triniti:
 
The Sexy European

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To the extent that it's possible to love an inanimate object, I LOVE my Beretta 84F. She's a 21-year-old, sexy Italian and she loves to wear leather. I know, her butt's a little big, but she carries her 13-round double-stack magazine pretty well.
 
I've got the Bersa Thunder as well as the Bodyguard 380. They both have advantages. The BG is MUCH easier to conceal, but the Bersa is much more accurate IMO.
I do like the PK380 a lot. Very nice feel to it.
 
cluznar said:
Bigrebnc said:

The Bersa is good, I've recently had my eye on the compact 45 acp but why 380? I'm not convinced the 380 has knock down power.

A man heard someone breaking in his house one night. He got up and investigated. Encountered an intruder and put 1 round in center mass, intruder fell dead. The home owner was using a .380. A guy was walking through a field when he was charged by a wild boar, all he had was a
.380, he puled it and fired one shot, the boar went down. A wild boar has tougher hide and muscle than a human. So don't think a .380 can't do it.
:triniti:
Click to expand...
KNOCK DOWN POWER IS MOSTLY A MYTH AS FAR AS HANDGUNS GO... IN REALITY... THE ONLY WAY TO EFFECTIVELY STOP SOMEONE IN THEIR TRACKS IS WITH A SHOT TO THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.... ANY OTHER SHOT, EVEN TO THE HEART LEAVES THEM ABLE TO CONTINUE FOR ABOUT 15 SECONDS ... THE BRAIN RETAINS ENOUGH OXYGEN TO CONTINUE FOR THOSE 15 SEC. IF YOU DON'T HIT THE HEART OR MAJOR ARTERY TO BRAIN.. THEY JUST BLEED OUT AND THAT CAN TAKE A WHILE WHILE THEY CONTINUE THEIR ATTACK.. IT HAS BEEN PROVEN ON THE BATTLEFIELD.... (damn cap lock...sorry was not yelling, forgive me) as for the compact .45... have you shot one? good luck trying to put multiple shots in a group... recoil is so bad with the shortened barrel.... I agree with Bigrebnc on this one... placed correctly a 380 is more than enough... and with the softer recoil you can put multiple shots on target with less problem
 
Exactly, small guns have much worse recoil. The largest caliber I own is 9mm. In pocket guns give me a .32 acp for reduced recoil, it will do the job at close range. I want something I can get follow up shots off easy. I mainly carry my Bersa .380 or Bersa .32 for that reason.

:triniti:
 
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