.380 = Colt Mustang (1990ish) vs SW MP Bodyguard

[mcapo]

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...h-fit-sig-p238-and-colt-mustang-polymer-black

One of these?

 

[gregkl]

2. eliminating calibers (eliminated .25 and .45 calibers and never owned the .40). I now have .22LR, 22 magnum (not the one I'm selling), .32, .380 and 9mm.

Disclaimer; I am a minimalist. I still think you haven't consolidated calibers enough based on above. .32, .380, 9mm? You only need one of those.

 

[doddg]

Disclaimer; I am a minimalist. I still think you haven't consolidated calibers enough based on above. .32, .380, 9mm? You only need one of those.

1. Point made. But............
2. The Beretta .32 tip up might get put on the sell list if keeping a .380 b/c I want a minimalist CC when I need it (the Glock 26 I love is not that gun).
3. I am so busy right now but when I have a moment to get organized I want to see the size comparison between my Beretta .32 and my Mustang or S/W .380.
4. If I can get a 9mm that is as small as the .380 I would definitely get rid of the .32 and .380, but that probably is not going to happen since it should be impossible to make a 9mm as small as a .380 if they are the same magazine size. We'll see.
I learn I'm wrong about my assumptions and logical speculations every day (like the Taurus Judge being a superior handgun for personal protection b/c of the capacity of sending 3 shots down the tube each trigger pull, than just one.
Sounded good in theory, but those who know more than me say differently.
My experience was that it did at the range, but I was probably going short on distance (I use 15, 21, 30 feet generally, rarely going up to even 45 feet since I can't see anyway).
5. On an even different embarrassing note, I even ordered "big" grips for my NAA 5 shot single action revolver.
If I can actually hold on to the gun and fire it at 10' - 15' feet in decent groupings, I'll keep it to have a minimalist revolver.
6. I heard Hickok45 yesterday on a vid using the Mustang and comparing it to some other .380s, and on another vid using a bigger grip on the NAA single-action 5 shot revolver, which he had for 20 yrs. but like me hated it b/c you couldn't grip it,
but with the larger NAA grip (black widow ones) he was having fun with it.
I ordered an even larger grip for it from Revision CV/Chong Vang just b/c it was bigger than the NAA bigger grip, and I wanted it: $35 + $5 shipping = $40 total.
I think the NAA larger grip was about $10 cheaper, not sure.

 

[doddg]

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...h-fit-sig-p238-and-colt-mustang-polymer-black

One of these?

1. I had to go to my cell b/c on my cmp the filters blocked out Midway.
2. It says for the Sig P238 and Colt Mustang Polymer Black, but mine is from the 1990 era (late 1980s probably when they didn't have any polymer) and is a Pocketlite.
3. Also, it talks of a 7-round extended magazine, and mine is only a 5-round.
4. That is my confusion, so I'll not order anything until I can be sure it is for my year, which is written in my manual for it (don't remember year it said).
5. They has some 7-round mags for nearly $40, but again, don't know if it is for my Pocketlite.

 

[doddg]

Went to Indy Gun Bunker today (30 S. Post Rd) where I used to go 30 yrs. ago when it was called Pop Guns on Mitthoeffer.
I went to shoot at their range (since Point Blank in Greenwood is not available right now) and found out that the 6 round mag with the pinky finger extension will work with my 5 round old Colt Mustang Pocketlite but it is NOT AVAILABLE now: bummer. (at Midway at least).
Nothing on Gunbroker or Armslist either.

I fired about 2 boxes through them both trying to figure out which one to sell since I don't want to keep both: impossible now to decide.
Sometimes one seems more accurate than another, but that would have to be me (the X-factor) not the guns.
Sometimes I am impressed by how both are doing really well with good groups.
There are nuances I like about each's trigger:
Colt is a single-action only, and the S/W M/P Bodyguard is double-action only, with each having their inherent well-known pros/cons.
The Smith is a bit more consistent shooter for me with a bit tighter groups, but not enough to get rid of one over the other.
Since the Smith is a 6 shot, that gives it an edge, and it is a little lighter.
The Mustang is metal, the Smith not.
Because of the differences, I could just keep both or sell both and get a different .380 if I find one that I like that much better.
But, there is no motivation to go down that road since I am trying to trim.
I am not prejudiced against the .380 round when I need a really small CC, when my 9mms are too big for "deep carry." (Smith 9 and Glock 26)

 

[rvb]

You seem to be pretty focused on getting the "best" or "optimal" hardware. I might suggest that you start to shift your focus toward software

yup. pick one. practice.

-rvb

 

[rvb]

ok, I'll add some detail to my brief advice above. Please take this as well intended, I hope what I typed below doesn't come across as harsh, I was in a rush...

I'll admit I don't usually make it though your posts/threads. Only because the details you get into about some basic production guns doesn't interest me. I'm not a "gun guy", I'm a shooter. IMO, it's one thing to dissect a high-dollar custom gun like you would if you were a certified wine taster, but to pick up a bersa or beretta or glock and pontificate about the nuances to me is like picking up some natty light and swirling it in your mouth before you spit it out and discuss the aromas and hints of flavor.

My typical advice to folks looking for a gun is a compact 9mm like a G19. I don't care that it's a glock. Maybe a Beretta, or M&P, or CZ, Sig whatever. But it should be 9mm (due to cost of ammo, usefulness in self defense, and capacity). Something the size of a G19 (compact, but not subcompact) is both concealable, and controllable/shoot-able. You seem to be chasing the smallest guns possible, yet then trying to make them all larger with mag extensions, etc.

Then start shooting whatever you get. However good you were last week, try to be better this week. Any of the guns I mentioned above should be shooting 1" at 10 yds. Work on speed, while keeping it in the A zone.

A couple pounds difference in trigger pull, or a little difference in trigger reach, a fraction of an inch in thickness... none of that really matters. Where you get proficient is when you pick ONE, and practice. As you practice, you may decide there are things you can do to aid you (eg, grip tape, trigger work, sights, etc). But more importantly, as you practice with that ONE gun you'll start to pick up the nuances that REALLY matter... how you grip the pistol, where you put the trigger on your finger, etc.

I mention this because in this thread you seem interested in getting training, etc. If the goal is to play with as many types of guns as possible, you're on the right track. And that's fine, different folks are into guns/shooting for different reasons. But if getting better at shooting is the end goal, then pick one & practice.

2c

-rvb

 

[gregkl]

ok, I'll add some detail to my brief advice above. Please take this as well intended, I hope what I typed below doesn't come across as harsh, I was in a rush...

I'll admit I don't usually make it though your posts/threads. Only because the details you get into about some basic production guns doesn't interest me. I'm not a "gun guy", I'm a shooter. IMO, it's one thing to dissect a high-dollar custom gun like you would if you were a certified wine taster, but to pick up a bersa or beretta or glock and pontificate about the nuances to me is like picking up some natty light and swirling it in your mouth before you spit it out and discuss the aromas and hints of flavor.

My typical advice to folks looking for a gun is a compact 9mm like a G19. I don't care that it's a glock. Maybe a Beretta, or M&P, or CZ, Sig whatever. But it should be 9mm (due to cost of ammo, usefulness in self defense, and capacity). Something the size of a G19 (compact, but not subcompact) is both concealable, and controllable/shoot-able. You seem to be chasing the smallest guns possible, yet then trying to make them all larger with mag extensions, etc.

Then start shooting whatever you get. However good you were last week, try to be better this week. Any of the guns I mentioned above should be shooting 1" at 10 yds. Work on speed, while keeping it in the A zone.

A couple pounds difference in trigger pull, or a little difference in trigger reach, a fraction of an inch in thickness... none of that really matters. Where you get proficient is when you pick ONE, and practice. As you practice, you may decide there are things you can do to aid you (eg, grip tape, trigger work, sights, etc). But more importantly, as you practice with that ONE gun you'll start to pick up the nuances that REALLY matter... how you grip the pistol, where you put the trigger on your finger, etc.

I mention this because in this thread you seem interested in getting training, etc. If the goal is to play with as many types of guns as possible, you're on the right track. And that's fine, different folks are into guns/shooting for different reasons. But if getting better at shooting is the end goal, then pick one & practice.

2c

-rvb

Well stated! I am not in the same league as our OP, but I have gotten hung up on chasing the perfect firearm. Unfortunately for me, I am not able to get out and shoot right now due to other rather overwhelming commitments. But I am close to being able to free up a couple hours each weekend and I am going to pick one of my few handguns and that is what I will shoot this year. If I move around and shoot some different disciplines(IE, IDPA, Steel Challenge) I may suffer in one or the other, but my goal is to be intimately familiar with that one gun by the end of the season.

Then if I feel fairly proficient with it, I may consider shooting my other handgun next year, exclusively. We'll just have to see.

Frankly, I have gotten tired of chasing hardware. They keep coming out with new iterations that the marketing folks want us to buy. I need to forget about that and focus on the operator.

 

[doddg]

ok, I'll add some detail to my brief advice above. Please take this as well intended, I hope what I typed below doesn't come across as harsh, I was in a rush...

1. Nothing harsh in your tone: just advice from the experienced to the newb, and I don't mind at all.

I'll admit I don't usually make it though your posts/threads. Only because the details you get into about some basic production guns doesn't interest me. I'm not a "gun guy", I'm a shooter. IMO, it's one thing to dissect a high-dollar custom gun like you would if you were a certified wine taster, but to pick up a bersa or beretta or glock and pontificate about the nuances to me is like picking up some natty light and swirling it in your mouth before you spit it out and discuss the aromas and hints of flavor.

2. I'm sure my schizophrenic approach is enough to drive the sane into hiding, and I know some have little patience with my approach.
3. But, as an old man who has been away from guns for 30+ yrs. and then back when I had "no" money, it has been a total joy to try to make up from my absence from the gun world with a frenzy, and a little cash.
4. My best friend in the world, when I visited him last summer after he retired, he had his usual hunting rifles in the safe, but he had some lovely handguns, all quality top-tier guns. If we had been around each other, I could have avoided some of the wrong rabbit holes I have gone down. (In his safe were even some old classic guns that I sold him when I got out of it 30 yrs. ago that I had stumbled onto at auction or wherever.) I don't even remember owning the police Colt he had that he got from me.
5. I really had to laugh at your analogy about wine-tasting and my "pontificating" over low-tier guns. That's me. I can get excited over little and that is why I enjoy this process every step of the way.

My typical advice to folks looking for a gun is a compact 9mm like a G19. I don't care that it's a glock. Maybe a Beretta, or M&P, or CZ, Sig whatever. But it should be 9mm (due to cost of ammo, usefulness in self defense, and capacity). Something the size of a G19 (compact, but not subcompact) is both concealable, and controllable/shoot-able. You seem to be chasing the smallest guns possible, yet then trying to make them all larger with mag extensions, etc.

Then start shooting whatever you get. However good you were last week, try to be better this week. Any of the guns I mentioned above should be shooting 1" at 10 yds. Work on speed, while keeping it in the A zone.

A couple pounds difference in trigger pull, or a little difference in trigger reach, a fraction of an inch in thickness... none of that really matters. Where you get proficient is when you pick ONE, and practice. As you practice, you may decide there are things you can do to aid you (eg, grip tape, trigger work, sights, etc). But more importantly, as you practice with that ONE gun you'll start to pick up the nuances that REALLY matter... how you grip the pistol, where you put the trigger on your finger, etc.

I mention this because in this thread you seem interested in getting training, etc. If the goal is to play with as many types of guns as possible, you're on the right track. And that's fine, different folks are into guns/shooting for different reasons. But if getting better at shooting is the end goal, then pick one & practice.
2c
-rvb

6. My goal has been to experience as many types of guns as possbile, and I've gone through many, and as my tastes evolve and I sell off guns, I could afford to have more money tied up in that "one" gun.
7. Just like my bevy of 22LRs., and I will "trim" a few, and as I learned which to pursue I will go after that which brings more joy.
8. Example: I know that the Bersa is a 3rd tier gun, but since it is all metal, I enjoy it over some of the plastic ones that I have that cost more, and the Beretta Neos I enjoy immensely for a great "target" gun (for me). My expectations are low and uncultivated, and I hope I live lone enough and have the $$ to get better "tools" as time rolls along. If not, I'll enjoy what I have.