.380 vs 9mm carry gun

[nightmare938]

I highly recommend the sig p938...it's a great gun...I carry mine daily and it's very nice to carry even with the mag extension. And there are quite a few models out there to choose from to suit your taste.

 

[SERparacord]

My Colt Mustang .380 has brought me through countless excursions into the urban jungle, alive.

 

[GunGirl13]

That's interesting...I did not know Taurus made a .380 revolver. I have owned several .380's. Kel-tech, TCP, and LCP. They are all gone, but the P238 remains. I don't have total confidence in the .380 so rarely is it my main carry weopon. But I just love this pistol. Accurate, low recoil and extremely reliable. If you choose pocket carry, this is what I recommend. Typically for me it is a BUG. I also have shot all the 9mm handguns the OP listed, and as much as I liked the P938, I still prefer my CM9. BBI is right, IWB is the way to go. I have 2 holsters I really like with my CM9. One is an El Paso, the other is a Talon, which I prefer. 200 miles plus in the UP snowmobiling, and I frequently was checking to make sure it was still there. There have been some concerns about frame wear with the CM9, but I personally don't see it as an issue. With Talon grips on my CM9, it is extremely comfortable to shoot, lowest recoil, very accurate and extremely reliable. Hope this helps. Oh...and if you can swing it, get both.

It is the Taurus Ultra-Lite .380. Thank you for your advice. I wish I could buy 2 or 3 right now, but I will have to settle for one... until I win the lottery. lol

 

[ru44mag]

It is the Taurus Ultra-Lite .380. Thank you for your advice. I wish I could buy 2 or 3 right now, but I will have to settle for one... until I win the lottery. lol

I checked on your little revolver. The weight is almost the same as the Sig P238. You said shooting your revolver was not fun, so I assume that is due to recoil. Before you buy one of the little auto pistols, you will want to shoot them first. I am going to guess the recoil on all the pistols mentioned in this thread will be unpleasant due to recoil, other than the Sig P238 or maybe the Kahr .380. Auto pistols by design typically have slightly less recoil if handgun weight and cartridge are the same. A 9mm will have more recoil than a .380 if the pistols are the same weight. The CM9 has less felt recoil than it should being so small and light weight. Kahr magic I guess. But I think it would still "kick" a little harder than your .380 revolver.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Bear in mind ANY lightweight pistol will be unpleasant to shoot. That is normal. If you want something fun to shoot, get a range gun. just my .02

 

[ru44mag]

Bear in mind ANY lightweight pistol will be unpleasant to shoot. That is normal. If you want something fun to shoot, get a range gun. just my .02

I have to disagree. My wife is extremely recoil sensitive, and she finds the Sig P238 pleasant to shoot, as do I. I'm not that recoil sensitive, but I'm no burley gorilla he man either. And I enjoy shooting several of the lightweight pistols. Each person has to see what works for them. If they don't like certain pistols, or can't shoot certain pistols well, that does not mean the same is true for everyone.

 

[nakinate]

I have to disagree. My wife is extremely recoil sensitive, and she finds the Sig P238 pleasant to shoot, as do I. I'm not that recoil sensitive, but I'm no burley gorilla he man either. And I enjoy shooting several of the lightweight pistols. Each person has to see what works for them. If they don't like certain pistols, or can't shoot certain pistols well, that does not mean the same is true for everyone.

^^this is true. My wife hates recoil, but she loves her Sig P238.

 

[dyerwatcher]

^^this is true. My wife hates recoil, but she loves her Sig P238.

+2 here. I had a 3PAT and a Bodyguard. The P238 is very sweet.

 

[Spike Jones 5 2002]

The only thing I can contribute, the Ruger LCP is more for females or small finger. the trigger and guard is small and tight.
I have small hands but a bit fatter finger. After shooting one mag. My finger and grip fingers were in pain. Dump it the first chance I got.
it is a very good very close range defense pistol. they state that it is double action. it is simi - double action. it will fire from half cock but not down solid. it is hard to get it to half cock.

 

[nakinate]

Looking to buy a Browning .380...any available here? Thanks.

You'd have to look in the classifieds. Then you have to be a site supporter ($15/year) or have 50 quality posts.

 

[Texas-M4]

9 mm is cheaper and easier to find, but I haven't had any trouble acquiring .380. It's just $10 more per 50 round box. I'll vouch for the Sig P238 and the Ruger SR9c too.

9mm is cheaper than .380? What about .32ACP?

 

[sheepdog]

Another vote for 9mm if it's your only one.

I really like my Khar PM9

 

[sharpshot82]

I prefer to carry 9mm Glock 26. I do carry a .380 as my back up

 

[stack23]

The only thing I can contribute, the Ruger LCP is more for females or small finger. the trigger and guard is small and tight.
I have small hands but a bit fatter finger. After shooting one mag. My finger and grip fingers were in pain. Dump it the first chance I got.
it is a very good very close range defense pistol. they state that it is double action. it is simi - double action. it will fire from half cock but not down solid. it is hard to get it to half cock.

That can be fixed with a hogue grip and a wolff 13# recoil spring. I put them both on my LCP and it makes a huge difference

 

[Pinkzebraglockgirl]

Shot the ruger lc9 and did not like it. Personally I carry a glock 26, but I love shooting it. 2nd choice would be a much smaller m&p shield in 9mm. Go to the range and shoot the guns first so you don't have buyers remorse. Or if you are in nwin go to a meet and shoot, there are so many guns to try out, you will be able to decide what you like and handle better. Good luck.

 

[WebHobbit]

9mm obviously is what you want. I still can't for the life of me figure out why the .380 is as popular as it is. Unless you live in one of those countries where the 9mm is banned due to it being a military caliber I feel like the .380 and all the other mouse gun calibers are pretty much obsolete now that we have a ton of great quality compact and even subcompact 9mms available. To me as a former big-bore revolver shooter and .357 Magnum snub shooter/carrier the 9mm (even in +P) has pretty mild recoil. Shoot enough and you get used to the fairly gentle recoil of 9mm even in a small gun. Of course right now with the ammo situation "shooting enough" could be difficult!

But my advice is stay away from anything smaller/less powerful than 9mm in semi-autos or .38+P in revolvers....at least for defensive purposes.

 

[Camzilla]

Wifey has the LC9. We took it to the range once and left within 30mins very disappointed. there is approximately (didnt measure exactly) 3.76351 ft of trigger creep. there is a trigger bar that cuts trigger pull either 50%, or 35%, your choice of length. Were gonna pay the $40 to order one and try it again. if it doesnt put a smile on SWMBO's face, its getting sold. Once in and tested, ill post a range report.

The flip side is that if youre going to pocket carry, lower chance of negligent discharge as youd hafta pull hella long (see distance estimation above).

YMMV

 

[searpinski]

I prefer DAO for my carry pistols. Sig P238/P938 and the Colt Pocketlite firearms are excellent quality but I don't want to train myself to turn a safety off or remember to cock the hammer. Just something to think about.

9mm obviously is what you want. I still can't for the life of me figure out why the .380 is as popular as it is. Unless you live in one of those countries where the 9mm is banned due to it being a military caliber I feel like the .380 and all the other mouse gun calibers are pretty much obsolete now that we have a ton of great quality compact and even subcompact 9mms available. To me as a former big-bore revolver shooter and .357 Magnum snub shooter/carrier the 9mm (even in +P) has pretty mild recoil. Shoot enough and you get used to the fairly gentle recoil of 9mm even in a small gun. Of course right now with the ammo situation "shooting enough" could be difficult!

But my advice is stay away from anything smaller/less powerful than 9mm in semi-autos or .38+P in revolvers....at least for defensive purposes.

I would invite anyone who feels that a .380 is a mouse gun to be shot by one.

 

[Tobias]

I was carring bersa 380 for a while and recently changed to 9mm subcompact(XDS) because there are so many good 9mm subcompacts these days.
I can not think of any advantages of 380 over 9mm anymore.

What he said!

 

[Cameramonkey]

I think it has already been said... Better to have a tiny mouse gun in your pocket than a larger pistol at home.

Some people like my wife are not willing (or able) to dress around the gun. She wants something small and unobtrusive, that is easy to completely conceal no matter what she is wearing. (she doesnt feel comfy printing) So she settled on the LCP. Her BFF bought a LC9 from the guys at USDS, and That was even too big for her taste.

Hell, if I was told it was a 22lr or nothing, I'd still carry a 22.