Suggestions for a 380

[Mity2]

Originally Posted by scoutjoe

What do you pay for a box of 9mm? I pay $13 ish for a box of 50 .380s

Up until 2 weeks ago, I was able to pick up 9mm WWB (100rds) for $15.72
and 380ACP WWB(50rds) was $14.24

[synergy]

Originally Posted by Behler17

first order of business SYNERGY, READ THE WHOLE POST!

2.) we were talking about PANTS pocket carry. i don't know many pant designers with overly large front pockets. my ABU pockets are large and yet constricting enough to print a gun.

3.) that holster is better served in a coat pocket ( which if you will read further back, i did not SLAM) in fact i use a similar holster with my .357 snubby in a coat pocket configuration.

4.) the pocket (coat pocket) is great for a non-threatening draw under guise of going for keys or cash. however...going all the way back to the root of this discussion...which being on the pea shooter abilities of the .380 vs. known stopping power of the .45 and the concealed carry of it in the SOB holster
www.gunaccessories.com/galco/SOBINSET.jpg now the average guy carries his wallet which holds said money that the robber is after in what...that's right...his back pocket. which by looking at the picture in the link provided you will notice a gun handle right above the "wallet" area. thus making for a similar "non-threatening draw"

5.) in the sitting position this "reach for wallet in back pocket" also works wonders.


did i miss anything?

please "SLAM THAT."

What in my post made you THINK I was talking about coat pocket carry? The entirety of my post was based on the assumption of pants pocket usage.

There are plenty of pants out there with large pockets. Dressing around pocket carry is no different than dressing about belt carry...and it's usually easier.

Additionally reaching to the small of your back is much harder to do, mid-fight, than drawing a gun from your center-line (AIWB carry, or pocket carry).

I've carried a G26 pocket carry plenty....I wasn't talking specifically on the .380 micro guns.

Not every full pocket has a gun in it...and most people aren't too curious about people with full pockets. With a pocket holster, it doesn't much look like a gun.

I personally watched someone walk up to the counter I was working at, and ask me about selling his 2" S&W 500. I asked him if he had it with him...he had it in his pocket! Baggy jeans, long baggy polo shirt overlapping his pockets...and I watched him walk right up to me, looking on his waist line for a gun. And you really think people are going to catch a J-Frame or sub-compact gun in a pocket holster???

If you want to spout off about re-reading posts....re-read mine, knowing it's about PANTS POCKET usage.

[Brown-Bear]

I like the Bersa thunder .380. Got it for $169.99

[Kaos]

Originally Posted by XUSNORDY

You beat me to it......I've beat the living hell out of my old Makarov (Baikal IZH-70)......do these things ever break in? Bought it years ago. We had to train pilots how to use wepaons of the "threat" they may run across if they were put in a "situation"....never replaced anything on it.....still ticking....

Oh yeah, the wife and daughter shoot it extremely well. But for carry?......probably leave too many scars. (LOL)

Theyre fantastic...slip a handall on it and it wont hurt so bad...pretty damn accurate too, I wouldnt carry it though.

[Snert]

Originally Posted by Behler17

I have had folks say well its just a .380, well yeah. But if its gonna make the differance of me being alive or dead it does not matter what cal. it is , just that it WORKS...

but it does matter. yes you could use a .380 or you could carry .22...if you wanted to shoot at em' all day long. (little extreme but oh well) example of caliber mattering: (this too may be to the extreme of examples but again oh well)
the M-16 chambered in 5.56 NATO (223 rem) is not living up to standards as a man stopper in the war in iraq. due to the over-stabalization of the the projectile and power behind it, it is merely "poking holes" in the enemy and not dropping them. even with several if not more burst to the abdomen. this is why the military is calling for a change back to the old 7.62 (.308) round for its undisputed stopping abilities.

moral of the story: why leave it to chance...use a caliber that is undisputed in stopping power. i.e. .357 sig, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP. all of which come in very concealable and "people size" friendly options. .45 being my choice.

and now i leave you with this thought to ponder: "While a 9 mm or .40 caliber bullet may or may not expand, it is an undeniable fact that a .45 caliber bullet will never shrink." Fr. Frog[/quote]

OK so first off let me state this. I have NEVER been shot, or shot at. So this is just my opinion, might not be worth much but here goes. But lets compare a few things here.

I see this turning into a caliber debate. But here is my point.

On any given day if approached and in a life threatining situation a .380 will work. No criminal is gonna put his hands on his hips like "rickey recardo" and laugh and say "HAHA its only a .380" . They are going to meet the business end of a firearm, it goes bang. I would venture to say the bullet is going to burn flesh as it enters the body and tears through body mass doing damage. Blood loss and death if placed in the vitals.

common thought process of the brain is to move for cover when being fired at. So if the criminal/badguy hears and see's a firearm pointed at him it is a deterant, plain and simple. Could it make the badguy change his plan of action, hell yes. Will it make the sudden thought process of "I can die", YES. The real world i would venture to say is not like the movies. A person gets shot I would venture to say they go into instant shock of "OH SHIP" grab the wound and then panic. I honestly dont think they will look down see blood and get more PO"ed and charge in a hail of bullets, jumping over cars.

So in general, we can go into this whole ballistics BS. yes the .380 is a weaker round. Will it penetrate flesh, yes, will it end someones life, YES. Can it be the determining factor of me living , HELL YES plain and simple.

Now lets compare a colt detective in say .38SPc. snub nose. Yup it has more umph behind it but it is like a .380, close up and personal defense.

On another thought, IS anyone willing to stand say 10 yards out and let someone shoot at them with a .380??? after all its just a little bullet right?? we can do just one round, nothing to be afraid of its a baby bullet, basic draw and shoot.

And in closing to the ORIGINAL POSTER..
Only the person the firearm is intended for will know what best suits them. It will be a matter of comfort, and test firing. Let her handle as many firearms as possible, and shoot them if she can.
All calibers in my opinion will be better than nothing at all. Dont get caught up in the stuff posted above. it boils down to plain and simple fact. All calibers work in self defense, you just have to know when to use it. AND not be afraid to use it. Your friends wife has every right to defend herself, but SHE has to make the decision as to what firearm is best for her. On the good side of this post, Folks heve givin you a veriety of choices to consider. I would aslo consider Mity2's advice on the recoil, and blowback guns etc.

Snert

[synergy]

Originally Posted by Snert

the M-16 chambered in 5.56 NATO (223 rem) is not living up to standards as a man stopper in the war in iraq. due to the over-stabalization of the the projectile and power behind it, it is merely "poking holes" in the enemy and not dropping them.

Really.... says who? There are plenty of reasons to use the 5.56...and it's performing quite well...even without the newer Mk 262 mod1 round, which is dropping Hajis like Thor's Hammer.

even with several if not more burst to the abdomen. this is why the military is calling for a change back to the old 7.62 (.308) round for its undisputed stopping abilities

Proof?

Why is it then that some of the most recent major weapons developments for the SF guys have been the 416 (5.56) and the SCAR-L (5.56)?

This is a conversation better off in the rifles forum, so lets continue it there, if you like.

However, I know more than a few people who's shot and killed folks. One hit a guy square in the chest with a .45 JHP at maybe 5 feet away....the perp didn't even flinch, and he thought he missed! The kid ran off and died a few blocks away. No instant 1 shot stop, no "stopping power"...the kid RAN for 2 blocks. He could've stayed at fought it out for a while, if he chose to. Think about deer getting slammed with a 1oz slug, .75 inches in diameter right through the heart....they take off RUNNING!

Shot placement trumps caliber, every time. But would I trust a .380? Not unless I HAD to...there are a lot of husky people out there, and in winter they wear thick clothing. I wouldn't trust a .380 to make it through to their CNS consistently.

[Emptymag]

...a thread asking for advice on a handgun for a guy's wife that turned into a caliber debate over what military round is the best choice in battle...

Who'da thunk it?

[brian]

Originally Posted by Behler17

nice percentage figures you came up with. but riddle me this batman, other than wearing extremely baggy jeans how is it that you manage to carry in your pocket in public without printing? keeping in mind that those jnco jeans went out of style years ago. also, assuming that you carry in your front pocket, because the back pocket would take away from the 1000% comfort of carry, how do you draw in a hurry, under pressure, or just plain sitting down?

they're known as ''carpenter pants''. large pockets, with large openings. ever seen a p3at in person? you can see i have something in my pocket, nobody questions what's in a pocket. i simply call it my PDA(personal defense accesory).

[tbmatthews82]

Get a 9mm. .380's are useless. Too much POP and muzzle lift without any big time punch on the other end. 9mm won't snap so bad and it's a better defense round.

-How's that for stirring the pot?

[Behler17]

Originally Posted by tbmatthews82

Get a 9mm. .380's are useless. Too much POP and muzzle lift without any big time punch on the other end. 9mm won't snap so bad and it's a better defense round.

-How's that for stirring the pot?

HAHAHAHAHAHA...that's great everyones getting in on it. we should move this to another thread.

bit swamped at work at the moment but give me a couple minutes and i'll finish my reply to those of you above.