380 carry

[joeyj]

any thoughts what is the most dependable 380 or which one to keep away from

[PA1936MN]

Going to get lots of opinions and that's exactly what they are someone's opinion not fact.

For me I had a BERSA Thunder 380. It had a great weight, felt great in my hands, shot everything I fed it from FMJ to JHP. It didn't sting your hands when firing it and it concealed nicely in a COMPTAC MTAC Minotaur IWB holster. The only side note I'd tell you is it flings brass fairly far. I had brass flung 15-20 feet away from myself. I also had it flung straight up and land on my head or in my shirt pocket.

[bripro]

I've only owned one 380 so Ill just share my experience with that. I have the KelTec P3AT. Its the pocket pistol Ruger cloned. Mine has been 100 percent flawless since day one. I honestly can not remember any malfunctions of any kind. Mine also happens to have a very nicely machined slide and barrel. The frame on the other hand is nowhere as refined as the Ruger LCP but that has never bothered me. There are many other (and possibly better) choices out there but for me, as long as I have this pistol, my deep concealment 380 slot is filled.

[Pilot321]

I sometimes carry a Beretta 85FS .380. It is accurate, reliable, and relatively thin. It is large for a .380, but conceals well.

You may be talking about the newer, sub-compact .380's though, like the Ruger LCP. I have no experience with those, so can't share any of my FACTS.

[AirportFF]

My wife carries the Ruger LC380 quite a bit and has no complaints with it. My nephew carries a Walther PK380 once in a while also with no complaints.

Having shot both I prefer the Walther. It was more comfortable in my hands. The Ruger is nice, but the narrow frame just didn't feel right for me.

[herplover]

I have a Ruger LC380 and after a break in period of about 150 rounds i have little issue with it as long as it is kept oiled and cleaned every couple hundred rounds. I also have a Ruger LCP and have had no issues with it and have fired 100-150 rounds through it. Just got it the beginning of the month for a bday present so that is why there are so few rounds through it.

[ironhorse]

mine , bersa 380 , just bought my wife a SW bodyguard with lazer pointer, she's real happy with that one.

[warpath9809]

I had a Sig 238, and a Kahr P380. Both were good dependable pistols. Traded up to a Sig 938 ( the first was a lemon, the second is spectacular). There are many good options in a .380. For the size difference I'd go for a 9mm.

[Qtrborecrazy]

I second the Sig P238, acurate and can be carried cocked and locked. I have my eye on a P938.

[kismet1113]

I've owned two different .380's in the past few years and only kept one of them. The keeper is my Bersa Thunder which has just been a great reliable little shooter. I had picked up a S&W Bodyguard w/laser and after 10 shots wanted nothing to do with it. Trigger on the S&W was long and heavy and just not what I had hoped it would be. I intended on maybe gifting it to my mom, but after about 5 rounds she didn't like it either.

If you intend on buying one, handle as many as you can before picking one. Like every other gun/caliber, they can vary significantly.