Who carries a .380?

[Laura]

Honor Defense Honor Guard - American Handgunner

I know we have plenty of fun here, but today, I’m going to get a tiny bit more serious and talk about a good gun.

americanhandgunner.com

I'm surprised it's not more promoted and available.

 

[CatSnoutSoup]

Actually the only time to carry .380 is when you slip your "pajama gun" into your pajama pocket to go out and get that box of ammo UPS left on the porch for your serious guns.

 

[richc]

I have an old school Sig 232. It is one of the most natural shooters I own. Amazing little gun (except for that shitty little extractor spring... whoever designed that should be hung in a public setting...).

I've always wished Sig came out with a similar design with 9mm.

 

[Coyote33]

I've always wished Sig came out with a similar design with 9mm.

That would be a great thread to start.

"Guns You Like, That You Wish Were Available In 9mm"

 

[allen-1]

I'm surprised it's not more promoted and available.

That's my wife's Honor Guard on the left, my G43X on the right. They're about the same size.

 

[allen-1]

From the safe, Sig 232 with Crimson Trace laser, and Sig 238 with factory laser.

That 232 needs a good cleaning, dunno what that schmutz is on the slide, but it's ugly.

 

[Retired-LEO]

In the warmer months I usually carry my S&W Bodyguard .380. I actually shoot with it quite well. It has Talon Grips, Fiber Optic Sights, Galloway Trigger and a Crimson Trace Green Laser. For carry ammunition I use Hornady Critical Duty and or Hornady Critical Defense.

 

[T-Unit]

The only .380's I have are the LCP and I really have no interest in .380 beyond them. If given the choice, I would rather have those LCP's in .32 ACP as I don't trust .380 hollow points and would rather have a solid .32 that penetrates and recoils less.

Or, if somebody in the industry would realize the potential of .32 NAA I would buy that.

 

[BrianWilson]

Never heard of the 'Honor Guard'

Apparently Savage bought them out.

Stance | Handgun | Savage Arms

Put accuracy and dependability in the palm of your hand with the new Savage handgun, Stance. Savage Stance is a micro-compact handgun and a new option for everyday carry.

www.savagearms.com

 

[me109g4]

Someone asked how i knew my Interarms PPK/S was made in the USA,,, the slide is clearly marked "Made in the USA" and "under license" whereas the German Walthers imported by Interarms are marked "Made in Germany", with an Interarms logo at the right front on the slide. It also helped to know an ex employee of Interarms who assembled many of them.

 

[Tinkermatic]

.380 is a pocket gun and it requires the right ammo (Hornady Critical Defense). Otherwise small 9mm is the way such as 365 or P938 (I refuse to admit I’m a sig guy).
With that said;
I’m not looking to get in to a gunfight with really anything I carry. I’m looking to break contact and be sure that they run away, or that I do. Handguns aren’t what I necessarily consider “fight stoppers” they’re deterrents at best.

As old and cliché as it sounds, the .380 in my pocket is 10 times better than the 9mm I left at home.

 

[Quite_Exasperated]

The only .380's I have are the LCP and I really have no interest in .380 beyond them. If given the choice, I would rather have those LCP's in .32 ACP as I don't trust .380 hollow points and would rather have a solid .32 that penetrates and recoils less.

Or, if somebody in the industry would realize the potential of .32 NAA I would buy that.

Go with the buffalo bore 380 hardcast flatnose +p, ~300 ft pounds of energy, which is right on the heels of some of the 9mm defense rounds (Note to all the 9mm bangers, not looking for a fight, this is just for reference, besides, nobody shoots a 380 turned on it’s side so you can’t really compare, we all know 9 is better anyway cause it’s in millimeters which seems cooler to say to your friends)

 

[CatSnoutSoup]

we all know 9 is better anyway cause it’s in millimeters which seems cooler to say to your friends)

 

[T-Unit]

Go with the buffalo bore 380 hardcast flatnose +p, ~300 ft pounds of energy, which is right on the heels of some of the 9mm defense rounds (Note to all the 9mm bangers, not looking for a fight, this is just for reference, besides, nobody shoots a 380 turned on it’s side so you can’t really compare, we all know 9 is better anyway cause it’s in millimeters which seems cooler to say to your friends)

If all I'm gonna get out of that boutique Buffalo Bore .380 ammo is a non expanding bullet and an exit wound and potential to injure or kill whoever is behind the other guy, why wouldn't I go with a .32 that will do the same thing, but with less recoil and less danger to overpenetrate and be a hazard to others?

 

[allen-1]

Apparently Savage bought them out.

Stance | Handgun | Savage Arms

Put accuracy and dependability in the palm of your hand with the new Savage handgun, Stance. Savage Stance is a micro-compact handgun and a new option for everyday carry.

www.savagearms.com

Damn. I did not know that.

Did some googling and couldn't get a clear picture of what occurred, other than that Honor Defense is out of business.

 

[drgrant]

If all I'm gonna get out of that boutique Buffalo Bore .380 ammo is a non expanding bullet and an exit wound and potential to injure or kill whoever is behind the other guy, why wouldn't I go with a .32 that will do the same thing, but with less recoil and less danger to overpenetrate and be a hazard to others?

anything worth carrying has an over penetration risk, at some point you need to stop sniffing glue and accept that, because the alternative is immeasurably worse.

 

[Quite_Exasperated]

If all I'm gonna get out of that boutique Buffalo Bore .380 ammo is a non expanding bullet and an exit wound and potential to injure or kill whoever is behind the other guy, why wouldn't I go with a .32 that will do the same thing, but with less recoil and less danger to overpenetrate and be a hazard to others?

It’s easier to see the 380 holes from a distance…

 

[walter62]

I use the Underwood XD's. Note the FTX's are 175ft-lb vs. 301 for the XDs measured
(DLX w/ Sig P232). I use the same in 32ACP

 

[Asaltweapon]

I have an old school Sig 232. It is one of the most natural shooters I own. Amazing little gun (except for that shitty little extractor spring... whoever designed that should be hung in a public setting...).

I've always wished Sig came out with a similar design with 9mm.

I carried a 232 until the 365 came out. My single bitch was the mag release. It was just too damn different then every other semi I own. Give me a push button release every time.

 

[Individualist]

My go-to pocket pistol is a Kahr P380 free state. Solid little gun that pretty much disappears in the pocket. Grab and go without much thought. The PM9 9mm is also pretty darn compact.

 

[T-Unit]

anything worth carrying has an over penetration risk, at some point you need to stop sniffing glue and accept that, because the alternative is immeasurably worse.

I'd like to see the hard data that .32 has a track record for failures to stop because the reality is so few people carry it that the only consensus is nobody knows for sure.

 

[Coyote33]

If all I'm gonna get out of that boutique Buffalo Bore .380 ammo is a non expanding bullet and an exit wound and potential to injure or kill whoever is behind the other guy, why wouldn't I go with a .32 that will do the same thing, but with less recoil and less danger to overpenetrate and be a hazard to others?

anything worth carrying has an over penetration risk, at some point you need to stop sniffing glue and accept that, because the alternative is immeasurably worse.

I'd like to see the hard data that .32 has a track record for failures to stop because the reality is so few people carry it that the only consensus is nobody knows for sure.

The Box O' Truth #26 - Little Guns vs. The Box...

Many of us have, from time to time, carried small guns that are easy to conceal. If asked, we would justify it by saying, "A .32 in your hand is better than a .45 ACP in your safe." But, as Clint Smith has observed, "I never met a man that had been in a gunfight and wished that he had a smaller...

www.theboxotruth.com

Educational Zone #108 - Wolf Gold, .32 ACP Ammo Evaluation

This will be a short report, because there isn't much to say. Here is the pistol. It is a KelTec P-32, which fires the .32 ACP cartridge. The reason for this pistol is that it is very small and can be carried very easily. It is usually used as a Back Up Gun (BUG). It is not anywhere close...

www.theboxotruth.com

And, since this is about .380's:

Educational Zone #131 - Product Comparison - Keltec...

Some of us, especially those of us that live down south, find it difficult to conceal a handgun in summer clothes. I wear khaki shorts most of the time, and it is hard to hide a real pistol. Therefore, I sometimes only carry a small pistol. The first really small pistol I carried was a Keltec...

www.theboxotruth.com

 

[drgrant]

I'd like to see the hard data that .32 has a track record for failures to stop because the reality is so few people carry it that the only consensus is nobody knows for sure.

I'm not (per se) talking about whether or not its a good idea to carry a 32. I'm talking about this "overpenetration" mental masturbation everyone gets into, it's just nonsense.... people get so hopped up about it that they fail to understand that lack of penetration is on the whole, immesurably worse.

 

[T-Unit]

I'm not (per se) talking about whether or not its a good idea to carry a 32. I'm talking about this "overpenetration" mental masturbation everyone gets into, it's just nonsense.... people get so hopped up about it that they fail to understand that lack of penetration is on the whole, immesurably worse.

Sure, I agree we dont want to overthink it to a point that we're all carrying .22 Short CB, but the opposite also applies because then everyone would be carrying .500 Magnum.

But, regardless of penetration, I've no doubts a .32 FMJ will have the same effect as .380 Buffalo Bore hard cast.

 

[jkelly1229]

Damn. I did not know that.

Did some googling and couldn't get a clear picture of what occurred, other than that Honor Defense is out of business.

And chopped off that punch thingy that came in the gen 1 models

 

[Coyote33]

I'm not (per se) talking about whether or not its a good idea to carry a 32. I'm talking about this "overpenetration" mental masturbation everyone gets into, it's just nonsense.... people get so hopped up about it that they fail to understand that lack of penetration is on the whole, immesurably worse.

Can't find the article right now, but the Box O Truth said somewhere that if it isn't powerful enough to blow holes in walls, it isn't powerful enough to blow holes in bad guys.

Educational Zone #91 - Let's Talk About Buckshot

A short while back I was on Shotgunworld in the Tactical/Home Defense Forums, (also known as The Basement) and we had a guy ask a simple question: "Specifically, I'm curious about how much the shot in standard 2-3/4" 9-pellet 00 buckshot weighs. Anyone know? I tried figuring it out...

www.theboxotruth.com

Sure it will. Any load that will STOP a bad guy, will also penetrate several interior walls, as I proved.
Until someone invents a phaser, like on Star Trek, any load that will STOP a bad guy will also penetrate several walls

Conclusion:
If you are loading your shotgun for home defense, you will be hard pressed to use a better load than 00 Buckshot. It is the best commonly available load.

 

[Sterg]

I'd like to see the hard data that .32 has a track record for failures to stop because the reality is so few people carry it that the only consensus is nobody knows for sure.

Look at all the years it was a viable round in Europe in law enforcement. “It will keel.” As Doug Micaida would say. I feel safe carrying .32. Even coming out this puny barrel.

 

[drgrant]

Look at all the years it was a viable round in Europe in law enforcement. “It will keel.” As Doug Micaida would say. I feel safe carrying .32. Even coming out this puny barrel. View attachment 700890

The best thing about 32ACP is its not 25ACP.

25 might have killed a bunch of people but what a shitty f***ing cartridge that is. It was so pathetic that Clark Magnuson couldn't even make it blow up by overloading it.

 

[T-Unit]

The best thing about 32ACP is its not 25ACP.

25 might have killed a bunch of people but what a shitty f***ing cartridge that is. It was so pathetic that Clark Magnuson couldn't even make it blow up by overloading it.

The only reason .25 was created was to make as small a centerfire as possible. That's it, not exactly something that makes it worth considering unless you need as small a semi auto as possible.

.32 has a lot more going for it, it just has the stigma of .32 attached to it.

 

[Sterg]

The only reason .25 was created was to make as small a centerfire as possible. That's it, not exactly something that makes it worth considering unless you need as small a semi auto as possible.

.32 has a lot more going for it, it just has the stigma of .32 attached to it.

Especially with the advancement of newer technology or so I’m told. Do I feel more secure with a .380? Yes, but like it’s been said before, a 32 in the pocket is better than a 380 left at home. Or something like that.