.380 Goodness

You could say that I'm a fan of the .380 LCP.

Hey Larry what brand of JHP do they like ? Another poster on here and his buddy were having issues with Hornady critical defense. Here's the link to his thread.

https://www.rugerforum.com/threads/lcp-malfunctions.303322/#post-3033851

I can play that game …..

buckaroo said:

Hey Larry what brand of JHP do they like ? Another poster on here and his buddy were having issues with Hornady critical defense. Here's the link to his thread.

https://www.rugerforum.com/threads/lcp-malfunctions.303322/#post-3033851

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I only shoot ball.

Nice bunch of LCP's. But a buddy of mine,, (and a lurker here occasionally,) has you beat. I think he's up to (7) of the LCP's.

I also like the 380's. Here are the ones I have.



A Rock Island 380 (Baby Rock) and a S/W Bodyguard.

Some nice pistols here. Just read a review on the new Sig 365 now chambered in .380 Certainly looks nice. Gave an M.S.R.P of $500.

Mauser9 said:

Some nice pistols here. Just read a review on the new Sig 365 now chambered in .380 Certainly looks nice. Gave an M.S.R.P of $500.

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I have a Sig P365-.380 and it's probably the best shooting .380 I've owned. I put a CT laser on it and it's my favorite carry gun.

LarryBG said:

You could say that I'm a fan of the .380 LCP.

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My 1st handgun was an Erma KGP 68. I bought it because my son who was 4 at the time was not strong enough to rack the slide if he ever got hold of it. It was between that and a Hi-Power 9mm (what was I thinking. LOL. I did finally get a Hi-Power.) Had an alloy frame that cracked some 20+ years later and I still got enough for an even trade in for a Beretta Bobcat for my wife. Wasn't until I got my C&R FFL that I picked up a couple: A Beretta Model 1934 and a FEG PA-63 AP9.

I know it's a .380 theme, but I only have one, a SIG P238 (.380 acp). But I do also have an older CZ Model 70 (.32 acp). A customer gave this to me as a thank you for all the small miscellaneous things I had done for him on his guns. And you know, when circumstances dictate that I carry one of these, I really don't feel undergunned.

In retirement, I had reduced my collection of shooters to just my two favorite calibers, .22LR and.45LC. Post Bruen, the Peoples Democratic Republic of New Jersey was forced to allow the rabble to be able to get a CCW permit (although they are doing everything they possibly can, legal and otherwise, to make that difficult). I had figured I would use my SR22 for CCW, but they want people to meet the same requirements as a Retired Police Officer, including a minimum caliber of .380, so I needed to add a new gun to my armory.

I went with the Browning 1911-380 Black Label Full Size. It is almost identical in same size to my SR22. With a grip I can get my whole hand on, a few extra ounces of heft and a true tilting-barrel locked-breech action, it is a lot more manageable than most .380s. With the Full Size's 4.25" barrel, velocities should be high enough to produce reliable expansion in hollow point bullets (although their use, by mere civilians, is prohibited in Jersey), something a lot of pocket pistols can have a problem with.



As you can see, the 1911 is carried in Condition One, while the DA/SA SR22 is carried in Condition Two.

The only .380 I own was bought on a whim many years ago when I saw it in a gun store. I think the stainless frame/blued slide caught my eye. It's a 10 round DAO Swiss made pistol. It has a snappy, blowback action that might bite your hand if you shoot it fast and don't hold on tight. I've always liked it even if I haven't shot it for a while.

As always, what matters most in a self defense weapon is whether you have it when you need it. One of the most comfortable personal defense .380s today is the Ruger LCP Max, with 13 rounds in a reliable hammer-fired that can be hidden under your hand and weighs less than a pound loaded. Sight radius combined with a very good action enables dollar-size groups at 7 meters. .380 ammunition has evolved, and several brands offer rounds that meet the FBI's 12" - 18" gel block range, and use fast-burning powder to get that performance from very short barrels. I'm at the range pretty often, and once in a while get such a group with rapid fire. One day all 13 went into such a group. I don't feel that more is needed, so stopped carrying my cannon.

ALSO - I polished the feed ramp and chamber, and after about 150 rounds my LCP Max has been 100.00% reliable using Federal PD-HST. I have a .22 magnum NAA Ranger, but it's not a backup; it's for when the LCP is too large for my clothing.