380 Caliber Gun - To follow up on our discussion of the .380 ACP concealed carry benefits, in this installment of our pocket pistol series, I compare six popular .380 miniature pistols. Details are in the video below, or scroll down to read the full transcript.
By my calculations, there are no fewer than 16 different models of .380 ACP pocket pistols currently being manufactured. And that doesn't include all the different colors and configurations and other variants of each model. Almost every major pistol maker has at least one .380 pocket in their lineup. The simple reason is that these guns sell well. They're silly, easy to carry, and inexpensive, and they've become one of the most popular concealed carry pistols over the past decade.
380 Caliber Gun
I've spent a lot of time in the .380 pocket pistol range over the past two weeks, and today we're going to take a look at how some of these models compare to each other. I couldn't spend time with every .380 on the market, so I was limited to the six most popular models. If you've considered getting a .380, even if it's not the one I've covered, that should at least give you an idea of the different types of models available and what features to look for.
Ruger Lcp Standard .380 Acp Pistol
I'm also limiting this review to real miniature pocket pistols. The Glock 42 is the largest pistol on this list, and it kind of pushes the boundaries of this size category. So today I'm not considering bigger guns like the Smith & Wesson Shield EZ or old heavy classic models like the Walther PPK/S. That's not to say there's anything wrong with these guns, they're just beyond our focus on modern pocket pistols.
The models I see today are Glock 42, Sig Sauer P238, Kahr CW380, Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380, and since nearly half of all .380s made in the US are from Ruger, we have two of their miniature pistols: the LCP Custom and LCP II.
Before I get into the details here, I want to offer one major caveat about .380 pocket pistols: they're all terrible. If I say one of them is very good, please understand that this is only compared to other pocket guns. I say this mostly because of all the modern firearms we have to choose from, miniature semi-auto weapons are the least likely to actually work when you need them most. In general, semi-automatic pistols can be very reliable, but the smaller they are, the more prone they are to malfunctioning, especially in combat conditions.
If you have to pull the gun out of your pocket and end up with an awkward grip, or you fire while pulling your arm back to stop someone from grabbing it - this tends to trigger a malfunction. Many of these pocket guns also seem to have mechanical issues - quality control issues tend to be more common than full size, compact pistols. So if you plan to take a handheld .380, be sure to test it thoroughly, keep it clean and well lubricated, and become familiar with troubleshooting drills.
Smith & Wesson M&p380 Shield Ez 380 Acp Handgun With Thumb Safety
Glock is relatively behind in the .380 field. Released in 2014, the 42 was initially skeptical by many, as it was larger than most of its competitors in a category that typically prioritizes the very small first. But that's exactly why I think this gun is the best .380 you can buy. This is a pocket pistol that shoots like a real pistol. Learning this weapon isn't a bad thing for a novice shooter, and if you've gotten to a higher level of shooting, the 42 is a no-brainer. Much less effort is required to get one of these pistols to work properly than a smaller .380 or miniature 9mm pistol like the Glock 43.
For most people, the G42 is too big to fit in a pocket, but I think it pairs really well with a minimalist case like the Raven Concealment Vanguard. You can hang it on your belt, but it's much smaller than traditional belt holsters. I reviewed this Glock 42 for our blog in 2014 and have since added a set of Trijicon HD night vision goggles. Low recoil and big orange front sight, like easy mode for a pocket pistol.
I have fired thousands of rounds with this gun and it has never malfunctioned in my hands, but I have seen it jam a few times when I let inexperienced shooters try it. It seems to be very sensitive to anything less than a handful of manuals. So the Glock 42 has a lot going for it, but it's still susceptible to the same problems common to all pocket pistol designs.
Sig Sauer introduced the P238 in 2009 as a clone of the Colt Mustang that was retired in the 90s. It features a 1911-style design with a single-action trigger and manual safety. This one only has the safety on the left side, but Sig also offers a ambidextrous version. There are a few other 1911 style .380s on the market that are similar to this one. Colt brought back the Mustang a few years ago, as does Kimber and Springfield Armory.
Bersa Thunder 380 Auto (acp) 3.5in Silver/black Pistol
The P238 is a bit smaller than the Glock 42, but it’s also the heaviest gun on our list, with a 17.2-ounce chamber. Like the Glock, the P238 is surprisingly easy to fire, thanks to its low recoil, short, light trigger, and large night vision goggles. The slide is easier to install than most other small .380s, which may appeal to shooters with below-average grip. But for a number of reasons, I won't be recommending it as a concealed carry weapon anytime soon.
Manual safeties are often problematic for inexperienced shooters because people tend to forget to use them. Either they didn't have the safety on when they carried the gun, or they forgot to do so when they wanted to fire it. Both of these mistakes can have deadly consequences, so if you're going to carry a safety gun, you'll need a lot of practice until it deactivates it when the sights are on target and restarts when they're off target it just happens and doesn't any conscious thought. Beyond that, the P238 safety bar itself is not an ideal design. It mounts very far back, making it difficult to actively control with your knuckles or thumb pads unless you let go of the shooting grip.
In addition to safety, the P238 appears to have serious reliability issues. But unlike the Glock 42, these are usually not user-induced problems. This particular P238 was good enough for us, but the one I owned a few years ago couldn't go through a box full of .380 rounds without a few feed failures. After talking to other P238 owners and gunners instructors who have seen many of these guns go through their courses, reliability issues are common, even by pocket pistol standards. You may end up with a valid or invalid result.
Kahr entered the .380 market in 2010 with the P380. Three years later, they came out with a more affordable entry-level version called the CW380, which is what we tested. Functionally, it's essentially the same gun, only the CW380 comes with smaller sights and a magazine.
Bernardelli 80 .380 Acp Semi Auto Pistol
Like all Kahr pistols, it is a percussion-action design, and the trigger is more like a light double action. It's not the smallest or lightest .380 on the market, but it's not far off. It is significantly smaller than Sig or Glock.
Of the six pistols I tested, this was the only one that really surprised me. I've owned three different Kahr 9mm pistols several times over the years, but never really got used to any of them, nor did I shoot them well. We did some ballistic jelly testing with a Kahr CW45 and it has got to be one of the worst and most unreliable guns I have ever used. So I had low expectations for the CW380, but it turned out to be an excellent shooter. Recoil is surprisingly smooth for a weapon of its size. It's not an easy shooting experience like a Sig or Glock, but it does lack that snappy quality you tend to get with smaller pocket .380s. I want to go out
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