What can a .380 do?

A .380 in the right hands can be a powerful little handgun. Its definitely a short range weapon but at short range it is lethal. I know first hand that a .380 will put a horse down with one shot!

I had a 46 year old horse who went down. We tried to get her up with the rubber straps of the hydraulic boom tow truck. We got her up but she kept having mini heart attacks. This time there was no getting her to her feet for just one more day. We called the vet to come put her to sleep but the vet said she couldn't get here sooner than five hours. She asked me to call the guy she uses to euthanize farm animals when she can't get there. He uses a high powered rifle. I'm peculiar when it comes to my animals. They are my responsibility to care for and to allow someone else to release her felt wrong. She gave me so many years of service and companionship and never a bit of trouble out of herI got my .380, made everyone leave the field and released my girl myself.
One shot. Clean, fast, lethal. I won't say what I was like afterward, but I calmly did what I had to do to give her the end she deserved. She did not deserve to lie for five hours waiting for the vet being scared and in pain.

The point being... a .380 can be a very good option for close range stopping power if your aim is true. They are loud though, so if you need more than one shot... you're up a creek.

.380's are certainly all the rage these days. The 380 is just a short 9mm anyway and at close range, very lethal indeed.
There are many good companies manufacturing some excellent but small pocket pistols to cater to the ever growing number of people in the CCW crowd. Sig Sauer even came out with the dandy little P238 in .380. No fancy sights needed on these close range defensive weapons. Point and shoot!!

reply to post by SeenMyShare
Bullet placement is the important thing.

I dropped a steer running away from me with a .22 WMR Mossberg bolt action rifle. Not much gun for something that weighed 1500 lbs. I hit the second vertebra back from his skull and he dropped like a ton of lead.

That being said, I know that plenty of people have been killed with a .25 Auto, but I am not about to make it my carry gun, or even a backup weapon.

I would consider the .380 as a backup or even a self dense carry gun if the attire I was wearing necessitated it.

reply to post by SeenMyShare


My cheap little Bersa .380 is riding comfortably under my left armpit right now!

Perfect little gun, light, easy to conceal, accurate, and good stopping power.

Let me also say that it is DEFINITELY worth the money to buy some good undershirts with built in carry holsters, and a good hip holster that protects you skin. I used to not carry my gun, because I didn't trust my holsters to conceal it properly, or they were uncomfortable. Since I went out and spent about $200 on equipment, I have worn my gun to work under my shirt every single day, and I have worn it on my hip every single time I have left the house. Going on 6 weeks now and I couldn't be happier!

Yup. .38 is a nice round, and there is a case for it being more effective than a 9mm at standard hand gun ranges because it actually has a higher chance to not create a through and through. .32 is just as nice a round for the same reasons, but it's not as available/popular/cheap as the .38 is.

I know people who made their CWP with a kel-tec .38. The guy giving the test brought his 1911 because he didn't think they could qualify with such small guns. Their groupings were well beyond exceptional.

Personally, all the .223 hype about the high velocity actually creating tumble just doesn't make good sense to me. Too small entry, too small exit for it to be viable for anything larger than a coyote. I think a .22 LR does better damage at the lower velocity.

In the end, I think ammo has become a popularity issue more than a practical one.

reply to post by PayMeh


The .38 and the .380 are different rounds. Don't confuse them and put them in the wrong gun or you might have an unpleasant surprise.

I love my Ruger LCP .380, I bought it for the wife but it's so much more comfortable to carry than my kel tec P11, much smaller and lighter - I forget I;m even carrying it.

Any real threat to you will probably be closer than 20 feet away so I think the .380 is a great choice for carry,

For long term survival in a SHTF scenario I would definitely want something more accurate and powerful - .40 cal or bigger.

reply to post by Asktheanimals
I hope you didn't give her that gun for Christmas or her birthday.

You did get her something to replace it, right.

I know a guy that got his wife a shotgun for Christmas one year. She didn't get the joke.

Originally posted by SeenMyShare
A .380 in the right hands can be a powerful little handgun. Its definitely a short range weapon but at short range it is lethal. I know first hand that a .380 will put a horse down with one shot!

I had a 46 year old horse who went down. We tried to get her up with the rubber straps of the hydraulic boom tow truck. We got her up but she kept having mini heart attacks. This time there was no getting her to her feet for just one more day. We called the vet to come put her to sleep but the vet said she couldn't get here sooner than five hours. She asked me to call the guy she uses to euthanize farm animals when she can't get there. He uses a high powered rifle. I'm peculiar when it comes to my animals. They are my responsibility to care for and to allow someone else to release her felt wrong. She gave me so many years of service and companionship and never a bit of trouble out of herI got my .380, made everyone leave the field and released my girl myself.
One shot. Clean, fast, lethal. I won't say what I was like afterward, but I calmly did what I had to do to give her the end she deserved. She did not deserve to lie for five hours waiting for the vet being scared and in pain.

The point being... a .380 can be a very good option for close range stopping power if your aim is true. They are loud though, so if you need more than one shot... you're up a creek.

I feel sorry for the horse - I'm a animal lover. And I feel sorry for you; you are not peculiar, Mercy is what that is called. Too bad that when a human needs such mercy from pain it is called murder.I only pray to God that I can take my own life when it becomes intolerable.

When I was kid, my older brother shot a cat who had been run-over. The poor thing was screaming in agony. He told me it was the kindest thing to do. And it was.

I routinely carry a P3AT .380 KelTec concealed - I have a concealed carry license. I have it loaded with Speer hollow points.

The .380 can take a man out up to 25 yards - it is not a wimpy round. My KelTec disappears in a pants pocket - it only weighs nine ounces.

reply to post by mydarkpassenger


I've started using these Extreme Shock rounds in my .380. It is a tungsten nytrilium round that fractures into a powder on impact. It transfers more energy for more knockdown power, and it has almost zero chance of a pass through to an unintended target. Since I work in an office building it is important to know that I won't shoot someone on the other side of some sheetrock or a window.

I have read good things and bad things about this new round, their website boasts that it is the round of choice for Air Marshalls, but I have never gotten that confirmed, and my FBI buddies don't bother with changing their rounds when they are on airplanes.

Anyhow, my gunsmith guy recommended it, and I bought a small pack and shot up some melons, and it was impressive compared to a regular round. There is also the added benefit of no ballistics!

ExtremeShockUSA.com

Originally posted by SeenMyShare
The point being... a .380 can be a very good option for close range stopping power if your aim is true. They are loud though, so if you need more than one shot... you're up a creek.

A .380 will ruin someones day if you are within 25 yards, if you are accurate. And that depends on practice.

I have seen many fools buy handguns and shoot them once.

Shooting is a perishable skill.

If you expect to be "Dirty Hairy" you will get yourself killed unless you practice.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by mydarkpassenger

 

I've started using these Extreme Shock rounds in my .380. It is a tungsten nytrilium round that fractures into a powder on impact. It transfers more energy for more knockdown power, and it has almost zero chance of a pass through to an unintended target. Since I work in an office building it is important to know that I won't shoot someone on the other side of some sheetrock or a window.

I have read good things and bad things about this new round, their website boasts that it is the round of choice for Air Marshalls, but I have never gotten that confirmed, and my FBI buddies don't bother with changing their rounds when they are on airplanes.

Anyhow, my gunsmith guy recommended it, and I bought a small pack and shot up some melons, and it was impressive compared to a regular round. There is also the added benefit of no ballistics!

ExtremeShockUSA.com

I have heard of these, but not been able to find them - what is your source?

I think the .380 is a highly underated round!

reply to post by mydarkpassenger


I get them from a local gunsmith. Ad-Tek. I tried that website and it wasn't very user friendly. I normally just go there in person. I also buy all my concealed shirts and holsters from that guy. He has some great tactical equipment.

reply to post by mydarkpassenger

So true. We shoot skeet with handguns .

reply to post by mydarkpassenger


Link to actual purchase page for .380 nytrillium Round

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
reply to post by PayMeh

 

The .38 and the .380 are different rounds. Don't confuse them and put them in the wrong gun or you might have an unpleasant surprise.

I love my Ruger LCP .380, I bought it for the wife but it's so much more comfortable to carry than my kel tec P11, much smaller and lighter - I forget I;m even carrying it.

Any real threat to you will probably be closer than 20 feet away so I think the .380 is a great choice for carry,

For long term survival in a SHTF scenario I would definitely want something more accurate and powerful - .40 cal or bigger.

The LCP is a pretty gun and well made.

Ruger basically lifted the design from KelTec's P3AT .380. One thing it's got that my P3AT could use is the ability to lock the chamber open - it's kind of a PITA to do a quick cleaning that way.

It's not that big a deal since every time I hit the range I do a break down and cleaning afterwards: I'm in Florida, and the little .380 is my daily CCW until it cools down; then I don a windbreaker and carry my big girl, a Sig P229R . 40 on my hip and still the KelTec is in my pocket.

I love my P3AT. Put it in an Uncle Mike's pocket holster, and it disappears in your jeans or shorts front pocket, or it "prints" like a wallet in your back pocket. At 9 ounces it's an easy carry when it's hot outside, but it has a helluva kick being so light, so for rapid fire I just aim low and let the recoil bring 'er up.

I bought a second one for my girlfriend - I kinda like watching her back pockets a lot!

My baby is my Sig P229R .40 it's like having a light-saber and shooting it is almost instinctual. That and my pistol-grip Mossy 12 gauge are my SHTF weapons.

I have lasers on all my weapons, including the Sig .40 and the KelTec .380. I like the idea of being able to hold the pistols close-in against my body and still be able to accurately sight them on a target, instead of having to extend my arms to line up the iron sights, especially if I am in close quarters and moving around corners. It lessens the chance of some perp being able to make a grab for the weapon and gives me a free hand to fend off any such attempt while I shoot the hell outta him.

Originally posted by SeenMyShare
reply to post by mydarkpassenger

 

So true. We shoot skeet with handguns

.

My best bud is a Viet Nam vet, named Bill. If I miss a shooting session with him he just chews my butt the next time.

He's the one who taught me to get the adrenaline up just before a rapid fire practice by running a couple of miles and then doing 50 push ups just before I take on twelve targets at the range.

It's a pretty good way to sim the adrenaline rush and learn how to control the weapon even when you are stressed.

I have a Taurus TCP, and I really like it. It's a bit of a wrist biter. I use corbon powerball ammo in it though. More than enough knock down. My only gripe with the little pocket-rockets like the PA3T, LCP, TCP etc... is that they are DAO out of necessity for safety, but it gives them such a long trigger pull. My concern is that under stress you might tend to pull off with the long pull. I must admit however I am spoiled to full size autos with hotrod triggers, spring kits etc... If I had my perfect scenario in a gun fight I would have my Kimber custom, but that's not a likely scenario. I will most likely have the little Taurus as it would be most likely to be on me.

To Seenmyshare: I have had to put my animals down before, and it hurts. It really is a selfless act. It is uncomfortable, messy, and a lot of hard work afterwards, but it is about what is right for your stalwart companion not convenience, or comfort.

reply to post by mydarkpassenger


I have played with laser sights now, and again. I find them to be awkward, and unsightly unless mounted neatly in the spring rod. They are a good deterent to most perps because they make the guns presence and your approximate point of aim obvious. For targeting they are limited by where they are zeroed in, and the POA/POI changes much faster when you move away from point blank.

As far as shooting from the hip. I have practised that for years, and can do it without the aid of a laser sight. I also prefer parkerized, blued, and matte black finishes for my weapons. The laser sight also gives your attacker your location as well. The only foreknowledge my attacker will have that I have produced a firearm will be a muzzle flash.

My wife on the other hand loves her Berretta P32 with a laser sight in the spring rod. It is zeroed at 25 yds, and drives tacks at that range but hits slightly high close in, and quickly hits lower past 25 yds. Kentucky windage easily makes up for it, but I prefer stealth. Walk softly, and carry a BIG stick.

Since my CCW is a .380 I walk very softly as it is just barely a big enough stick IMO. Of course to me a big enough stick would be a 12 gauge with 1oz HVBT slugs. Not very concealable though.

Originally posted by Binder
reply to post by mydarkpassenger

 

I have played with laser sights now, and again. I find them to be awkward, and unsightly unless mounted neatly in the spring rod. They are a good deterent to most perps because they make the guns presence and your approximate point of aim obvious. For targeting they are limited by where they are zeroed in, and the POA/POI changes much faster when you move away from point blank.

As far as shooting from the hip. I have practised that for years, and can do it without the aid of a laser sight. I also prefer parkerized, blued, and matte black finishes for my weapons. The laser sight also gives your attacker your location as well. The only foreknowledge my attacker will have that I have produced a firearm will be a muzzle flash.

My wife on the other hand loves her Berretta P32 with a laser sight in the spring rod. It is zeroed at 25 yds, and drives tacks at that range but hits slightly high close in, and quickly hits lower past 25 yds. Kentucky windage easily makes up for it, but I prefer stealth. Walk softly, and carry a BIG stick.

Since my CCW is a .380 I walk very softly as it is just barely a big enough stick IMO. Of course to me a big enough stick would be a 12 gauge with 1oz HVBT slugs.

Not very concealable though.

You really should try the Crimson Trace sights; I am 100% sold on them. The other thing is the last thing a perp might see is that laser dot; I never pull my weapon until I've already decided to take the shot.

reply to post by mydarkpassenger


The wife's Beretta has the crimson trace spring rod sight. It fits Beretta P32/34, and the Taurus clones. It was a bit pricey at around $300, but you are right it is the only laser sight I think is worth even messing with. It's all a matter of preferrence. I grew up shooting, and just prefer au naturale. I don't even like a scope under 150 yards. I have grown attached to the red dot sight on my 9mm storm carbine though. So I guess an old dog can learn new tricks. I like it that only the shooter can see the red dot though because it doesn't project a forward beam just a virtual reticle on the optics so it's still stealthy.