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which 380 of these would you get?


Trigger Mike

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My dad HAD a Ruger LCP until he shot my Colt Mustang. He sold the Ruger quickly and now has 2 Colt Mustangs. I've shot all three and the Ruger is my least favorite. As you can guess the Colt is our favorite.

 

 

I like the Colt the best because it is a bit heavier and just plain looks better to me. This is like the one I have:

 

O6891.jpg

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Maybe look at the Kimber Micro carry?

 

http://www.kimberamerica.com/pistols/micro

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If you are planning pocket carry go with the Ruger, not good idea to pocket carry with a single action. I carry a Kel Tec similiar to the Ruger. If belt then the colt is fine.

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Ok I have a Ruger LCP and the Sig Version of the Mustange the 238.

I considered the Glock 42 after it came out but After shooting it decided to stay with what I have.

The Ruger is not comfortable in the hand, it is smaller than the 238/Mustang. The Ruger is a little harder to shoot accurately. How evere when shooting it as it is designed to be shot, up close and personal it will do the job.

The Sig all metal, weighs more, little bigger, still carries all day and you don't know it's there. The grip is more rounded and more comfortable, the sights are great, mine has the night sights on it, easier shoot and seems to be more accurate. Although this probably has to do with the way the pistol fits the hand.

I use the pinky extension mag on both of the guns.

If I was gonna buy just one, I would buy the Sig / Mustang over the LCP if I was going to carry on a belt all the time or in a jacket pocket. If I planed on carrying in a pants or shorts pocket most the time I would buy the Ruger.

If you do pocket carry a proper holster is a must, with a proper holster the safety on the 238 is covered and there is not a problem carrying cocked and locked.

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I consider Sig 238 & Colt Mustang in a class all their own. Better craftsmanship, better material, will last many life times with care. A better conversational piece, The price shows it.

 

The Ruger & Keltec and similar mass produced firearms and are more in a 'utility' class. They get the job done, have a fianite life, you don't worry about holster wear or scratches,,,, reliable enough, more plastic,, and their prize shows it.

 

The Glock is a step up from the Keltecs, a much better 'utility' gun,,, can be modifie (better sights & action jobs) and is a work horse. Price shows it.

 

 

Decide on which platform that appeals to you and go with it. Nothing wrong with having all three.

 

Edit: To answer the OP question.. someone buying for me..... The Mustang,,, it cost more and resell value is better. I could make that dog hunt

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My CCW is a Walther PPK/S 380 with Crimson trace laser grips, and it shoots perfectly. I can rapid fire all 7 rounds to center mass with great accuracy all in a spot the size of a half dollar at 5 meters.

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​Sticking to the question, i prefer the Mustang, a little heavier to soak up a little more recoil , it just feels better in my and and much better quality. The lack of a grip safety makes a pocket holster a must

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Here is my personal experience:

 

S&W Bodyguard - Truly horrible trigger pull. I'm talking Biblical Plague kind of horrible. Otherwise, OK firearm.

Ruger LCP - really tiny. I don't have exceptionally large hands. (wear size M or size L gloves depending on their cut). Trigger OK for a small pistol. Target quality trigger when compared only with the Bodyguard.

Sig P238 / Mustang - I have only dry fired these but they feel like a real firearm, single action trigger pull is on par with an out-of-the-box 1911 (i.e. one that has not had any custom trigger work done), the safety is snappy and seems to engage / disengage positively. Don't know how it shoots.

 

When my wife was trying to decide on a firearm for concealed carry, her preferences were the P238 and a S&W J-frame (640). As of now, the J-frame is winning out. Her choice but to be honest, I'd rather see her carry the J-frame. Less buttons and things to go wrong, pull the trigger, goes bang, if not, pull the trigger again.

 

GS.

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My summer carry gun is a .380 Bodyguard. I prefer having the safety. The cycles anything that I have fed it. My only dislike is the plastic mag catch, but these are pretty common to the niche.

 

Another thing, the .380 has a lukewarm reputation for penetration, so I stagger my mag with Hornady hollowpoint and FMJ with a flat nose.

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I have a big brother to the Mustang, a Colt Government Model .380. It's the steel frame version, longer grip and barrel than the Mustang. My brother in law has the same gun in an aluminum frame which is about the only one I like better.

 

Might take a look at the new Browning 1911 .380 if I can find one.

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I alternate between a S&W 5 shot Airlite revolver and the Bodyguard, depending on what I'm wearing. The Bodyguard is definitely more concealable under light clothing than the revolver. As has been mentioned before the stock Bodyguard has an truly abysmal trigger. I put all the Galloway enhancement parts on my bodyguard and it helped the trigger pull considerably to where it is pretty decent, but unless you are a fairly competent gunsmith it is not a do it yourself project and if you have it done, along with all the required polishing, it will run you half again what the gun did to start with! If I had to do it again I would probably go with the SIG, they weren't available back when I was looking.

 

I did look at the Ruger, but I wear Xl gloves and the Ruger was just to tiny and the trigger was only slightly better than the Bodyguard.

 

JMHO - YMMV

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Howdy:

 

What am I missing here? I was under the impression that a pocket pistol was the last effort of resistance to be used only in an extreme emergency of self defense. This talk of tack driving accuracy is, in my confused mind I suppose, silly. I want my pistol to shoot 6=8 bullets out of the barrels as fast as I can manage to squeeze the trigger while backing up and hit a target the size of a sports car door. I guess angle of man is all I require. I would not be looking for x or 10, just hit the center of mass at 7 yards. I want the attack to stop, not to see if I can hit the lens on a fly's eye at 200 yds. The only requirement I would place on any of the several pocket pistols I have is that they be reliable - one squeeze of the trigger, one bang and one hit. Comfort - who cares, I would be in a mode of oblivion to any discomfort if I am shooting to defend my life, not panic, but I can assure you that you can take a lot of pain and not notice it in the least when the chips are flying. Every pistol/revolver mentioned so far is both effective and reliable. Using Hornady Critical Defense loads or Winchester PDX1 loads I am betting my life that any thug or miscreant taking a hit in the lower abdomen, abdomen, chest would certainly think twice about coming forward; piercing 9 inches into the human frame is a show stopper, especially if it hits pelvis or ribs cage bone. Several hits are a shut down. Using ball ammunition is silly and dangerous to the one using it. Get soome decent self defense factory loads and all pistols are good - based on the reliability of the firearm, that is. YMMV

 

(There was a woman armed robber in Madison who took MANY* shots to her body to stop her - she was loaded on drugs and probably felt little - ammo was standard police ammunition)

 

*Many - I do not re-call the exact amount but it was amazing - all were 9mm - I think the number would have been significantly less had the bullets been from a .45. - 9mm passed right thru.

 

STL Suomi

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Simple to answer..............a revolver, J-frame Smith, Taurus or Charter. They never jam.

I have all the above and have never had a failure. (Ruger and Colt small frames too, I just don't own one presently)

 

best to all,

Shorty

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Of the guns mentioned I have experience with the Colt Mustang and can say it was a class act and was far more accurate than a gun that size should have been and never had a failure to function. My oldest daughter now has that gun. My wife is madly in love with one of the fancy versions of the little Kimber Micro .380s. I told her that a stainless model would be prettier after the purple paint wears off BUT she will have nothing to do with that idea! I swear the little Kimber .380 looks half the size of the Mustang BUT I know that can not be so. I have a Kahr P380 but but after buying one of the S&W 9mm Shields I find it hides and rides as well for a big guy in baggy pants as does the super small 380s, so!

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Howdy,

So what does stop someone on drugs?

A .380? Probably not.

People on drugs were a problem that caused the Army to decide the 1911 needed

the new .45 auto. because 9mm didn't stop drugged attackers in the Philippines.

Never did hear for sure if the .45 WOULD stop them.....?

Brings to mind the old saying--Handguns are only good to make bad guys duck

long enuf for you to grab a real weapon..... That would seem to mean a real

weapon should be available, I guess.

Best

CR

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Howdy,

So what does stop someone on drugs?

A .380? Probably not.

People on drugs were a problem that caused the Army to decide the 1911 needed

the new .45 auto. because 9mm didn't stop drugged attackers in the Philippines.

Never did hear for sure if the .45 WOULD stop them.....?

Brings to mind the old saying--Handguns are only good to make bad guys duck

long enuf for you to grab a real weapon..... That would seem to mean a real

weapon should be available, I guess.

Best

CR

I believe it was the .38 Colt that wouldn't stop the Moros in the Philippines, no 9mm involved, it was replaced with the .45 colt, at least 10 years prior to the .45 ACP and 1911. I have read that the only sure stop was either a 12 gauge, or an effectively wielded bayonet.

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I would get the Colt with out doubt. That said there is also Walther for about the same money but I think a step above. If money is and carry is motive Beretta 1934 in 380 is a good deal, they are real steel and function very well. I have one I bough for under $200 and it shoot every bit as well as my Colt for 1/3 of the price and if it gets banged up not worries!

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There are ONLY two (current) 380's if your life depends on it, a Glock 42 or Bersa Thunder.

 

An SA pea shooter is a double negative. Gotta minimize the negatives.

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i agree the Colt seems more accurate. i thought of the Glock 42 but it seemed too wide and thus would show in the pocket. the Kimber crossed my mind. The body guard just does not seem to do it for me and very few mentioned it in their reply . One mentioned the Sig 238. that is a good pistol and my wife has one but it is too long for a pocket.

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Ain't none of them cept the Sig 232 more accurate than a regular Bersa (you can hunt small game with that thing). Extreme Accuracy shouldn't be a factor in the 380.

 

Pocket, Bersa CC

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Well I had a Walter ppks 380 back in 05 that I didn't care fore so I let it go. Then one year sass held a friends of the NRA banquet in conjunction with one of the fall annual matches. I was lucky and won three or four guns, one was the lcp, I later added the Crimson trace laser and later bought my daughter one for Christmas that year I guess it was. I just bought a m&p shield from s&w in 9mm. I didn't care for 9mm or 380 that much until I saw one of the shooting shows do a comparison of 9mm, .40 and 45acp all the same ammo from the same factory just in the different calibers. They shot so ballistic jell bricks about a foot and half long. They shot the 9mm this was to be the std that the others were to be compared to. Next was the .40 cal it we've about two inches more than the 9mm did. Next was the big boy 45acp it went right out the back of the jell brick. They figured if you looked for it it would be laying less than fifteen feet from the end of the jell. They also looked at the wound channel and they all were Perth much alike. After the break they came back with a surprise and tested the 380 it went or penetrated between the 9mm and the 40 cal but the wound channel was like the rest.

 

Before this demo I was a firm 45acp carrier. I used the lcp in the summer when I wasn't able to carry the 45. Which was a Springfield XD Compact. So I either carried the XD or the lcp. And the XD was usually close by and the lcp plan was use it to retrieve the XD. After some reading I decided to get a s&w m&p shield in 9mm. I went with the 9 as I've got the reloading gear for the 9 mm and I never owned a 40 cal. So now my main carry gun will be the shield unless my attire requires me to carry the lcp. Or if I get centimental and carry the XD in the winter.

 

I feel from what I saw the ammo in different calibers didn't result in a huge difference so I use the same ammo in all three guns. It's something like injestor it looks like a three bladed screwdriver tip. It isn't designed to expand it is designed to tear and Twist when it hits a target. I like that idea instead of blowing a larger hole it tears it. Less chance I feel to go through a target and hit someone else.

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I have shot alot of guns and calibers, I use to daily carry a Ruger LCP 380(very comfortable to carry).... But I live in Arizona which borders Mexico, so you can imagine how safe you really are.....I wanted more firepower ,so I looked into what was the most powerfull, smallest, most high capacity pistol I could get. This turned out to be a Glock 30(originally chambered in .45acp) and converted over to .460 Rowland, which gives you .44 magnum ballistics out of a .45acp platform....... If you have never heard of the 460 Rowland than you must look it up on youtube/enternet, it is one bad ass firearm and what I daily carry! My Motto is "kill a man twice" :D

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If you consider yourself a smart, intelligent, good looking guy you would carry what I carry ;)

 

A Glock 42, 43, 26, 36, 30, Ruger LCP, Colt Mustang, Pony, Government 380, Combat Commander, Sig P238, Springfield XDS 45(not the 9mm), Kimber Ultra CDP II, Kahr PM9, S&W 638 or any combination of two or more of the choices.

 

Hate the trigger pull on the Bodyguard

 

PS: Any pistol you carry with the safety on, are you going to remember to take it off if needed.

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Safety vs. no-safety thing is really a matter of training and what one is comfortable with. I doubt if a single cowboy shooter would 'forget' to pull the hammer back on a single-action revolver in the highly unlikely event he/she had to draw the weapon in self defense. Same with pistols. It's all about what you shoot the most.

 

I'm trying to stay on-topic with Trigger Mike's question about a couple different 380's. I grew up shooting the 1911. In fact, first pistol I ever fired was a Colt 1911. To say I've fired thousands of rounds of 45acp over the years is not an exaggeration. I've put 200+ down range in just the past 2 weeks. The Colt Mustang (and various other maker's versions like the Sig P238 and the Kimber Micro Carry) work like a 1911 (single action, frame mounted safety with up safe down bang). If one is proficient with the 1911 design (or Hi Power or any of the similar firearms) then I would expect the person to be proficient with the Mustang variants too.

 

This background is to explain that whenever I pick up a Glock my thumb is swiping down the side of the slide/frame looking for the safety. It's just habit. Reveres, when I holster a Glock, my thumb swipes up. Old habits die hard.

 

What's my personal carry firearm? Not one of the ones mentioned although they are all fine firearms if one can live with the bodyguard's trigger. These days, I carry a S&W Shield 9mm. Safety functions like my 1911's. I'm not advocating any firearm just saying what I carry. The other firearm I carry is a J-frame (Model 60) Smith.

 

Trigger Mike, any of the firearms you mentioned in your post will get the job done. It depends on who will be carrying it, his/her experience with a given type of firearm, and ability to put 2 or 3 rounds into a human size target at close range. Won't get into the caliber wars. Any firearm is better than a sharp stick.

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