Looking to buy a .380

[TSiWRX]

^ Now that's a WIN no matter what!

[Mr. Glock]

I have the S&W Bodyguard 380 and the Glock 42. The G42 is not snappy. The S&W is. Each serve a different need in the collection but I've come to love the Glock 42.

I just don't get the G42 - why not just make it a single stack 9? I know the 380 is a very popular round in some parts of the world, but if it was a 9 I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

I hear you about the G42 - it's huge by comparison to other 380s on the market - being properly sized to be a single-stack 9mm in my opinion - and would have been the gun that Block lovers were waiting for had it been released in 9mm.

That is exactly what I am waiting for....

Just like the Sig. 238 spawned the 938, I'm looking for the 42 to spawn the 48 (or whatever they call it). One downside to being a Glock fanboy....long new product wait times. Those Austrians don't think of change as a good thing.

[Aesinsp]

I heard about this today on a radio show put on by LE PD here in Columbus.. The Taurus .380 revolver..
http://www.taurususa.com/product-detail ... y=Revolver" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Presumably they have one to rent and try out.

[BillytheKidder]

My wife bought a G42 and likes it. She was somewhat intimidated by the small 9mm guns she tried and didn't like the larger ones; her instructor let her try their G42, she thought it fit her hand well and was soft shooting and quiet. She bought her own the next day. I tried it a few times and am thinking of getting one too.

[huskybiker]

In my opinion, if I'm gonna carry a G42, I might as well just carry a Shield. I did just buy the wife a new M&P 380. We shot it Thursday. The trigger is very long (compared to our other M&P's) but quite managable. The wife was shooting nice groups with it in no time. I'm very happy with it for a $259 gun!

[bearkitty]

I went shooting with my Mother and my SIL today. My brother was there too.

My brother and I had taken them to a gun shop before Christmas. They got to handle, and shoot, a variety of pistols before they chose the one that would be their Christmas present.

Momma picked an FMK 9mm
SIL picked the LCP .380

Today, we took them to the range. I also brought my 1911's and a Ruger .22 target pistol

Momma was able to hit COM with everything but the LCP.
SIL was able to hit COM with everything but the LCP.
Brother was able to hit COM with everything but the LCP.
I was able to hit COM with everything but the LCP.


LCP? Do not like it at all!
That FMK is just OK. Momma liked the pink gun from the start, and she could work the slide on it the day we bought it. Not so much today though. We have work to do with her.
We all did better with the .45's.
The 'easy' feel of that Ruger .22 at the end of a serious target shoot session was awesome fun for all.

[Bama.45]

lol..Yeah that seems to be the consensus on the LCP..I thought they got decent reviews lol

[Werz]

lol..Yeah that seems to be the consensus on the LCP..I thought they got decent reviews lol

Let's be clear about the LCP. While it's not for everyone, there are some important factors to consider ...

• Generally, I prefer to carry a subcompact 1911. I understand terminal ballistics and have studied the subject more than most. .380 ACP is note even close to comparable.
• The purpose of a .380 ACP handgun is concealability. The best application of that cartridge is in a handgun which is very small and light.
• While all the tough guys poo-poo the .380 ACP compared to the 9mm, no 9mm is nearly as small as the LCP, and if it was, the recoil would be much worse.
• While the LCP does have a snappy recoil, that is the price you pay for concealability. If I have to use it to defend my life, I doubt I will notice the recoil.

[Bama.45]

lol..Yeah that seems to be the consensus on the LCP..I thought they got decent reviews lol

Let's be clear about the LCP. While it's not for everyone, there are some important factors to consider ...

• Generally, I prefer to carry a subcompact 1911. I understand terminal ballistics and have studied the subject more than most. .380 ACP is note even close to comparable.
• The purpose of a .380 ACP handgun is concealability. The best application of that cartridge is in a handgun which is very small and light.
• While all the tough guys poo-poo the .380 ACP compared to the 9mm, no 9mm is nearly as small as the LCP, and if it was, the recoil would be much worse.
• While the LCP does have a snappy recoil, that is the price you pay for concealability. If I have to use it to defend my life, I doubt I will notice the recoil.

I feel the same way... I know in all of the firefights I was in...I never felt the recoil...But that being said... This gun is for my wife, so I don't want her having something she may be shared to deploy if it was needed....But I agree thinking back, recoil never bothered me I was just worried about shooting them before they shot me lol

[TSiWRX]

lol..Yeah that seems to be the consensus on the LCP..I thought they got decent reviews lol

Let's be clear about the LCP. While it's not for everyone, there are some important factors to consider ...

• Generally, I prefer to carry a subcompact 1911. I understand terminal ballistics and have studied the subject more than most. .380 ACP is note even close to comparable.
• The purpose of a .380 ACP handgun is concealability. The best application of that cartridge is in a handgun which is very small and light.
• While all the tough guys poo-poo the .380 ACP compared to the 9mm, no 9mm is nearly as small as the LCP, and if it was, the recoil would be much worse.
• While the LCP does have a snappy recoil, that is the price you pay for concealability. If I have to use it to defend my life, I doubt I will notice the recoil.

^ I agree completely.

But there is another side to this, too -

Can the shooter mitigate recoil sufficiently - as well as shoot the gun accurately enough (sights, on many of the smaller pistols, are all but nonexistent - in order to achieve the desired end-effects?

Will the shooter, given the harsher felt recoil, actually practice enough to be proficient at using the weapon?

Personally, I do not think that either side of the argument is a clear win.

But I think that anyone seeking smaller and lighter pistols for concealment purposes should also consider the other side of the equation, and come to an honest assessment for themselves.

[Bama.45]

lol..Yeah that seems to be the consensus on the LCP..I thought they got decent reviews lol

Let's be clear about the LCP. While it's not for everyone, there are some important factors to consider ...

• Generally, I prefer to carry a subcompact 1911. I understand terminal ballistics and have studied the subject more than most. .380 ACP is note even close to comparable.
• The purpose of a .380 ACP handgun is concealability. The best application of that cartridge is in a handgun which is very small and light.
• While all the tough guys poo-poo the .380 ACP compared to the 9mm, no 9mm is nearly as small as the LCP, and if it was, the recoil would be much worse.
• While the LCP does have a snappy recoil, that is the price you pay for concealability. If I have to use it to defend my life, I doubt I will notice the recoil.

^ I agree completely.

But there is another side to this, too -

Can the shooter mitigate recoil sufficiently - as well as shoot the gun accurately enough (sights, on many of the smaller pistols, are all but nonexistent - in order to achieve the desired end-effects?

Will the shooter, given the harsher felt recoil, actually practice enough to be proficient at using the weapon?

Personally, I do not think that either side of the argument is a clear win.

But I think that anyone seeking smaller and lighter pistols for concealment purposes should also consider the other side of the equation, and come to an honest assessment for themselves.

These are all reasons why I want her to be comfortable with the firearm..She will be the one carrying it.

[TSiWRX]

^ And that's definitely the right way to go about it.