Help me decide on a 380

I would go with the Ruger. The magazines are interchangeable with the Kel Tec, and the Ruger is basically a Kel Tec with a better fit and finish. It is a tried and true design.

I also see active safeties as a drawback. Many people have been shot as a result of a safety being on and them needing to fire the weapon quickly, or people trusting the safety and having their booger picker on the bang button and accidentally shooting someone. Practice proper gunsafety and forego an active mechanical "safety".

As far as the sights go, the beauty of these pocket size 380s is that they are great for deep concealed carry. The bulkiness of the sights takes away some of that advantage. Additionally these guns are point and shoot good to a maximum of 10-15 yards, (well within distance of the vast majority of all shootings). Sights of any type are nearly useless on these super short barrelled pistols, much less a laser sight. I would feel very comfortable with the Ruger, just sans the laser. I personally carry the diamond back, but it required some gunsmith polishing to make it reliable, and my primary attraction was it's Glock-iness.

JUST BE AWARE---- In order to unload the Ruger or the Kel-Tec you have to have a magazine in the pistol. So if you have chambered a round, (I would only carry WITH a round in the chamber) then you have to remove the magazine, take all of the rounds out of it, reinsert the magazine, and eject the chambered round. I am not sure if the bodyguard is like that or not, but I know the diamondback is NOT. You can take the mag out and still operate the slide.

 

None of these guns are designed to be shot for target practice. Not only are they inaccurate, they will not stand up to 1000's of rounds being shot through them. I shoot my .380 only enough to trust it, and stay familiar with its feel. Maybe 50 rounds every 3-4 months. Use a full size pistol for target practice.

 

Hows the trigger pull on the Kahr P380?

 

Sig P238......

way better than the ruger Homer. the ruger has a tendency to jam..... try the sig with hydroshok ammo. its the only way to go if u want a 380

 

I may have to check it out for myself to see, but not looking for an extremely long pull. I currently have the MP Shield, not a big fan as I can't stand the trigger, its not the same as its bigger brother.

Considering buying the Sig 238, I don't know if I like the idea of walking around with the hammer cocked back. I realize its safe to carry like that, but makes me feel kind of uneasy.

 

i’m having a hard time deciding on a .380 or a glock 27 .40

 

well said j. i also hate safeties. to me they just get in the way. just learn to not be a Dumb ass and don’t put your finger on the trigger. i have never had Negligent discharge with any gun. and i been shooting guns for about 12 or 13 years. and i walk around in the woods with a loaded shot gun all the time hunting.(granted it’s not cocked put it could go of if i fell. not likely but it “could”)

 

If you decide to go with the ruger lcp, make sure you get the crimson trace also. The only downside to the lcp (imo) is the stock sights. they seem slightly inferior to other weapson in .380 caliber.

 

Check out the Ruger LC9 packs a little more punch and rounds and not much bigger than the LCP.

 

I agree with most of this, however, the last paragraph is not accurate. You CAN remove a round from the chamber WITHOUT the magazine in the gun. I just tried on my Keltec to be positive, I would've done the same on my wife's LCP, but she wasn't home from church before I left for work. But I'm almost certain you can with it as well, I'll test and report back in the morning.

 

I have a Colt Mustang in 380 but don't shoot it much. I have a couple 9mm pistols (Glocks) that see a lot of practice. Reason being is 9mm is easier to get and if you buy in bulk WAY CHEAPER than 380. I am a target shooter and the little 380 just is not much fun to shoot actually. If compact size is critical get the small 380 or a 9 that is nearly as small. If CCW is not critical get a bigger gun and have fun with it!

 

I agree go with the Ruger LC9. I've owned Ruger firearms for over 30 years and never had a problem yet so don't listen to the Ruger haters out there.

 

craig! what dealer do you use? i bought my ruger lcp from tanners in jamison and looove that gun. id buy 2 more right now in a heart beat. tanners has good prices as well

 

That's where I deal as well.
I'm all of 5 min. from them.

 

That is very interesting. I worked at a pretty large gun store 2 years ago, and that was the case then. It was extremely annoying, because with every other gun we kept in the show cases before handing it to a customer we would drop the mag, lock the slide, visually check the chamber and hand it to the customer while holding by the barrel. Everytime I picked up a Kel Tec or Ruger .380 I would forget and have to fumble around to make the weapon "safe".

 

yea before i moved to AZ i bought a used mossburg 12g off them for a good deal. i miss that place. i lived 10 mins the other way east in buckingham/new hope area

 

I checked one out tonight and actually loved it compared to the MP Shield I have. For those who have the kahr, is there a big difference as far as the recoil between the P380, PM9, and PM40. I would imagine there would be, but want to hear from ya'll who have shot them. Really leaning towards the 40 as all my other guns are chambered in that caliber.

 

i have the a body guard 380 and i like it (all but the trigger pull). with that said my next hand gun will be the sig 938!!!!!!
it is only 1/2 longer then the 238 and is a 9 instead of a 380
i almost bought a 238 but then i found the 938 and that sealed the deal.