Just asking some opinions on this little round. My lady is averse to recoil even 9mm which I could shoot most days, but I admit it has a shock value to the hand as I get older. I actually think my PPQ 45 and Glock 45 has less recoil smack than some small 9mm, it is more of a push recoil. I was looking at the Walther PD380 and love Walther, which is basically a Mini Walther PDP in .380 acp. I think modern 380 will be worthy. There are discussions how bad it is but… Better than nothing, but I am a believer 22lr and 22wmr are deadly but I can do 10 ring at 25 yards with both in handguns.
My carry pistol is a Glock 42, and personally, I think caliber hardos are missing the point. I’ve had this argument a million times, but what it comes down to is that nobody is shrugging off 5 rounds of .380 center mass, and nobody ever shot with a .380 has gone “whew, am I glad that wasn’t a 9mm or else I’d be toast.”
Is it the MOST effective round, no. Is it effective for self-defense regardless? Yes.
A factor many also don’t consider when talking about carry pistols is how much more softer shooting .380 is vs 9mm in similarly sized applications, and that means the .380 will recenter faster and allow for quicker and more accurate shots, especially in a high stress scenario. This is really the only factor that matters for someone that’s recoil-averse, it’s far more important than the minor ballistic differences at typical self-defense ranges of 3-10m.
Don’t believe me? Go rent a Glock 43 and a 42 and fire them back to back. They’re very similar in size and feel, but the 42 is much better shooting gun.
I love 9mm in mid-full size guns, like the Glock
19 to Beretta 92, but micros? Nope.
Like anything else in life, it’s a compromise. You’re sacrificing a bit of power for accessibility and shootability. I value the latter two more for carry. Most .380s are more concealable than 9s as well.
Thank you so much for your thought out response. No it is not the most effective but better than .32 or .22, but hell I would not want to be shot with 22 either. No I believe you absolutely and bought her the Walther PD380. The slide is so easy and the recoil easy enough. I think I just wanted some reinforcement from all the years of knowledge on the forums here.
9mm micros are terrible on control issue to me stupid actually and then I look at like 45acp or god forbid 10mil compact? Really, I will not even shoot a 10MM compact. Have several full size and the recoil is real. Much less compact 10mm.
My DIL is a little thing. Always was recoil sensitive. Better now but…
Her CWP go to is a Browning BLack Label .380 [downsized 1911]
She has shot just about everything we have and she shots waaaaay better with the smaller .380 caliber.
By waaay better I’m talking putting a magazine all in the black at 25Ft. She does shoot her’s the best. With a mag of Critical Defense we’re confident she can remove herself from an incident quite well.
The best carry weapon is one you can shoot the best IMHO.
We joke that’s it’s her favorite piece of jewelry.
I have said before that I would rather have some one next to me with a 22LR pistol that they train with and can shoot very well than someone with a 45ACP or 10mm subcompact that they never train with or shoot because they have a lot of recoil and are not good with it at all.
Bigger is not always better.
380 is a perfectly fine round.
I’d rather my loved ones carry what they are comfortable with, even if it’s a .22, than to not carry what they are uncomfortable with.
That is a handsome handgun!
Thanks for all the great comments, good stuff.
I have been looking very Strongly at this Girsan .380 for my Sister (recoil averse) - and even though it’s the “Lady” model, I think it’s quite handsome and classy looking. If she doesn’t warm up to it, I would not have an issue carrying it myself.
It’s got a tipup-barrel which is a plus for people who have trouble manipulating slides, but the size might be an issue for particularly small hands, check Handgun Hero to compare it to known firearms. (hence the reason I have not yet bought one for her)
It’s got pretty good reviews, and is a newer model (introduced ‘23). I have found them as low as $375, if you do a little shopping around.
That is a sweet looking Girsan. Beretta looking and I prefer hammer handgun for new people. I think they are easier to understand than striker fired glock style safety. Not to be controversial at all just easier to understand physical safety.
That Model is DA/SA. But I don’t believe it has a decocker.
I think it might. Look at the safety, flipping it up engages it and sitting flat is disengaged, but see how there’s a notch in the grips to flip it downward. I believe pushing down on it would decock.
Don’t quote me on that. Just a guess.
I very much like those guns and thought about picking one up myself when they first came out. You can even get them in the gaudy gold plated finish which I love.
If it’s a Beretta clone (which it is) it would not have a decocker. That safety looks the same as a Beretta’s.
Not necessarily true. My Taurus PT-92 is a Beretta clone but it has a decocker. Why would the notch in the grips of the Girsan be there otherwise?
Just looked it up, the Girsan doesn’t have a decocker like I thought, but because the tip-up barrel makes it unnecessary. Just pull the trigger with the barrel up.
Former law enforcement here, if you point a gun at someone and it goes bang, chances are they will $hit themselves and run, and if you happen to hit them, I doubt they will say “ oh, that was only a .22”! Now, dealing with a drug addicted or EDP is a different story. A .22 is better than nothing, a .380 is better than a .22, 9mm better yet. My wife has never shot anything more than a .22. She’s very comfortable with it. I am going to make her try a 9mm, but she’s a little gal, 100lbs, 5’ tall, I already know what she’s going to prefer! Having said that, myself, I don’t feel a big difference in the recoil from a .380 to a 9mm!
If it’s loading and racking you’re worried about, check out the S&W M&P Ez shield 9mm. Unbelievably great shooting firearm for anyone with weaker hands or bad arthritis! I have 6 pistols, it’s the best shooting one I have, never had any issues with it after 800-900 rounds!
The wife has RA nd struggled to maintain a good hold while shooting many of my handguns. I got her the Ruger security 380 and she is great with it. Light enough to hold , yet large enough to keep recoil very low. Shoots great and very accurate. I often steal it from her to carry. I myself do like the 380 as well. I ended up with a Barretta 84bb 380( Italian police trade in) and liked it so much the Cheetah 80x Tactical 380 found a home as well .
Be aware of the difference in recoil between blowback and locked-breech .380 pistols. I would as soon shoot a 9mm pistol as a blowback .380 of similar size and weight. Locked-breech .380 pistols are in an entirely different class of soft shooting.
My wife has very limited grip strength after extensive hand surgery and multiple bone-on-bone joints make much recoil painful. She gave up her cherished .357 Magnums for .380s and now shoots a Ruger LC380, S&W 380 EZ (easiest to rack) and Ruger Security 380 (highest capacity). The LC380 is small and thin, resulting in the most pronounced recoil. The Security 380 is larger and its double-stack grip is wide, resulting in less perceived recoil. Racking the 380 EZ is something I can do with only my little finger on the gun’s front sight.