I'm specifically talking about 380s. Who has one and what do you like. Thoughts on brands. I like Taurus for the money so leaning toward the 738, I think its called? Their small .380. The keltec is the smallest on market and seen afew of them as well and know a few folks with them the p3AT iI think? Then there is the river LCP... Just picking brains here. About made my mind up on a taurus.
Not a big fan of Keltec..... On the ones I have shot I thought the triggers left alot to be desired and to me the guns felt really cheap........ I have an LCP 380 and absolutely love it. I don't care what you are wearing you can find a way to carry it easily without having to worry about it. It is one of the only guns that I pocket carry and even with my wife putting pink grips on it I still pocket carry it on occasion if that's what the attire requires. I actually put a trigger kit in it to reduce the trigger slap and I really like this gun a lot now. I have shot the Taurus TCP 738 and even though I am not a fan of Taurus I would own one. I thought it shot well and the trigger actually felt a bit smoother than the LCP with the factory trigger in it. I think it's a decent gun for the money and wouldn't shy away from one. Another pocket 380 that I really really like is the Kahr P380. I borrowed and carried this one for about a month from my father in law and I have to say I love it. If you have ever shot a Kahr you will know what I mean when I say the trigger is just as phenomenal as the the rest of their guns. If this one would have been available when I bought my Kahr CM9 I probably would have opted for it. This gun is a bit more expensive than the two above options but it sure is a sweet little pistol. The only real negative is the recoil spring is pretty heavy and can be hard for some women to rack the slide.
I followed the development of KelTec's .380 from their .32 pocket gun very closely. When KelTec first came out with the p3at .380 I had one of the first 50 made. I traded it on the second generation version when they came out a couple years later. When I shoot it regularly it's just barely "ok" but it's not fun to shoot (frankly its painful to shoot in my big hands) and I'm only accurate with it if I practice. Needless to say I have not practiced with it in a long time and have a serious case of CHS when I do pull it out. (CHS=Can't Hit sh!t.) I'm going to trade it on another .380 since I still have about 500 rounds of .380 set aside and there nothing quite like carrying a tiny pocket auto. I'm tempted by the new Glock .380 but it's not exactly small like the other pocket .380s.
Sig makes a very nice very small 9mm as well as Ruger. A guy I work with just got the sig and its nice.
If you get a chance to test drive a sig 238 those are really nice shooting guns. They have a very nice single action trigger but they are quite a bit more expensive than the others listed above.
Well the taurus is on the way. Ordered from buds gun shop. Should of ordered earlier in the week when I looked the price went up $12 in the last few days!!! Now I have to wait 5 days for my E check to clear their account?? Never heard of that bit oh well. Should have it early not next week but the week after. Before the price increase it would of been cheaper than I had seen in any of the big retailers websites but then I dont see it in their stores. So even with the small increase in price it makes up for it that I dont pay sales tax and the fact that I dont have to make an at least 2 hour round trip plus shopping somewhere to pick one up local. When I say as cheap I am taking into account the $30 transfer feel as well.
I have an older taurus pt58 .380, medium size frame, large capacity. But for the size of this .380 I could have a 9 or a .40. Not as compact as the guns you guys were talking about earlier. I may want to look into trading this one out after a little research. A couple trips to the range will help. The big hands ( like Brian K) could be an issue too.
I told my gun shop last year to call me if they get any Bersa Thunder .380s in trade. Everything I've read about the Bersa .380 has been positive but they aren't exactly a pocket gun. However they feel good in my hand and are known as accurate handguns. My shop called on Friday to say they finally got one in. I might be trading in the little KelTec .380 after owning one since they first hit the market years ago. But the Glock .380 is still tempting. Unlike Glocks in general their .380 is ammo sensitive according to some reviews.
Yea if I was to carry a small medium frame auto it would not be a 380 it would be a 9 or 40. The .380 is probably the ultimate lower limit for personal protection. Most use to say that about the 9mm...but the good old .38 is weaker than a 9 and has probably killed thousands of people from criminals from police to criminals killing police and others. And the .38 is just a bit stronger than the .389 e so when loaded to +P.
+1 on that. 9 is extremely hard to get around here. The prices are reasonable but theres none to be found.
Was just at cabelas a week ago and I would of needed a wheel barrow to carry it all away. No limit was posted. This is for everything from defense buffalo bore +p ammo to plinking ammo. I reload so I will make my plinking stuff once I buy dies which can be had for $30 again onthe bay. And until I am setup I can get it from my buddy who reloads.
Does anyone here reload their own ammo? I'm considering this for my son and I due to the high cost and demand in ammo these days. Trying to weigh out the pros and cons
I've been reloading for many years. First got into it to reload "super accurate" 308 for Service Match Competition. I've reloaded 40, 44, 45, 6.5x55, 303, and 308. I got into it long ago when presses, die sets, and components were cheap. All of this went through the roof and off the shelves, same as the loaded ammo. I could not have reloaded many of the things I shoot because the components disappeared too during the "big run". The bottom line is that you'll have to stock up on stuff either way. You are not going to see any big savings unless you really shoot a lot, but you will be able to customize loads specifically for each gun you shoot. Here is an example. Another member here, ID1, used to own a Raging Bull 44 mag. He had bought some expensive "Buffalo Bore" ammo for it. The ammo seemed "real hot" and didn't pattern that great out of his gun. We pulled the bullets from some rounds, reduced the powder charge progressively until we found a real "sweet spot" for his gun, then loaded the rest of them back up that way. Having pulled the bullets, we figured out who made those 270g ones, they were Speer Deep-Curl bullets. We ordered the plain bullets from Midway, and worked up a new "sweet spot" load for our guns with 296 powder. We now had our own "Boog's Bore" ammo that out shot the original, "through our guns". That's the kind of "customization" you can do when you reload, if the supplies are available. Checking right now, those bullets are still "out of stock" at Midway.
I do and got into it right as the big scare started. Powder was always there really. Primers and bullets, dies, presses, and gear were hard once the demand was in full swing. Die prices went through the roof. And primers are now like $5/1000 than they were. Its expensive at first but you do save. I am loading hard cast bullets for my 44mag.I have $10 or less in 50 rounds Buying those would be a minimum of $40. I dont even have my lead casting stuff going yet. Which will make it even cheaper. I have loaded my .30/06 for accuracy and hunting. I stopped when I shot a .5" or less 4 shot group...first 3 shots through the exact same hole.
I reload for 9mm, 40, and 44mag/special. Got started after the scare also-just like Clem. I have tracked down 13lbs of powder in a year, along with over 100lbs of brass and umpteen thousands of projectiles. I have not overpaid for any of it either. It just takes effort. You can definitely save some $ but more than likely, you will just shoot twice as much or more for the same price. The real advantage IMO is being able to make your own when you want, and how you want it, like boog said, instead of searching for ammo all the time and finding out your gun hates it. $ wise In the .380, cases are free if you pick up your factory brass or rob the range floor. 1lb of powder ($20-25) will make up well over 1500 rounds. Primers are 3.5 cents each roughly. A plated projectile will be 7 cents each. Lead is even cheaper. One round will take about 1.5 cents worth of powder. So, you are at roughly 12 cents a round plus brass if you decide to buy it instead of scrounge it. You can cut those costs even more by buying in bulk. 8lb and 4lb jugs of powder are cheaper per lb. Cases of primers are cheaper too. The general concensus is that the larger the bullet, the more $ you save per round. I use a lee classic 4 hole turret press and bang for your buck, its the best starter press out there. You can change calibers in a matter of seconds! You will also need a digi scale, digi calipers, a brass tumbler, at least 2 reloading manuals, a set of .380 dies, and a very bright light for your bench. There are lots of other things too, but that will get you "rolling your own" if you will. You could get a single stage for less $, but the turret isn't much more and down the road, you will be glad you did. It will turn out 150 rounds an hour easily once you have a process down. PM me if you want-I'm not an expert, but I can point you in the right direction for the cheapest places to get this stuff as well as another forum for reloading. I hear .380 factory ammo is about like finding unicorn tears, only second to .22LR so reloading may be the ONLY bet if you REALLY want to shoot. BTW, if you think hoarding firewood is fun, you are in for a WHOLE new level of hoarding regarding reloading components. You buy them when you SEE them....whether you "need" them or not because at some point, you will.
380 use to be though but like I said I found a wheel barrow full at cabelas . I have a lee single stage press to see if I liked it and the turret is my next step I love it.
Springfield EMP or xds would be my pick. I have an xds 45 and a shield in 9mm. Both are really the wife's as she picked them out. I have 2 full size 9mm. I have everything to load pistol except the bullets and progressive press. I want to go ahead and get a Dillon _550b.
