.380 acp

[AllenW]

First rule in a gun fight is to have a gun...after that we could go on forever about what the best gun would be.

OP asked about three in .380, and imho answered his own question..."Like the feel/looks of the Ruger"

Try to go shoot each of them, and if you still say, Like the ruger....
Buy the Ruger.

Al

[High Ball]

I can tell you first hand, that the .380 is NOT a self-defense weapon to bet your life on period. Now I will explain to you and others just what I am getting at ok. Now 2 years ago, when I took on the job of teaching my wife how to shoot a pistol, I started her out on a .22-LR revolver.

Then she ended up going through some 7 different pistols and calibers before she could handle the one she carries now, a Glock model 27 in .40 S&W. Now during this time I conducted a test of calibers for our gun club in the heat of summer. We used a large bundle of newspaper soaked in a 55gallon barrel for 3 days. It was bound together with duck tape prior to the putting in the water.

Now the calibers we tested were the .308-acp, 9mm Luger, .38spl, .357 magnum, 40 S&W, 10mm, .45acp. Also all ammo used, was the self-defence type buy Federal, Cor-Bon, Winchester, Pow-R-Ball. The pistols used where fired at 6 feet from the target of wet newsprint. The measurements were taken and documented by two people. Once the test was over, it was apparent to everyone there, that the penetration of a .308 acp was NOT very far etc.

It penetrated (2.7 inches) less than 3 inches, while the 9mm Luger (125 grn bullet weight) went in over 6 & 5/8 inches. The only two calibers that penetrated close to 12 inches, were the 10 mm with 180 grn HP bullet and the .45 acp when shooting a FMJ bullet. The 10mm went almost 12.5 inches and the .45acp FMJ went in 11.5 inches. the .45acp hollow point penetrated 8 inches. I later took the .308 with FMJ and fired it at point blank range, it then penetrated only 4.25 inches.

Now we went through 4 of those Kel-Tecs in 2 different models. (These pistols did NOT like hollowpoint bullets) The PF-9 is by far the better pick but they all were Jam City when shot fast. The Ruger hurt my finger when I tried shooting it and then they had a recall on that pistol so it went down the road. The Taurus Millenium my wife was talk into purchasing and brining it home, "Shucks" why that pistol never could keep the clip in place when the first round went Bang. They had a recall on those later also, it went on a trade fast.

Happiness was when the wife got her Sig Sauer but the trigger pull on a Sig is close to 8 pounds for the first shot.....something the wife could not handle without putting the round 12 inches low on target do to her squeezing the trigger so hard and dropping the point of the barrel toward the ground. Once she got past that, the action of the Sig was much less on trigger pull but I told the wife { YOU can NOT give up the first shot to the Bad Guy on the street}

So along came a GLOCK in a 9mm Luger caliber, she was in Heaven as far as shooting well on target and fast to boot without any JAMS period, no matter what type of jacketed ammo was used or brand. She then as I stated moved up to the .40 S&W after 9 months later and some 5,000 rounds at the range. Yes, I do reload them thank the LORD.

[rschoening]

Walther or Beretta.

[CollinLeon]

A .380 is less powerful than a .38 special. I've been shot with a .38 and didn't even notice it until the cops arrived and took the punk away. I then realized that my leg kind of "felt funny" and when I felt it and pulled my hand back, it was covered in blood... Of course, if it had hit a major organ, it might have killed me. Just goes to show you that shot placement is extremely important. When the adrenaline is flowing freely, you might not notice getting shot.

If the .380 is the most you can conceal in your state due to leftist anti-2nd-Amendment gun laws, then it's better than nothing... Personally, the smallest that I ever carried was a 9mm when I went down to Mexico a few years ago... In NYC, I carried a .45 and was able to stand right beside a cop and carry on a lengthy conversation without him noticing that I was carrying. Not that this is much of a challenge in NYC in the winter consider the heavy coats that you need to wear due to the cold...

[2Labs]

In addition to finding a place to try them out before you buy, do a search online regarding the handguns you are considering.

I found some interesting posts when I did.

[bobk]

Sig Sauer P238 is worth a look if you are a 1911 fan. I love the gun. I carry it in the summer and it has the same functions as my Kimber which is nice.

[Suzuki]

Addendum to my previous post. I bought a custom leather pancake style belt holster for my LCP. It carries so nice I have been carrying that more lately. Falls under the "having any pistol better than none" category.

[Esoxchaser]

Originally Posted by Suzuki

Addendum to my previous post. I bought a custom leather pancake style belt holster for my LCP. It carries so nice I have been carrying that more lately. Falls under the "having any pistol better than none" category.

LCP's are very nice to carry. It fits right into my jeans pocket with no muss or fuss.Surprisingly accurate little buggers too.

[jerkb8]

My neighbor had the lcp and it kept jamming on him. Returned it to Cabelas and got the lc9. So far no problems with it. It's accurate
too.

[Phil T]

An excellent primer on handguns can be found at corneredcat.com. There's even a link that discusses how a handgun should fit your hand. It's obviously designed for a female first-time buyer (pink background on the webpage), but it is basic enough that any first-time buyer, male or female, should check it out.