Looking at .380 handguns....

[CarloSpcyWeiner]

As far as cost goes 9mm is cheaper than 380.

As far as safety, proper firearm handling is key. An AD from any caliber can be deadly.

Obviously any firearm can be safe or dangerous. It really depends on how you handle it. My boyfriend likes the idea of a .380 because it's less lethal. And actually, .380 seems to have gone down in price. It's less expensive than .45 at the moment.

 

[Ralff]

Not sure why your boyfriend insists that a 380 is for you just because it's "less lethal". If anything wouldn't you want it to be more lethal? The argument really doesn't have any basis in reality. Compared to a 9mm the ammo cost for the 380 is more expensive and the recoil is almost the same, depending on the size of the pistol. Don't get me wrong though, if my wife said I can get a pistol for Christmas but it had to be a 380 I would be all over it.

Anyways, since it has to be a 380, here are a few I have fired or have heard many good reviews about. Not sure if they will fit your criteria/price range.

Beretta 84 (the best 380 I have shot, though I haven't fired many 380s)
Beretta 85
Bersa Thunder
Sphinx AT 380
Sig P232
Makarov 380

 

[CarloSpcyWeiner]

Not sure why your boyfriend insists that a 380 is for you just because it's "less lethal". If anything wouldn't you want it to be more lethal? The argument really doesn't have any basis in reality. Compared to a 9mm the ammo cost for the 380 is more expensive and the recoil is almost the same, depending on the size of the pistol. Don't get me wrong though, if my wife said I can get a pistol for Christmas but it had to be a 380 I would be all over it.

Anyways, since it has to be a 380, here are a few I have fired or have heard many good reviews about. Not sure if they will fit your criteria/price range.

Beretta 84 (the best 380 I have shot, though I haven't fired many 380s)
Beretta 85
Bersa Thunder
Sphinx AT 380
Sig P232
Makarov 380

He's not a big fan of guns unfortunately. He'd rather have a taser, and hates my shotgun

If I could find a decent Makarov, I'd be all over it in a heartbeat. Love the design, but the ones I see are always beat to hell. A similar gun though is the CZ-83, but finding one for less than $499 is damn near impossible, let alone finding one Cali legal. I do think the Bersa Thunder in two tone is so damn pretty though :icon_chee But so far it looks like the Walther PK380 would be my winner. The only thing I don't like about it is that you need a tool to take it apart, and if you lose it, you're basically screwed.

 

[CarloSpcyWeiner]

Here's what my options are pretty much guys. Thought this thread could use some nice pretty pictures

Walther PK380. A good quality and accurate pistol, with no reports of reliability hiccups whatsoever. However, it does require a tool to take down.

Bersa Thunder 380. Good handgun. Nothing but positives from what I've heard, and a great price tag. However, I have heard it tends to lose its accuracy at about 25 yards.

CZ-83. Similar to the Makarov, it's the highest capacity of the three, with incredible CZ accuracy. However, only an option if I can find one for $450 or less and Cali legal.

 

[Ralff]

The Walther is a sweet looking gun. Does it fire as well as it looks?

What all does Cali legal mean? Is it just the 10 round magazine capacity or is there more to it? I know for a lot of pistols that have higher capacity they make 10 round mags just for that reason.

Also, I googled a bit and you can buy extra tools to break down the gun for about $5.

 

[CarloSpcyWeiner]

The Walther is a sweet looking gun. Does it fire as well as it looks?

What all does Cali legal mean? Is it just the 10 round magazine capacity or is there more to it? I know for a lot of pistols that have higher capacity they make 10 round mags just for that reason.

Also, I googled a bit and you can buy extra tools to break down the gun for about $5.

I've heard no complaints about it. Apparently, it's accurate, reliable, comfortable, and obviously damn sexy :wink: I just hate the idea of having to have a tool to break it down. Even if you can buy extras, I'm one of those always be prepared types, so I'd have to have like fifty.

And yeah, Cali legal mainly just means 10 round mags. The CZ-83 does have them occasionally, but they sell out fast and are usually pretty expensive. Bud's has them cheap, I just hope they restock soon.

 

[CarloSpcyWeiner]

Just looked up that Sphinx 380.... Damn its a sexy handgun.....

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

You don't want to go 9mm? Ruger SR9c is a fantastic pistol.

 

[CarloSpcyWeiner]

You don't want to go 9mm? Ruger SR9c is a fantastic pistol.

I'm actually in the process of trying to talk my bf into getting a Ruger SP101 2.25" or a 9mm instead, but he just likes the idea of a .380 better for some reason. Plus he thinks the Walther is cute I guess. Looking around even more lately, I would actually consider the Kahr CW9 that someone mentioned even though it has a break in period. I like the idea of a compact 9mm.

As far as the SR9c, it looks like it would handle awkward without a finger extension on each magazine.

 

[Ralff]

Well if you go with a 9mm then your choices are huge, though the price tag may limit you a bit.

 

[RAZOR1]

Even though I'm barely going to be able to afford a 9mm pretty soon, just for the heck of it, I was messing with some .380's. I got to play with a friend of mine's Walther PK380 and fell in love with it, but just out of curiosity, what are some of the better .380 handguns that aren't too expensive?

I have never owned a .380 acp that wasn't ammunition sensitive, my list includes Walther PP/PPK, Sig 230/232, Bersa Thunder and Llama .380. My wife currently owns a stainless 230 which we found loves Remington Golden Sabers, so that's her set-up.

I hate it personally, it stovepipes and finds other less amusing ways to kill my joy, but she shoots the hell out of it without a problem, so go figure.

 

[CarloSpcyWeiner]

Well if you go with a 9mm then your choices are huge, though the price tag may limit you a bit.

It would be nice, but looks like I'm stuck with .380. Good news is Buds has the CZ-83 for $402

I have never owned a .380 acp that wasn't ammunition sensitive, my list includes Walther PP/PPK, Sig 230/232, Bersa Thunder and Llama .380. My wife currently owns a stainless 230 which we found loves Remington Golden Sabers, so that's her set-up.

I hate it personally, it stovepipes and finds other less amusing ways to kill my joy, but she shoots the hell out of it without a problem, so go figure.

I've never heard of any .380 being ammunition sensitive. That's unusual.... Heard anything about the Walther PK380 and CZ-83 having those issues?

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

How come it's not legal for you to own a Ruger LCP in CA?

 

[CarloSpcyWeiner]

How come it's not legal for you to own a Ruger LCP in CA?

They don't allow for pocket pistols for some ridiculous reason or another unless they're in a single shot configuration. I don't know why, but it's ridiculous. I really want an LCP dammit. With a laser and the finger grip extension, it would be the perfect little .380

 

[Symbiose**]

My boyfriend likes the idea of a .380 because it's less lethal.

I don't understand. Can you explain this? Less lethal as in if you have to shoot someone it has less stopping power? Your boyfriend thinks it's a good thing?

 

[Symbiose**]

The ONLY advantage of .380 is the fact that you can get small ass guns. Now if you can't buy a small gun then why .380 caliber? It's way more expensive to shoot than 9mm and like I said before it has less stopping power. And it's not like 9mm is an awesome man stopper either, it's the bare minimum.

If you want to use it for self defense, it's dumb. If you want to shoot targets then get a .22lr pistol, it's much cheaper to shoot and it's as fun.

.380 is a very poor choice in your situation, it's a high cost low performance gun.

 

[YeahBee]

The ONLY advantage of .380 is the fact that you can get small ass guns. Now if you can't buy a small gun then why .380 caliber? It's way more expensive to shoot than 9mm and like I said before it has less stopping power. And it's not like 9mm is an awesome man stopper either, it's the bare minimum.

If you want to use it for self defense, it's dumb. If you want to shoot targets then get a .22lr pistol, it's much cheaper to shoot and it's as fun.

.380 is a very poor choice in your situation, it's a high cost low performance gun.

hey now, more boom more fun IMO

 

[RAZOR1]

It would be nice, but looks like I'm stuck with .380. Good news is Buds has the CZ-83 for $402



I've never heard of any .380 being ammunition sensitive. That's unusual.... Heard anything about the Walther PK380 and CZ-83 having those issues?

I don't know about the Walther pk380 but the CZ83 is a fine pistol.

.380 acp by design has less recoil, it is a small caliber, low energy round, maybe it's just me but I can't get one to NOT jam up.

As for .380 being "less lethal" good luck proving that one in court. All firearms, ALL of them are lethal from .17 to .700 Nitro they can and will kill something put in front of them with amazing regularity.

 

[CarloSpcyWeiner]

I don't understand. Can you explain this? Less lethal as in if you have to shoot someone it has less stopping power? Your boyfriend thinks it's a good thing?

I really don't get his reasoning either, but it works for me since it'll be a gift, and I have a taste for smaller handguns. He basically thinks it's better because it's less lethal. He's one of those people who has a fear of guns. He'd rather me have a taser.

The ONLY advantage of .380 is the fact that you can get small ass guns. Now if you can't buy a small gun then why .380 caliber? It's way more expensive to shoot than 9mm and like I said before it has less stopping power. And it's not like 9mm is an awesome man stopper either, it's the bare minimum.

If you want to use it for self defense, it's dumb. If you want to shoot targets then get a .22lr pistol, it's much cheaper to shoot and it's as fun.

.380 is a very poor choice in your situation, it's a high cost low performance gun.

It's not too much more expensive actually. I saw some Cor Bon ammo at Bud's Gun Shop where it was only around $1.00 more than 9mm, plus the Winchester ammo was pretty cheap as well. I'm still hoping I can talk him into a 9mm or something.... I showed him how the CZ-75 compact is under $500 at Bud's and told him if he loves me he'll get it for me We'll see.

I don't know about the Walther pk380 but the CZ83 is a fine pistol.

.380 acp by design has less recoil, it is a small caliber, low energy round, maybe it's just me but I can't get one to NOT jam up.

As for .380 being "less lethal" good luck proving that one in court. All firearms, ALL of them are lethal from .17 to .700 Nitro they can and will kill something put in front of them with amazing regularity.

I just want something that can be both a home defense and possible carry later down the road, so compact weapon is a plus to me. I've actually been really interested in the Kahr CW9.... Nothing but good things about it so far.... As well as the CZ-75 compact.

 

[CarloSpcyWeiner]

hey now, more boom more fun IMO

Smaller calibers make for fun plinkers is what I think Symboise is getting at.