Reading the title of this article, you may think I’m going to say the .380 is just not powerful enough. That it is not capable of being up to the task of self-defense. That it is just a “pea shooter.”
I would be lying if I said I think .380 is the “best” caliber, but it does have its role in defensive pistols. Small “mouse gun” type semi-automatic pistols utilize this round quite well. With modern ballistics and bullet design, it does fall into the “capable” category. It does not have the penetration of other calibers and does not meet FBI ballistics standards but is still the best option in these ultra-compact defensive pistols vs other caliber options. So if I believe the round is the best in this context, why don’t I like the .380 ACP?
A friend received this Ruger LCP with pink camo as a Christmas present.
Many female students come to my Intro to Defensive Handgun courses with .380 ACP firearms, in particular Ruger LCPs. When I ask them why they chose that gun, many of them say it’s what the guy at the counter recommended when they said they were looking for a concealed handgun. When I tell them the gun is harder to shoot than a larger 9mm, they look at me like I’m crazy.
Trigger
If we look at the .380 ACPs widely sold, most of them are Double Action Only, with the Ruger LCP being the most popular. The Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard is another popular example of the small DAO variety. These do meet the criteria for what I consider a defensive pistol, but they are not beginner guns. The long DA trigger amplifies deviation. The release of the Glock 42 in 2014 provided a solution to this problem and filled a large void in the striker-fired category. But the Glock 42 is nearly double the price of the LCP at my local gun store. For an experienced and knowledgeable shooter, the Glock is well worth the price.
Gripping
Another reason it’s harder to shoot these small .380 ACPs is they have less grip area, making it more difficult to get a good grip and therefore tougher for students to learn how to properly grip a defensive pistol. To grip an ultra-compact pistol, you must slightly modify your standard two-handed grip due to the thinner and shorter grip. Most of these models do not have enough height on the grip to be able to place the pinkies on the bottom of the grip. The shooter must slow down to control recoil.
Recoil
The biggest issue with this marketing is that, since the .380 is a less powerful cartridge, .380 pistols are marketed to new shooters as having less recoil. Having shot many firearms and a number of .380s, I can tell you they do not have less felt recoil than many of their bigger brethren. I once had a student bring her husband’s Micro Desert Eagle to class for me to shoot. Firing it was a blast (pun intended) but it was also possibly, with the exception of some large-bore magnums, the hardest gun I’ve ever fired to manage recoil on. With its small 2.22-inch barrel compared to the 2.75 of an LCP, it had far more felt recoil.
Firearms work off pneumatics (gas pressure), similar to how a pea shooter works. Put enough pressure behind the bullet and it flies downrange. Firearms just do this very efficiently and with far greater pressure, which causes the recoil when released from the muzzle. This gas pressure is dissipated through a longer barrel and therefore the length of the barrel has a significant effect on the felt recoil. To test this, go out and fire a .22LR in a rifle and then in a pistol. You will notice a pistol has more recoil and a louder sound than a rifle. The lower pressure of the ultra-compact pistol’s cartridge is offset by the shortness of its barrel, giving it the same if not more felt recoil than a full-size 9mm. To a new student who just purchased a less-powerful defensive firearm in an attempt to avoid recoil, this can be scary and lead to their not continuing training.
Manipulation Difficulties
Another reason I don’t like these ultra-compacts for beginners is the lack of area on the gun to perform manipulations. Techniques such as racking a slide properly are much easier and safer to learn on a larger firearm. When the slide is racked to the rear, it opens the ejection port — a large hole where the empty case comes out. This large hole needs to be avoided by your hand to prevent it from blocking the cartridge or, in the case of malfunction clearing, the empty brass or bad round from ejecting. Although this is bad, it is not the worst thing it can cause for a new student.
With the slide taken off the frame and the barrel removed, the ejection port becomes very obvious. The serrations on the back of the slide are meant to be where to grab the gun when racking to avoid interfering with the ejection and injury. Photo: author
This is not the only time I have seen this happen but it was the worst, since she did it multiple times. With proper technique for someone experienced in defensive shooting, this is not an issue. But again these pistols are marketed to beginners and more specifically females. The longer slide of a mid- to full-size defensive firearm offers more area where the serrations are for you to manipulate the slide without risking this.
Slide Bite
The other issue I have seen many times from these ultra-compact .380s is slide bite. This happens when your hand is gripping too high on the back of the pistol. When you fire the pistol, the slide comes back and can slice the webbing between your thumb and index finger. This is more prevalent on ultra-compact .380s because they do not have as large a beavertail on the back of the pistol to guide where your strong hand should be placed. On mid- to full-size pistols, this large curve would make it very awkward to get your hand over the top of it to interfere with the slide. But an ultra-compact is much easier to grip over the top of this curve and get your hand bitten by the slide.
My Springfield Armory XD Mod.2 3-inch subcompact. There is a noticeable difference between the beavertail and grip in this gun and those in the Ruger LCP above. This larger grip area helps new students learn an effective grip and reduces the likelihood of injury. Photo: author
Adding Up the Negatives
Combining all these factors causes a bad experience with training. Giving someone a pistol that causes higher deviation makes them less successful or even slower than the person next to them, and they feel less secure in their abilities. Couple that with having a small gun that is harder to manage recoil or manipulate, and students can have a scary and frustrating experience. This leads the student to train less and fail to become proficient with their defensive tool.I am in no way saying these are not quality firearms. They have their place and I simply feel that place is not for most beginning shooters. I also feel it is unfair to women that these firearms are directly marketed to them. I believe it discourages women from getting involved in shooting and more importantly being able to defend themselves by creating a bad introduction to firearms.
What Should a New Student Do?
My first recommendation is to take a class with a qualified instructor prior to purchasing your defensive pistol. These are not the only issues I see students come to class with after purchasing a gun prior to taking a class, but they are some of the most common. Research the instructor and look for writings from the instructor to be sure they are up to date on their information. You may even have a conversation with them prior to registering to ask their feelings on issues that are important to you.
Do some research prior to going to the gun store. You would most likely do this research if you were buying a new car or even a television. Don’t leave it to a salesman to educate you — that is not their job. Their job is to sell you a gun. If you come in saying you want a tiny gun you can fit in your purse, that is what they are going to sell you. As an instructor, I would have to educate you on the small gun and why I don’t think carrying in your purse is a good idea. We both have different roles, so don’t expect a gun salesman to educate you if you would not expect a car salesman to do the same.
If you do choose an ultra-compact .380, learn how to properly manipulate and grip the firearm, then practice these manipulations. Practice racking the slide and pay attention to where you place your hand. Practice drawing and gripping the pistol to be sure your hand is in the proper place so it will not interfere with the movement of the slide. Then train with your pistol to become proficient with a smaller gun and get the hits you need.
I think you would be the last person I would ask what gun I should carry.
A few years ago I realized that I was no longer as strong, quick or balanced as I had been at 65. My decision to carry, at least when bringing a couple of wheeled suitcases into jewelry stores, was the best solution I could come up with if I wanted to continue working. I went to a sporting goods store and got the “feel” of a lot of different firearms before ordering an LCR 357 Magnum, which can be loaded with 38 specials for cheap and painless practicing. When working, I need to wear dress slacks and a tucked in dress shirt, making a larger gun hard to conceal. I also realize that if I ever am forced to use a gun, it will probably be in a store after being followed, exiting a store, or in a gas station or parking lot, all up close, with a significant risk that a miss or a pass-through could harm or kill an innocent bystander. I also considered the possibility of lint from pocket carry fouling a slide on a semi-auto. I frequently read that a 9mm will often take a number of rounds to stop a threat, which would also be unacceptable. The LCR is a double action revolver with an enclosed firing pin, making it difficult for an attacker to grab. I carry it loaded with 357 Magnum JHP’s, which at close range should offer very good stopping power, with minimal likelihood of a pass through. For my needs it seems to be the best solution available.
Why is carrying in a purse or underarm pouch a bad thing?
Wow I read every single comment and no one mentioned the sweetest shooting little 380 there is. A Kahr p380 or a Kahr cw380. There you go now you know!
All this talk of penetration is comical. My guess is none of you EVER FIRED A ROUND IN ACTUAL self defense. Getting shot in the gut with a 380 will take the fight out of 99% of the human population. Self defense is not for killing an attacker, but just to end the attack....PERIOD!
For a beginner I recommend a .22 like my Walter P22 or the equivalent Ruger or others - easy to rack, low recoil, good sights, light weight and FUN AND CHEAP to shoot. You can and will practice with these. Then, when you know how to shoot, disassemble and clean a gun and your own needs, requirements, abilities, likes go rent several guns in different calibers, sizes, etc and buy one that fits you - your needs, abilities, price and other requirements. I have a 38 snubby, 9mm and .380 and have owned many others and my favorite gun to shoot and practice with is still my P22 and will be my last one to sell or trade.
I know I'm showing up late to the party. I just joined the PDN and this is the first time I have seen this article. I must say that if this is the caliber of writing for all of the articles, I may have wasted my money. While I agree that ultra-small pistols of any caliber are generally not for beginners, there are some glaring errors in the article above. I'll hit them in the order in which they appeared above. Grip: I have large hands. I own two first generation P-3AT's, one Second generation P-3AT, and a Ruger LCP II. I can only get one finger around the grip of any of them below the trigger guard, but that has not stopped me from being able to place multiple hits on target in quick succession. Recoil: Other than the additional weight that is generally afforded due to the extra length, longer barrels do not reduce felt recoil. In fact, if all else is equal, they increase it. If it were possible to get a Remington 700 in .308 Win. with a 16 inch barrel, and a 24 inch barrel of the same weight, the 24 inch barrel would generate more recoil. Why? Because every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The energy pushing the bullet down the barrel is also pushing backward. Since the bullet would be in the 24 inch barrel for a longer time, the opposing energy would also be pushing back for a longer time. Also remember that objects at rest tend to stay at rest. If the barrels weight the same, the same amount of kinetic energy is required to begin to get them in motion. If the longer barrel is also heavier, then more energy is required before it would begin it's rearward motion. If it is heavy enough, the weight may overcome the extra energy generated by it's length. A rifle will almost always have less felt recoil than a pistol in the same caliber, no matter what that caliber is, due to the added wight and the manner in which they are held. Something else that effects recoil is the manner in which the firearm operates. Blow-back operated semi-autos will have more felt recoil than a firearm of equivalent weight than one that operates on the locked breach principal. Racking the slide will also be harder. Fire a Bersa Thunder 380 next to an LCP, P-3AT, or Bodyguard 380, and although the Bersa is almost twice the size and weight of any of them, the recoil is at least as bad, if not more so. I have done this, and I would much rather shoot the P-3AT than the Bersa for any length of time. Manipulation: The small slide on the weapons make them more difficult than others to grip the slide. That being said, one should never, "Ride the slide", no matter which gun they are using. Semi-automatic firearms are designed to feed from the magazine at full speed. Slowing the speed of the slide while loading that first round could cause the round to hang-up on the rear of the chamber, or even stove pie. The best practice is to grip the rear of the slide with the off hand while holding the gun close to the body, and forcefully push the grip forward while holding the slide in place. Once the slide is all the way to the rear, continue pushing the grip forward, and release the slide. This will keep everything clear of the ejection port, and is the best means of racking the slide for those with weaker grips. Slide Bite: I have never had an issue with slide bite. The beavertail on all of the pocket .380's that I have handled is sufficient that getting a grip high enough to get slide bite would feel very unnatural. The only way that I see that as being a possibility is if you are placing your off-hand thumb across the back of the frame, which also feels unnatural, and is an improper grip anyway. While I do think that most of what was stated is BS, or at least easily overcome by a newbie with about 5 minutes of instruction, I still would not recommend a pocket .380 for a novice for two reasons: 1. Trigger pull. Most of these guns have trigger pulls that weigh 9 pounds or more. My first generation P-3AT's are both just over 12 pounds, and that's after hundreds of rounds of use. The heavy trigger pull causes muscle fatigue in short order. within 20 or 30 rounds, holding the pistol on target becomes difficult and the gun begins to shake as I pull the trigger. The LCP II is hands-down the best of the bunch at about 5 pounds 7 ounces on my trigger gauge. I have dry fired the Glock 42, and it feels about the same. Those two are the only ones that I would even consider recommending to a novice, but then there is that second reason... 2. Accuracy. While all of these guns are beyond capable of accuracy that one would not expect from such small packages, it takes some practice to get the most out of them. The small, almost non-existent sights, short sight radius, small gripping surface, and heavy trigger pulls combine to make accurate shooting much more difficult than with a larger firearm. Although not much bigger, and in a far more potent caliber, I am able to shoot accurately much faster with my P-40 than with any of the pocket .380's. The LCP II is close, but none of the others are in the same ball park. None of these shortcomings are insurmountable given enough practice. However, if the gun is inaccurate, hard to shoot, and causes muscle fatigue, it is not going to be fun, and therefore, a novice may be dissuaded from putting in the practice necessary to overcome those shortcomings. Starting off with a small to mid-size 9 or 40 makes much more sense.
To say a .380 round doesn't meet FBI standards is false. The Percision HP/XTP, and the Lehigh Extreme Penatrator are fantastic performers. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LczfeWK9lHw
Yesterday, while I was at work, my cousin stole my ipone and tested to see if it can survive a thirty foot drop,just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad iis now broen and she haas 83 views. I know tis is completely off topic but I had to share it with someone!
true enough, about the author position on the small firearms. Ruger has addressed his concerns... ... the LCP 2... easier in every way. .