best .380 for ccw and/or backup??

by **robalan** » Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:30 pm

The Sig P232 is a great gun. I have the Crimson laser grips for it. The grips really beat out other laser types. You can hide the laser whenever you want and it even has the turn off switch for when you want to practice without it.

by **Doriadiver** » Sun Mar 20, 2011 11:22 am

This home owns 3 .380's. Sig, Beretta and Walther PPK/S. The Beretta can be a pain to break down and clean, not to mention a bit large for it's caliber. The Walther is heavy for pocket carry. The Sig is perfect. Small, light, & easy to maintain. They all shoot very, very well but for CCW the Sig would be my choice. Just picked up the Kimber Solo which is identical in size but 9mm and is now my CCW when the hot weather down here precludes carrying my Kimber Ultra Carry. Good Luck!!

by **Doriadiver** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 7:58 pm

Correction. The house is now down to two .380's. Traded the PPK/S for a new Ruger Super Blackhawk in 44 Mag. Wow! What a gun, but that's for another forum.

by **MightyFoFaad** » Tue May 17, 2011 2:00 am

If you must carry a 380 ... and sometimes the concealability factor forces one to go that small, I strongly urge all to load it with a +P cartridge like the Magtech Guardian Gold series of ammo ... that extra 20% of punch might save your life. There are a few good guns out there, but IMO the best made & designed 380 out there is the Walther PPK/S. Excellent gun in every respect ... however, it IS a bit heavy for it's size.

by **robalan** » Tue May 17, 2011 7:05 pm

Anything is better than nothing. I usually carry a 45, but feel fine when I have a 380.

by **MightyFoFaad** » Tue May 17, 2011 9:44 pm

@robalan ... Don't get me wrong, you're absolutely right about that. I love my SS Walther PPK/S & with +P ammo I feel reasonably OK. However, there are times (& places) when I just don't feel comfortable with anything smaller than a .40 or .45 ... just saying.

by **robalan** » Tue May 17, 2011 11:26 pm

I know what you mean. But at least your PPK/S is one of the better 380s. I carried a Sig P232 for years. It is very similar to your PPK/S.

by **MightyFoFaad** » Wed May 18, 2011 1:10 am

@ robalan ... Well, the thing I like about the Walther PPK/S is that it's nice & thin. So when you use it with a belt slide holster, you can wear it with a suit & not worry about having any silhouette showing at all. The gun is built like a Tiger tank so you can shoot +P ammo day & night & you'll never wear that gun out. But, that's why it's so heavy too.

by **lastrebel** » Wed May 18, 2011 3:34 am

i wanted a 380 longest time but held off and getting ruger lc9 (9 mm) only bout inch bigger than the lcp

by **JustBen** » Wed May 18, 2011 7:17 pm

I like my 380's but I sure hope I am one hell of a shot if I ever have to face a 300 pound criminal high on crack. I think having a real gun in your hand would be a heck of a lot better in a fight. That LC9 looks perfect. Best of luck with it.