The Taurus TCP 738 is a highly underrated pistol. Very, I mean extremely very, reliable and accurate for what they are. Too bad Taurus discontinued them in favor of the Spectrum. IMHO the TCP 738 is much better than the Spectrum.
Great Article Joshua. I own 2 of your top 5; the Sig P238 and the S&W 380 EZ, plus, my 85 year old father owns the Ruger LCP and my friend the Bersa Thunder and both love them !! I also just purchased the Rock Island Baby Rock, another great 380. My everyday carry is my Sig P238 as I can carry it all day on ankle or IWB without discomfort. This is a great gun with excellent sights for both day and night. For it's 2.5 inch barrel, I can easily hit center mass at 25 yards or less and with rapid fire shots. Because I have carpal tunnel and arthritis in my thumbs, I bought the S&W 380 EZ. What a great gun although much bigger than the Sig. Every thing is truly EZ, from loading to racking to field stripping & cleaning. My only complaint on this gun was the sights, which I easily remedied by installing a laser on the lower rail. The big thing to consider using these 380's is the ammo. I fired over 500 rounds through my Sig using dozens of different ammo and it NEVER gave me an issue. The S&W gave me an issue with certain brands of hollow point, but, more investigation needs to be done because I think it occurred with one individual magazine. Also, you can not use Plus P ammo with the S&W as the polymer frame and light spring will not tolerate the added pressure. The SIg will fire Plus P with no issues (although, the added pressure will wear out the inner parts much faster). That is why I also picked up the Baby Rock (a baby 45); solid steel frame made the same exact way Rock Island makes their 45's. In fact this Model 1911A 380 is just a smaller version with all parts being virtually identical. It can handle Plus P ammo and with the 3.75 inch barrel is extremely accurate. The ballistics testing of some of the newer Plus P ammo from Buffalo Bore and Underwood put the 380 round pretty close to regular 9mm ammo. I do find more noticeable recoil when using this ammo. I would like to try the Walther PPK S next.
Xtreme Rat 3.6 Private Crackedl
Well interesting take though on all the ammo comparison charts I've seen on this site for popular handgun ammo I've yet to see the 9mm makarov mentioned and personally I carried a FEG PA-63 a hungarian made pistol though no longer on the market here carried it on me for least 5 years before I changed to a SiG P245 Compact due to the fact that I could Extremely easily find magazines available that fix in quiet extended size for the gun as it Accepted Magazines for the P220 as well which is a common officer carry ever since been a SiG guy still got the p245 but switched to a p938 Texas edition few years back But I'll Say this about the 9mm makarov and the FEG PA-63 at that, that is one gun to this day I regret selling but the local gunshop owner wanted it as a carry as he had one previously that got stolen when he was in the hospital and since they were no longer on market here I parted ways with mine but the 9mm makarov Is a absolutely great round can't even begin to describe how well it feels in the hand compared to a Luger
I read your article and found it very interesting and somewhat informative. I do think you missed the boat on adding the Springfield Armory 911 on your list. It is extremely well built, easily concealed and extremely accurate.
YouTube has a fascinating video discussing the Best Handgun Calibers. It looks at over 1700 firearm incidents involving police, military or private citizen armed encounters and looks at the weapons used, incapacitation and lethal effectiveness. It includes rifles, shotguns and a wide variety of handguns. Here's the link =nycYxb-zNwc&index=48&t=0s&list=WL Some of the results of this study show that rifles and shotguns are very effective (duh!) and pistols shooting shotgun rounds are very effective (e.g. The Judge). The thing that got me was for handgun rounds from 380 to 44 Mag, the lethal/incapacitate results were pretty much equal! Now this is real world data and results. Amazing. I prefer my 357 Mag but I'm seriously considering a 380 due to their size and less recoil. Anyway, a great video.
I am not sure why Kimber was excluded from the list of .380's. The Micro 380 is a miniature 1911. It is made in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Kimbers are not made out of a polymer plastic; I think the Kimber pistols are sexy, if not a piece of art, and the tolerances of the moving parts I feel is the best in the firearms industry. The Micro 380 now comes with a 7-round magazine; The Micro 380 weighs a mere 13.4 oz. For me, it is the Mercedes Benz of hand guns. I strongly suggest checking out Kimber. I also have a Micro 9 which is a bit larger than the Micro 380. Both guns are extremely accurate. I have also put Crimson Trace Laser on both guns for shooting in low light. And for the record, I don't work for Kimber.
I purchased a Ruger LCP last month, ftf/fte, 35 out of 50 rds, 95 gr. Fmj, cci, winchester, and remington, sent back to Ruger, replaced slide, back to range, same issues, took to local gunsmith for evaluation, awaiting results, Ruger missed the mark on this one, not acceptable performance, from a name like Ruger, not acceptable for personal defense, do not recommend for purchase, own a P-89, will feed anything, own an American .243, extremely accurate, again, Ruger missed the mark with the LCP.
You will want to read this: I own an LCP, Sig P238, and a Bodyguard.... Three of the top 5 here....I have spent A LOT of time testing ammo with all 3 of these 380's because even though I have an LC9S Pro 9mm and a Sig P938 9mm, I WANT to carry the 380 because its just more comfortable in summer to carry. I get it... you are thinking "carry the 9mm", but I like the lighter weight and low recoil of 380.... so I need all 6 of 380 on target to make a stop, no problem, we practice constantly and hopefully I can do that, as shot placement is king. So I went on an ammo quest with all 3 of my 380 firearms to find the best Self defense round... watched every video on youtube from Paul Harrell, Shooting The Bull (who did ammo quest and voted Precision One the BEST 380 SD round) , TN Outdoors, Hickock45 and everyone else....you name it....and now hundreds of rounds personally downrange. All the biggest ammo players. I could have done an "Ammo Quest" video myself. I was primarily interested in WHAT SD ammo can cycle in my gun RELIABLY but is still a VIABLE load that will expend, not UNDER penetrate, and not OVER PENETRATE. Looking for the FBI specs 12 inch to 18 inch in ballistic gel...But here's what I found after all the Self Defense 380 ammo testing. It's kind of like the old Sears "Good, Better, Best" thing. I put LCP in "Good", Bodyguard in "Better", and Sig in "BEST".... and I WANTED to dislike the Sig (all metal freame, it's HEAVIER). I WANTED to carry the LCP but I CANNOT carry it after owning it and my testing. 1. LCP is a JAM-O-MATIC that I wouldnt trust my life to. Consistently turns into a JAM after a few mags either FTE or FTF, usually FTE. It MIGHT be OK in a totally CLEANED gun first 6 or 7 shots but that's about it... reliability goes out the window after the first mag. (Takedown all 3 of these guns and you'll see why. LCP is the CHEAPEST and SMALLEST springs, etc on a 380 ever). I LOVED it for its size and wanted it to come in #1! But under conditions, I will NOT carry it, because it WILL NOT perform consistently time after time after time.... Jams HST. Jams all Underwood Xtreme Penetrator or Defender. Jams Precision One. Jams other 380 hollowpoint. Hell, it jams FMJ BALL AMMO after a few mags. I wanted to LOVE the LCP because its SO easy to conceal. But if you are carrying it.... BEWARE. Now here;'s the good about the LCP....It Feeds CRITICAL DEFENSE like a champ.... cant make it jam off of Critical defense. So if you like Critical Defense ammo (with the red polymer plug), get the LCP, it works GREAT and EVERY time. But I didn't like that ammo because it UNDER PENETRATES in 380.. My LCP is now sadly a Safe Queen loaded with Critical defense in case I ever have a real problem or need my 3rd backup gun... I know that critical defense ammo will cycle in my LCP... but Critical defense is my THIRD desired ammo... So... given all this my LCP is in the category called "GOOD". 2. S&W Bodyguard... "BETTER". I can't jam it. It literally Runs almost EVERYTHING. I would trust my life to the Bodyguard... It runs Underwood penetrator, defender, Federal HST, Precision one, critical defense, you name it, The only reason I dont carry it is because it jammed on an HST ONE TIME. (might even have been me Limp wristing it) but still it should cycle... And the trigger is probably the LONGEST trigger EVER. That can be both GOOD and BAD, but Beware of that trigger. However, I felt very safe carrying it because it would never be an UNINTENDED DISCHARGE candidate. . Otherwise, I REALLY like the bodyguard and would feel 95% to 99% comfortable with it. The few failures I have had maybe are my fault. So Bodygard is "BETTER". 3. BEST: Sig P238. This gun is amazing and feeds/extracts EVERY ammo I give it. I have tested them ALL... I don't care for the whole 1911 thing, I'd rather have a single or double action striker... but this P238 is amazing. I literally went out and bought a P938 in 9mm because of the P238's reliability. So, when it comes time that you have to rely on your 380, think long and hard about what's in your hand, and what ammo you are feeding it. It makes a HUGE difference! Do the tests, try out your piece with everything. I can say I have spent a lot of time, effort, etc on my 380 quest. The final answer: Sig P238 with Precision One Hollow Point or Underwood Load Lehigh Defense Extreme Penetrator or Extreme Defender. Your mileage may vary. As always, be safe out there and thanks for taking time to read this.
Also a quick not for those that carry a .380 I would look at the new XP Extreme Penetrator and XD Extreme Defender ammo by Lehigh Defense. This is the round to go to in the 380. It is also used by Underwood ammo who produces it in a +P and +P+ plus loads. you can see it on Ammoquest .380 youtube if you want to see how it performs..awesome round for the 380 2ff7e9595c
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