YAGunT: .380 that jams the least w/cheap ammo (Ruger LCP?)

[JEDI]

cheap ammo from walmart: federal, winchester, remington

Also:
Ruger LCP (380, 6+1, no safety)

for a girl (age 21+), would all 3 fingers fit on the grip?
and does it come w/a pinky extension magazine by default?

 

[glenn1]

I'm not as familiar with .380 pistols, but you'll probably get a lot of recommendations for the SIG P238 but it's kinda spendy ($600?). Or you could try something like the Kahr P380 for a little less.

 

[IGemini]

The LCP is good if she wants something cheap, REALLY light, and reliable. Safeties are a personal choice. No idea how well it will fit her hand...age =/= size

SIG P238s get a lot of recommendations here, but I like the P232. Walther PK380 is also a choice but I'd try the others mentioned first. I'm pretty sure there will be a Bersa Thunder suggestion at some point.

 

[GasX]

You can get a Makarov in .380

 

[boomhower]

The LCP is a .380 but it's till got a pretty good amount of pop to it. I'd let her shoot one prior to buying if possible. Most females can carry a bigger gun since they are usually going to be carrying in a purse. I really like the Sig P238 and Kahr P380 for a very small gun. If a little bigger can be done the CZ83 is a nice choice and should shoot very softly but it's a fairly large gun for .380. Then there is the classic Walther PPK. Middle road in size and soft shooting. It's a hugely popular gun over the years for a reason.

But for a cheap .380 the LCP will certainly do the trick. It's cheap and reliable. It is just a get off me gun as the sights are almost non existent.

If she is going to be purse carrying I'd give a small 9mm a serious look.

 

[shortylickens]

I have several 380's and the Ruger LCP is my favorite for a few reasons. After coating all of them with mili-tec, the Ruger is the most reliable in terms of not getting failure to eject or failure to feed. It does jump quite a bit HOWEVER, with lots of practice its actually my most accurate gun. Its smooth and sleek and is easy to reload and break down and clean. Its very light weight and after carrying it for a while I dont even notice it sometimes. Its reasonably priced but extremely well-made compared to the equivalent Kel-tec, (which was designed by the same man). Only downside is that in an effort to promote sleekness, they kept the sights quite low and built into the frame. But actually with tons of practice its still plenty good. I like my P238 with the tritium fiber optic sights but its a little heavier, a lot bigger in the pocket (cuz of all the little pieces that stick out) and I dont care much for a manual safety single action.
I prefer to just grab it out of the holster and squeeze the trigger. No nonsense, no trouble. In fact because of the design the LCP is naturally ambidextrous so I can stick it in either pocket or any part of my belt and it will be fine.

P232 is nice but hardly a pocket pistol. Its quite large, bigger than a PPK even though its the same design. That size and weight makes shooting it much more pleasant.

The LCP is easy to control with loads of practice but that practice can be painful. The P238 is pleasant to shoot, and doesnt have all the standard 1911 nonsense like plungers and bushings and shit to worry about.

 

[shortylickens]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tYL6VXm1mo&feature=related




Oh, and remington, winchester and federal is the good shit.
CHEAP ammo is the Tula, or Wolf.
Do not use that in any gun under any circumstances.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Sig P230. I own a Beretta Tomcat in 32 ACP but is it not fun to shoot nor is it accurate.

 

[boomhower]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tYL6VXm1mo&feature=related




Oh, and remington, winchester and federal is the good shit.
CHEAP ammo is the Tula, or Wolf.
Do not use that in any gun under any circumstances.

I disagree. Tula and Wolf is fine for plinking at the range in most guns. Just understand what your getting; dirty, underpowered, not very accurate, steel cased ammo. I've shot a ton of the .223 stuff and it's fine. It's not going to hurt your gun. You just have to accept what your giving up for the lower price.

 

[shortylickens]

No, its not. It wrecks your gun with prolonged use. As bad as it is, the stuff should NEVER be used.
Its like putting leaded gasoline in your car and saying "well, I know what I'm getting".

No, you dont. If you knew what it did to your vehicle you'd never touch the stuff. This guy is asking about 380's because he will eventually want to carry it (since they arent good for much besides personal protection). He needs a good gun, in good working order to trust his life to. He shouldnt abuse it with retardedly cheap ammo that will mess up his working mechanisms.

 

[shortylickens]

OH, and I should talk about the LCP. It came with two buttplates, one flush, and one with a pinky extension. I got the super pinky extension from Amazon and am much happier.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-me...x=0&isremote=0

 

[CurseTheSky]

I love my Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380. It's small, light, and very well built. Pretty much my everyday carry pistol (though I may look for a small 9mm some day).

The only issues I've ever had with it were faulty ammo, and that's not the gun's fault.

 

[bononos]

No, its not. It wrecks your gun with prolonged use. As bad as it is, the stuff should NEVER be used.
Its like putting leaded gasoline in your car and saying "well, I know what I'm getting".

........

What exactly is about cheap steel cased ammo that makes it so bad? afaik its the steel jacket (very thin copper layer in their bimetal jacket) that will cause extra wear on the barrel since the normal copper jacketed bullets are a softer metal.

 

[BladeVenom]

One thing that's nice about the S&W Bodyguard and the Sig P238 is that they have good sights for a small gun. The Bodyguard frame was even designed for a built in laser sight. The Bodyguard if you like the longer trigger pull, or the P238 if you want a single action.

The Walther PK380 has a decent sized grip. It's a bit bigger, but she'll probably like the feel of the grip.

The Beretta Cheetah is another one of the bigger .380s.

If you want one for looks/collection, Colt Model 1908 Hammerless. Really nice, if a bit old fashioned.

Something to consider is recoil operated vs. blowback. It may not matter much to a guy, but women will have an easier time racking back the slide on a recoil operated pistol. At least on similar sized pistols.

Of course there's always a .38 revolver.

 

[FallenHero]

I carry a Ruger off-duty and as a backup weapon. It is NOT a fun gun to shoot, so please have her shoot it beforehand.

 

[Vic Vega]

I've been happy with my Sig P238 SAS. It's definitely not an inexpensive way to get into concealed carry though.

 

[CurseTheSky]

I carry a Ruger off-duty and as a backup weapon. It is NOT a fun gun to shoot, so please have her shoot it beforehand.

I have to second this. My Bodyguard is a great gun, but it's not fun to shoot. It hurts my hand a bit, whereas my CZ P01, Colt 1911, Sig P250, etc. in 9mm or 45 ACP don't hurt at all. The small size and light weight can make 380 feel like a very snappy round.

 

[BladeVenom]

True, little pocket pistols do have a sharp recoil.

 

[Vic Vega]

Felt recoil is very subjective. I personally do not have a problem with the .380 ACP in a plastic or metal gun and don't feel it's punishing to shoot.

 

[schneiderguy]

Of course there's always a .38 revolver.

That is what I would choose over a .380 semiauto.

 

[ViperXX]

The Ruger LCP can suck a dick. My younger brother fired my older brothers LCP. He didn't like the trigger pull and the recole. He fired my Taurus TCP .380 and he liked it.

 

[IGemini]

Felt recoil is very subjective. I personally do not have a problem with the .380 ACP in a plastic or metal gun and don't feel it's punishing to shoot.

It depends on the design. My brother has an AMT Backup...it's quite unpleasant to shoot. Recoil on its own isn't bad but it drives the grip curve into one's palm. Ergonomic, it ain't.

Another possibility is going for a revolver chambered in .327 Magnum. Delivers roughly the same power with a lot less recoil than .357. Ruger SP101, S&W 632, or Taurus M327.

 

[Merad]

I have the LCP and love it... I would recommend it, but I would strongly recommend getting a Hogue Handall grip sleeve for it to make it easier to hold and control, and upgrading to Wolff recoil springs because if it gets pushed out of battery, the stock springs aren't always strong enough to return the slide to battery when a round is chambered.

Felt recoil is very subjective. I personally do not have a problem with the .380 ACP in a plastic or metal gun and don't feel it's punishing to shoot.

It depends on the design. My brother has an AMT Backup...it's quite unpleasant to shoot. Recoil on its own isn't bad but it drives the grip curve into one's palm. Ergonomic, it ain't.

Also depends on how much you shoot it. The LCP does not have "bad" recoil... if you only shoot a few mags through it. Shoot 2-3 boxes of ammo through it, and your hand will probably be black & blue.

No, its not. It wrecks your gun with prolonged use. As bad as it is, the stuff should NEVER be used.
Its like putting leaded gasoline in your car and saying "well, I know what I'm getting".

Utter nonsense. At the absolute worst it tends to use dirtier powder and might but a bit of extra wear on the extractor vs brass cased. It will not "wreck your gun."

 

[BladeVenom]

Another possibility is going for a revolver chambered in .327 Magnum. Delivers roughly the same power with a lot less recoil than .357. Ruger SP101, S&W 632, or Taurus M327.

.327 Magnum never caught on, and is on the decline.

 

[Arkaign]

.38 special snubnose revolver is a great choice imho. Revolvers are (with some exceptions that don't apply in my example) dirt simple and extraordinarily reliable, even with cheap ammo.