.380 pistol questions

wstrickl

wstrickl

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Taurus TCP vs. Ruger LCP vs S&W Bodyguard

I am looking for a nice .380 for a back up carry gun and or a main carry on those summer days.

Let the personal experiences fly! I primarily carry 9mm or 40cal for concealed carry so lets not have any of the ".380 sucks" stuff. The .380 ammo of today has come along way and we all know that and my wife loves her .380 lcp but I wanted to explorer other options and opinions about them

Thanks ahead of time for everyones thoughts!!
 
Everyone will $#%& on it, but I love my Taurus TCP. I carry it a lot in the summer, and its never had an issue. Last round hold open, which LCP doesn't have. My dad has a Kahr, that was just ok IMHO. maybe it needed to broken in, but I wouldn't give my TCP for it.
 
Geerubb said:
Everyone will $#%& on it, but I love my Taurus TCP. I carry it a lot in the summer, and its never had an issue. Last round hold open, which LCP doesn't have. My dad has a Kahr, that was just ok IMHO. maybe it needed to broken in, but I wouldn't give my TCP for it.
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Thank you for the reply!! I have always like a taurus, they are proving to be some reliable weapons. The tcp is one of my favorites. Its nice to find someone who actually has one and uses it. Thanks again
 
I use a Bodyguard and Bersa in .380. However the ball ammo is pricey compared to 9mm. But the Bersa is the only one comfortable to shoot lots of ammo without fatigue of the wrists.
 
I like my Beretta Pico. I like the thin profile, the way you drop a magazine, and the heavy trigger. It is different from some of the other guns you may be looking at, it might be worth checking out.


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Geerubb said:
Everyone will $#%& on it, but I love my Taurus TCP. I carry it a lot in the summer, and its never had an issue. Last round hold open, which LCP doesn't have. My dad has a Kahr, that was just ok IMHO. maybe it needed to broken in, but I wouldn't give my TCP for it.
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Last round does hold open on the new LCP II. I have both the LCP Gen 2, and the LCP II. I carry the LCP Gen 2 when I pocket carry.
 
I have the bodyguard and love it for pocket carry with a sticky holster. I prefer the long trigger pull for added security in my pocket when drawing and its perfectly accurate out to 7 yards which is the furthest id ever see myself using that gun. Dissapears on hot summer days in a pocket.
 
I had one of the early LCPs and it was always reliable, went bang every time. The trigger was a PITA but I've heard the later models and the LCPII are much better. My brother has a Bodyguard and it's always worked for him. Much better trigger than my LCP. Dad has a TCP and to me it's virtually the same gun as the LCP just not quite as smooth around the edges. I don't think you can really go wrong with any of these three.
 
If you want an LCP sized .380, look at the Kahr Cw380. Same size and weight. Better trigger. I find mine to be more accurate than larger pistols if I do my part.
 
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The Glock 42 just destroys them all from a shooting standpoint. IMO, it utterly outperforms them. I loved my little Bodyguard. But it's junk compared to the Glock.

It is worth the extra size all day long. A big gun in a little package. Just my opinion!
 
Don't own did shoot a Bodyguard, worst trigger I've ever experienced. Ran fine for me. Went back to S&W three times, mag release issues IIRC.

LCP was alright, just could not grip the thing well enough so it moved a lot in my hand(s).

The only Glock I was around couldn't make it thru LE quals without malfunctioning. It was early in the release guess they sorted them out since the net is no longer buzzing with reports of malfunctions like it was.

Those little Colts are fantastic.

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wstrickl said:
Thank you for the reply!! I have always like a taurus, they are proving to be some reliable weapons. The tcp is one of my favorites. Its nice to find someone who actually has one and uses it. Thanks again
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I will second his reply. My TCP is what I carry in the summer when just in the gym shorts. Wife has the LCP. I preferred the Taurus for the last round hold open. The two are otherwise identical.
I also have a Bersa Thunder .380 it's not 100% reliable. Mag disconnect spring issues. I removed the mag disconnect bar but the spring will jump off and cause the same no fire issue. I think a new spring will fix it but have not worried about it since I no longer carry it. Bersa is heavier than the LPC or TCP. But for accuracy the Bersa cant be beat. With the fixed barrel the pistol is spot on accuracy wise.
 
I've owned an LCP for about 9 yrs and sent it back to Ruger the first week after buying it new due to malfunctions. Since then it's just been awesome with any ammo we fed it and under so many different shooters I've lost track. I loaned it out all day one Saturday to quite a few shooters who were qualifying after their CC class. That little gun was almost fired non-stop for hours with novice shooters and who knows what brands of ammo fed to it while being limp-wristed and everything else that should cause issues. I don't remember a single malfunction and that has impressed me about that particular gun.

I've also shot a Glock 42 a few times that my neighbor owns and was surprised at how accurate it is. I really like the G42.
 
I sold my KelTec that I carried for 10 years for the New Ruger LCP II with a laser. I think the Keltec is a better-built gun but l like the new Ruger staying open on the last shot.
 
One thing to consider is rust. I haven't had a blued one yet that could stand up to all of my caustic sweat! Ended up with the Kahr because it requires less maintenance.

I know, keep it oiled and you don't have that problem. Well I don't feel the need to fondle mine on a daily basis so sue me.
 
Thank you all for some great commentary! We even stayed on topic for the most part. Yall are awesome!!
Heard some great feed back and some good opinions!! I appreciate it and am loving this forum! giphy.gif

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J R Green said:
Ended up with the Kahr because it requires less maintenance.
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I dig the little Kahr .380. There's certain ammo mine doesn't like (Fiocchi), but it is a great little shooter. I even run it in BUG matches. It's a contender.
 
I've pocket carried a KelTec P3AT for many years, which I've heard Ruger basically cloned to make the LCP, and it's a great little pistol, but small in the hand and hard to hold onto when firing. After a box of ammo at the range, I usually have a blister in the web of my hand. I added some textured rubber Talon-type grips and that helped some, but it's still a handful to shoot. It initially took a couple of hundred rounds through it to get it feeding good, but now it runs nearly anything I put in it, from Tula to Gold Dots. The one exception I just found was the "HotShot" 91gr steel cased ammo. I got a box of it to try and had a misfeed about every 2nd or third magazine. I've also loaded up some powder puff reloads and the gun and my hand both like them.

My wife carries a Bersa Thunder 380 and it's a fun gun to shoot, and accurate, but a little too big for pocket carry. Never had any feeding problems with it, either.
 
For those hot days when I'm wearing a T-shirt, I have a Colt Mustang Plus II. I don't even know it's there and neither does anyone else.

It's what I carry when I'm not carrying a gun.
 
So, from gathering the facts of this forum thread, it looks like the Taurus TCP has a lot of good feed back, then the Ruger LCP (II) coming in at a close second. And well the bodyguard went off in left field somewhere.
We also had honorable mention of kahr, colt, and glock. If I missed any I am sorry.

Now I am stuck between Kahr and Taurus and Ruger. We will see. Off to the YouTube channels and some really opinionated judgemental people. Hahahahahahahaha!!

Thanks again everyone!!! Now on to shop!!



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.EC. said:
Some of them are stupidly priced, but I lucked out and found one in a pawn shop in Charlotte that had a near mint one that was less than $400! Woot!
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Haha, I was referring to its physical dimensions!
Rather large for a .380 bug gun!

But very fine guns. Would love to own one.
 
Another vote for the G42. Completely disappears with an IWB holster. It's my summer shorts carry choice. Very accurate comfortable shooter. Recommend adding on the Pearce mag extension if you have larger hands. I have one of the very very first of the first updated versions and have not had one single issue with it. It has digested everything that has been fed through it, even junk ammo. A search of the Glock forums will shows various discussions mostly about FTFeed issues, but like any mechanical tool, there will be on occasion one that does not function properly. Glock has been very good about taking care of the issues. Good luck in your search!
 
I had a Taurus PT-738, and it was fine (I had shot a Gen I LCP and a Keltec P3AT, and didn't care for either). I sold it some years back because I got out of .380 for a while. But sometimes I need a little hideaway :) When I decided I needed a pocket .380 again, I rented an LCP Custom and liked it very much . But I can't tell how much of that is really the pistols and how much of it is me improving as a shooter in five years. Anyway, I like the LCP Custom for a pocket .380 (the one with the red trigger). It is ever so slightly smaller than the Taurus, and it FEELS smaller than the Taurus. I just put it in the included pocket holster, stash it in a pocket, and go. I PREFER to carry the Shield or something bigger, but LCP Custom > nothing. If I feel like I can't put the LCP in a pocket and need an IWB, I usually can bump it up to at least the Shield.
 
I have a M&P BG and pocket carry it support side as a BUG. The trigger is looonnnggg, but otherwise shoots good. I bought it for a few reasons. The sights on it are decent for a pocket gun and I could get a thumb safety (which is something all my pistols have, and I like consistency.)

I have run a few magazines through a G42, it shoots great. When I was buying a .380, I wanted one specifically for pocket carry, and the G42 was noticably larger than guns like the LCP or BG so I took a pass on it.

Also, if your if wife carries the LCP and you can shoot it well, I would give it a hard look. Maybe I put too much stock in consistency, but that's my thought process haha!
 
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Love2shoot said:
I have the bodyguard and love it for pocket carry with a sticky holster. I prefer the long trigger pull for added security in my pocket when drawing and its perfectly accurate out to 7 yards which is the furthest id ever see myself using that gun. Dissapears on hot summer days in a pocket.
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Same for me... my M&P Bodyguard is easily concealed in either a front or back pocket! It is my deep conceal, or very often a back-up.
 
Bodyguard. Mine was manufactured in 4/2016 and functioned perfectly. Great for a front pocket with or without a holster.

wstrickl said:
Taurus TCP vs. Ruger LCP vs S&W Bodyguard

I am looking for a nice .380 for a back up carry gun and or a main carry on those summer days.

Let the personal experiences fly! I primarily carry 9mm or 40cal for concealed carry so lets not have any of the ".380 sucks" stuff. The .380 ammo of today has come along way and we all know that and my wife loves her .380 lcp but I wanted to explorer other options and opinions about them

Thanks ahead of time for everyones thoughts!!
Click to expand...
 
MochaJoe said:
Bodyguard. Mine was manufactured in 4/2016 and functioned perfectly. Great for a front pocket with or without a holster.
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I knew someone else had a bodyguard out there with some good review! Thanks for sharing. I hate on no gun, guns are cool. :)

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For you guys that pocket carry, do you dedicate your strong side front pocket? I’m a front pocket wallet guy, so not sure that I could make it work.
 
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