I'm wanting either a .380 or a 9mm. I've shot both and really seem to like them both. So which ever one has the best price and still is reliable is the one I would like to have. I don't do much shooting, but I do like to get out and shoot.

What are you wanting this for, assuming you just want it for range use, I would say go with a full-size gun, and since I am partial to SIGs myself, of course I would say go with the P226. However, you didn't mention anything on budget except for "best price" so this one may or may not fall within what you are hoping to spend.

You should be able to find a used or CPO (certified pre-owned) for $400-$500 and NIB for $650-$750. Personally I opt for the 9mm over the .380, simply because I have never shot a .380 and the only SIG that comes in the .380 is the P230 or P232 now, which is a compact simliar in appearance to the PPK.

I'm wanting either a .380 or a 9mm. I've shot both and really seem to like them both. So which ever one has the best price and still is reliable is the one I would like to have. I don't do much shooting, but I do like to get out and shoot.

My opinion of .380 vs 9mm depends on a few factors.

1.) Are you going to handload? If you are, IME, they're about the same cost to handload for. If you're not, the 9mm has the benefit of being a little cheaper to get ammo for.

2.) Are you wanting it to be a defensive weapon? If you are, the 9mm is a bit more potent, regardless of which school of ammo effectiveness you belong to.

3.) It's uncommon to find anything approaching a full-sized gun that shoots .380. The closest I know of is the Taurus PT938, which is hard to come by (and 15-round magazines are even harder to come by). Most manufacturers seem to consider a full-sized .380 to be a waste of time.

If it's just down to best price and still be reliable, I'd recommend one of Ruger's 9mms. Not very expensive, but still very reliable. My P95 has only misfed when I was limpwristing it back when I was still learning how to shoot a handgun properly.

Welcome. It's hard to find anything cheaper to shoot than 9mm, but .22 rimfire comes to mind.

Frankly I'd advise anybody to start with a .22, but if you have your mind made up on a 9mm, then by all means go for it.

I think that with some of the *really* small 9mms on the market today, the .380 is dangerously close to being squeezed completely out of it's niche.

An idea of your budget would help with specific recommendations.

I have one of each a bersa thunder .380 and a cz p-01 in 9mm both very reliable and imo well worth the money i spent on them. The 9mm stays in a holster screwed to the side of my bed, while I never go anywhere without the 380. There are several reasons for this but the main one is the bersa is just easier to carry. A lot of people will tell you that you need a larger caliber full size gun to be safe against drug crazed dangerous murderers and they may be right but i'm not a big enough guy to conceal a full size gun easily. I think its more important to have the gun with you, and be able to put those bullets where you want them! So just pick one that fits your hand and your lifestyle and shoot it a LOT.

just my 2 cents

I'm wanting either a .380 or a 9mm. I've shot both and really seem to like them both. So which ever one has the best price and still is reliable is the one I would like to have. I don't do much shooting, but I do like to get out and shoot.

It depends on what you prefer, can handle well and afford. My recommendation would be to shoot as many different brands of 9mm and .380 handguns and see what suits you. Then I would shop the used gun market. i picked up some quality used handguns in these calibers at bargain prices. All the best...
Gil

The Bersa 380 is a fine backup weapon and conceals nicely around your ankle. It is very dependable and very inexpensive. A 9 is still cheaper to shoot and provides much more stopping power though and I can't conceal that around my ankle but it is a fine but light sidearm (IMHO).
GB,
Greg

Best price? Hi-Point....would be very inexpensive. Also take a look at a Makarov 9x18. Best advice is to handle shoot several and find one that is comfortable that you can shoot well

For a 380, I would go with a Bersa 380 any day of the week. Academy sells them for right at $200 new and they are both reliable and accurate. I have never had a hiccup with mine.

9mm??? Shoot what is availiable to you and rent some, buy what is comfortable. I agree with Niner, Sig is a fantastic weapon and well worth the money. I am also a Glock fan, so maybe a 17?

Good luck.

I'll put in another positive word for the Bersa (also marketed as the Firestorm). A hair too large to be considered a pocket piece, it is nonetheless quite compact. It is also extremely accurate for a gun of its type, dead reliable, and economical. A great gun whether you're on a tight budget or can afford to spent 3 or 4 times as much!

Mine is a .380 and granted the only one I've fired thus far. I'm curious about how different they are myself. I've noticed the .380 handguns I've looked at are very easy to carry and conceal. The only problem I have with mine is it is a little to small for my tastes. I want a small weapon, but something, I can hold with all of my fingers and still comfortably support with the left hand til I get better. I was looking at the Taurus millenium pro series, specifically the PT111. I liked the look, specifications and it was right around what I would likely have to spend on my next purchase. Any comments or experience anyone have with that series from Taurus? Either way, i was planning on seeing if the range had one to rent next time I was up that way.

Look at he Hi Point 380 and 9mm.They are both reasonably priced,extremely reliable, very acurate, all American,well made guns, and have a 100%, no questions asked,unlimited life time warranty(for even subsequent owners!) I own the Hi Point 9mm,40 S/W and 45 ACP and 40 S/W carbine and all of the above applies;absolute value.

Look at the CZ-75B @ CZ-USA. Good shooting 9mm. Sleek looking. Reliable. Low Price. 22LR slide conversion makes it a cheap gun to practice with.

Mr. Rider,

I bought a Ruger P-89 (9x19mm) used for $280. It holds fifteen rounds in the magazine, shoots accurately, and is very reliable. I shoot ~2000 rounds a year through it, and have, on occasion, used it as a CCW. You cannot go wrong with it.

Lobo in West Virginia

I have a Jennings .380 pocket pistol I carry as an easy to conceal weapon. Not the best choice but definitely better than nothing and it is small enough to carry well with minimum amount of textile coverage. Also, it's all stainless so it won't rust solid from the sweat dripping off me.

Now, I paid a mere $65 for this pistol about 15 years ago and it shows when you first get it. Needs some tuning to become reliable, if you're not up on doing this work yourself, the cost of having a gunsmith do it for you will rival the cost of a better out-of-the-box quality weapon. This particular one only took about 30 minutes to tune but I've done them before.

It is totally reliable now with select ammunition, my choice is Starfires for SD use and Federal FMJ's for practice. Both have about the same power loading so they both function and shoot the same. Fixed sight grooves are useless on this gun and you must get comfortable enough with it to be able to point shoot, you look at the spot where you want the bullets to go and never even look at the gun or sights.

I also modified the slide grips to make them more easy to get ahold of by cutting the grooved to a sharper edge facing the muzzle so they litterally bite into your hand and provide a positive grip surface.

Other drawback to these is the small grip surface so if you have big paws, you can count on the slide cutting the web of skin between your thumb and index finger everytime you fire it.

Accuracy is pretty decent with this one despite the drawbacks, granted it's not made for distance but at 30' not using the sights I can readily put 6 rounds into a pop can. Biggest thing is, you don't have the power behind this round so you had better plan on making every shot count for all it's worth. Head & heart shots are a must.

My wife has a P94 9mm that is a super shooter but a whole lot bigger to carry. When it comes to getting over the .380 and less than the 45acp, I generally go for my CZ-52 (7.62x25). Lot more power than the .380 but a lot thinner than the 9mm and much easier to carry.

I have a Jennings .380 pocket pistol I carry as an easy to conceal weapon. Not the best choice but definitely better than nothing and it is small enough to carry well with minimum amount of textile coverage. Also, it's all stainless so it won't rust solid from the sweat dripping off me.




Is that a statement you realy want to make about your CCW weapon?

Not trying to start anything, it just strikes me as odd is all.

Not particularly but you have to compromise sometimes. With temps in the mid to upper 90's and humidity to match, the quickest give-a-way that you're packing iron is too much textile coverage. Crooks know the game and if they can spot you carrying, they have reason to think you have something worth stealing...may as well wear a blaze orange jacket with big letters that says "rob me". Go to the flea markets and you can instantly tell who's packing something way too big for the ambient conditions. When I lived up north, you could get away with packing twin 1911's and no one would ever know, try that here and everyone will know even if they are not gun savvy.

If you look like you have less than the crook has, you avoid becoming a marked target. Crooks now days often work in teams, if they know you're packing, they will plan accordingly and you loose any chance of getting one up on them. The less they can tell about you, the more likely they will be to either bypass you or be more complacent if they do attack.

The .380 is no powerhouse and definitely not the "optimum" choice of a self defense round...however, it can be deployed effectively within its limitations but it does require a lot of training and practice but does afford much better ballistics than most other chamberings in similar size weapon. Another thing, the .380 has enough recoil to overcome some resistance on the slide, you get too much of your paw in the way of a .25 or .22 and the slide won't function and you're left with an itty bitty club. The .380 slide will smash your hand enough to cycle reliably and considering the low power of the round, it is best deployed at point blank range as in getting the muzzle against your attacker and using the additional damage caused by the muzzle blast to your advantage. The bullet itself may not connect to produce an instant incapasitation or fatality but the hot gas & pressure going into the hole the bullet made may be just enough to save your butt or at least buy you enough time to get another 2 or 3 rounds off before the attacker can react.

I'm not talking about the old west shootout situation here where you square off at 30 paces, I'm talking about getting jumped and you have little time to think or react, whatever you do at that point is going to come from instinct and not thought. If your weapon is too big, it's going to be useless when things are this close and personal because you will simply not have enough room to draw and bring it into action. If you carry anywhere other than in your pocket, reaching for the weapon instead of your wallet will generally be cause of you loosing the fight before it even starts.

Another thing rarely considered is the fact that even with a .45, you put the first on in a less than instantly fatal area like the guts and you will likely loose the fight anyway if you can't follow up with a fatal hit within 3/4 second or less if you're not already dead.

Thing that most people forget is that the crook is already running on adrenalin before he strikes you. It will take time before yours ramps up and that is the time frame the crook relies on to get in and out while you're still disoriented. This is why you must rely more on your own reactions more so than on any weapon you may choose to carry. The weapon is you and other things like a gun are simply just sub-components. If you consider a gun to be your primary defense, you will more than likely not survive. The best weapon sits behind your eyes and between your ears.

The Ruger 9mms are best buy for a 9mm. If you are going to carry it then the polymer frame is shorter and lighter. For general shooting and plinking the longer barrels are best. The 380 is much less powerful than the 9mm but can be had in really small carry guns. I use a Glock 26 which is a sawed off 9mm for carry.

Mark makes some good points! I carry a SIG P230(.380), or a Pa63(9x18). You may think they are under powered, but to 25 yards they are deadly! Clothing is and issue, or lack of. I use 3 different holsters for different types of clothing. Shot placement is also key. A hit from either one in the groin area will stop an assailant. Most people in a panic also have poor shot placement, shoot high. So if your target is man sized, and you are going for the chest, a shoulder, or miss is the general outcome. Allot of folks talk big, but could they honestly say they would be dead on in a high stress situation. A pistol that comes to hand easily is your best bet. A .380 will stay on target, no heavy recoil to deal with. I also carry a .38sp,.357, .45acp, and 10mm, when the situation dictates. 3 solid hits from an "under powered round" beats the alternative. JP

I want something I can put in my pants pocket, and have been considering a Walther PPK/s .380. Anyone have thoughts on the subject, or experience with the current PPK/s manufactured by S&W?

Well, the 2 I mentond are both PPK design. The Walther has its drawbacks, mag jams, fails to feed. The SIG P230 is awesome, but also has the limitation of a European mag release. The Pa63 is Heavier, but very reliable, uses 9x18 ammo. S&W makes the current copy of the Walther, but still has the same issues feeding. If you want a PPK PM ME! I have 2 for sale. JP

I've had two 9mms, a Beretta 92FS and a SIG P226. Between the two I've fired thousands of rounds with no reliability issues. When I got my 40 S & W in the SIG P226, I gave my SIG 9mm to my dad for his CCW. He told me when he went through the process of obtaining the CCW, it included range time in which out of the 8 or so in his class, when it came range time, that SIG was the only handgun that didn't have any type of malfunctions. While I can't tell you what the other makes were, I can tell you several guys after the class approached him and wanted to know what kind of pistol it was. The SIGs may be a bit more than some of the others but I can speak from firsthand experience that it is justified and it will not fail you.

Both the Beretta 92 and SIG 226 are outstanding handguns but if you are looking at them for CCW purposes, there may be better choices (models or makers) if you are looking at concealing it well. I definately would choose the 9mm as there are some pretty small models made for it and it packs more power than the 380.