[weshowe]

Gents,
Just for fun I'd like to hear what gun/reliability you've had with .380's.
My wife's Beretta M85 has digested about 1K of various loads without a hick-up. I even tried some empty resized cases and it fed those.
That said. she prefers her S&W M60 3"...go figure.
Bought two .380 Sigmas and unloaded them after shooting one and then finding out they were only rated for a service life of 2,500 rounds. No to mention that quality was one notch above a Lorcin, Jennings, etc.
Still, it did work.

Wes

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. I've had excellent luck with the German/French made Walthers, but don't shoot them much at all due to getting "slide bite" and spotty luck with the American-made ones; some worked fine while others had less stellar performance.

The Bersa "Thunder" .380 has proven exceptionally reliable and is my current pick for a "carry .380"...were I going to tote that caliber. I have read some reports of problems, but the one I own and the several I've seen and shot that were owned by others worked fine.

I had one CZ-83. It worked flawlessly and grouped very well. Some one argue that it is too large for caliber and while I tend to agree, that very thing lends itself to accurate shooting at speed or in slow fire.

With SIG-Sauer P230's I've had mixed luck. Some fed fine while others hiccupped now and again.

Best.

 

[Chris Stephens]

Hi there weshowe,

I've had awfully good luck with the Kel Tec P3-AT that I have had for under a year now.

It has been reliable, accurate (suprisely), and very concealable. I've found it comfortable to shoot with my rather on the largest sized mitts. I don't know how comfortable it will be for your wife to shoot!

I've also owned a Sig P-232, which didn't like me a whole lot and gave me a memorable case of slide bite!

Chris

 

[oldgranpa]

hi Chris, and all,

I have a thread running at KTRange on my new P3AT, part 1 analysis....

http://www.ktrange.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=4447

FWIW to anybody interested.

og...who agrees with Stephen that the Bersa Thunder is tops!

 

[Guest]

I have a Bersa Thunder that I bought new a couple of years ago for $199.95. It has never jammed on anything. I put about 500 rounds of various brands and types of ammunition through it the first day I owned it and several hundred rounds since. I have a rather new CZ-83 that so far will handle anything I put in it. I have a SIG P-230 that is about 15-20 years old that has never malfunctioned. It's my wife's pistol these days. I went to SIG armorers school in the mid 80s and I learned to keep the rails lubed with graphite. SIGs hate dry rails. Besides those personally owned weapons I have a department-issued German Walther PPK/S that was contraband from a crime in the early 80s. It is my second duty gun. Surprisingly it seems to feed anything also, including Corbon 90gr rounds, however the Walther kicks like the devil and hurts the web of my hand from the recoil. The Bersa for some reason has almost no recoil and is very accurate too. It's pretty amazing and a real treasure among .380s.

 

[pgm]

Wes,

I have a Sig 232 which, save for one round of Federal Hydra-Shok early on, has never malfucntioned in probably two thousand rounds, including several hundred of the +P Cor-Bon. I trust this gun as much as my revolvers. Probably a bit better in fit and finish than the Bersa, but also more expensive.

PGM

 

[Guest]

CZ83! Czimply wonderful. The only .380 that I'd even think of owning.

 

[Guest]

The CZ-83 is a great pistol. The only complaint I have so far is lack of third party support. It's not as easy to find leather and it sure would be nice to get wood or rubber grips.

 

[weshowe]

Gents,

Many thanks for the replies. While I'm not a .380 guy I respect the little rascal.
Really surprised no one mentioned a Makarov in .380...

Wes

 

[Guest]

While it isn't my first choice for carry, here's a pic of my Colt Mustang Pocketlite. It's next to a Springer Compact LW for size comparison.............chim

 

[larry]

Had some malfunctions with SIG P230s. As a blowback action, the design seems very sensible to limp wristing...

Bye.

L.

 

[Guest]

I think most .380s are blowback actions.

 

[oldgranpa]

KelTec P3AT is Browning locked breech action, reason it is so small.

 

[flagaman]

For my 380, I have a KelTec P3AT. It has given me no problems so far. I have shot 100-150 rounds with zero malfunctions, other than it has a tendency to make the back of my trigger finger sore after shooting more than a handful of rounds. Surprisingly accurate for a small gun with abbreviated sights.

Howard

 

[lonestar41]

I own a Bulgarian Makarov that began life in 9x18 caliber.
My gunsmith purchased a number of new .380 ACP barrels, and now one of them resides in my Mak.
As a 9x18 Makarov the pistol was 100% reliable, regardless of the ammo I shot.
That same reliability continues with the .380 ACP conversion. However this .380 ACP Mak is fed Magtech 95gr FMJ for practice and drills, and Speer Gold Dot 90gr JHP's for more serious times.
While the .380 ACP lacks in stopping power, at seven yards a triple tap, (1) the belly, (2) the point where the neck meets the chest, (3) the head will definitely change a BG's mind. Plus it sure beats being armed with a stick and rocks!
Regards,
Tim

 

[denfoote]

My S&W / Walther PPK/S has been reliable as long as I do not use aftermarket mags in it!! S&W "tweeked" the dimensions such that aftermarket mags, such as the Mec-Gar (which is what I bought), will not function!!

My KT P3AT functions reliably now that it has been completely rebuilt by the factory.

The most reliable of the lot has been my Baikal IJ70-17A Makarov. This is the one that gets carried the most!!

 

[Guest]

I've had nothing but pure 100% reliability with my HK 4 in .380
I know it's old school but I'm pretty old school.

Shoot....I pack a Beretta M1934 in place of my HK sometimes.......another great .380

 

[werewolf]

You guys are lucky with your Bersa's - mine self destructed after 1200 rounds.

So, wnet and got a Mak (in 9mm Makarov) and haven't looked back at all.

I figure if I ever get another .380, it will be either a Beretta 85 single stack 8rd (I have the Cheetach, the .22 version which is a nice pistol) or the SIG P232.

Right now the only reason to do so is to shoot up the last box of .380 ammo I bought before my Bersa crashed and burned.

The Mak seems to handle my needs quite nicely.

 

[Guest]

Bersa: Inexpensive, accurate and uber-reliable.

CZ 83: Beautifully crafted, accurate, but costly.

Makarov: Moderate cost, reliable and accurate.

Browning: Premium .380, but "butter-chubby."

Colt: Costly, single-action and difficult to find.

Beretta: Big for a .380.

Kel-Tec: No personal experience, but have heard that they are light, thus amenable to concealed carry.

NAA: Very concealable. All stainless construction.

Seecamp: Similar to NAA, but more expensive.

I hope that this helps.

Scott

 

[oldgranpa]

Scott,
nice summary.
For the KelTec P3AT, see Guns&Ammo's HANDGUNS magazine, Feb/March2006 for a review. Just found a copy at my bookstore magazine stand.
og