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that bodyguard looks great. i haven't even considered one, so ill have to do some homework on that.

@NoEcm and PBinWA. I like the Kahrs too. I can't seem to find one for less than 600 for a PM9 or MK9.
CDNN sells the Sig 232 in stainless for around 400 which is alittle more reasonable.

Yes, the Kahr's aren't cheap. I think mine was around $550 after tax. It is accurate for a little gun and has minimal protruding bits to get caught in a pocket.
 
You have to make up your own mind what you shoot best - which means what you shoot most accurately, quickly. If you have decided on .380, I accept that, even though my personal CCW choice is different. Don't let anybody else make up your mind for you; caliber is a minor consideration in the self-defense scheme of things.

Here's what I know about .380: The premium ammo available now like Win PDX1 and CorBon DPX is incredibly lethal, offering both penetration and weight retention. It will do the job.
But! The .380 is still a marginal round, and you can't afford to give up any muzzle velocity if you want those slugs to expand. It frankly amazes me that so few people recognize the importance of barrel length when choosing a .380.

I love the Bersa Thunder CC that's my wife's CCW; it's astonishingly accurate, easy to shoot, and absolutely reliable. But at 3.3", it has about the shortest barrel that I'd trust. The regular Thunder barrel is 3.5" long, the Walther PK380 comes in at 3.66", but they're both a little bit too big for her to conceal comfortably. So we've made our tradeoffs with the adage in mind, "One on the hip is worth two in the safe." But the LCP? NFW! That's us; YMMV.
 
We (wife and I) have a couple of .380s, among others. I have a Bersa DXL and she has a Beretta 85FS. She can knock the eye out of a snake at 10 yds. with her Beretta. The Beretta has been flawless and the sight picture is what you would expect. The trigger is very good.

The Bersa and also been flawless and eats anything you feed it. The sight picture is a little odd in that you have to cover the target, for me that means it feels like I am pointing high. The trigger is so so. Nothing bad, just OK. The ejection port on the Bersa is smaller the a complete .308 round, so you can't always clear it by racking the slide. Remove the mag first, rack slide and round drops out the bottom. When you fire it, the shell always ejects as you would expect.

I like the idea of carrying a handgun I doesn't mean much to me or my pocket. As we all know, if you ever have to take it out for defense the police will confiscate it and you may or may not ever get it back. Don't want that to happen to one of my prize possessions.
Ed
 
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I think I'm going to pick up a S&W Bodyguard once Nick gets some more at Brightwater. It is small enough for pocket carry, the price point is low, and it includes the laser standard. I owned a post recall Ruger LCP last year but just couldn't force myself to like the little guy so I shifted it to a more loving owner. As un American as it sounds, the LCP was my first Ruger firearm and probably my last.
 
Here's what I know about .380: The premium ammo available now like Win PDX1 and CorBon DPX is incredibly lethal, offering both penetration and weight retention. It will do the job.
But! The .380 is still a marginal round, and you can't afford to give up any muzzle velocity if you want those slugs to expand. It frankly amazes me that so few people recognize the importance of barrel length when choosing a .380.

@chemist. its really got me thinking if carrying a .380 will be sufficient protection when the time comes. what you said about barrel length, the micro desert eagle must be sacrificing a lot of muzzle velocity based on its size (2.22" barrel). its too bad, it was pretty up there on my list. running for about $300 on CDNN. /sigh if only the sig p232 was chambered in 9mm, then my problems would be solved.

@turq. i have been looking at the cz82 for a long time now. great handgun, amazing price. cdnn actually sells them for 150-190. its a good option however ammo availability is my biggest concern for that gun.

To be honest I'm more on the fence then I was when this thread started. haha. im almost 70 percent sure i want to go with the 9mm caliber now. looking at the sig p250 subcompact. any comments? <broken link removed>
 
I think I'm going to pick up a S&W Bodyguard once Nick gets some more at Brightwater. It is small enough for pocket carry, the price point is low, and it includes the laser standard. I owned a post recall Ruger LCP last year but just couldn't force myself to like the little guy so I shifted it to a more loving owner. As un American as it sounds, the LCP was my first Ruger firearm and probably my last.

My Bodyguard has been great.

I own/owned or have fired all of the following:

S&W Bodyguard
Ruger LCP
Diamondback .380
Sig P238
Taurus TCP
Kahr P380
 
If you wanted to shoot a CZ83[12rnds.] or 75B Compact steel 9MM 14rnds;[too hvy to carry] pm me and we could set a time at my southern Portland area range. Don't overlook that CZ PCR for $498 + S&H etc.
We've all done our job when it's now harder to decide.
More CZ specs www.czforumsite.info
 
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@chemist. its really got me thinking if carrying a .380 will be sufficient protection when the time comes. what you said about barrel length, the micro desert eagle must be sacrificing a lot of muzzle velocity based on its size (2.22" barrel). its too bad, it was pretty up there on my list. running for about $300 on CDNN. /sigh if only the sig p232 was chambered in 9mm, then my problems would be solved.

<broken link removed>

Win PDX1 out of the Micro Eagle was 17% slower than out of the Bersa with the 3.5" barrel. I'm not sure I trust the seemingly high test velocities for the PPK, though - it may have just been an unusually tight, new gun. They're all high numbers out of the PPK. Anyway, the trend is clear: short barrels hurt muzzle velocity!
 
@chemist. its really got me thinking if carrying a .380 will be sufficient protection when the time comes. what you said about barrel length, the micro desert eagle must be sacrificing a lot of muzzle velocity based on its size (2.22" barrel). its too bad, it was pretty up there on my list. running for about $300 on CDNN. /sigh if only the sig p232 was chambered in 9mm, then my problems would be solved.

@turq. i have been looking at the cz82 for a long time now. great handgun, amazing price. cdnn actually sells them for 150-190. its a good option however ammo availability is my biggest concern for that gun.

To be honest I'm more on the fence then I was when this thread started. haha. im almost 70 percent sure i want to go with the 9mm caliber now. looking at the sig p250 subcompact. any comments? <broken link removed>

This is kinda why I wouldn't want a .380 for CC. For the barrel length to be long enough to be effective, the gun has to be the size of a 9mm. I'd almost prefer a .32 if I WERE gonna go with a P3AT, LCP, Micro Eagle sized gun.
 
I have the DB380 with a little over 1,000 rounds thru it. It had some sharp mold flash on the frame I smoothed over with a fine diamond file. The first couple 100 thru it was now/o a couple hiccups. I polished the feed ramp/chamber using my Variable Dremel and Metal Glo. It worked like a champ after that. The Diamondback website had a nice DeSantis pocket 'flypaper' holster that is VERY well made and helps de-print the profile. I modded the front sight with a light activated powder which is set in resin. Kinda of a pain to pre-charge but so many manufacturers are going to that as well as watch makers & manufacturers to avoid the radioactive countermeasures that DHS/FBI have initiated to prevent 'dirty bombs'.
 
I have the DB380 with a little over 1,000 rounds thru it. It had some sharp mold flash on the frame I smoothed over with a fine diamond file. The first couple 100 thru it was now/o a couple hiccups. I polished the feed ramp/chamber using my Variable Dremel and Metal Glo. It worked like a champ after that. The Diamondback website had a nice DeSantis pocket 'flypaper' holster that is VERY well made and helps de-print the profile. I modded the front sight with a light activated powder which is set in resin. Kinda of a pain to pre-charge but so many manufacturers are going to that as well as watch makers & manufacturers to avoid the radioactive countermeasures that DHS/FBI have initiated to prevent 'dirty bombs'.

Who makes this light activated power set in resin?
Thanks, Ed
 
Phosphorescent compounds aren't rocket science - they're compounds like zinc sulfide. Their output declines exponentially with time as soon as they're taken out of the light. After an hour or two they're pi$$-poor substitutes for tritium. My problem is that I carry all evening long, but the only important time is that last ten minutes in the parking lot on my way from the train to the car at the end of a night out. I need something that glows bright 4-5 hours after I holstered and covered it.
 
To be honest I'm more on the fence then I was when this thread started. haha. im almost 70 percent sure i want to go with the 9mm caliber now. looking at the sig p250 subcompact. any comments? <broken link removed>

I had a Kahr P380 and loved it, very smooth compared to my LCP. With Buffalo bore you have better ballistics that a .38 special +P. I pocket carried for a while (both LCP and P380), but finally decided to start carrying on the hip. W/ a crossbreed mini-tuck, the thing disappeared. Since it disappeared so well, I got to thinking that a larger gun would disappear just as well. I ended up trading it for a PM9 which I really like.
 

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