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The James Bond novels were written by someone who spent many years in actual secret service duty. Sure, they were fantasy women and events, but based upon reality. And the .380 carry was one of the realities for most effective concealed carry for skilled personel.
Then again, no one makes a pocket 9mm that I am aware of, and as well none larger than a PPK type will fit anything smaller than a medium sized man's hand.
Someone skilled with a .380 will trump any caliber in the hands of the more typically semi-skilled with a 44 mag. Different strokes for different folks. If you are 6'2" and 225 lbs you can easily find a .40 or 10mm that will far outdo a 9mm. Lucky you. If however you are 5'8" and 135, just not a practical option.
Sanow and Marshall studied real world shoots from around the world.. they discovered that with one solid torso hit:
The .380 with it's best loads had a 66% one shot stopping power rate
The 9MM with it's best load had a 90% stopping power rate
No comparison when you're facing a knife or gun at point blank range. Everyone that has ever been in a gunfight later wished they had more rounds and/or a bigger caliber
It's your life.. personally I would rather lug a bigger, heavier hitting piece around.. and I won't miss just because it's a 9MM/40/45. You are mixing apples and oranges with your "skilled with a .380 vs semi-skilled with a 10MM".. many of us are very skilled with the bigger calibers. BTW the .380, being a blow back weapon, kicks as hard or even harder than compact locking type 9MMs
BTW the .380 has very poor penetration with expanding hollow points and as a result many experts recommend ball ammo.. that leaves a tiny .25 caliber permanent wound channel, but at least it fully penetrates