Smallest 380 Revolver - To continue our discussion of the advantages of the .380 ACP for concealed carry, in this installment of our pocket pistol series, I compare six popular micro .380 pistols. More details in the video below or scroll down to read the full transcript.
I believe there are currently no fewer than 16 different models of .380 AKK pocket pistols in production. And that's not including all the different colors and configurations and other variations of each model. Almost every major gun manufacturer has at least one pocket .380. And the simple reason is that the guns sell. They're foolproof, they're easy to carry, they're cheap, and they've become one of the most popular concealed carry handguns in the last decade.
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I've spent a lot of time with .380 pocket guns over the past couple of weeks, and today we're going to take a look at how some of these models compare to each other. I can't spend time on every .380 on the market, so this is limited to six of the most popular models. If you've been considering a .380, even if it's not the one I'm talking about, this should at least give you an idea of the different types of models available and what features to look for.
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I also limited this review to truly pocket sized micro pistols. The Glock 42 is the largest handgun on this list, and it pushes the boundaries of its size category in its own way. So today I'm not considering larger guns like the Smith & Wesson Shield EZ or old heavy classic designs like the Walther PPK/S. That's not to say there's necessarily anything wrong with those guns, they're just outside of our focus on Modern pocket pistols.
The models I'm looking at today are the Glock 42, Sig Sauer P238, Kahr CW380, Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380, and since nearly half of all .380s made in the U.S. it. Coming from Ruger, we have two. Their micro pistols: LCP Custom and LCP II.
Before we get into the details here, I want to offer one major caveat about .380 pocket pistols in general: they are all uncommon. When I say that one of these is pretty good, understand that it is only in comparison to other pocket pistols. I say this mainly because of all the modern firearms we have to choose from, micro-sized semi-automatic weapons are the least likely to perform when you need them most. Semi-automatic pistols can be extremely reliable in general, but the smaller they get, the more likely they are to malfunction, especially in actual combat situations.
If you have to pull your gun from your pocket and it's an awkward grip, or you fire the gun while pulling your hand back to avoid someone grabbing it, these are things that tend to encourage malfunctions. A lot of these pocket guns also suffer from mechanical issues – quality control issues tend to show up much more often than their full-size and compact counterparts. So if you're going to carry a pocket-sized .380, be sure to inspect it carefully, keep it clean and well lubricated, and familiarize yourself with the drills for malfunctions.
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The bell was a relative latecomer to the .380 scene. The 42 came out in 2014, and many people were skeptical at first because it is bigger than most of its competitors in a product category that is usually priced above everything else because it is so small. But that's what makes this gun, in my opinion, the best overall .380 you can buy. It is a pocket pistol that shoots like a full size pistol. It's not a bad gun to learn with for beginners, and if you're already shooting at a higher level, the 42 is just effortless. It takes much less mental energy to operate one of these pistols well compared to the smaller .380s or micro 9mm pistols like the Glock 43.
Most people will find the G42 too big to carry in a pocket, but I think it works really well in a minimalist holster like this Raven Concealment Vanguard. You can carry it on your waist, but it is much smaller than a regular holster. I reviewed the Glock 42 for our blog in 2014 and have since added a set of Trijicon HD night sights. With its low recoil and large orange front sight, it's like a pocket pistol in easy mode.
I have put a few thousand rounds through this gun and have never had it malfunction, but I have seen it choke several times when I have let inexperienced shooters test it. It seems very sensitive to anything less than a textbook grip. So the Glock 42 has a lot going for it, but it still suffers from the same problems common to all pocket-sized pistol designs.
Sig Sauer released the P238 in 2009 as a clone of the Colt Mustang, which was discontinued in the 1990s. It is a 1911 style design with only one action and manual safety. This one only has a left-collar safety, but Sig also offers ambidextrous versions. There are several other 1911-style .380s on the market. Years similar to this one. Colt brought the Mustang back a few years ago, and Kimber and Springfield Armory also have entries in this category.
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The P238 is slightly smaller than the Glock 42, but it's also the heaviest gun on our list at 17.2 ounces loaded. Like the Glock, the P238 is incredibly easy to shoot well thanks to its low recoil, short and light trigger, and oversized night sights. The slide is easier to secure than most other small .380s, which may appeal to shooters with below-average grip strength. But for a number of reasons, it's not a gun I'd rush to recommend for concealed carry.
For less experienced shooters, manual safeties in general are problematic because people tend to forget to use them. Either they don't have the safety on when they carry their gun, or they forget to disengage it when they want to shoot. Both of these mistakes can be fatal, so if you're going to carry a gun with a safety, you'll need a lot of practice with it deactivating when the sights are on target and reactivating when they're just off target. . It happens without conscious thought. Also, the P238 safety lever itself is not a perfect design. It is mounted very far back, making it difficult to control with your thumb lock or pad unless you break the shooting grip.
Safety aside, the P238 seems to have some serious reliability issues. But unlike the Glock 42, these are usually not user-caused problems. This particular P238 worked pretty well for us, but I owned one a few years ago that couldn't get through a full box of .380 ammo without two or three feed failures. After talking to other P238 owners and shooting instructors who have seen a lot of these guns come into their classrooms, reliability issues are common even by pocket pistol standards. You may or may not get one that works.
Kahr entered the .380 market in 2010 with the P380. Three years later, they added a more affordable entry-level version to it called the CW380, which we tested. Functionally, they are essentially the same rifle, except the CW380 is equipped with smaller sights and only one magazine.
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Like all Kahr pistols, they are striker-fired designs with a trigger that is more like a light double action. It's not the absolute smallest or lightest .380 on the market, but it's not far off. It is significantly smaller than a sig or bell.
Of the six guns I tested, this is the only one that really impressed me. I've owned three different 9mm Kahr pistols at different times over the years, and I've never really warmed to any of them, nor have I shot them very well. We used the Kahr CW45 for some of our Ballistic Gelatin tests, and it has to be one of the most miserable and unreliable guns I've ever shot. So I had low expectations for the CW380, but it turned out to be a great shooter. Recoil is surprisingly light for a gun of its size. It's not a light shooting experience like a Sig or Glock, but it doesn't have the wonderful quality you usually get with a smaller pocket 380. I love
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