Best .380 guns

By Richard L. Johnson - 4/15/2013

One of the first rules of carrying a handgun for self-defense is “have a gun.” The most accurate .45 in the world won’t do you a bit of good if you leave it in the safe at home. For that reason, many people rely on a .380 ACP pistol for self-defense.

Pistols chambered in .380 tend to be smaller than guns designed for higher pressure or bigger bore handguns. These other guns need beefier frames and consequently are bigger and heavier.

The downside of carrying a small .380 can include small sights, relatively little grip to hold while shooting, and the perception that the cartridge is not effective for self defense. I won’t go into my thoughts on stopping power, but relative to cartridges like the 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .357 Magnum and others, the .380 ACP is definitely at the low end of the power spectrum.

In general terms, those are the pros and cons of deciding to carry a .380 to save your life. Should the caliber make sense for your needs, here are some of the best pistols to consider.
Kel-Tec P3AT – Small, light and affordable are the three words that can best describe the P3AT. It is small enough to slip into almost any pocket, light enough to forget about and it is cheap enough that most people can afford one. MSRP starts at $318.

The frames are polymer and the slides are steel. The pistols are double-action-only and use a locked breech design, not a blow-back design. Some people recommend a small amount of polishing on the feed ramp to enhance reliability, but others claim their guns run perfectly out of the box.

The P-3AT holds six rounds in the magazine, is only 0.77” wide and weighs in at 8.3 ounces unloaded. The barrel length is 2.7”.

Ruger LC380 – Larger than the company’s popular LCP, the LC380 is still a double- action-only, compact pistol, albeit one with features associated with bigger guns. The LC380 has vastly improved sights compared to the P-3AT and the LCP. They are much more visible, plus the sights are dovetailed should you wish to swap them out for aftermarket ones.

The LC380 holds seven rounds in the magazine plus another in the chamber for a total of eight rounds. While no one has ever complained about having too much ammunition in a gunfight, eight rounds is a good start.

One of the first rules of carrying a handgun for self-defense is “have a gun.” The most accurate .45 in the world won’t do you a bit of good if you leave it in the safe at home. For that reason, many people rely on a .380 ACP pistol for self-defense.

Pistols chambered in .380 tend to be smaller than guns designed for higher pressure or bigger bore handguns. These other guns need beefier frames and consequently are bigger and heavier.

The downside of carrying a small .380 can include small sights, relatively little grip to hold while shooting, and the perception that the cartridge is not effective for self defense. I won’t go into my thoughts on stopping power, but relative to cartridges like the 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .357 Magnum and others, the .380 ACP is definitely at the low end of the power spectrum.

In general terms, those are the pros and cons of deciding to carry a .380 to save your life. Should the caliber make sense for your needs, here are some of the best pistols to consider.

Kel-Tec P3AT – Small, light and affordable are the three words that can best describe the P3AT. It is small enough to slip into almost any pocket, light enough to forget about and it is cheap enough that most people can afford one. MSRP starts at $318.
The frames are polymer and the slides are steel. The pistols are double-action-only and use a locked breech design, not a blow-back design. Some people recommend a small amount of polishing on the feed ramp to enhance reliability, but others claim their guns run perfectly out of the box.

The P-3AT holds six rounds in the magazine, is only 0.77” wide and weighs in at 8.3 ounces unloaded. The barrel length is 2.7”.

Ruger LC380 – Larger than the company’s popular LCP, the LC380 is still a double- action-only, compact pistol, albeit one with features associated with bigger guns. The LC380 has vastly improved sights compared to the P-3AT and the LCP. They are much more visible, plus the sights are dovetailed should you wish to swap them out for aftermarket ones.

The LC380 holds seven rounds in the magazine plus another in the chamber for a total of eight rounds. While no one has ever complained about having too much ammunition in a gunfight, eight rounds is a good start.