Another boring range report

[muggsy]

Yesterday I went to the range and ran another 100 rounds of Federal ammo through my P380. The gun functioned flawlessly and all but 5 of the 100 rounds stayed within the 3" black at 21 feet. I attribute the five fliers to shooter fatigue. I ain't as young as I used to be. The only modification to the gun is a Hogue slip-on grip. This little gun has quickly become one of my favorites. I originally purchased it as a back-up to my CM9 which is my primary carry pistol, but I don't feel under gunned when the P380 is all that I can carry.

[Yogi 117]

Pretty good shootin' at 7 yards IMHO. I often only carry a .380 (Ruger LCP) and don't feel too under-gunned. More & more though, the LCP is a bug to my G26.

[JFootin]

Nice report, Muggsy. That P380 is the Cadillac of 380s and it sounds like you have a good one.

For me, the P380 was out of my price range. So I have been looking at the alternatives for a long time. The common choices are the P3AT and the LCP. These guns don't have slide hold open on last round, which is, to me, an important feature. I have also seen enough reports about how unpleasant they are to shoot that I believe it. So I started looking at the Taurus TCP. It has a slide lever and stays open on last round. The reputation is good. It has a lifetime warranty. In pictures it looks angular and wierd like a stealth fighter, but in person it looks good. Just not a photogenic gun. Very thin, including the slide lock that doesn't stick out much at all. What finally sold me was the opinion of a former member and friend (Thunder71) who owns one. So, I bought the Plain Jane version from Bud's for $191, got 2 inexpensive spare mags and paid my gunsmith $30 to fluff&buff, polish the feed ramp, clean, lube and test fire it. He commented on what a nice trigger it has; smooth and lighter than my CM9. The gun points and shoots very well, which is good because the tiny black sights are useless. But, hey, this is a belly gun and accuracy is fine within SD distance. I am very pleased with the gun and the modest investment I made in it!

Edit: Don't ask me why, but this gun is not as brutal to shoot as the P3AT and the LCP. That was what I learned from Thunder71, who had owned an LCP. That really sold me. I don't know how it compares to the P380, but I find it acceptable as an occasionally fired BUG, not a range gun.

[muggsy]

I had a KelTec P3AT, but wasn't happy with it. While it functioned reliable it really wasn't very pleasant to shoot. I considered it at best a last ditch gun. I think that you made a very good choice in getting the Taurus considering the price.

[muggsy]

Pretty good shootin' at 7 yards IMHO. I often only carry a .380 (Ruger LCP) and don't feel too under-gunned. More & more though, the LCP is a bug to my G26.

My father was a gunsmith and introduced me to the shooting sports at the age of eight. I've had 58 years of practice. I'm not as good as I once was, but at 66 I can still hold my own. All that it takes is a good eye and a steady hand.

[Markis82]

Nice report, Muggsy. That P380 is the Cadillac of 380s and it sounds like you have a good one.

For me, the P380 was out of my price range. So I have been looking at the alternatives for a long time. The common choices are the P3AT and the LCP. These guns don't have slide hold open levers, which is, to me, an important feature. I have also seen enough reports about how unpleasant they are to shoot that I believe it. So I started looking at the Taurus TCP. It has a slide lever and stays open on last round. The reputation is good. It has a lifetime warranty. In pictures it looks angular and wierd like a stealth fighter, but in person it looks good. Just not a photogenic gun. Very thin, including the slide lock that doesn't stick out much at all. What finally sold me was the opinion of a former member and friend (Thunder71) who owns one. So, I bought the Plain Jane version from Bud's for $191, got 2 inexpensive spare mags and paid my gunsmith $30 to fluff&buff, polish the feed ramp, clean, lube and test fire it. He commented on what a nice trigger it has; smooth and lighter than my CM9. The gun points and shoots very well, which is good because the tiny black sights are useless. But, hey, this is a belly gun and accuracy is fine within SD distance. I am very pleased with the gun and the modest investment I made in it!

Edit: Don't ask me why, but this gun is not as brutal to shoot as the P3AT and the LCP. That was what I learned from Thunder71, who had owned an LCP. That really sold me. I don't know how it compares to the P380, but I find it acceptable as an occasionally fired BUG, not a range gun.

The LCP DOES have a slide lock back lever. However, it does not lock back on last round.

[Bill K]

A .380 is capable of putting a major hurting (or worse) on an assailant. Great choice when something bigger can't be carried. Sounds like you'd have no problem placing the rounds where they need to go.

[JFootin]

The LCP DOES have a slide lock back lever. However, it does not lock back on last round.

OK. Well, it's the locking on last round that I want because with my clumsy crippled hands I cannot rack the slide all the way back, keep it there and reach a thumb over to push the lever up. I keep one mag empty so that I can insert it when I want the slide locked open. Simple solution for me.

[muggsy]

A .380 is capable of putting a major hurting (or worse) on an assailant. Great choice when something bigger can't be carried. Sounds like you'd have no problem placing the rounds where they need to go.

Target shooting is one thing, but one thing to remember is that targets don't shoot back. I hope that I can do at least half that good when the SHTF.

[muggsy]

OK. Well, it's the locking on last round that I want because with my clumsy crippled hands I cannot rack the slide all the way back, keep it there and reach a thumb over to push the lever up. I keep one mag empty so that I can insert it when I want the slide locked open. Simple solution for me.

There are alternatives to racking the slide by hand. I've seen guys do some pretty impressive things with handguns who only had one arm. Where there's a will there's a way.