CT380 vs P9 or S9 recoil?

[Ralph III]

Thanks DavidR. That is all I wanted to know.

So I think I will be giving her my S9 and looking to pick up a P9 for myself. This has nothing to do with diminishing the capability of the .380acp though and I think anyone who does, does so out of ignorance with due respect. Modern ballistics has made that a viable caliber for self defense purposes. However, it would make no sense to go with the .380acp if the 9mm alternative offers the same amount of recoil and control.

God Bless,
Ralph

[Armybrat]

Same between my CT380 & CW9.

[Burnett]

Since she has no problem with a Bersa 380 I think she would be fine with any of them so I would go with the 9mm. The Bersa is a blowback which generally is more jarring than a locked breach pistol like the Kahr line. I know with the 380 PPK I had I was done after 1 box. To muddy the waters why not consider a K9? It's only 5oz or so heavier than the Bersa and would be easy in the recoil department.

[Old No7]

More of an issue is the difficulty in working the slide (Kahr 380], many find this challenging.

That would be my concern as well.

The website "Handgun Hero" has a neat application where you can call up a gun by make and model, and then compare it to another gun as long as its in their database. This LINK (click here to open) shows a Kahr K9 versus a P9 but just use the "Compare More" pull-down options to select other guns; and it shows all the specs and 2 or 3 views (under "Compare Views") of the size differences.

I used that site when I finally decided to ditch my Kahr CT380 and make a P9 Covert (referencing data from the PM9 & P9 to make the comparison).

Old No7

[King Rat]

I have found the recoil rates below from Genitron to be very close to felt recoil for all my firearms.




https://www.genitron.com/

[Bawanna]

Thanks DavidR. That is all I wanted to know.

So I think I will be giving her my S9 and looking to pick up a P9 for myself. This has nothing to do with diminishing the capability of the .380acp though and I think anyone who does, does so out of ignorance with due respect. Modern ballistics has made that a viable caliber for self defense purposes. However, it would make no sense to go with the .380acp if the 9mm alternative offers the same amount of recoil and control.

God Bless,
Ralph

Solely to stir the pot (we need some excitement around here) and being a bit ignorant the day you see ole bawanna carrying a 380, he'll also be wearing a shirt that says sheep. I briefly considered getting a lightweight 9mm? 1911 due to all the heavy gun carrying talk around here and also in preparation for hand and wrist giving up the ghost at some point (although doing fine lately) but I let that go. When I can't carry and shoot my full size or commander 45's I'll just rely on other sheepdogs to watch over me.
I do belt carry the PM45 on days I'm feeling week or depending on my activities but no 380's for this misplaced Missouri dirt farmer.

[I_Like_Turtles]

"Stir the pot?" Are the members of this site able to handle a tongue-in-cheek caliber battle? LOL. I certainly hope so. Nothing wrong with stout debate either.

Caliber wars are fun to me, it's all "internet" which we must take with a grain of salt anyway or we'll "ignore" everyone and then be here alone.

I used to love my Colt Pony Pocketlite .380 and I would argue that it was big enough although that was counter to what I had read. The weapon itself had flaws....the trigger pin would come out under recoil (although that stopped once peened in) and the trigger pull was pretty crap. It had reliability problems with standard pressure ammo, but I carried Carbon 95 grain +P in it. I doubt a gel test would show FBI minimum penetration depth with that load.

However, with the introduction of the Kahr polymer series, the little Colt no longer was necessary. The PM9 was the same size or smaller, with a better trigger. I opted for the P9 Covert giving me a longer sight radius and shorter grip, at the time, what I wanted. I eventually sold the Colt (I had more than one, sold them all) but the P9 Covert I retain.

If all a person can shoot due to hand size or physical limitation (bad wrists) is a .22, then yes, carry that. I do not think the .380 can penetrate deeply enough to reliably reach the vitals but it's better at that than a fist.

One .380 I would like to own is the new Browning smaller-sized 1911 "Black Label." I may get one eventually, maybe when they begin to show up used. When my Asian Persuasion GF gets over here, a .380 may be all she can handle even though she loves my Smith and Wesson 1911 PC so much I renamed it the "NFG" for "Novita's Favorite Gun." Her hand will be much too small for it as it's nearly too big for me and my hands are bigger than her's.

[berettabone]

My wifey carried an SP101 for years...………………...she now carries an LCP2 .380. Does it make me happy? No...……………...Do I think it's enough horsepower? No...……………..Would I carry a .380 for defensive purposes? No...…...Does any of this matter to my wifey? No...………….Anything larger is uncomfortable enough to get her to carry less, and I want her to carry more. Having shot most of my firearms, she has no issue with recoil, it's all about comfort. So, every once in a while, I tell her that I don't think the odds are too good in being able to stop a large person, with a thick winter coat on, with warm clothes on underneath, trying to harm you, with a .380 cal. pistol. Sorry to all of my .380 fans out there. I think the caliber is fine for certain situations, but for all around defensive situations, I think it falls a bit short for me in the confidence area. Please save any " I wouldn't want to be on the other end of it." " I sure wouldn't want to be shot by it." I wouldn't want to be shot with a BB gun, or a blowgun, or a crossbow, or hit with a rock, or stabbed, or run over etc...……….I have to side With BW on this one...…...no .380 for me neither.

[dao]

My wife carries a Sig P238, and also owns an S&W EZ .380. Both because they're easier for her to rack than the PM9 that she had been carrying. If racking the Kahrs is an issue for your wife, there is another option. The S&W EZ 9mm. It has been touted as not only easy to rack but also lighter on recoil than some other 9mms.
For that matter somewhere down the road I may need an easier racking handgun myself. I don't think I could get my wife to give up here Sig P238 for the EZ 9mm though.

[DavidR]

Put some Xtreme Defense or even Xtreme Penetrator in that 380 if you’re worried about penetration. Winter clothes will be irrelevant. Hollow points are not the best choice available for a 380.