Opinions on the cw380

[King Rat]

I agree with yqtszhj (what a surprise).

I can shoot my CW380 very accurately at 10 yards, and with the advances in ammo technology, you're not giving up a thing compared to +P 38 Special out of a snubby revolver.

If I have the distance to get away, I'm running. Getting into a gun fight at longer distances with a handgun isn't a good idea no matter what you're carrying.

Good point Ed. Yes, A lot of folks do not want to believe in the Power and advances of the 380. And 10 yards IMO and experience are going to be the high percentage of where danger will most likely happen. Like yourself, I can shoot the Kahr and Pico very well at 10 yards and shoot them fast to target. I practice weekly with the Pocket guns. In the winter I do carry the single stack 9mm with the Pico or Kahr as a Backup. I also have a snubby, but it is the 9mm LCR. However most of the time it is a Ruger Lc9s. Still hoping to get the CM9 at a later time. And not to forget the Kahr/Pico are solid pistols that easily handle Plus P or hot ammo. In fact they shoot it with less recoil than the LCP shoots standard range ammo. They are both built tough.

[Armybrat]

I agree about the steel rails "infused" into the Kahr poly frame - they should last longer than the LCP that has none. However, I have less than 250 rounds through my 1st Gen Ruger which is almost 10 years old, and only shoot two or three mags through it annually. So it should last a while. But if it breaks I have a brand new 2nd Gen LCP (not the LCP II) to replace it. Both guns are 2nd stringers in my carry rotation, as the CT380 gets most of the mileage.

It all might become moot for me as soon as I take delivery of a new Remora IWB clip holster for my new CW9.

Read somewhere tthat Ruger has produced about 1.5 Million of those little LCP buggers. KelTec must be pretty mad they didn't patent their original design.

[yqtszhj]

If you want a pocket .380 to double as a range gun get a Glock 42, SIG P238 or Colt Mustang. They're stout enough for the long haul, but you'll be paying the price of additional size and weight.

Glock 42 = BOO
SIG P238 = YESSSSS
Colt Mustang = YESSSS

Had to say that about the glock. I'm sure its good but I've put those G words out of my mind.

The P238 or Mustang are nice. I've got a 1988 Colt Government Model .380 that is nice enough to make Bawanna want to start carrying a .380. That all steel gun is heavy though. Weighs more than my P30sk that holds 10 rounds of 9mm. Suprise to is it doesnt shoot that soft from what I remember. Its pretty much a safe queen as its almost mint and it was a gift to me.

[Bawanna]

Hey I have a Colt 32 vest pocket. I can tolerate pea shooters. Never carry it but its in a place of honor and kind of special.

[yqtszhj]

Colt 32, thats sweet.

I just got a CDNN email about a special on Sig P938's. Hmmmm, always wantec one of those too.. the 9mm Mustang. ..

[dsk]

Glock 42 = BOO

Had to say that about the glock. I'm sure its good but I've put those G words out of my mind.

Beauty's in the eye of the beerholder. I am no Glock fanboy but I have to admit my G42 rocks. Close to 2,000 rounds without a single malfunction (aside from two instances of the slide locking open prematurely, with the cause subsequently fixed), accurate as a laser and very easy to shoot. The only negative is that it's noticeably larger than my P380 and thus harder to conceal, to the point where another fraction of an inch here and there and you're at the size of a pocket 9mm. BTW I also have a Colt .380 Pocket Hammerless from 1929. It's a sweet shooter as well, but way too heavy for its size. It's also not drop-safe.

As for the .380 and its effectiveness, I am a firm believer that a bad guy will pay more attention to where he's been shot than what he was shot with. Normally gunshot victims have no idea what they were shot with until they're out of surgery and the doctor tells them. If you watch a lot of security cam footage of 7-11 robberies gone wrong you'll see that as soon as the bullets start to fly everyone scatters, including the ones that were shot. Very few will drop like a rag doll unless they were hit in the central nervous system. Instead they usually run outside, then suddenly realize they're hurt and bleeding bad. Anyone expecting their mighty .45 to knock an adversary right off their feet is probably going to be in for a nasty surprise.

[boscobarbell]

What he said.

I don't know about any of you all but in an active shooter situation (the shooter is within ear shot but out of sight) I'm getting my A** out of there. I guess I tend more to the "flight" than the "fight"

This is a wise strategy, in terms of both tactics and legal liability.

[boscobarbell]

Statistically, most gun fights occur at very close distances. An encounter beyond the 7-10 yard range is about as likely as getting hit by lightning while falling off a cliff. Take LEO encounters out of the stats (because they often HAVE to enter the encounter, whereas civilians can simply retreat, observe, and report) and it is almost statistically immeasurable.

So I wholeheartedly agree with you. If you've got a gun that is reliable and fairly accurate at 10 yards, you've got yourself an EDC keeper.

Agree also wrt to caliber. With today's advances, a .380 is more than viable for an EDC round. Caliber snobs will always call for bigger bullets, but the reality is that we're ALL dealing with compromised weapons. If we knew with absolute certainty that we were going to get into a gunfight on a particular day, we'd all carry a carbine…with a shotgun as backup. So opting for a pistol is always a compromise, and the ballistic differences amongst .380/9/40/45, while measurable, really vanish in terms of real-world effectiveness when you factor in multiple hits on target. So train, train, train, learn to hit center mass with multiple rounds when it counts. And, if age and physical conditions allow, practice shooting on the move and getting to concealment/cover, because no matter what you throw at your bad guy, getting shot in return will ruin your whole day.

Good point Ed. Yes, A lot of folks do not want to believe in the Power and advances of the 380. And 10 yards IMO and experience are going to be the high percentage of where danger will most likely happen. Like yourself, I can shoot the Kahr and Pico very well at 10 yards and shoot them fast to target. I practice weekly with the Pocket guns. In the winter I do carry the single stack 9mm with the Pico or Kahr as a Backup. I also have a snubby, but it is the 9mm LCR. However most of the time it is a Ruger Lc9s. Still hoping to get the CM9 at a later time. And not to forget the Kahr/Pico are solid pistols that easily handle Plus P or hot ammo. In fact they shoot it with less recoil than the LCP shoots standard range ammo. They are both built tough.

[dustnchips]

Anyone expecting their mighty .45 to knock an adversary right off their feet is probably going to be in for a nasty surprise.

I am truly surprised, in the movies all guns lift the bad guys off of their feet. I have never understood why that same power doesn't rip the shooters hand off though. I guess the science teachers were full of BS about the action and equal reaction.

[yqtszhj]

Anyone expecting their mighty .45 to knock an adversary right off their feet is probably going to be in for a nasty surprise.

I am truly surprised, in the movies all guns lift the bad guys off of their feet. I have never understood why that same power doesn't rip the shooters hand off though. I guess the science teachers were full of BS about the action and equal reaction.

Aw man, that just busted my bubble concerning Dirty Harry. So it didn't really happen?