.380 vs 9mm for the little lady

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Re: .380 vs 9mm for the little lady

Postby BillyOblivion » Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:40 am

Iyyob wrote:To set the record right

1. The Walther PK380 only comes in black unlike it's colorful little buddy the P22
2. The PK380 has way less felt recoil than most 9s (and any other firearm I've shot. not including .22s ect)


That is a pretty large .380. Not criticizing, but it's longer, taller, the same width and weighs almost as much as a Glock 26. Which certainly doesn't make it a big gun, but it's bigger than most .380s.

This isn't a *bad* thing as all that surface area and the little bit of extra weight are going to reduce apparent recoil.

4. .380 is a short 9mm and at the range most defensive handguns are used it should be plenty good. The "lead" is about the same size


It's not just a shorter 9mm. It's slower and lighter. At bad-breath distances this DOES translate into less penetration, and as many here will almost certainly agree you want to penetrate as deeply as you can.

.380 being slower, also doesn't expand as reliably or as well (maybe some of the new rounds have fixed this).

Now, for the *primary* function of a handgun--to make the carrier feel a little safer--none of this matters. Let's face it, this woman isn't going wandering around Asscrackistan looking to get in a fight with the meanest Taliban she can find, she's worried about rapists and muggers. And if you spend time training and get to be a good enough shot that at contact distances you're putting the rounds in his heart and face, then you could shoot him with anything (well, except a .25. If I ever get shot with a .25 and find out about it I'm going to be rather irritated).

So I'm not saying that *this* .380 is a bad choice, I said that due to the blowback design *many* .380s are less pleasant to shoot than 9mms. Having fired a couple .380s and a LOT of 9mm (Glock, CZ, HK P7, Beretta, STI Trojan in 9mm, and several others) I'm going to stand by that.

I'm not even saying that .380 is a bad choice in general, if she's happy to shoot it once a month or so to stay in practice and doesn't find the recoil bothersome fine.

5. Ammo for a .380 is not hard to find anymore and there's a selection of SD rounds.


This is going to very greatly by location. Where I currently reside (OCONUS) almost *any* pistol ammo is hard to find. 9mm is expensive, and as far as I can tell .380 is non-existent. Most people here reload.

6. The PK389 is totally differnt than the ppk line. The PK is a cross between the p22 and p99 it's bigger than some 9s I own but it's the smallest pistol that let's me get a good full grip.
Does she know proper grip and stance ?
If she's smaller or lacks exp I'd go with the pk380 if she's not a small woman and or is comfortable around guns get the 9.
My girl will not shoot my 9 or even my 5.7 but she loves the pk380 caus she can function it fully. So I don't need to go rack it for her.


My wife has fired every one of my pistols and most of my rifles. She is 5'4 and has small hands. She will not fire the 629 again, at least not with full power loads, but she runs her the Beretta and the G19 just fine. Oh, and the CZ is hers.

(This is not directed at Iyyob in particular, but more at the males of the world in general)

The biggest problem most guys have with getting their wives or girlfriends shooting is that they get this idea that there is One True Gun or some silly shit.

Everybody's hands arms and eyes are different, everybody has a different tolerance for recoil. Everybody has different psychological quirks that make them have a deep preference for this over that, and you're MUCH MUCH better off going to at least one firing range that rents pistols and let HER pick HER gun. After all, you wouldn't let her pick your car or your bicycle, why do you think you need to tell her what gun she should get?

Oh, and once you've got her shooting a few times pay for her to take a class from a professional firearms instructor. Yeah, I know you're gods gift to pistol combat, you've cleared rooms with Swat, you've done CT training with Spetznaz types, and IPSC guys get hard when they see your speed reloads, but she's your wife/girlfriend, and trust me she doesn't listen to a fucking word you say no matter how many black eyes you give her.

Put your fucking ego down and let her figure out what works for her. She'll be happier and enjoy shooting more (which means she'll understand why you do it, even if she doesn't want to as much), and you'll both be safer.

Oh, and she *will* out shoot you in terms of accuracy. It's ok, most women do.

On a side note I have a glock 19 that is Always sitting with me in my truck


I had to leave all of my guns back in the states. This irks me.
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Re: .380 vs 9mm for the little lady

Postby coldharvest » Thu Mar 24, 2011 10:04 am

BillyOblivion wrote:I had to leave all of my guns back in the states. This irks me.

As a Free citizen of the World you should have the right to protect yourself wherever you travel.
I know the law. And I have spent my entire life in its flagrant disregard.
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Re: .380 vs 9mm for the little lady

Postby ktrout » Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:04 pm

coldharvest wrote:
BillyOblivion wrote:I had to leave all of my guns back in the states. This irks me.

As a Free citizen of the World you should have the right to protect yourself wherever you travel.

Kind of what really annoys me about the GWOT. Instead of a more borderless world we went backwards.
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Re: .380 vs 9mm for the little lady

Postby BillyOblivion » Sat Mar 26, 2011 5:12 am

coldharvest wrote:
BillyOblivion wrote:I had to leave all of my guns back in the states. This irks me.

As a Free citizen of the World you should have the right to protect yourself wherever you travel.


It's not so much that--I am (I think) in a very unique place where the risk of real group/gang violence is pretty low, and the (much higher) risk of p2p violence can be mitigated through vigilance or a 3 batter mag lite, so a gun for "protection" isn't all that important here.

I just like to shoot, and it's real PITA to get permission and to acquire a firearm and ammunition--even to shoot something like IPSC/Practical Pistol at a "authorized" club.

Fuckers are ruining my fun.

Oh, and according to the local CLEO you DO have the right to defend yourself, just not the right carry anything for that purpose.

Idiots.
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Re: .380 vs 9mm for the little lady

Postby Hitoru » Sat Mar 26, 2011 6:53 am

Rant somewhere else fool.
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Re: .380 vs 9mm for the little lady

Postby JamesInTheWorld » Sat Mar 26, 2011 10:50 am

But when it comes down to it if you shoot someone in the head 8 times the 9mm VS .380 debate really doesn’t matter anymore

So make sure the Little Lady has some good high-stress training no matter the caliber you choose


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Re: .380 vs 9mm for the little lady

Postby Iyyob » Sat Mar 26, 2011 11:54 pm

JamesInTheWorld wrote:But when it comes down to it if you shoot someone in the head 8 times the 9mm VS .380 debate really doesn’t matter anymore

So make sure the Little Lady has some good high-stress training no matter the caliber you choose


~JITW


THIS also the Magpul dynamic handgun videos are great if you can't get to a class.
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