Pocket 380

barrytheprof · January-12-21 10:01

Does anybody keep a pocket 380 in their pocket, chambered?

Canoeal · January-12-21 10:01

Won't keep a semi auto in .380, Just me. I am a revolver guy. If I could find a 2" .32 H&R mag I might buy one of those...Not a .327, because I believe it best to use the round the gun is designed for. JMHO

bearcatter · January-12-21 10:01

I have no problem having a Guardian 32 in my pocket. It's DAO, with a relatively stiff trigger. Still, it's safer with any gun to use a pocket holster. I have a nylon Sticky and a leather Don Hume.

pietro · January-12-21 10:01

.

Yep....... A .380 Browning Model 1955

Wumbey Goomba · January-12-21 11:01

Simple answer, no.
I do keep a Beretta 950(25acp),
chambered and in my pocket all the time.

smokeless joe · January-12-21 12:01

I've carried my Ruger LCP or LCP II in my pocket on a few occasions (chambered) My pocket holster covers the trigger so I'm not concerned about accidental discharge. Pic because we all love the eye candy.

RogueTS1 · January-12-21 16:01

Of course we do. Whether it be the customized Colt Mustang, Guardian and Ruger LCP's or the standard Taurus Curve. All go chambered and in a pocket with a custom fit pocket holster to keep the fairly light triggers on the LCP and Curve from being accidentally pulled. The Colt has a thumb safety and the Guardian trigger is not overly light.

RogueTS1 · January-12-21 16:01

............. and because they would not fit, the LCP and the Curve:

smokeless joe · January-12-21 17:01

Quote from: RogueTS1 on January-12-21 16:01
............. and because they would not fit, the LCP and the Curve:

I've come close to buying the curve a couple times. I've read mixed reviews. How do you like it Rogue?

RogueTS1 · January-12-21 17:01

Mine shoots and handles very well. Even without the sights it aims down the slide very accurately. I smoothed and polished the chamber and feed ramp a bit and hence it has given me no problems. The trigger is pretty light too.

smokeless joe · January-12-21 17:01

Quote from: RogueTS1 on January-12-21 17:01
Mine shoots and handles very well. Even without the sights it aims down the slide very accurately. I smoothed and polished the chamber and feed ramp a bit and hence it has given me no problems. The trigger is pretty light too.

Yeah I think feeding was one of the issues I read about. Glad you got yours running smoothly. Maybe I'll take a second look when one crosses my path. I find the design interesting. Ahead of "the curve" so to speak.

Uncle_Lee · January-13-21 05:01

Beautiful pictures this morning.

The coffee is better now.

Thank You All

bill_deshivs · January-13-21 12:01

The Keltec P3AT is still the lightest, thinnest pocket .380.

The LCP is a copy of the Keltec, but they made it heavier and bigger.

pietro · January-13-21 14:01

.

FWIW

IME, the polymer-framed .380's are difficult to control (aka: snappy to shoot) in excited/urgent firing situations - why I opted for the steel-framed Browning above.

Other steel-frame .380's would be the Walther PP/PPK, the NAA Guardian & the long discontinued Remington P-51

And yes, I've owned/shot with several different .380's (Kel-Tec, LCP, etc, etc).

.

cfsharry · January-14-21 23:01

My every day carry is a P365, 9mm. Have four .380s and would not hesitate to carry with a round in the chamber. One is the Colt Pocket Mustang and the other three are knockoffs of the colt. All are aluminum and not at all difficult to shoot well.

barrytheprof · January-14-21 23:01

Thanks for the replies. My first handgun was a Taurus TCP which a gave to my son. He took it out in the backyard to test it and it had continual failures to load and misfires. When I saw that the frame was bulged outward I stopped the shooting. I felt so bad I bought him an LCP and asked him to return the Taurus for repair. The return never happened, it occupied the back of his safe for years. I recently sent it back myself, and they are replacing it with a Spectrum.

In the meantime I sold all my semi-autos and bought revolvers. Now I'm debating selling the Taurus or using it. I've been comfortable carrying pocket revolvers, especially single action ones. It takes a lot to accidentally fire one of those. You really have to work at it.

On the other hand, a semi-auto, chambered, seems a lot closer to going bang somehow. So I wondered if you all kept your semis unchambered in your pockets. That seems not to be the case. So when you take it out of your pocket at night do you unchamber it? Maybe I just have to get used to the idea.

smokeless joe · January-15-21 04:01

If my gun is loaded it is also chambered. Regardless of whether I'm carrying or not. I have no kids living with me so I'm not concerned with any accidental mishaps.

RogueTS1 · January-15-21 09:01

QuoteSo when you take it out of your pocket at night do you unchamber it?

The only time we un-chamber a round from our weapons is when it is being cleaned or put back into one of the vaults.

Wumbey Goomba · January-15-21 15:01

Waiting for bad guy for me to "unchamber".

barrytheprof · January-15-21 17:01

Heh. Agreed, as long as it doesn't shoot my pocket first.

They're back-ordered on my replacement Taurus Spectrum. I hear that some of them don't feed round nose rounds well so I'll stick to tapered bullets which are mostly JHP. I keep the Hornady's for defense, and they're very tapered. I'll use cheaper hollow points for practice.

It has a wide plastic trigger. I know some people here have replaced plastic triggers with metal ones. Has anyone had a plastic trigger break?

kc · January-17-21 08:01

Quote from: Canoeal on January-12-21 10:01
Won't keep a semi auto in .380, Just me. I am a revolver guy. If I could find a 2" .32 H&R mag I might buy one of those...Not a .327, because I believe it best to use the round the gun is designed for. JMHO

I believe you're a Charter Arms fan, so you're likely aware of this 3" .32 H&R Mag:
https://charterfirearms.com/collections/nitride/products/model-63270

pietro · January-17-21 12:01

Quote from: Canoeal on January-12-21 10:01
Won't keep a semi auto in .380, Just me. I am a revolver guy. If I could find a 2" .32 H&R mag I might buy one of those...Not a .327, because I believe it best to use the round the gun is designed for. JMHO

There's quite a bit of interchangeability in .32 cal revolver cartridges.

A .327 will also chamber the 32 S&W, the 32 S&W long, the 32 H&R magnum - and sometimes the .32ACP.

.

Canoeal · January-17-21 20:01

Quote from: kc on January-17-21 08:01
Quote from: Canoeal on January-12-21 10:01
Won't keep a semi auto in .380, Just me. I am a revolver guy. If I could find a 2" .32 H&R mag I might buy one of those...Not a .327, because I believe it best to use the round the gun is designed for. JMHO

I believe you're a Charter Arms fan, so you're likely aware of this 3" .32 H&R Mag:
https://charterfirearms.com/collections/nitride/products/model-63270

Yes I am. However it is built on the larger frame in order to hold 7 rounds and is no lightweight. I wanted the lighter "Undercoverette"...at 16 oz. that is a reasonable gun. I guess I am not a professional...

Uncle_Lee · January-18-21 05:01

Quote from: Canoeal on January-17-21 20:01
Quote from: kc on January-17-21 08:01
Quote from: Canoeal on January-12-21 10:01
Won't keep a semi auto in .380, Just me. I am a revolver guy. If I could find a 2" .32 H&R mag I might buy one of those...Not a .327, because I believe it best to use the round the gun is designed for. JMHO

I believe you're a Charter Arms fan, so you're likely aware of this 3" .32 H&R Mag:
https://charterfirearms.com/collections/nitride/products/model-63270

Yes I am. However it is built on the larger frame in order to hold 7 rounds and is no lightweight. I wanted the lighter "Undercoverette"...at 16 oz. that is a reasonable gun. I guess I am not a professional...

Factory new Undercoverette :

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/889439009

heyjoe · January-18-21 09:01

The violet and silver undercoverette is 4 ounces lighter, weighing in at 12 ounces. i have 3 charter arms..no complaints

LHB · January-18-21 21:01

If a semi-auto is carried without a round in the chamber, it really isn't loaded, and therefore you are unarmed.

What I would like to know, and have asked several times and never gotten an answer, is why did the army decide that the 1911 was to be carried without a round in the chamber, when it had originally been designed to be used one handed by a man on horseback, and I think it would be very difficult to rack the slide on a galloping horse.

pietro · January-19-21 00:01

Quote from: LHB

What I would like to know, and have asked several times and never gotten an answer, is why did the army decide that the 1911 was to be carried without a round in the chamber, when it had originally been designed to be used one handed by a man on horseback, and I think it would be very difficult to rack the slide on a galloping horse.

IIRC, in 1911 the auto-loading handgun was a fairly new concept that was distrusted by many, especially those in charge of the military acquisitions - putting safety at the head of the class, ahead of readiness.

They were determined that nobody got shot by an AD from a pistol that hit or was hit by something hard (like the ground), with the mounted troops especially in mind.

As late as the 1960's (when I was in the military), the chamber had to be empty when on base or in quarters - but IDK if that's still the case.

.

LHB · January-19-21 23:01

John Browning thought that the grip safety was all that was needed if a pistol was dropped, but added the thumb safety at the request of the army. I still say that a trooper on horse back would have major problems racking a slide. I don't know how the troopers carried in Mexico, many of whom would have been veteran troopers, and then WWI, but the horses were gone by WWII, and the pistols were carried with no round in the chamber. When I was in the Marines in the 60's, the MPs were to carry them with nothing up the pipe, so the people I worked with in CID and TID ( one of my duties was crime and traffic scene photography ) carried 38s so they were ready to go when needed.

Uncle_Lee · January-20-21 05:01

During the time of the Cuban Missile Crises, when we pulled in to a foreign port, the security watch carried a 1911.
Two mags in the pouch, 5 rounds in each.
Empty mag in the gun.

josp · January-21-21 10:01

Cold War days in Europe, MP's carried the 1911 with three full seven round mags, but empty chamber. Well, we were supposed to but I know a few enlightened guys carried cocked and locked under the flap of the holster.

top dog · January-22-21 10:01

I was one of the "few enlightened guys" not in Europe but 'Nam. Cocked/locked with a round in the chamber and a 7 round mag in the 1911.

Several more extra mags were carried as well. M-16 was ditched because it didn't work and a sawed off pump action 12 gauge was "acquired"

The ammo was the 12 gauge WW 2 stuff that was brass cased. Nary a problem.

Acquired? Correct spelling.................S-T-O-L-E.

Top Dog

mainstreet · February-02-21 15:02

Yep. Ruger LCP with Hornady Critical Defense.

Gog · February-22-21 13:02

I carry a couple 380 pockets (one at a time...). If I'm carrying, it's chambered. As long as it's in a holster I feel perfectly safe with it.
Speaking to the 32 H&R, I love my Ruger LCRx in .327. If you can carry a magnum magnum, why not? What a great round. I wish others would chamber it again. The LCRx comes in at 17.7oz. Not bad at all and the .327 is a powerful round.

josp · February-23-21 08:02

Carry one daily. I had this sight milled into the slide. I know some people don't like it but it works for me.

flash · February-23-21 19:02

Me too. No issues carrying a pocket auto with a round chambered. As long as the pistol is in a proper pocket holster that extends over the trigger and there is nothing else in the pocket.

My current carry is a Guardian 32 ACP. It replaces the Kel-tec P3AT 380 I used to carry. Guardian is pretty snappy to shoot, maybe more so than the Kel-tec, TCP etc. It also has a fairly long and stout trigger pull but for a pocket carry pistol I consider that a plus.