Texasmongoose

It seems I look at the guns in the gun counter often. I also look at the perty women often. I noticed an Lc9 which seems to be an idea based on the fact that the majority people rate 9mm as min defense round. I can say I have heard stories of bigger caliber and smaller caliber being effective and not effective. So I like the idea of it over the bersa thunder 380. I have to tell myself sometimes you can look but you have to ask yourself does the woman I have been there and will be there for me before I go trading her off. I have to say the bersa has never failed to feed out of the box and has accuracy. I understand the lc9 is not so bad either though. I hear the lc9 for some is more uncomfortable to shoot. I also here the buffalo Bore people have built an ammo that can fire in a 380 with ballistics of a 9mm round

Texasmongoose

The idea here is to not neglect what you have. Carry it with you build a good relationship with her (the gun). Spend time using it and working with it and use best quality ammo on what you have. Don't look toward a different gun every day but build a good or better working relationship with what you have today. A saying goes beware of the man who has one gun he prob knows well how to use it.

7of7

The way I look at it, is the 380 is almost the same as a 38 special... the 9mm is almost the same as a 357 mag.
The differences are gun weight, so the lighter guns will have a more pronounced recoil..

Pistolero

First every gunman should own, at least, one 9x19mm pistol. That's a, 'given'. I often carry a compact frame 9mm. (Gen3 G-19) Shoot it straight; and you'll be fine.

The Bersa 380 and Ruger LC9 are pocket and not really range practice guns - Right! I own a Walther PPK-S in 9mm Kurz; but, I don't shoot it anywhere near as often as I'd like; and I almost never carry it as a primary weapon.

Neither am I a big fan of these subcompact frame 9mm pistols. I'm a big believer in practicing, frequently, with whatever pistol I carry for self-defense; so, if a pistol isn't comfortable to shoot for a long period of time I won't trust it for primary use in saving my life.

(Using a small pistol and going, 'toe-to-toe' with someone in a pistol gunfight isn't my idea of self-defense. Me? I'd call that, at best, 'mutual suicide' - OK.)

DaRkWoLf

I think that in many instances where people own a variety of handguns there is a certain false presumption that skill or effect is transferable across platforms and sizes. Then again, not so surprising considering that there are also people that think +/- 50 "ft-lbs of energy" or +/- .05" wound neck radius means anything. A pocket or BUG sized ballistic implement is simply not as shootable as a full sized service pistol, which is nowhere near as shootable or terminally effective as an intermediate-rifle-cartridge carbine, which is also lacking in terminal performance when compared to a rifle paired with a full-power rifle cartridge. Expectations for each family should be grounded within the parameters conferred upon them by reality, and viable application needs to serve as a ground. From there, increase personal skill legitimately with goals related to the perceived possible implementations; all the practicing in the world, to the umtillionth power, means nothing if the situation-specific, necessary skillsets weren't honed to adequately respond to the challenge.

Guns are tools, implements of death or sport, and there is no non-metaphysical reason not to maximize the perceived attainable utility by simply buying a more fitting tool, training and practicing appropriately with said new tool or the tool owned, respecting one's character by focusing on such personal development vs. blaming the tool, and respecting the foreseeable situation instead of infusing a possible reality with fantasy.

1911sr

Wellll... guys Not exactly that close.


Round Type Weight Muzzle Energy ft/lbs. Muzzle Velocity ft/sec.
9mm FMJ 124 364 1150
9mm FMJ 115 356 1180
9mm FMJFP 147 326 1000
9mm TMJ 124 345 1120

Round Type Weight Muzzle Energy ft/lbs. Muzzle Velocity ft/sec.
38 Special LRN 158 200 755
38 Special FMJ 158 248 945
38 Special +P JHP 125 295 950



Round Type Weight Muzzle Energy ft/lbs. Muzzle Velocity ft/sec.
357 Mag JHC 125 802 1700
357 Mag BXPB 125 750 1650
357 Mag JHC 158 763 1475
357 Mag LFN-GC 180 783 1400


And this is what I carry, and at our chrono'd 1,286 fps, and a posted 450lbs ME, why wouldn't I?
I keep the Ruger in the house and carry the Taurus (depending what I'm wearing) in my purse or behind my right hip.
I got one from my brother and the other from my Dad.



And this is some information on the caliber. We reload hard cast for them.
http://www.americanrifleman.org/Arti...?id=2340&cid=1

Garand

Nice choice 1911sr

1911sr

Thanks! The Taurus chrono'd at 1,286, but the Ruger chrono'd at 1,355.
I practice with .32s, .32 longs and .32 H&R Magnums. The little Taurus has a lot of muzzle flip, but I wouldn't be thinking about that anyway if I had to use it.
It's just not fun to shoot the full .327 mag loads for practice, but I can shoot the plain old .32s all day long. The Ruger is bigger and heavier so it's a lot easier to shoot but harder to CC.

Aslan

I open carry a S&W M&P .45

I CCW a Colt Officer's in .45

when I cannot CCW the Colt, I carry a Keltec PF9, in 9mm

The Keltec is not my first choice for a self-defense handgun. (It is my 3rd choice).

However, it suffices when I have no other option.

Sometimes it IS about compromise.

YMMV.

differ

you can't put a 9mm equivalent load into a blowback 380, without ruining the gun and getting your butt sued off. If the ammo is somehow restricted to use in locked breech guns, like the Colt or the Keltec or Sig, it might come close to 9mm performance

differ

Diamondback makes a 9mm the size and wt of which is less than many 380's, so why settle for the feebler rd?

Terry G

I carry a G21 in Jacket/Coat weather and a CZ P-01 in warmewr weather. The LCP .380 goes along but strictly as a back up. The teeny .380 's are a good thing, but I never carry one as a primary. After ten yards or so your more likely to pick off an innocent bystander with one.

differ

You'll be more likely to hit lots of innocents than the main target, at 10 yds of range, with any handgun. The handgun gets used at 5 yds and less, nearly always, except maybe for SWAT units.

Terry G

If you can't place your shots at 30 feet with your primary (not a back up) you nedd to switch guns or practice a lot more. Or get a really large can of pepper spray. How are you doing, John?

differ

U need to quit kidding yourself, bud. When it's for real, most shots miss the man at 5 yds, much less 10 yds. You won't have ear protection, and reqardless of whether or not auditory exclusiong kicks in, the blasts still hurt your eardrum, still make you flinch. Flinching is a subconscious thing, you know.

Terry G

U need to practice more. Missing a man sized target at five yards? You don't need a handgun, John, a flamethrower maybe.

Garand

Welcome back gunkid!

bzuber56

Go shoot an IDPA match Differ!

mikki

Sorry to awaken you, terry, but the man has the facts correct. Just look at what "success" rate the cops have. 40+ misses on Platt in Miami, out of 45 shots, at 5 yds and less. Look at the Diallo shooting, the guy with the wallet in NY? 4 cops fired 41 times at the guy, getting just one solid hit, all were 5 yds away or closer.

see, you IMAGINE that it will be in nice light, and that he won't be moving or using cover, and you won't be blinded by his and your own muzzleflashes, you won't be flinching at the blasts, and you won't already be wounded, and that you won't be dodging blows, and that PRACTICE type performance = combat performance. It's nothign of the kind. In fact, mere MATCH performance is often less than half what you can demo in practice, and that's with ideal conditions, earmuffs, etc, just because of match stress.

Terry G

Blah, Blah, Blah, Terry, Blah, Blah, Blah, Terry. Like I'd take advice from someone whose never fired a round in anger

mikki

all the HONEST people say the same thing I just told you, about gunfights with handguns.