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by jb2012
Mon Aug 22, 2016 10:58 am
Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
Topic: Browning 1911 .380 ACP
Replies: 13
Views: 3592

Re: Browning 1911 .380 ACP

oohrah wrote:I assume she has no problem racking the slide. That is sometimes a show stopper with the ladies.

You might also consider the Ruger LC9 - my daughter is partial to that one.
I actually meant to have her hold an LC9 but I completely forgot until you mentioned it! The recoil spring on the browning is extremely light, I would guess 15lb max and she can easily rack that one.
by jb2012
Mon Aug 22, 2016 9:11 am
Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
Topic: Browning 1911 .380 ACP
Replies: 13
Views: 3592

Re: Browning 1911 .380 ACP

Zombified wrote:I bought a Browning 1911 380 as a replacement to a finicky Walther pk380. I liked both because they are easy to rack and .380 recoil is easily managed. My 11 year old son shoots it very well and has had no issues with limp wristing or the jams that others are reporting. It has been completely reliable and a joy to shoot. There are a few things you need to know if you aren't aware already. The frame is polymer and the guide rod is plastic. I didn't notice this until after I bought it. There is a metal guide rod available from a guy that developed one for the 1911-22. The jam problems that have been reported are mag related. Apparently the feed lips are on the weak side and either arrive a little open or open up from slamming the mag. I have not had these problems at all with mine.

I have not tried any self defense ammo in it yet.
Okay I was completely unaware of the polymer frame or polymer guide rod, but that explains it's light weight. If she goes through with this one I am definitely going to look into the metal guide rod, the frame I can live with. I can't seem to find a whole lot of aftermarket magazines, are you stuck with buying browning mags?


Jusme wrote:I have no experience with the browning 1911 .380, but you can look at the attached link on SD ballistics tests done by lucky gunner. You have to scroll down a ways, but they tested several .380, 9mm and .45 rounds. and posted the results.

http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-de ... tic-tests/

That may give you an idea on selecting the carry ammo for your girlfriend. It has no info on accuracy, since they were fired very close range, but some of the results were impressive for .380
I actually have scoured that article, looking at the .45 ammo. I love how thorough yet easy to read it is; honestly probably the best article I've ever read as far as comparison of many items goes. I see the Hornady Critical Defense .380 expands decently, has nice velocity for the .380, and pretty useable penetration. As per this article that's probably what I'd have her run.

goose wrote:A 380 is a huge improvement over nothing. If she'll carry it and practice with it, I'd say it is a win. She can migrate to other calibers as her interests and comfort increases.

As an aside I complement you on looking for the pistol that fits her rather than the brand model that fits you.
My thoughts exactly. I'd rather her carry a knife than nothing, and I'd rather her carry a .380 over a knife. I appreciate it, but you know, it's gonna be her gun and I want her to enjoy it!
LosAlce wrote:I was pretty scared to shoot 45 for the first time but after focusing on my technique I realized it wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. I switch between my Sig p938 and XDS. 45 as my carry guns depending on my mood. I don't know if you've offered your 1911 for her to shoot or not but it might be good to let her start shooting for a while and let her decide when she wants to give .45 a whirl. Likely it would lead to another gun buying trip :smilelol5:

I've looked at the browning .380 and I've been interested in it for a while. It feels amazing in my small hands and the weight is really nice. The only reason we haven't purchased it is because we didn't want to deal with having another caliber right now. Perhaps it will be purchased in the future!

Like I said earlier, I switch between a p938 and XDS 45, but other options I've considered are the HK p30SK, CZ Rami, and the Beretta PX4storm. To be fair these expensive choices could be because I'm slowly figuring out what it is I like and what I don't like. My husband carries a 638 airweight revolver that I like and is actually really nice to shoot too. Right now though I have my eyes on my very own 1911, probably the Sig line because they are really sweet shooting.

Have fun with this development! Can't wait to here what comes of this! Congrats! :thumbs2:
Absolutely! We actually have not gotten to shoot together yet, but I told her before we ever went to Cabela's that this was her choice, I would give her reccomendations and she could make her own decisions. She knows that she is absolutely more than welcome to shoot my .45 and since you mentioned it I'll throw in an xds .45 at the range just to see if she likes it. After all the recoil of a .45 to 9mm to .40 is all different, to me the .45 round is by far not the snappiest or hardest to control, but there is definitely some undeniable beef to it. Thank you! I'm just ecstatic that she is so excited about this! I also really appreciate the female perspective on this!

Beiruty wrote:That pistol is good stuff. You pick quality ammo and it should rock like
Hahaha awesome, after going through the article by luckygunner that "jusme" recommended I think I will probably try the hornady critical defense should she go with this model or a .380 in general!
by jb2012
Sun Aug 21, 2016 9:26 pm
Forum: General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion
Topic: Browning 1911 .380 ACP
Replies: 13
Views: 3592

Browning 1911 .380 ACP

So my girlfriend has brought up wanting to buy a gun and get her LTC several times, so I insisted on looking at Cabela's to narrow down her picks to maybe 4 or 5 pistols, and then we would go rent them at a range for her to test. Today we had about an hour to spare before a movie, just so happens the theatre is about two miles from cabela's! So I showed her several guns such as the micro glocks (42 and 43), the baby glocks, and the glock 17, I showed her the springfield XD series ( all of them: xds, xdm, and xd), she has felt my commander size 1911 and said it was too heavy (surprise lol), I showed her the small walthers and HK's which she liked but wasn't fully content, she wanted nothing to do with the m&p or shield series, and finally showed her the micro kimbers which she wasn't crazy about. I have seen the Browning 380 1911's and thought it was a unique design that could be suitable for her, so I recommended she try one of them......she picked it up and said,"Okay this is the one I want!" That was awesome to me because number one, she wants to buy a gun and arm herself! number two her first pick is a 1911!! :hurry: My question for you all is: How reliable are the browning .380 1911's? We all know the 1911 platform can be picky with ammo, however generally with a quality build it can be a very reliable side arm. Also what is everyone's opinion on the .380 platform for defense? I am a .45 go big or go home type of guy, however I'm not sure (although she has not shot one to be positive) that the .45 cartridge would be suitable for a small framed girl like herself. Any other suggestions besides the one I mentioned? I am going to have her look at the commander sized 9mm (not sure brand yet) just for sheer ballistics of the 9mm over the .380

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