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Sandotex5 wrote:Strongly concur with the Sig P238 fans-- I love this gun! I also have tried various single stack 9mm's and currently own the Beretta Nano. I like the Nano better than any of the others (Solo, LC9, Kahrs) but even it doesn't carry as well or shoot as well as the P238 in my hands. I'm definitely eagerly awaiting the P938 because I agree with having more stopping power. Still, so far I'm much more likely to carry my P238 and shoot it with confidence. I know Sigs aren't cheap but if you're going to pay for something important I think it's worth it. Also, my wife can rack the P238 without problems. For what it's worth...

baseballguy2001 wrote:I've recently jumped on the .380 bandwagon myself. I recommend you take a look at the S&W Bodyguard .380. It has a built-in laser, but it also has decent sights too. It's a double action only semi auto, very thin, and very concealable. The trigger is fairly long, and can be stiff, but if it hits the fan, I doubt one would notice. The Bodyguard also has a slide safety, a feature not too many other mouse guns have. I practice my draw and snap the safety off for a smooth even motion. I mostly carry the Bodyguard in the summer, in the winter, (or what there is of it) I carry my G27 in .40. Quite a bit more punch than the average .380, but still a concealable weapon.

Just my .02

rcasady wrote:love love love my p238 ... im just not a double action guy but theres alot to admire about these single stack 9's.
that being said if your not in a hurry u might wanna check this out ..
another member showed me this and now im wishing i had it
http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductD ... treme.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; its a p238 but in 9mm !!

S&Wgrl wrote:Is it the Taurus that doesn't allow the slide to stay locked and open?

S&Wgrl wrote:

TexGalRK wrote:I currently carry a Taurus 709 slim in an Uncle Mikes holster quite comfortably. Love this thing... my husband does too.(He went and bought the same for himself.) I had carried my Bersa 380 a little bit, but wanted to carry at least a 9mm(besides my bersa is finicky about ammo and I never know when it won't like something. ) Carrying my Taurus 24/7 was kinda bulky and heavy in the purse, not to mention carrying it on my person was hard to conceal, so the Slim 9 was the way to go for me. As you can see I m partial to the Taurus. Only had good experiences with em. That's my 2 cents, hope it helps!
RK~

Thanks, I will check out those too!

2012CHLholder wrote:Interesting topic as I have been looking at .380s also. I had planned on a TCP738, until I shot a Bersa Thunder .380. Though larger, the Bersa felt good and performed well. The fixed barrel design has been said to help in the feeding. I have not fired a TCP 738. Would like to, but I am sure the recoil of the polymer frame will be much greater. The Bersa would probably hold up longer using the +P ammo also.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

wgoforth wrote:Been a lot of negative reviews on the Solo. Anyone with personal experience?

I know that at least a couple of members here have one. The "negatives" i read on it were two-fold (from Gun-Tests magazine):

1. the recoil spring. It's pretty stiff, which makes manually cycling the slide a bit of a chore.

2. the tang that sticks out of the front of the magazine floorplate can "bite" some people's hands.

Personally, I'd want to shoot one before I spent $700 on it, but if it didn't bite my hand and it functioned reliably, I wouldn't let the recoil spring be an issue. Pretty much any tiny 9mm has a stout spring. My PM9 certainly does.

The Annoyed Man wrote:Let us not forget the Kimber Solo (if money is no object): http://www.kimberamerica.com/solo

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SATX-Scrub wrote:I love my single stack 9mm P290. Once I got used to the DA long pull it was a breeze. Its dead on accurate (laser if you want it) and it tucks nicely in my Crossbreed. I like the hammer fire too. Just a hair bigger than the P238 but you get the more affordable ammo choice. The extra 4 oz help with any recoil. Spent casings land on the far right of center too!

It fits in my small hands too!

A-R wrote:+1 on thin concealable 9mm (I love my Walther PPS)

When analyzing .380s really helps to separate them a bit as they typically come in two varieties:

(1) Tiny, über compact pocket guns with polymer frames and short recoil operation
Examples: Ruger LCP, Kel Tec P3AT, Taurus TCP, Kahr P380, S&W Bodyguard.380 (not to be confused with either modern not classic "Bodyguard" .38 special revolvers)

These guns are TINY. Weigh about 10 oz - easy to conceal, can be difficult to shoot (not much grip to hold, small sight radius) but the short recoil action can be a bit more forgiving than straight blowback (see below)

(2) larger steel or aluminum framed guns with blowback operation
Examples: Walther PPK, Bersa Thunder, Sig Sauer P230/232, Browning BDA, Beretta 84/85

These older designs are very accurate for their size because of fixed barrel blowback operation - but side effect can be some harsh recoil directly into palm of hand (as opposed to muzzle flip experienced with larger calibers like .40 S&W using short recoil action). Theyre also larger and heavier overall than above group. Classic design, most are well built and can be expensive. In many ways this class of gun is being replaced by the thin 9mm guns that are neary same size/weight, with more stopping power from 9mm cartridge, and same or even less felt recoil because of short recoil operation.

(3) Newer classification of larger short recoil operated .380s
Examples: Walther PK380, maybe a Taurus
Combines relative size of blowback guns with less jarring short recoil operation for a very soft-shooting gun

S&Wgrl wrote:I took my CHL class this weekend. It was so good! Shout out to Karen Rabe in Texas City. She is a great instructor. I have a S&W 9mm and it is too large for me to conceal on my body. I do not want to purse carry. I shot a friends .380 and I did not like it! That sucker spit out the casings like a projectile. She was hit in the head once and it drew blood. Do all .380's do that? I've seen a lot of subcompacts that are .380's. I really like that size for CC. I also like the Springfield XD9. I guess I'm also looking for suggestions. I shot a 22 over the weekend and did not like that at all. I will use my CC for range time as well as my S&W.
I will be reading through the forum for suggestions too. I mainly wanted to know if all .380's operate that way. Also, any likes and dislikes on the Springfield XD9 would be appreciated.