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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!! 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

That pistol is good stuff. You pick quality ammo and it should rock like

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

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!

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.

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 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.

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

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!

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!

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

Thanks so much for sharing this link. It is very informative. I was thinking of buying a .45 pistol as my next one, but notice that several of the 9mm bullets end up being the same size or even larger than some of the .45 ones after fired into the gel.

Joe

JRG wrote:

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

Thanks so much for sharing this link. It is very informative. I was thinking of buying a .45 pistol as my next one, but notice that several of the 9mm bullets end up being the same size or even larger than some of the .45 ones after fired into the gel.

Joe

They explain that a lot of the lack of expansion is due to the hollow points getting clogged when they pass through the material, so they don't expand properly, After seeing, this I have ordered some Federal HST 124 grain 9mm that I want to try. I have been carrying Hornandy Critical defense, I like the way it fires in my gun, and is very accurate, but if I can get the same performance with better penetration and expansion, I may switch.

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.

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.

The Browning 1911 .380 shoots great. I have a female friend that wants one bad and is saving up for one. The one I shot was a range rental gun. It functioned flawlessly, even with beginning shooters and cheap ammo.

If you look at the LC9, I cannot stress enough that you get the LC9s. It's the striker fired version, and it is vastly superior. You'll thank me later.

.380 as a caliber is definitely a viable self defense option. I prefer 9mm, but I have a .380 I carry pretty regularly, and I would not do so if I didn't trust it to stop a threat to my life effectively.

Just my pair of pennies. Hope it helps.

No experience with it but flyer from Cabela's today had $50 price reduction.

Since mine has worked flawlessly I haven't really looked very hard for aftermarket magazines. Everything I've read states there aren't any available.