Walther PPK .380

[2farnorth]

We used to own a Bersa thunder 9mm compact pro...traded as son as we could based on the jams every 2 bullets so bersa is already out of the question. I say once junk always junk.

My Bersa Thunder 380 has never had a malfunction. It is more accurate with some brands of ammo than other brands. WInchester USA 95 gn range ammo value pack is the worst. Federal ammo is great including Hydra-shocks.

[Lil' Girl Big Gun]

We used Winchester and Remington. Didn't matter which one, you could never fire more than two or three bullets without a problem. Three was lucky.

[neilp]

My Bersa Thunder 380 has never had a malfunction.

+1

I think if you are looking at PPK style pistols discounting the Bersa is a serious mistake. Mine has never had a failure of any kind. I compared with the PPK and SIG 232 before I bought it and found the Bersa a better option for my requirements (regular mag release location, slide hold open, manual safety). Not to mention the price and the fact it doesn't "bite" like the Walther. There are smaller 380s for sure but I have no complaints about mine at all.

[fulano]

My wife has the PK380. She tried several guns before settling on the Walther. The reasons were two-fold. First off the slide is very easy to rack due to the short slide travel, Browning tilt barrel design rather than the usual blowback of many 380's (not slide release so you have to rack when first putting in a mag). Also she thought the magazine was easy to load (could have been mag age related). Its her gun and I'm very glad she has it.

My view. There are many bells and whistles on the gun. The left side/ right side (ambidextrous) safety in particular is a bit much for me. When I rack the slide I have make sure I didn't change the "state" of the safety. She is much more familiar with the gun than me but a few times when I've loaded the first round with a rack, I've put the gun either on safety or in between and it drops the hammer with no bang. Just a muscle memory thing.

Again, the attraction for her was the ease of racking.

Very accurate too.. YMMV.

[Rex B]

I like the looks and feel of the Walther .380s, and I have a LOT of .380 guns.
The issue I have with them (and Bersa) is that there are 9mm Luger pistols the same size or smaller.
If I'm going to carry a firearm as big as I comfortably can, then why not get the bigger caliber?

I s suggest you take a look at the new Ruger compact 9mm (LC9?)
Kimber is also coming out with one, plus Kahr has released a cheaper version of their PM9

[Chemist45]

I have carried the PPK in .380 and the Mauser HSC in .380.
Both are reliable guns. I found the Mauser easier to shoot due to the slightly wider body but had no trouble with the PPK.
My wife, OTOH, does not like the recoil on the PPK and prefers the Kahr in .380.
If you have large hands, either gun can bite you as the slide comes back. This is not usually a problem for women.

[atxtj]

Well, we went to the local range and rented it. The hubby put a magazine through it and told me I didn't like it. I was mad he wouldn't let me shoot it until I saw the giant red welp on his shooting hand. Guess it's back to shopping. Or might just stick with what I have.

My wife shoots her PPK better than most guys who try it, I think it has to do with us guys having bigger hands that make the PPK rather bitey. Aside from that, I have found that they dont like to feed a lot of SD rounds, anything conical in shape in particular, but ours feeds golden sabers great. I think it's a fun little gun to shoot though, and worth a try if you really like it.

[Dusty Harry]

I had (operative word here) a PPK years ago. It was a weak moment in all of the bidding excitement at a FNRA Dinner. If it weren't for the exposure in all the James Bond movies and getting by on its good looks, it would probably have been discontinued a long time ago. Absolutely the WORST trigger pull of any handgun I've ever owned or shot (and that's a lot). By today's standards, it's gigantic for a .380. (You would think that would work in its favor in terms of shooting comfort, but it doesn't.) I luv my little Kahr .380.

[txflyer]

I like the Walther PPS for small gun carry (I use it when my 5" 1911 is too big - which is really not very often for me). Feels good in my hand and is available in either 9mm or .40S&W. I chose the .40. The gun is only slightly larger and I do mean slightly.

I can also get different length magazines depending on just how concealable I need.

[zero4o3]

Well, we went to the local range and rented it. The hubby put a magazine through it and told me I didn't like it. I was mad he wouldn't let me shoot it until I saw the giant red welp on his shooting hand. Guess it's back to shopping. Or might just stick with what I have.

I noticed your in the league city area, if your looking for a smaller .380 check out the sig p238, if you cant find one to rent, I have been meaning to get down to the arms room soon and would be more then willing to let you put some rounds through it.

[Lil' Girl Big Gun]

I've shot that one before and didn't fall completely in love. Out of the ones I've gotten my hands on though, it was the better gun. As far as the Arms Room goes, we get up there pretty frequently. Nice range! Good people. It's actually where the hubby and I got our CHL. Worst shooting day ever (just in case someone here saw my target, lol)!!!!

[zero4o3]

I've shot that one before and didn't fall completely in love. Out of the ones I've gotten my hands on though, it was the better gun. As far as the Arms Room goes, we get up there pretty frequently. Nice range! Good people. It's actually where the hubby and I got our CHL. Worst shooting day ever (just in case someone here saw my target, lol)!!!!

I will admit I dont care much for the trigger, but its not bad and after holding / firing a few different .380s it ended up being the winner, I carry it as little as possible but when I have it, I am comfident it will function and hit my target

[XinTX]

I had a PPK and thought the MUCH better half might like shooting it. The recoil on it is much worse than my 239. Seems like the narrow grip just hammers the web in your hand pretty hard. Sold it and bought her a P238. She loves it. But she's tiny. As in sub 4'-11" tiny. But she can operate it fully and shoots fairly well with it too. Better than I do with it. But it is too small for my hands. She used it to shoot for her CHL and passed easily (even though she was nervous and shot poorly that day).

[Lil' Girl Big Gun]

I'm sub 4'11" tiny too. If I can't find something else I like, I may revisit that one. The husband is going to borrow another .380 (I forget what kind) from a friend of his soon and let me try it out. I've actually shot it before, but it was my first trigger pull ever, so I closed my eyes, shot down range, put the gun down, and walked out. Needless to say, I don't know whether I was accurate, and I can't remember whether I liked the way it fit my hand. I've since grown in my gun handling abilities, and I'll try almost anything once!

[Rugerboy50]

I think you would like the P238. It's not much more than a PPK.

I have one and it's a solid pistol.