I'm looking to purchase a handgun

[Daryl Licht]

A Makarov maybe? If you don't like the 9x18 it can be rebarreled to .380. I have a commercial IJ-70 in .380 and strangely enough it is very accurate and easy to shoot.

For a .380 the CZ-83 has a lot going for it. The son has one, not a lot bigger than the Bersa and holds 13 in the magazine.

 

[257wby]

A fellow member has a pm9 for sale...http://www.okshooters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77546 I have a pm40 and love it!

 

[spd67]

Kahr makes some great small pistols in both 9 and 380 though they are a bit pricey. My wife carries a Sig P238 in 380 in her purse and she loves it. I have a Ruger LCP in 380 but I only carry that when I am running. At all other times I have my Smith and Wesson 642 and a Springfield Champion in 45 on me. Getting a bigger purse may also be a better option for concealment. There are several companies that make concealment purses and perhaps you should look into them. 380 is not the best round for personal protection. The advantages of 380 is size, you get concealment and carry ability with it. But for a small pocket pistol or BUG it gets the job done. If she can handle it I would get your wife set up with a Air weight Smith and Wesson Revolver like the 642 the size is only slightly larger than most 380 autos and you get a better caliber and reliability of a revolver. The 642 will also disappear in a womans purse.

 

[Tom K]

You might check out the Diamondback .380, reviewed on this very site: http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/322/moonsetcropyl2.jpg

I'm impressed with the lack of muzzle flip.

For most carry scenarios, I prefer the simplicity of a DAO (double-actioin only), either auto or revolver. Trying to remember the manual of arms on something like a Bersa is much more complicated than, "pull trigger."

 

[LtCCMPUnit42]

I have to agree w/jej, the stopping power of the .380 just isn't there.
My department wont let us carry anything smaller than a .40 S&W, even off duty.

 

[ldp4570]

The .380ACP cartridge benefits come with a longer barrel i.e. Browning BDA380, Walther PP, Beretta 84/85. Once you start to shorten the barrel the .380's effect drops fast. Not that its unreliable in the gun but it's loss in velocity is enough that there is the probability that the projectile won't penetrate enough to hit vital area's.

With any pistol/revolver cartridge the only way your going to stop someone is one, they didn't like being shot so they stop, second, you put enough rounds into the right spot to cause them to bleed out, or third you hit the CNS and turn out the lights. Remember its shot placement, penetration, everything else is luck when it comes to hollowpoints.

Is the .380 the best cartridge for self defense, well thats a question you'll have to answer for yourself. There's lots of folks on here who will tell you no, but at the same time they stick a KelTek, or Ruger LCP in their pocket for a trip to the Stop&Rob for that gallon of milk. Myself I have no issue carrying a .380, but when I do its a Walther or Browning, not to many others out there I would trust my life with.

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

With any pistol/revolver cartridge the only way your going to stop someone is one, they didn't like being shot so they stop, second, you put enough rounds into the right spot to cause them to bleed out, or third you hit the CNS and turn out the lights. Remember its shot placement, penetration, everything else is luck when it comes to hollowpoints.

Once again, the voice of reason.

All I can add is that the answer to this question is always: What does she like? Get her to the range and let her try out different pistols. Eventually, she'll find something she likes, and you get "range time" without penalty (you're doing it for her, aren't you?).

If what she likes to shoot is too big, she'll just get a bigger purse. From my experience, that is not a huge hurdle to overcome; purse shopping followed by gun shopping sounds like a pretty decent afternoon!

 

[POSITIVE DISCONTENT]

Purse carry? Wheel gun. Get her a sexy lil' 38. My wife has semi autos but she likes her Charter Arms Undercover special. You can get them in just about any color you want as well. Gun Shows always have them in Lt blue, purple, pink, red and other colors...

 

[nofearfactor]

Had a Bersa Thunder .380 once. Was reliable and nice to carry for a BUG. Got tired of looking for something to put in it to shoot.

 

[93 FOX]

look at a Taurus 709.