GunCritic

51 Best 380 Pistols for Everyday Carry

      .380ACP was designed by John Moses Browning, and was introduced to the firearms market by Colt in 1908.  It quickly gained popularity as a go-to caliber for consumers wanting a “pocket carry” firearm more powerful than the “mouse gun calibers” of .25 and .32ACP.  A handful of nations adopted the cartridge for their militaries’ service pistols as well, strengthening the round’s popularity in European nations.

      World-renowned firearms instructor Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch, who has been known to tell his classes, “I wouldn’t carry a .380 up my [redacted] if I had room for a tug boat!” along with other first-class instructors, veteran firearm owners, police officers, fudds, and keyboard warriors can be seen preaching from the mountain tops about the horrible terminal ballistics of the cartridge.  However, individuals who may have trouble handling the recoil of larger calibers, along with people who have a need for a pistol that’s as small as possible are left with few options for an effective caliber.

      Studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of different calibers and the data shows that calibers ranging in power from .380ACP to 9x19mm to .45ACP to .357MAG only show minor changes in terminal ballistics, suggesting that .380 is indeed a reasonable choice of caliber for a carry gun.  A hole is a hole, right?
 Below is a list of GunCritic’s 80 most popular .380 pistols.  Which on this list would you consider using as an everyday carry gun?

1
SIG Sauer P238

From $600.10

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SIG Sauer P238

2

GunCritic Score

96%

User Rating

99%

2
Bersa Thunder

From $246.49

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Bersa Thunder

1

GunCritic Score

94%

User Rating

99%

3
Smith & Wesson M&P 380 Shield EZ

From $374.85

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Smith & Wesson M&P 380 Shield EZ

1

GunCritic Score

100%

User Rating

99%

4
CZ 83

From $991.10

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CZ 83

1

GunCritic Score

91%

User Rating

99%

5
Springfield Armory 911

From $455.60

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Springfield Armory 911

1

GunCritic Score

91%

User Rating

99%

6
Walther PPK

From $721.65

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Walther PPK

1

GunCritic Score

94%

User Rating

99%

7
Sig Sauer P238 Titanium Rainbow

From $1079.50

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Sig Sauer P238 Titanium Rainbow

1

GunCritic Score

87%

User Rating

99%

8
Colt Mustang Pocketlite

From $622.91

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Colt Mustang Pocketlite

1

GunCritic Score

97%

User Rating

99%

9
Taurus TCP M738

From $173.39

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Taurus TCP M738

0

GunCritic Score

84%

User Rating

99%

10
Smith & Wesson PPK

From $701.24

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Smith & Wesson PPK

0

GunCritic Score

50%

User Rating

99%