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380 or 38 special for pocket carry?

  • 7 rounds of 380

    Votes: 118 40.4%
  • 5 rounds of 38 Special

    Votes: 174 59.6%

380 or 38 Special for pocket carry. Pick one.

17K views 79 replies 68 participants last post by  maritz01 
#1 ·
Two different options for pocket carry a Kel-Tec (or Ruger LCP) 380 or J-frame 38 Special (Mag-Na-Ported).

The 380 offers 7 rounds with the following ballistics:
102 gr. Golden Saber @ 775 F.P.S. / 136# KE
90 gr. Hydra Shock @ 845 F.P.S. / 143# KE

The ported Model 638 offers 5 shots with slightly more power:
110 Silvertip (not +p) 821 F.P.S. / 165# KE
130 gr. Bonded PDX +P 848 F.P.S. / 207# KE

Which one would you pick for pocket carry? Why?
 
#62 ·
Actually, I would consider a snubbie in the same size class as a sub-compact pistol, like a Glock 26. A .380 is a whole size class smaller, so I'm not sure this is a valid comparison.

For pocket carry, I choose the .380. How some of you can conceal a snubbie in your pocket is beyond me...MC Hammer pants?:hand5:

U Can't Touch This!:danceban:
 
#63 ·
Let us not forget the average shooting is only two to three rounds anything above that is security blanket. The 38 Special S&W 442 is about as fine a front pocket carry as you can get. I know that there will be a lot of stories that you need 10 to 16 rds but I don't believe them. After three rounds get the he&& out of there and live another day. I was looking at some 38+P's from Buffalo Bore and they are around 350 lbs ft of ME if that isn't enough don't go.

fknipfer1
 
#65 ·
Although I have both (LCP and 442), and have carried both as either a BUG or primary due to the situation, I voted .380 based on the ease of concealment, virtually NO printing in a Galco pocket holster, additional rounds available as well as additional mag easily carried. JMO
 
#66 ·
I see so many posts of folks who can't pocket carry a j-frame. I'm not sure where guys are buying their britches these days, or what the new fangled miniature pocket style is, but I carried a XD40sc in my right pocket yesterday and about 5 pounds worth of keys, money clip, pocket knife, etc. in the other...in dress pants.
 
#67 ·
I often wonder the same thing. I carry a 2 1/4" DAO Ruger SP101 in the front pocket of my jeans on a daily basis. Yes, it looks like I have something in my pocket, but it doesn't appear to be a gun. A LEO or CHP holder might recognize that the bulge in my pocket could be a gun, but I'm not worried about that at all, those are not the people I am trying to hide my gun from anyway. Besides, while it could be a gun, it could also be any number of other things.

When I carry my 37-2 Airweight in the same pants it almost completely disappears. I'm been pocket carrying one 5-shot revolver or another since 1995 when I got my first CHP and I've never had a problem with it.

Either folks today are buying a lot of Emo pants, or they are overly concerned about printing. Just because something looks like it could be a gun doesn't mean it is, and the average person isn't going to notice anyway.
 
#69 ·
Have owned and shot lots of revolvers and semi-autos over many years and do own .38 Special and .380 guns. I'll enthusiastically vote for the .38 Special and the revolver over the .380 ACP and the semi-auto.

Statements claiming "rough equivalency" of .38 Special and .380 along with discriminately selected data fail to impress. To claim that "revolvers are nearly dead as defense weapons" is only an attempt to be inflammatory or else simply a display of ignorance.

The .38 Special cartridge, when loaded with 158 grain lead semi-wadcutter ammunition in either standard or +P guise, is considerably more effective in actual field use than is the .380 ACP and the revolver is more stubbornly reliable. The person who claims to be unable to effectively carry a tiny J-Frame sized revolver is simply not willing to make the effort to do so. With all the clothing options available along with the great holster products on the market, carrying a small revolver is effortless indeed. Lots of folks are doing it right now.

Despite the obvious ease of toting a J-Frame sized revolver, it is still a (mostly) free country and one has the prerogative to make his own determination about the relative convenience of his firearms.
 
#70 ·
I think it depends entirely upon your pocket types (depth), type of pants worn, and body size.

Overall I would vote for the most capable and powerful that can be concealed effectively.

Women's pants are not at all friendly to pocket carry. The only ones I can really do this with are cargo pants from the mens dept. Some women's Carhartts would work, but hubby already wears them and we cannot run around looking like twins.
 
#75 ·
My wife steals my pants all the time, so I am used to the twins look. :wink: I just try to make sure our shirts are different, on any given day.

FWIW, she works for the Medical Examiner of a HUGE county, as a forensic investigator, and she uses an S&W Airlite 7-shot .38 snubby, or Kahr K9, for self-defense, with a strong preference for the snubby. She owns a Kel-tec .32, and uses it as a paperweight. She makes FAR more death scenes than I do, as that is her whole job; my job is general street patrol over a much smaller beat.

I just read some of the other posts in more detail. Mercy, the revolver is NOT dead! IIRC, the S&W Model 642 is still a sales leader for S&W, and Ruger's recent business model is certainly NOT to release a weapon that will not sell, and they have recently introduced the LCR, and the .327 Federal Magnum in the SP101.

FWIW, I have an SP101 in my pocket right now. (I mostly use pocket carry around the house nowadays.) On the street, I use P229 autopistols as primary weapons, whether in a police uniform or not, but for specialized times I want a BIG handgun, I still like the Ruger GP100. I reckon I am most likely to engage a bad guy with a P229, by default, but ya never know, 'til it happens. My sixguns are not dead.
 
#77 ·
Another thing to think about is what you do all day. I carried a j-frame for a long time in my pocket with no issues. But I also stand all day and it just gets old after awhile so I bought the new Taurus TCP. What a pleasure to carry! The bonus is that it virtually disappears in my front pocket, I can bend, squat, sit, whatever and I never have to worry about it being seen or felt!!
 
#78 ·
.380

I voted for the .380. My KT P3AT fits well in the RF pants pocket. My S&W 642 does not.
When wearing a jacket, however, the S&W can ride comfortably in the left inside pocket (in a Mika holster), where it is readily available whether I am standing or sitting/driving, in addition to the KT in my pants pocket (Uncle Mike's Sidekick holster).
 
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