Why are .380s suddenly so popular? Well, why not? There are probably more than 10 times as many people who have a concealed carry permit now than a couple of decades ago before the change to “shall issue” carry laws. And all those new people have gone through the same learning curve that we old-timers went through, from “Carry enough gun” to “How am I going to pack this thing on a hot summer day?”
Carrying a gun can be a real hassle. If you’re going to do it seriously and not be a ballistic dilettante, you have to do it all the time. Which means you need a comfortable holster and a handgun compact enough that it stays hidden. Which means, despite the sneer some direct at “mouseguns,” you pack a really small 9mm or .380.
In an ultra-compact, a full-power 9mm load can be tough to practice with. And those .40 and .45 ultra-compacts are more like work (or torture) to shoot than enjoyable practice. So the .380 wins by default. And realistically, there’s nothing you can hold in your hands that will guarantee a 100 percent stop with one hit. Once you realize that accuracy matters, a small gun is OK and a big one is sometimes not worth the extra hassle of packing it.
July 8, 2010
