Talking about small carry guns and their performance can get a little scary, but they are very popular today. Micro-compact guns, unlike full-size pistols have to overcome the ballistic shortcomings of short barrels and compensate for poor handling and subpar ammunition for their role. Here’s a Dan Wesson.45 ACP TCP and a S&W.357 mag S&W JFrame. Although the 4-inch.45 ACP is not a pocket gun, its learning curve is much shorter and easier than the 2-inch S&W J-Frame.357 mag. Guns used to have to use flaws to appeal to buyers in the old days. Many were smaller versions of existing designs. Others were original creations that were often centered on an established cartridge. The former resulted in sloppy-looking sawn-off guns, while the latter produced guns that were not suitable for their ammunition. At the base of this problem was reliability–something that small guns usually lacked.The original means to ensure reliable performance was to go simple, such as in the case of the small-frame revolver. The little five-shot revolver was the standard for reliability and performance for most of the 20th century. This revolver and its variants formed the basis for most concealable guns. The most popular cartridges for concealable guns were the.38 Special,.357 Magnum, and the.357 Magnum. Left to right: The.380 ACP 90 grain JHP+P solves most feeding problems and reliability issues in pocket guns. The tried-and-true 158-grain Hardcast.38 SPL+P is an excellent choice for small guns, but it does come with some recoil. The 124-grain 357 Magnum JHP isn’t fun to fire and doesn’t do enough over the.38 at bad breath distance to warrant the extra blast and recoil. The lighter weight and lower cost of newer materials made them more affordable. In the early 2000s, there was a lot of overlap between semi-autos and revolvers for carry. This was when new ammunition was being released that greatly benefited small calibers such as.380 ACP. The modern micro revolver has existed for over a century. There was a lot of confusion and complaints about poor performance when these micro semis were introduced to the market. I can recall how many.380s were sold when they first became popular. I also remember how confused people were about the S&W Bodyguards over the company’s 642 in.38 SPL+P. Just as this ammunition was hitting shelves, companies such as Sig Sauer introduced the.380 ACP P238 (2009) and the 9x19mm P938 (2011). These were both successful designs and I have two of them. The basic P238 is a reliable machine, but the upgraded version has issues with reliability. It is not something I carry, but I keep it as a project gun and sentimental value. Similar stories have been told about the P238/P938; some swear by them, others swear at them. I find these mini 1911 types to be very picky with ammunition. To ensure full cycling of my slide, I only carry Buffalo Bore.380 +P. Although I like the P238, I know there are better options. Even though I have had a few issues with it, I still prefer the P238, and I do not regret hand-picking the ammo. I believe that a self-defense pistol should be 100 percent reliable, or at the very least not susceptible to failure with ammo. This is where the micro pistol world revolves. The balance of ammunition and the gun’s size is key. Let’s look at the most popular carry calibers and what they do in small guns.
The.357 Mag. It is a.357 Mag. Although it can do almost anything, the same cartridge in a 2-inch revolver isn’t very fun. It also doesn’t have the same power and speed as a 4-inch gun. A 2-inch.357 is more powerful and faster than the other calibers and guns on the list. It’s bad advice to carry.357s and practice with.38s. There’s a lot of harm between the two cartridges. I believe it’s better to forgo full-house.357 in a 2-inch gun. In all my testing, I have not found any benefit from the full-house.357. The majority of.38 +P ammunition is very powerful and sufficient. I carry.38s in the.357; Buffalo Bore’s 158-grain hardcast.38 +P is plenty for a 13-ounce revolver. This is the most deceptive caliber: People buy it, then realize that they were tricked when they fire it. The.38 Special
The.38 Special was America’s most popular carry cartridge up until 9mm became common in small guns. It has a long, rich history that has earned it a reputation. This is the best carry revolver, especially when combined with the more powerful +P loads from companies such as Buffalo Bore. The original “FBI Load”, which is still great for carrying, is powerful and convenient. The.38 snub nose is classic and easy to use, even for inexperienced hands. This is my recommendation, due to the ammunition being well-developed. It is difficult to find a.38 Special ammunition that performs as advertised. The 9x19mm
9mm is so popular. People take 9mm for granted and don’t spend the time searching for ammunition that is suitable for the sub-3-inch barrels’ low velocity. It’s easy to reach a 9mm pistol, but it’s easy to load it up with ammo that’s not suitable for the gun’s size. The P365 could be considered a pocket gun, but it is smaller than a G19 with the 12-round grip system installed and a threaded bar instead of the original. A larger gun will usually have more velocity and capacity. If you don’t want to carry the G19, why not just carry the Sig P365? It has a factory-length barrel and requires ammo that can reach speeds of around 1,000 fps. You can get 150 fps using most ammo if you put in a longer barrel like the Faxon with suppressor strings. 9mm ammo that is marketed to small guns works well in them, but not in larger pistols. A 147-grain JHP+P is largely lost in a P365/G43 and a 115 grain low-recoil handgun is also wasted.
I find the.380 ACP to be fundamentally irritating. This round has been a great help for carry guns. The technology that was used to improve it has greatly benefited all handgun and subsonic rifle ammunition. It’s not the round’s greatest feature, however. It’s almost universally loaded below the pressure required, resulting in poor performance. Guns can be dressed up with more than just grips. It’s easy to see that guns today can be dressed up in more categories than just grips. To ensure reliable operation in micro pistols, the.380 90 grain JHP requires 200 fps more than most other ammo. Almost all of the problems I have with.380 ACP pistols are due to ammo and not design issues in the guns. The feeding problems disappear like magic when I use higher pressure cartridges. This is because many guns that are chambered for.380 ammo don’t cycle it well. It usually boils down the recoil spring weight and the slide’s weight. Because you have so little mass, the inertia required to remove a new cartridge from the magazine may not be there, causing a failure. It is no coincidence that when I load Buffalo Bore.380+P into a problem pocket pistol, it suddenly wakes and runs like a sewing machine. I recommend getting as much power as possible from the little round. You’ll notice a significant difference in recoil when you switch to a full-power.380, but the performance will be significantly better with five rounds of.357 Mag. Or six rounds of.380 ACP Both are possible. There are arguments for both.
People who own a gun don’t do it out of fear, but because they want to feel secure. Many first gun owners don’t go to the range or practice with their gun. Instead, they buy a few boxes and then forget about it. If you want to be a proficient pocket gun user, you need to make sure your weapon is properly fed with the right ammunition. Today’s.38 SPL can still be used with a soft-cast hollow point of 158-grain. It works as well today as it did 100 year ago. But can you say the exact same for a brand new.380 with today’s ammunition? A family of Hornady ammunition, including.357 Mag. and.38 Special as well as 9mm and.380ACP. Hornady was a pioneer in developing the mainstays of the micro-carry gun ammunition category. Some of these advances are made on the fly. There is no magic bullet that will make your pocket gun a show-stopper. Match your gun with ammo and don’t push it. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be found in MOA. Get Free Targets
