Little guns

[texas_teacher]

Dunno how you can git much simpler than either a Mustang or Sig P238....or much smaller!

Definitely doesn't get easier to disassemble and maintain than the 1911 platform those two boast...

 

[chubbyzook]

maybe not but is it a lil smaller than the sig and it probably as equal in assembly as the sig

 

[TexasRedneck]

maybe not but is it a lil smaller than the sig and it probably as equal in assembly as the sig

Mebbe someone will have one with 'em at the shoot next month an' ah'll take a look at it - since I haven't looked at one up close an' personal, ah'm not gonna "pass judgement"........

 

[chubbyzook]

Mebbe someone will have one with 'em at the shoot next month an' ah'll take a look at it - since I haven't looked at one up close an' personal, ah'm not gonna "pass judgement"........

hmm maybe ill have to go and let you take a look at it.. you might be as impressed i was when i broke it down lol

 

[TexasRedneck]

hmm maybe ill have to go and let you take a look at it.. you might be as impressed i was when i broke it down lol

Always ready ta look at how they're put together - may or may not like it, but you don't really know until you've seen 'em first-hand!

 

[chubbyzook]

Always ready ta look at how they're put together - may or may not like it, but you don't really know until you've seen 'em first-hand!

thats what ive been going off of for a while i always play with a gun before i purchase it

 

[RPB]

Though I generally wear 3 to 6 pistols, I'm still intrigued by Bond Arms little SnakeSlayer 4 in Stainless with extended grip, for life jacket/PFD pocket carry on kayak/boat .... for 45LC and/or .410

I like my Diamondback DB380 ..... found quite a bit of .380 online, as long as you want Hornaday, CorBon or Buffalo Bore +P, (Diamondbacks like +P better than standard pressure)

 

[chubbyzook]

have you actually had good luck with your db380 the only range reports ive seen is about ppl have way too many problems with that gun

 

[texas_teacher]

Anyone have one of those 2 shot derringers that they carry as a bonus? If so what caliber? What's the purpose of carrying one of those in 22 or 22 mag? I mean 32 might be the smallest I'd carry but even that is verging on a tiny round... 38 special or I've even seen one in 9mm might be something I'd look into... Just wondering what kind of luck people have had with them and what kind of carry people use with these...

 

[F350-6]

Though I generally wear 3 to 6 pistols, I'm still intrigued by Bond Arms little SnakeSlayer 4 in Stainless with extended grip, for life jacket/PFD pocket carry on kayak/boat .... for 45LC and/or .410

I've got a Snake Slayer IV. Fun little pistol. Kicks like a mule with 3" 410 shells. I'm thinking of making my own larger grips for it to lessen the kick. It's not a muzzle flip, but a straight back into the palm of your hand kick. Fun and different though.

 

[tex45acp]

Beauty personified in a .380....

-

TrailDust,

That is a gorgeous little gun. I would like to have one for just shooting and having a good time. I would definately consider carrying that IWB with a good holster.

texas_teacher,

Like Kc5, I wa not really a .380 person either....until, as you know, my wife picked up and fondled the new Walther PK-380 at the gunstore back in November 09'. She of course got that gun for Christmas from Santa Hubby and loves it. I, as a good hubby would, had to shoot it to make sure it worked properly and there was not too much recoil for her. I put 50 rounds through it and was very impressed with the little gun. She has since put another 100 rounds through it and so has my new Daughter In Law and her mom. Yesterday I delivered two more to them as well. Though I will probably never carry one I do really like the caliber.

tex

 

[TexasRedneck]

Rumor has it that there's one or two of 'em in mah safe......

 

[Texican Scotty]

I have a Ruger LCP and love it. I've put over 300 rounds through it without incident. That's my wife's gun. I have a Kel-tec P-11 and Polish P-64 that I use for carry. I haven't had a single misfire with the Kel-tec or the P-64 either. However, that P-64, after 50 rounds made my hand hurt. On the other hand, I was amazed by the accuracy. Luckily, 9mm Makarov is still cheap. $10 a box at Academy.

 

[RPB]

have you actually had good luck with your Diamondback db380 the only range reports ive seen is about ppl have way too many problems with that gun

Sorry for the delay in answering, just saw your post.

You probably mean Adam's posts. He posted a lot at several forums, ran thousands of rounds of all types and brands through one and had lots of problems with it, and posted them on various forums, sent it back to Diamondback THREE times, and bought a Kahr P380 on its third trip back to the factory.
.... Adam's first DB380 was out of spec, trigger bar broke twice, had problems he sent it back and factory said his was out of spec and the third time, they realized it was "out of spec" and they replaced it under warranty and the last PM I got from him a couple weeks ago said his NEW ONE is running trouble free now after 300+ rounds. I PMmd/E-mailed him recently and he replied...

RE: Diamondback

I got my new one back from the factory and it has been flawless through 300+ rounds.

Adam

(keep in mind that is the same person who posted the range reports of trouble you probably read)

In one thread he stated "I believe that you will find many more very positive reviews of the DB380 out there as well. I and Diamondback themselves readily admit that I just plain got a bad one. The good news is that they have been totally on top of it and proactive in making me as a buyer whole.
I give them major kudos for 1. breaking the mold of the polymer pocket .380, 2. standing behind what they are producing, and 3. being honest and honorable with their customers."


Everyone I've heard of and talked to or corresponded with that tested one, including a Gun Store person who helped someone else break in the one they bought, (He's a member on this forum too, and he probably may post his own report some day) said use +P and it will run better but standard pressure ammo will hiccup some, at least during break in.

RE: Buffalo Bore / +P ammo in a DB380:
This is the same information I'm reading as well. I
went to the range with a customer that bought one and we had issues with the
empty casings ejecting from the gun. We cleaned it real good and tried
again but the same thing happened. Later he shot some +P rounds and
everything cycled like it was supposed to. The few rounds I put through it
I really enjoyed. Very easy on the hands and pretty accurate. I will be
buying one for myself as soon as I can get another in stock.


(So, he owns or works at a gun store and intends to buy one since he shot one...)

I consider that a good thing, the fact it prefers +P or higher pressure ammo, since all other .380 pistols say NOT to feed +P to their pistols, yet Diamondback is recommending trying it, and every person who has fired one says be sure to use +P or higher pressure ammo..

If you call Diamondback Customer Service and have problems, they'll probably first recommend you use "HOTTER ROUNDS" (+P ammo) and see if that fixes the problem, (Other forums posted this as fact too) it's nice to have a .380 apparently DESIGNED to handle +P. (although they won't state that "officially", because there isn't really a SAAMI specification for +P .380... because according to SAAMI, there is no such thing as .380 Auto +P, SO, you can't really "officially" recommend an Ammo that "doesn't exist") What is marketed as +P is right on the edge of max SAAMI and marketed as +P to warn off the blowback guns, so Ruger says don't use it or it may damage the LCP or yourself & KelTec says don't feed a steady diet of it .... (but the DB380 is Locked Breech, not a blowback, so it handles +P, AND I'm told that locked breech, combined with a grip close to the bore center line, results in less felt recoil and is better for controlability with higher pressure ammo )
In a Self Defense situation, I'd rather have +P loaded in a gun that prefers it, like the DB380, instead of in one from a company saying not to use +P or your gun may blow up and injure you, like Ruger LCP does.

When I first got it I loaded up Winchester Silvertips I had, then Federal Hydroshok my True Value Hardware store had in stock, but after talking and writing people, I changed to Corbon +P or Buffalo Bore.

I'm collecting or trying to collect more +P .380 ammo to test mine, but I carry it with Corbon +P and Buffalo Bore, along with several other pistols until our local gun range re-opens. (He closes during hunting season)



Anyway, the only problems I've seen, other than Adam's (which was a defect and replaced) were ammo related, people using weak/standard pressure ammo instead of +P like they should actually be carrying for self defense anyway. If you use low pressured ammo, it can jam FTE/FTF and be a jammomatic, if you read other range reports, you'll see that if people used weak/standard pressure ammo. But, I practice with what I carry, because I once fired thousands of rounds of FMJ practice ammo without a hiccupin a KelTec P11, then tried to put some seldf defense JHP in it that caught on the ramp and wouldn't chamber.

I wish Diamondback also made a 9x18 Makarov barrel, because they are slightly higher pressured rounds than .380 standard pressure rounds, but the bullet diameter is bigger so they can't be fired in a .380, because Mak ammo is running around 21 cents per round instead of 80 cents per round in .380, and Mak is easier to find right now..... could be done though. Like the FEG PA-63 is a copy of the Walther PPK, except in 9x18 Makarov instead of .380 (and quite snappy to shoot until the recoil spring is replaced, since it's pushing a slightly bigger diameter, heavier bullet, faster with a higher pressure loading)

Actually, for 5 weeks, I even sleep wearing it in a Bianchi model 6 suede IWB holster, and the Glock 19 amnd Taurus PT92 are nearby until I can test the DB380 after the range reopens next month. But, I think it'll be fine.

----------

TrailDust : I thought that was my Taurus PT-58 at first glance, yep those are sweet. It was that shooting experience that got me into the 92/99 series, which I love and carry when I can. I still want a 92 Stainless Compact with the shorter grip, but they were here and gone before the Concealed carry rush.... I keep being a day late on the auction sites to get one.

 

[texas_teacher]

That's interesting that their firearm prefers 380 +P if there is such a thing...

I have a question to pose...

I know many individuals use these little guns as backups and pocket pistols etc. Does anyone regularly use their little gun as a primary carry?

 

[TexasRedneck]

Yes and no....there are times when there's simply no way to carry anything bigger, and at those times, my P238 serves "primary".

 

[RPB]

That's interesting that their firearm prefers 380 +P if there is such a thing...
I have a question to pose...
I know many individuals use these little guns as backups and pocket pistols etc. Does anyone regularly use their little gun as a primary carry?

I'll admit about 30 years ago I used to have a PPK .380 as primary and a .32 as backup inside an office building, when it was hot weather and the chance of needing one was low, but I'd hesitate to do that now, even in the middle of a lake alone in a kayak, I'll have at least a 9mm (they don't make .380 snakeshot).

 

[Texas42]

Its a lot more convenient to carry a 380 auto than most of the larger caliber guns (at least my larger caliber guns).

 

[texas_teacher]

Its a lot more convenient to carry a 380 auto than most of the larger caliber guns (at least my larger caliber guns).

I definitely agree with that...

 

[Danton]

I went to a local shop to buy the Ruger LCP (when they were relatively new and hard to find), and the owner strongly recommended I put a few rounds through his demo model (free of charge). I was reluctant to and dead set on buying it, but thankfully I took his advice. It had a pretty hard bite (on my hand, anyway), so I went with the Sig 238. I liked it so much I bought a second one recently just because it was at a very good price (hopefully the wife will start keeping it in the car - she won't bring her Cheetah for size reasons). Anyway, outstanding gun. It'll eat anything you feed it, fires great, and is extremely accurate for so small a pistol. In short: It's a Sig. Only 15.3 ounces and fits in an Uncle Mike's pocket holster, which slides easily into cargo shorts/pants. Completely comfortable carrying it cocked & locked. Perfect back-up or summer carry if you can't conceal anything larger.