What's Better In Any Criteria A 9mm or a .380?

Question

Buying Gift For Wife New Year.

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

Let's put the cartridges in perspective. The .380 ACP is known in Europe as the 9mm Corto (Kurz or Browning) [9mm short]. The .380 ACP is to the 9mm Luger like the .22 Short is to the .22 Long Rifle. The .380 is not a slouch in the performance arena, since the .380 is the standard law enforcement round in many European countries.

The .380 fits into a smaller package than the 9mm. Personally, I would rather give my wife a .38 snubnose before I gave her a .380 or a 9mm. If your motivation for giving your wife a handgun is for protection and you want to give her a .380 or a 9mm, I would suggest you give serious consideration to the Beretta Model 84 Cheetah.

The Beretta Model 84 is currently marketed as a 10 shot .380 ACP which looks like a miniature Model 92 (M9). Magazines are available (either pre-ban or current high capacity) that take the pistol back to a 14 shot .380. This would be the only mid-caliber semi-auto I would consider giving my wife for self defense. Ten or 14 95 grain bullets would make any perpetrator's day bad.

One thing you need to keep in mind ... if you are giving your wife a handgun for protection, and that would be carried ... it must be small enough for her to carry and conceal it in her everyday routine. It has to fit in with her dress and regimine. In this case, smaller is better. If it is too big, it will be left home when it is needed most.

There are better calibers out there, but without a better idea of why you want to get it for her, this is the best I can offer.

Good luck!

Answer 2

"Bound Hubby" (??) makes some good points. Another thing to consider is working the slide on these two autos. Most 380s are blowback operated so the springs in the slide are heavy, to absorb the recoil. Add that to the small grasping surfaces of the small gun's slide and you have a difficult gun to operate. The 9mm, on the other hand is mostly recoil operated (with a few gas operated ones). Since the force of the recoil is used to move other parts the springs need not be as stiff. So it is easier to move the slide, additionally, the slide on the 9mm is bigger, giving a more firm grip.
All that being said; when I offered my wife her choice of my handguns, which included a 380 and 9mm, she passed them up for my S&W 640. A .38 revolver with a concealed hammer. She loads it with 125 gr. hollow points.

Answer 3

A .380 is not even in the same league with the 9mm but does make a good hideout weapon if you're into that sorta thing. You might be able to take out a poodle at close range if you could hit the dam* thing. I stripped the meat off the top of my thumb with my girlfriends about 30 years ago and swore I'd never shoot one again.

Go for the 9mm, you can get them in small, medium and large frame autos. They make a loader noise but, trust me, you don't want a .380, they are a poor choice. If you want something that pops instead of bangs just go for the .22.

bounds hubby makes a good point. The .38 snub wheel gun with an enclosed hammer would be a much better carry than a pistol for anyone but a professional or a movie star!

Just my opinon. I smithed in the mid 70’s to early 80’s. I have been envolved in the use of deadly force both in and out of the military and I would argue that any of the firearms talked about will not readily put someone down and out in the heat of the moment. Maybe get a dog?

God bless you all and may no one ever have to find out which is better.

Answer 4

Go with the 9mm, you'll have a wider variety of firearms to choose from. The 9mm is also generally a quieter and more accurate round than the .380 ACP. Everything you can get with the .380, compact pistol, good magazine capacity, easy to handle, etc. you can get with a 9mm and in many cases you can do better in those three areas. Hope I was some help.

Answer 5

The .9mm is better. My experience is that .9mm ammo is also cheaper per box of fifties.

With the .9mm as with the .380acp bullet design is everything. For defensive purposes always use the best quality hollow-point or pre-fragmented bullet you can find. Although the .380acp is smaller, the lesser weight of the gun makes for more snap when fired. This hurts small hands and may NOT be the ideal lady's gun. I've found that the wider frame .380s like the Berettas and Brownings with the double stack magazines are easier for ladies to shoot than say the Walthers or Sig .380s.

Nine-mms are good defensive handguns. I like the Glock Model 19 although the Model 26 is smaller and more concealable. Beretta, Browning and Sig all make good .9mms although they tend to be pricey. Consider the Ruger and Taurus .9mms as well. A very petite lady friend actually carries a .45acp concealed (lawfully with her concealed carry permit, of course). Don't overlook the .38s like the excellent S&W Lady Smith. Again, load your .38 Special with quality hollowpoint defensive ammo.

Let your wife select a model that fits her hand well and if an auto loader, that she can reach the safety & magazine release easily. A very petite woman may be better served by a .32acp (again, with good hollow point ammo like Winchester Silvertips it is an adequate defensive weapon). The Beretta 3032 Tomcat is a good choice as is the Walthers in .32acp (when you can find it in this caliber).

Best,

H

Answer 6

.380, while it is less powerful than 9mm, is available in much smaller guns. If she's looking to carry, that's an important consideration. I do agree with bound's hubby that a .38 revolver may be a better choice, especially if your wife doesn't shoot very often. Revolvers are a simpler mechanism, and harder to make malfunction. One of your biggest determining factors will be what fits her hand the best. Take her with you, let her hold and handle several different guns, test fire them if the store has a range you can use, and buy the one that is most comfortable to her.

Answer 7

The best is the one your wife can shoot quickly and accurately. It is best to take her to the range with a couple examples of both (borrowed from a few buddies) and she will let you know which one she is most comfortable with. I would much prefer my wife shoot an attacker in the vitals with a "puny" .380 than not hit with a 9mm or anything larger. And don't forget you do get what you pay for, don't settle for a cheaper model if it doesn't function perfectly. Too bad the .380 Glock is not available to the U.S.

Answer 8

I'm not going to even start with the .25 discussion...
What i can tell you is that my wife likes my browning bda(380) (bda is made by beretta, very similar to beretta model 84)much more than my beretta 92fs(9mm).
recoil is different but about the same for both guns.
The smaller grip and better trigger of the bda make it more accurate , at least in my hands and my wife's, than the 92fs.
Take her to the gun shop and let her try some on for size, or better yet let her shoot them.

Answer 9

well 9mm Luger 9x19 Has slightly more power then it little brother the 9x17 aka the .380 .There are many more pistols available in 9mm Luger and lots more ammo to choose from then the .380 .

Answer 10

the 9mm is more powerful.but the 380 is smaller and easier to control.if her hands are big enough to hold the 9mm go with that.if not get the 380.