[vacca rabite]

My father-in-law-to-be offered me a free Taurus 380.

On one hand, hey - its a free gun! On the other hand, its a 380. And not a really small 380. I know that 380 is generally considered a back - up round at most. Is it good for anything?

I wonder how hard the pistol would be to covert it to a 9mm...

Zach

 

[Nose Nuggets]

its good to shoot at the range


like almost every other free firearm.

 

[Janq]

You get what ytou pay for.
I'd take it but wouldn't do much to it nor even carry it but to the range in my kit box.

Whats ammo cost for a .380?

- Janq

 

[jamz]

.380 is similar on price to .38, cheap .45 etc... around $10.00 for a box of 50, so not very cheap.

It is a minimal defensive caliber for a lot of people including my own very humble self, but I prefer a .38 spl if I can.

I'd take it, you never know when you may need a spare gun for emergencies, to lend to someone in need, etc. etc.

Plus, there's the political aspect... he's your father in law, hes offering you a gift, he knows you like guns, you can figure out the rest. Don't insult him by not taking it.

 

[Adler]

What kind of 380 Taurus is it?? Sounds like a Pt58 which is basically a downsized PT92. 380 isnt that bad of a defensive cartridge with the right load. You cant convert it to 9mm since it is a blockback firearm. A 9mm would beat teh gun to death in no time. It was tried for years to have a blowback 9mm and all failed except the ASTRA pistols of the 20's-40's.

380 is also a real nice silencer round since its usually subsonic.

 

[Janq]

...It is a minimal defensive caliber for a lot of people including my own very humble self, but I prefer a .38 spl if I can...

And "minimal" is the word.
Take a peek at the stopping power percentages for the 380 across all bullet weights; http://www.handloads.com/misc/stoppingpower.asp?Caliber=10&Weight=All
It's pretty dismal with the highest percentage being 71% (Corbon 90 gr. JHP) though the vast majority of usages being in the 69% range (Federal 90 gr. JHP).
38 Special is actually worst in standard loadings at 49% (!) on the majority and doesn't get to be good untill you get to +P+ power levels at 80% on the high side.

But then as they say shot placement is key. :shrug:

- Janq

 

[Bobula]

I've got a bersa thunder in .380. You can get some mean rounds, i use blazer home defense hollow points ($22 for 50) and at the range i use wal-mart cheap stuff ($16 for 100) If it's free? take it! If you don't like it? gimme gimme!