Which 380 acp would you buy?

[GAP]

Just go with a Ruger LCP and whatever defensive ammo you can find with the Hornady XTP bullet. I am not a huge fan of .380, but ive never observed a round using an XTP bullet fail to feed or fire. The narrower profile and 90gr weight may have something to do with that.

If you wear long enough shirts, you can also pocket carry in your rear jeans pocket if you wanted. I am not sure if you are upright or bending over most of your time working?

I think using a Kydex pocket holster would be best for keeping dirt, sweat, etc away from your pistol. The nylon and leather ones would allow more dirt in I think and would retain sweat/water. Kydex snaps the pistol in place with a tight seal and you can quickly wipe plastic down each night.

I've had good success with this one when I needed a Kydex pocket holster:
http://www.vedderholsters.com/pocket-locker/

Good luck

[LSP972]

What the fuck sort of front pants pockets do you motherfuckers have that you can fit a j-frame? None of my Kuhl or VertX pants, jeans, dress slacks, khakis, or suit pants can come anywhere near fitting a j-frame. The only ones that can are some Tru-Spec fugazi 5.11's I have, and even then the J-frame would look like a bursting colostomy bag.

Damn, dude... Somebody took a shit in your cereal that morning?

I have been carrying a J frame in my front pocket for probably more years than you even knew what a pocket was. Royal Robbins FB1 Specials, military style BDU pants, Columbia shorts (both cargo and slick-side), Cabela shorts... hell, at least a dozen different brands.

No, no blue jeans or any designer pants, etc. if I was looking for a woman(and still had the physique they want), then maybe I would be annoyed. But, you see, for a long time I DID have that physique... And a hot Scot wife who kept me in line.

It's all about enough pocket space, and the proper holster; and you can do that WITHOUT looking like you have a semi-permanent chubby. Are you like many folks, and think that the vaunted Nemesis is the cat's ass for pocket holsters? If so, then no wonder you're pissed off.

Whatever. It's doable; you just have to give up the gigolo gig.

.

[BillSWPA]

I guess we just have a different set of life experiences on the matter. Here are three very common pocket holsters that the Custom model LCP will not work in:

L to R: Galco Horsehide, DeSantis Nemesis & RKBA.




I found a couple that would work with the Custom model, but I'm not going to choose a holster design just because it accommodates sights that really don't offer all that much of an advantage in any realistic context.

As always, YMMV.

Yes, our experiences are different. I have carried a North American Arms .380 that has both miniature Novak tritium sights as well as a Crimson Trace Lasergrip in a DeSantis Superfly with no issues. Switching from the factory sights seriously improved the accuracy with which I could shoot the gun.

I have too often seen sights that are worthless under any realistic conditions advertised as beneficial because they are "snag proof," but have never snagged the sights on my Glock 26 whether they were factory, Trijicon Bright & Tough, IWI adjustable, or Dawson, and I have carried this gun in 3 different pocket holsters, including a Superfly.

[Oukaapie]

Junk will have some, several or all of these properties.

Unreliable - instead of going bang it does something else
Prone to catastrophic failure - while shooting it breaks requiring a gunsmith, Visit to the ER or both.
Poor customer support - when the pistol breaks it would be good if the company has a good reputation for this.
Poor aftermarket support- good holsters, sights, magazines are things you will need.
Difficult to carry- if the weapon is too big or too heavy it stays at home.
Difficult to shoot - then you will shoot like crap, practice less and perform poorly when confronted with a situation that requires skill, luck and the ability to problem solve.

[Lost River]

Holy shit!

I got called a "Hipster"!

Here is a pic of me and all of my hipster friends hanging out, drinking fu-fu- coffee drinks, by an all organic fire, dining on free range bunny (sprinkled with sage) :







The grill was "re-purposed" from barbed wire, thus saving the hipster environment even more.

[GJM]

Holy shit!

I got called a "Hipster"!

Here is a pic of me and all of my hipster friends hanging out, drinking fu-fu- coffee drinks, by an all organic fire, dining on free range bunny (sprinkled with sage) :







The grill was "re-purposed" from barbed wire, thus saving the hipster environment even more.

Got you, I knew you were not a real cowboy. Think a real cowboy has a Nalgene water bottle?

[Hauptmann]

Got you, I knew you were not a real cowboy. Think a real cowboy has a Nalgene water bottle?

Since when do cowboys drink water? Whisky for the men, beer for the horses.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I find that I can carry a J frame or a G42 in LLBean cargo shorts and pants and the right Dockers. In fact, the Dockers have a cute change pocket inside the front pocket that holds a G42 extra mag quite nicely. I really like my 432 as a J - very light, extra round. I got in cheap when they were discontinued.

[Lost River]

Got you, I knew you were not a real cowboy. Think a real cowboy has a Nalgene water bottle?

How about an old Army 1 quart canteen then?



In all seriousness, I gave up on horses a long time ago.

I rodeoed for Boise State, riding roughstock and i don't care if I ever buck out again. My oldest enjoys mounted cowboy action shooting, so we support her, and one of the gals that was on my team at BSU with oddly enough is now her coach/mentor/second mom. She supplies the horses, etc, and we pitch in for expenses. That beats having to have a barn, full size truck, trailer, farrier bills, etc, etc.

In fact the kid was in the local rodeo last week. So was the USMC Flag team. Which by the way was super cool. I was going to get around to posting about. True Americana. Nobody had to say "please stand" or "remove your hats". Hundreds, maybe a thousand rural folks stood and removed hats for the Flag and singing of the National Anthem, as well as a prayer.

[Joe in PNG]

Some of the super cheap guns are made from super cheap materials- pot metal and the like.
Some of the cheap gun manufactures with the lifetime warrantee rely on the owner to not really shoot the gun a whole lot. When the gun breaks, they send you a totally new one.
Some of them use subpar materials in critical wear locations so that the gun is flawless at first, but wears into uselessness after a couple of hundred rounds.

As the saying goes, TANSTAAFL*. You honestly get what you pay for. A polymer gun that cost a couple of hundred less than the leading polymer gun does so for a reason- they're scrimping on something. A metal gun likewise.

There is a well founded conservatism about firearms on the forum. Most of us have owned cheap placeholder guns, and learned the particular disadvantages of owning the same. The ergonomics will usually be bad, the controls difficult, accessories hard to find, poor ammo availability, sights poor and non-replaceable, hard to shoot, fast to wear out, plus you get nothing for the trade when you want to buy something else.
Much of the same goes for "hipster guns"- stuff made outside the vetted manufacturers (Glock, S&W, Sig, H&K, Ruger, FN, Beretta, Walther, ect). You don't want to be a beta tester with your self defense tools. Even the vetted guys make some pretty unreliable disappointments (Beretta 9000 anybody?)

I've learned over my many decades to do your research, find something good that will last you a long time, and then get it. Stopgap and starter gear is a losing proposition.

*There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.