Warmer weather is upon us, which means lighter clothing, so I've been looking at getting a little .380acp pistol for the pocket. I had the opportunity to try out a S&W BG380 and the Ruger LCP. The BG380 had a smooth, easy to rack slide that locks back after the last shot, but had the worst trigger I've yet experienced in a small pistol, and I don't feel confident I would ever be able to activate it's built-in laser in a stressful up close and personal defensive encounter, which is what this type of gun is designed for in the first place. I felt that the extra bulk and heft the laser added to what should have been a small, easily concealable pocket pistol was more of a liability then what offered in return. It also had a manual safety I would never use, just one more useless thing that could possibly go wrong.
The LCP was OK but I found it very difficult to rack the slide, so the fact that it won't hold open on the last shot was a deal breaker for me. Again, I don't feel confident I could reload the little beast in a stressful situation with sweaty hands, etc. These little .380's need to be racked vigorously to chamber the first round correctly, so a last shot hold open is a must have in my opinion. The other .380's on the market, such as the Kahr P380 and Sig P238, are just simply too expensive. If I'm spending $500-$600+ on a handgun, it's definitely not going to be on a little .380 pistol.
The Taurus TCP 738 on the other hand had everything I wanted in a .380 pocket pistol. No frills, no external safety, a superior trigger and last shot hold open, all for considerably cheaper then the competition. Once I found out it was made in the USA, there was no question which one I would choose. The TCP's chiseled looks with it's wider trigger guard was more appealing to me aesthetically as well. When handling each of the three pistols, I found no noticeable qualitative difference between them.
I haven't taken the TCP to the range yet, but I'm expecting it to behave similarly to the other small .380's I've shot. I will report back on my experience.
The LCP was OK but I found it very difficult to rack the slide, so the fact that it won't hold open on the last shot was a deal breaker for me. Again, I don't feel confident I could reload the little beast in a stressful situation with sweaty hands, etc. These little .380's need to be racked vigorously to chamber the first round correctly, so a last shot hold open is a must have in my opinion. The other .380's on the market, such as the Kahr P380 and Sig P238, are just simply too expensive. If I'm spending $500-$600+ on a handgun, it's definitely not going to be on a little .380 pistol.
The Taurus TCP 738 on the other hand had everything I wanted in a .380 pocket pistol. No frills, no external safety, a superior trigger and last shot hold open, all for considerably cheaper then the competition. Once I found out it was made in the USA, there was no question which one I would choose. The TCP's chiseled looks with it's wider trigger guard was more appealing to me aesthetically as well. When handling each of the three pistols, I found no noticeable qualitative difference between them.
I haven't taken the TCP to the range yet, but I'm expecting it to behave similarly to the other small .380's I've shot. I will report back on my experience.
