#380

Ruger has announced the introduction of their latest offering to the concealed carry community – the LCP MAX. The LCP MAX is a slight departure from the swarm of 9mm micro-compact pistols we’ve seen start to flood the market and I think there are a lot of people who would be happy to pick up this improved .380 model. The new LCP MAX takes the same basic design and size as the LCP II and adds in a few improvements as well as an increase in magazine capacity.

Welcome everyone to the 53rd edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you’re new to the series, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale (most of the time) and ask the question – is this Gat a sweet deal or does it only have Fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

I was and am still a fan of the Browning 1911-380, the “Right Size” handgun. In my review previously of their “Black Label” version, I found it to indeed by right-sized. The smaller sized, coupled with the .380 caliber made it a great option for 1911 fans the world over to actually concealed carry the platform (cue engraved full-sized 1911 owners).

In the state of Maryland firearms are rather heavily regulated. In fact, the state keeps a registry of handguns which may be purchased by residents. According to Maryland law residents are only allowed to buy handguns manufactured after January 1, 1985 – and those guns must also be listed on the Maryland Handgun Roster. (Interesting sidenote: up until this year the state also required FFLs to turn over the spent casing supplied by manufacturers with new guns to the Department of State Police Crime Laboratory upon the sale, rental, or transfer of said firearm. The practice was discontinued in 2015 after being deemed ineffective.)

Striking the waves of social media this month, a company by the name of Ideal Conceal, has released on its social media platforms a concept for a .380 caliber, double barrel, foldable, cellphone shaped handgun. Essentially this is a derringer in the shape of a smart phone. The design folds down, much like this concealable box like submachine gun that never really took off. The grip concealed the trigger and trigger guard, which is sort of neat because this allows it to act as a sort of trigger safety, completely blocking access to the trigger. But this doesn’t mean the production product could have a mechanical problem that could set off the rounds in the chamber. Remember earlier when I said “concept”? it doesn’t seem like the company has actually produced anything yet, as all the pictures of it appear to be from a  CAD program, and put on their website.

Smith & Wesson’s big announcement at the show was something concealed carriers have been asking after for years now: An M&P Bodyguard 380 with no manual thumb safety. This would perhaps have been a much bigger announcement than it was, had the company released the product in 2012, rather than 2016. The fact is that those looking for a pocket .380 handgun – those who just can’t live with a nigh-useless manual safety, that is – have so many options to choose from at this point that the safety-less Bodyguard won’t be terribly exciting news for most.

In 2016 Remington will celebrate its 200th anniversary, and in the months running up to the big 2-0-0 it should come as no surprise they’re unveiling a new addition to their handgun line: a .380 ACP. The new pistol is descriptively named the RM380, and it fills the basic parameters of function-meets-form as required by what has become one of the most popular defense calibers on the market today.

Bersa has introduced its first polymer-framed .380 ACP handgun to the US market. From the press release:

John Browning’s namesake company is expanding its handgun offerings to include a .380 1911. While other designs have been inspired by the platform (the Sig comes to mind), none have yet to use full-size mechanical interfaces (safety, slide catch, etc. The .380 version features the same 85% frame common to .22LR versions.

This beautiful pistol is a ČZ vz. 27 and chambered in 7.65 mm Browning (aka. .32 ACP). I am not sure when this model was first manufactured but it was at least as early as 1939 (feel free to share any information you have on this gun in the comment below). This particular CZ 27 was made just after WWII in 1946. Thanks to RobertP for sharing these beautiful photos with us.

Pat Cascio at AllOutdoor reviews the North American Arms Guardian Pistol chambered in .380 ACP and .32 NAA …

The first Glock compact, slim frame, single stack pistol has arrived.  What many have wanted, but most considered would never arrive, has finally materialized in the form of the Glock 42 in .380 caliber.  The long awaited “mini” Glock is finally a reality.

Jed at GunsGunsGuns.net just told me that Masterpiece Arms MPA Protector .380 / .32 pistols series has been discontinued and they have been removed from the Masterpiece Arms online catalog.

The big news at the Beretta booth during the NRA show was the Pico. If you thought the Nano was small, well, the Pico is tiny. It is a double action only hammer fired .380 pistol with a six round magazine, and it was designed to be as thin and snag-free as possible – about .71″ at its widest point.

At the 2013 Media Day I had the chance to put my hands on the new Kahr CW380, (Model #CW3833).  The CW380 is a nice compact handgun developed to fill the void in the CW series of pistols for the .380 caliber cartridge.  Previously Kahr had made the CW9 and CW40 in corresponding calibers.  Like its bigger brothers in the CW line, the CW380 has a polymer frame with a 416 stainless steel slide, and uses a single stack magazine to keep the pistol extremely slim.  Here are a list of the other CW380 specifications: