#380ACP

Beretta has just added threaded barrels as a separate option for the new 80X Cheetah line of pistols. Beretta announced the updated Cheetah models at SHOT Show 2023 to include a railed dust cover, optics-ready slide, and an updated trigger. However, the threaded barrel option has arrived only 14 months after the official launch.

Walther is bringing back a classic pistol option not seen in many years. While most American shooters think of the PPK as a .380 ACP, that was not the original chambering. The .32 ACP PPK was the first model, and Walther is making it again. 

Welcome back to Part II of the Beretta 80x review. In Part I, we took a look at the design and features of the gun. This part of the review will focus on shooting and carrying it, which I did a lot over the last few months. Let’s get into it.

CORRECTION: As a heads up, Beretta does NOT recommend cocked and locked carry for this gun. According to an email I received, cocked-and-locked (hammer cocked with safety engaged) is not an intermediate position but, rather, is a transitional step where the safety lever stiffens against the decocking lever. While, at that point, the trigger bar should be disconnected – it’s not guaranteed. The safety worked in my pistol with the hammer cocked, but it may not work in yours. Be cautious.

European American Amory Corporation is now offering the Girsan MC 14 T. With its “Tip-Up” design there is no slide racking required to load and fire the gun. Offered in .380 ACP with a capacity of 13+1, it’s claimed to be the ideal concealed carry handgun, especially for those who may have difficulty using a regular pistol. The MC 14 T has an external safety, external hammer and auto firing pin block. The MSRP is $498, with an all-steel 4.5″ barrel and slide and ambidextrous safety.

If you thought 30 Super Carry was all set to dethrone or kill .380 ACP, you’d be wrong because Ruger has just announced the latest addition to their handgun lineup. The new Ruger Security-380 pistol is a 15+1 capacity carry pistol featuring Ruger’s Lite Rack system which includes design features to allow for easier slide manipulations. Ruger calls the design of the Security-380 pistol “full-featured, ideally sized, and modestly priced.”

9mm micro-compact pistols have been front and center within the pistol world for quite some time now. During the midst of some of the biggest brand names releasing their own version of the 9mm micro compact to the industry, Ruger somewhat sneakily released the LCP MAX 380 pistol which took the super tiny LCP 380 semi-auto pistol with a standard magazine capacity of 6-rounds and bumped that number up to 10 rounds. James Reeves reviewed the LCP MAX 380 over on TFBTV during its initial release but we’ve yet to do that here on the blog side of things. Sometime shortly after the release of the LCP MAX 380, XS Sights came out with dedicated night sights for the pocket-sized 380 and they were gracious enough to send me a copy of their own LCP MAX 380 equipped with their DXT2 Big Dot sights. Today we’ll take a look at both the LCP MAX 380 as well as the XS Sights DXT2 Big Dot sight for it and see if this might be a sensible option for when you’re looking to be as discreet as possible.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves looks at the ultra-compact, cyberpunky TP380. The TP380 is a .380 ACP pistol/PCC/SMG introduced by Swiss B&T (Brugger & Thomet) almost 10 years ago. Initially earmarked for the South American civilian market, B&T never obtained an export license for the guns and they sat on B&T’s shelves in Thun. However, B&T is planning on introducing the subcompact .380 ACP as a pistol in the US market by the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023. James talks with Karl Brugger personally about the TP380 and gives you his first impressions.

Less Recoil and More Control. Those are the two hallmarks of the new SIG Sauer P365-380 pistol that was just announced by SIG. The SIG P365-380 offers users all the same great features as the standard 9mm P365 pistols, fits into the same holsters, uses the same accessories but does away with the increased recoil of 9mm in favor of the lighter recoiling .380 ACP cartridge – this opens up the platform to more users who are either recoil sensitive or have trouble manipulating a 9mm firearm.

Welcome to the TFB Field Strip series, where we dig in (literally) to any gun we can get our hands on. In this edition, we’ll be looking at the Fabrique Nationale or FN 1922 pistol designed by John Moses Browning. The 1922 pistol had quite a production run from 1922 (go figure) to 1983, and this model saw plenty of service in Europe throughout World War II, as well as pre-war and post. The FN 1922 is a larger version of the pocket-sized FN 1910, and the changes allowed for more bullet velocity, better sights, and increased ammunition capacity. The 1922 example for this field strip is chambered in 7.65 Browning, also known as .32 Auto or .32 ACP, yet they were also offered in .380 ACP as well. Thanks to my friend Chad for letting me photograph his  FN1922, which was brought back by his grandfather from WWII.

The Hornady BLACK line of ammunition was established on rifle calibers, of which are typically associated with “black rifles”.  Hornady’s website now has popular pistol calibers listed under the BLACK label and utilizes the XTP hollow point projectiles.  The new BLACK branded pistol caliber ammo is billed for use as defensive ammo across the caliber offerings, with some also being suggested for target/match and varmint hunting. The pistol versions introduced thus far are .380 ACP, 9mm Luger (in 115 and 124 grain), .40 S&W, and .45 ACP.

Federal has just released their new Hydra-Shok Deep .380 Auto bullet design meant for .380 micro-guns and compact pistols alike. This adds a whole new dimension to the micro-handgun caliber giving users more effectiveness. Federal Ammunition claims that this .380 offering is the first to offer consistent penetration beyond the FBI recommended 12-inch minimum in bare gel and through heavy clothing.

In 2017 TFB visited the exhibition “ James Bond in Motion” at the London Film Museum.

The Walther PP is one of those guns that many people today look at like its not impressive, but this little gun has quite the history both in gun world and in my personal life. The Walther PP is a small simplistic handgun that’s influenced quite a few pistols throughout history. My personal Walther PP has family history for me and is also an important gun in my collection.

New for 2019 SCCY is releasing its SCCY CPX-4, a .380 semi-auto pistol that adds to the existing line of CPX-3 Pistols. The CPX-4 is similar to the  CPX-3 but with some new features, including an ambidextrous thumb safety to appeal to customers who carry with manual safety guns.