51 Best 380 Pistols for Everyday Carry

.380ACP was designed by John Moses Browning, and was introduced to the firearms market by Colt in 1908. It quickly gained popularity as a go-to caliber for consumers wanting a “pocket carry” firearm more powerful than the “mouse gun calibers” of .25 and .32ACP. A handful of nations adopted the cartridge for their militaries’ service pistols as well, strengthening the round’s popularity in European nations.

World-renowned firearms instructor Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch, who has been known to tell his classes, “I wouldn’t carry a .380 up my [redacted] if I had room for a tug boat!” along with other first-class instructors, veteran firearm owners, police officers, fudds, and keyboard warriors can be seen preaching from the mountain tops about the horrible terminal ballistics of the cartridge. However, individuals who may have trouble handling the recoil of larger calibers, along with people who have a need for a pistol that’s as small as possible are left with few options for an effective caliber.

Studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of different calibers and the data shows that calibers ranging in power from .380ACP to 9x19mm to .45ACP to .357MAG only show minor changes in terminal ballistics, suggesting that .380 is indeed a reasonable choice of caliber for a carry gun. A hole is a hole, right?

Below is a list of GunCritic’s 80 most popular .380 pistols. Which on this list would you consider using as an everyday carry gun?

From $599.99

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SIG Sauer P238

Reacting to many requests from the marketplace for a subcompact SIG SAUER pistol, engineers designed the new P238 as a smart looking, small handgun built with the same accuracy and reliability as larg... read more

GunCritic Score

96%

User Rating

99%

#19

Best Handguns for Women

#13

Best Handguns for Beginner

#14

Best Home Defense Guns

#34

Best Pistol Brand

From $374.85

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Smith & Wesson M&P 380 Shield EZ

The innovative M&P380 Shield EZ pistol is the latest addition to the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 family, and provides a perfect option for both first-time shooters and experienced hand gunners alike. Bui... read more

GunCritic Score

100%

User Rating

99%

Best Handguns for Women

#19

Best Handguns for Beginner

Best Home Defense Guns

Best Concealed Carry Guns

From $703.25

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Colt Mustang Pocketlite

The Colt .380 Mustang Pocketlite and new Mustang Lite are small, lightweight and boast enhanced durability, reliability and accuracy, making either an ideal handgun for personal protection. The precis... read more

GunCritic Score

97%

User Rating

99%

Best Pistol Brand

#32

Best Selling Handguns

#13

Best Concealed Carry Pistols

#59

Best 380 Pistols

From $1079.50

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Sig Sauer P238 Titanium Rainbow

The Sig Sauer P238 Rainbow Titanium Massachusetts Compliant pistol looks exactly as it sounds. This pistol features a special edition rainbow titanium finish and also includes rosewood grips. The engi... read more

GunCritic Score

87%

User Rating

99%

#19

Best Sig Sauer

Best Pistols For Women

Best Handguns For Female

Best Guns For Women

From $991.10

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CZ 83

The CZ-83 is a blowback-operated pistol with fixed barrel. Return spring is located around the barrel. Double action trigger with exposed hammer has a very smooth pull in both SA and DA modes. Ambidex... read more

GunCritic Score

91%

User Rating

99%

#76

Best 380 Pistols

#21

Best 32 Pistols

Best CZ Pistols for Concealed Carry

From $660.34

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Walther PPK

Timelessness inspires true greatness. A groundbreaking idea now gives rise to the next level of achievement in unrivaled performance, delivering tried-and-true results when you need them most. Walther... read more

GunCritic Score

94%

User Rating

99%

#154

Best Pistols

#34

Best 22 Pistols

#44

Best Concealed Carry Guns

#46

Best Concealed Carry Handguns

From $455.60

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Springfield Armory 911

Springfield Armory's 911 .380 is the perfect pistol for your EVERY day carry. The lightweight 7075 T6 aluminum frame and black Nitride or stainless 416 steel slide measure 5.5 inches long and less tha... read more

GunCritic Score

91%

User Rating

99%

#88

Best Pistols

#27

Best Pistol Brand

#49

Best Concealed Carry Guns

#47

Best Selling Handguns

From $246.49

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Bersa Thunder

The Thunder 380 is a lightweight, relatively small semi-automatic pistol series chambered in the popular .380 ACP caliber made by Argentine firearms manufacturer Bersa, S.A. read more

GunCritic Score

94%

User Rating

99%

#31

Best Concealed Carry Guns

#27

Best Cheap Handguns

#72

Best 380 Pistols

#32

Best Concealed Handguns

From $339.96

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Bersa Thunder 380 CC

The ultimate compact .380 D.A. Pistol. This is the perfect .380 D.A. you want for personal protection. It's slim, trim and always ready for immediate action. It out-performs, out-features and out pric... read more

GunCritic Score

97%

User Rating

99%

#21

Best Cheap Handguns

Best 380 Pistols

#18

Best Concealed Handguns

#28

Best 380 Handguns

From $398.65

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Walther CCP M2 380 Pistol

Walther Ccp M2 380 Auto (acp) 3.54in Black - 8+1 Rounds - Maximum Efficiency. Minimal Effort. An Achievement Born From An Unabating Commitment To Excellence. All In The Most Comfortable And Accessible... read more

GunCritic Score

50%

User Rating

99%

#36

Best 380 Pistols

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