Like he said, “it is better than nothing”. I’ve carried a .380 awhile back with no reservations. It comes down to what works best for you.
I wish I could find the poliroid photo of me holding my NAA .22 revolver. I had to check it in ate the gate at FLETC when my buddy was graduating from the US Customs academy. The guards at the gate laughed their ass off at a big guy like me carrying that tiny gun. That gun concealed any where. It often rode in a little Rybka pocket holster. It was at times concealed under a floor mat in the car.
The first rule of winning a gunfight is to have a gun.
If I was in the OP’s dilemma. I’d seriously start thinking Walther PPS .40 S&W or 9mm.
At between 5 1/2 and 6 bills for the gun and $50 a pop for spare mags. it’s a bit more pricey than the Kel-Tec’s but I’d feel a whole lot better about the Cost of the Walther the very first time I got caught wondering If I was going to have to use my weapon.
I’m pretty sure that he could do a G19 AIWB easily with that outfit…I know I could.
I cannot envision any circumstance where a 12-14 oz J-frame cannot be carried–even wearing just baggy shorts and no shirt, a J-frame can hide in a pocket; add a shirt and then a G19 can be added AIWB.
Not yet, but I’ve been meaning to buy one. Generally my practice is to carry the LCP and the Braveheart while I’m actually on the treadmill…meanwhile an Eagle Industries fanny pack that holds my MP3 player, my ID and a J frame is hanging on the handle of the treadmill right in front of me. When I’m using the weight machines I just keep the fannypack on.
Before leaving the gym I go into the private bathroom and put on an M&P using a Galco bellyband as the holster.
I don’t really see the problem…I carry my G19 all summer in an IWB holster with good belt, usually under a T-shirt.
I wear T-shirts year round and AIWB carry an M&P9c, and I could conceal larger. All you need is a good belt, something with belt loops and an AIWB holster, and you can conceal anything, anytime, any place. I’ve even put my belt on over my pajamas which have no belt loops and it still worked fine. (Don’t ask:p)
As previously mentioned, if I’m wearing swim shorts, I’m in the water, and not carrying a gun anyway.
Pocket holsters and pocket guns are for BUGs if I already have a gun on my belt, and it would be an airweight in .38 +p, so there really isn’t much of a point in .380s for me.
And of course, no matter where you are and what you’re doing, you always have a knife and pepper spray on you, which counts for something in a pinch. I don’t USUALLY wear my gun with my pajamas, but my knife and my 1oz Fox Labs spray are in the pockets. 
Here in FL where it’s been “hot as balls” for the last few months, I have no problems concealing my M&P9c with T-shirts, Muscle Tank tops and jean shorts, for the overwhelming majority of the time not at work. Like others have said, a good holster, belt and carry position selection, makes all the difference in the world in concealing your firearm. A .380 would as JW777 said, a last ditch weapon, where nothing else is available, other than hand to hand, knife included. Depending on blade length, the knife would be a more effective weapon.
The points that needed to be made on this topic have largely been made, but while I would probably not opt for a .380 myself, I’ve known people that were shot to death with a .22LR, so there is always something to be said for shot placement.
.380 or nothing? .380.
.380 or anything else larger than .380? Anything else.
Once upon a time, it was possible to get a quality .380 in a much smaller package than you could get a typical 9mm, so in those days, even something like a Beretta 84 was a good choice. Times have changed, of course, and today you can get even more gun in an even smaller package.
If it helps feel you any better, I suppose we can always refer to .380 by it’s European/German designation: 9mm Kurz. =]
AC
i feel like a broken record sometimes, but i’ll, once again, point out that the glock 26 is pretty funkin’ awesome for deep concealment. at 3:30 in an IWB, i can wear nice lightweight, thin shirts, and dont print even bending straight over.
My gym, jogging, shirtless, and business casual concealment rig is an LCP. I avoid carrying it as much as possible because I feel better prepared with a 9mm, but there are just so many circumstances where even a PM9/PF9-size pistol is too big. For me, even the LCP prints too much in a front pocket, but it hides extremely well in a back pocket. Its light enough to stay put when stuffed in a sock, tighties, compression shorts or just about anywhere else you can imagine. The only holster I need for pocket & IWB carry is a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster. Put it under your belt or compression shorts against your skin and it stays put while jogging or biking. You can tuck over it with no clips showing. This setup gives you the flexibility to move it to the cargo pocket of the flimsiest of workout shorts/surf trunks and not have to move around the gym like a fan dancer. IMO, a light .380 is a must have for those committed to carrying at all times in all attire. However, I do agree that the smallest of nines & snubbies are fine in most circumstances.
I expect the threat I’m most likely to face is a human with malicious intent.
What do you carry a gun to defend against?
A good pocket 380 is def better than nothing. When it’s blazing hot and humid as hell you’re tempted to leave the gun at home if you’re having to wear a cover shirt to conceal a bigger gun. Hell a .22 in your pocket beats a 45 at home…
Drop a stainless 380 in your pocket and you’re good to go. I’ve done this countless times over the past 25 yrs.
Nobody ever plans to be in a gunfight. With that in mind, which would you prefer to have with you when the SHTF? A pocket gun or a full size fighting pistol? For me its either a gov model in 45acp or a Glock 17. I used to live in Florida and Texas. You can dress comfortably for the hot weather and pack a full size pistol. Wear a gunbelt and proper holster and its not a problem.
J frame revolver or compact 9 mm like G26, I carry these in a taclite shorts, no issues in socal during 90 degree weather. I like the RKBA holsters, they work well in the taclite shorts. I had a Sig P230 380 but after reading Doc Roberts ballistic report and seeing real world wounds with 380, I’ll stay with 38 spl +P loads and 9mm.
Twenty years ago, it was a much easier choice. Times have changed.
It is rare I can’t conceal a Glock 19 using a tuckable type of IWB kydex holster. I live in SW Ohio, where the temperature as I speak is going up to 95, and with the humidity, the heat index will break 100 by lunch.
For those days I want to go shirtless, or am feeling lazy, I still don’t feel comfortable going below 38spc or 9mm. I have a Glock 26 that lives in a FIST kydex pocket holster. This is about the largest gun I can pocket carry, depending on the design of the shorts pocket. If I am going to carry a Glock 26 IWB, I have found I can conceal a Glock 19 just as well. I am very fond of my Glock 19.
When the Glock 26 is too big for the pocket, I switch to a Kahr PM9. Some types of pockets make the draw kinda tough with the square shape of the PM9, for those pockets, a S&W 642 seems to just slip in and out.
My Kahr PM9 sees more use than my 642 as the PM9 prints less, is easier to carry reloads, and I shoot it slightly better. I keep the 642 because I like it…
I don’t feel all that comfortable carrying the PM9 or the 642 as a primary gun (only do so when I feel the “threat is low”), I just couldn’t feel good using a 380.
I have heard many within my own agency talk of using 32 and 380’s off duty. The logic is that in an incident, “I’ll just stick it in their face and shoot”. Some telling this are even SWAT, and should know better. Many of these LEO’s are in Preferred assignments, and haven’t worked the street in several years.
The last 18 yrs of inter-city Law Enforcement has taught me that my Crystal ball is broken. I am unable to predict in advance the dynamics of a gun fight, such as number of suspects, engagement distance, light conditions, ect.
If I were going with a 380, I feel shot placement would be even more important (if that were possible) than with a service caliber. With the new smaller 380’s such as the LCP, how tough is it to make those precision shots under stress at 7 yds? (Don’t assume your shooting will be at 3-5 ft! Our Dept average engagement distance over the last 10 yrs was 11.2 yds)
Would I prefer a 380 in my pocket vs. a 9mm at home? Hmm… No brainer there…
But with the options available today, I personally don’t think one has to chose between the two.
Yet again, BT offers up some valuable wisdom:
The reason why a number of us voice a strong distaste for mouseguns is very simple: They are really bad at doing what we expect a handgun to do. Better than nothing? Sure…but frankly most people are not faced with the choice of mousegun or nothing. Most artificially frame the argument that way in their heads because they don’t yet know enough about concealed carry to see it any other way. I’ve been concealing a handgun daily for more than 10 years…and I STILL find myself learning things about concealed carry on a regular basis…and yet I’ve been told by lots of people who haven’t done any significant amount of it that it’s impossible to get away with anything bigger than an LCP. I’ve actually had the experience of standing there concealing a full sized handgun, two spare magazines, a compact BUG, a reload for the BUG, two knives and pepper spray being told by someone who admittedly rarely carries a handgun at all that it’s impossible to conceal more than a tiny .380 the way I’m dressed.
For most people in most circumstances it really is possible to conceal more gun than you think…and for most people in most critical incidents more gun is going to translate to a higher chance at a better outcome, which is the point of carrying in the first place.
We’re carrying because we might one day have to shoot someone in the face to go home that night. What you want in a real fight is 100% opposed to what you want for daily convenience. For most the dominant temptation is to slide all the way to the daily convenience end of the spectrum because few of us find ourselves in gunfights on a regular basis. When you actually find yourself at the point where you need to put a bullet in somebody, your perspective on “good enough” might change considerably.
Get a Glock 26.
I think that if you can conceal a 26 you can conceal a 19. The 26 is only 14mm shorter in the slide and 21mm shorter in the grip. If you are using mag extensions to get a better grip on the 26, it is about the same as a G19.
I mention it as food for thought - I don’t think you pick a gun based on how it conceals, instead one picks a gun that one can shoot and figures out how to conceal it.
B_C