BUG 38 vs 380

[cmgee67]

Ok guys I am lookin into gettin a bug or just mainly a smaller gun to carry when I can't carry my g19 or if I fee I need a backup. Here is what I'm trying to decide on. I am trying to figure if I want a 6 shot revolver or a little 6 shot semi auto. I had a glock 43 and did not like the snappyness of it in that really small frame and I also had a kahr pm9 and didn't much care for it either. My wife has a Taurus m85 in 38sp that is a really manageable gun to shoot and it feels much better in hand and shooting that a small semi. So I guess I like small revolvers over small semis but is there any advantages going to a small 380 that's less recoil than a nine or goin with a small 38sp that's slightly heavier in weight but more comfortable. Thoughts?

[Soccerdad1995]

Ok guys I am lookin into gettin a bug or just mainly a smaller gun to carry when I can't carry my g19 or if I fee I need a backup. Here is what I'm trying to decide on. I am trying to figure if I want a 6 shot revolver or a little 6 shot semi auto. I had a glock 43 and did not like the snappyness of it in that really small frame and I also had a kahr pm9 and didn't much care for it either. My wife has a Taurus m85 in 38sp that is a really manageable gun to shoot and it feels much better in hand and shooting that a small semi. So I guess I like small revolvers over small semis but is there any advantages going to a small 380 that's less recoil than a nine or goin with a small 38sp that's slightly heavier in weight but more comfortable. Thoughts?

You've tried some of the best choices out there for a SA BUG in 9mm. So I think you are right to conclude that the caliber just isn't right for you in such a small SA.

I have owned and fired both the G43 and the G42. The G42 was MUCH easier on recoil, and was overall a great gun to shoot. You should definitely try one out. You might fall in love.

Do not go with a Kel-Tec P3AT. The recoil is much worse than either the G43 or the PM9. Yes it is a smaller bullet, but also a much smaller and lighter gun.

I carry a Sig P938, which I don't recommend since you didn't like shooting the G43 or the PM9.

But I also have and carry a J frame airweight. But the recoil on that gun is worse than the small SA's that you didn't like, so I would not recommend that one. Maybe an all steel J frame like the S&W Model 60? You still get the ease of concealment and just have a little more weight.

But I keep coming back to the G42. I think it might be a great choice based on what you have posted.

[Medley86]

My lcp is not a fun gun to shoot, however it is small, light, easy to conceal, and even though it isn't a fun shooter I can easily manage to empty it with only my off hand and it is totally manageable. The only real upside to the semis is if you get to that click and need to reload it.

[The Annoyed Man]

I used to have a P3AT, and really didn't like it that much. I don't mind heavy recoil, but I didn't like how small the space inside the trigger guard was, and I kept barking my knuckle every time I shot it. I don't really carry a BUG most of the time, but when I do, or when I need a "walk out to the mailbox" kind of gun, it is typically my G43......which you say you don't like. But before I bought the G43.....and the PM9 before it.......and the P3AT before that.......I bought (and still own) a S&W M&P340.

Now, here's the deal with this gun.......... this is a scandium framed revolver with a stainless cylinder. It only weighs 13.8 oz unloaded, and it is a .357 magnum. A lightweight practice .357 load like 110 grain WWB is not that bad in it. A 125 grain Critical Defense .357 will sting your hand a bit, but not so much that you'd be afraid to shoot the gun in extremis. DO NOT FOOL WITH the full house 158 grain White Tail Hunting Load under ANY circumstances!

Now, that said, the advantage of a .357 snubbie is of course flexibility. You can download to any soft-shooting .38 special load you want; OR, you can upload to a serious large animal stopper if you're carrying it on a backpacking trip. Downloaded to .38 Special, it has no more and no fewer of any of the sins of the same gun chambered in .38, but you have more options.

Also, this gun comes with VERY good sights for its type - a typical rear channel in the topstrap, and a very bright Big Dot front sight. It's actually easy to shoot well and acquire a good sight picture.

ALSO.....and not to be diminished...... this gun is enormously expensive! MSRP is $869.00. I paid about $750 or so for mine at CTD in Ft Worth about 6 or 7 years ago as I recall. I've had it for a while. There are cheaper versions of more or less the same thing from other manufacturers.

A couple of things..... As a BUG, the "hammerless" design works real well, but not so much as a "kit gun". If I were to buy another snubbie, I'd probably buy something with a hammer, to make shooting single action an option, and I'd be less worried about weight, and more concerned with weather proofing. Maybe something like this: Ruger SP101 #5718.

Mind you, I'm not trying to talk you into getting a M&P340, although I think it is a very good gun, but I think that snubbie fits your bill. I'd buy one in .357 simply for the caliber versatility. It doesn't mean you have to carry magnum loads in it. And I'd buy one with a hammer (you can always bob it) for the SA/DA versatility. You have to decide if you want to make it a steel or alloy framed gun. Obviously the steel will weigh more, but recoil will be easier thanks to the increased weight.

[MrMcCullster]

Dang, I had the Kahr PM9 and the Sig P938 up there on my want list for small pocket pistols.

For now though, I got a S&W 642 .38 special +P revolver to carry. I look forward to testing it fully and plan to carry it more than my full size. I just had a chance to go to the range this weekend to run it through some of it's paces. I had already changed out the stock S&W grip for a Hogue monogrip which covers the backstrap to cut down on felt recoil. I was able to shoot about 25 or so 125 grain .38 special reloads and some 129 grain Federal Premium Hydra-Shoks. I don't even want to know what the stock grips feel like with the steel backstrap in the palm of my hand. For sure it would have stung. I could have shot more from the .38, but I was ready to move on to my other new 9mm.

I'm happy with the purchase. It will serve it's purpose. I didn't mind the recoil in the .38 special, and definitely won't care if I'm in self defense mode. But I do think that anybody that wants to go to the range and shoot 50 .357 mags out of a 2 inch barrel revolver is nuts.

For me, I'd like to stock up on just a few ammo types, and .38 special opens the doors to all sorts of revolvers. .380 on the other hand is going to be your small pistols like the LCP and Sig P238. But after that? Not much else. I'd much rather buy the .38 ammo that I can use for other guns in my collection.

[G26ster]

.380 on the other hand is going to be your small pistols like the LCP and Sig P238. But after that? Not much else.

I'd give a strong second to the Glock 42. The felt recoil is negligible, and is one of the most accurate Glocks I own, which surprised the heck out of me for it's small size.