10 Best 380 ACP Pocket Pistols

Over the years, Gun Tests Magazine has reviewed dozens of concealable pistols chambered in 380 ACP. The smallest of these sidearms are the subcompact handguns, or pocket pistols. The issue is “whose pockets” will these pistols fit into, and we have no real gauge on that. Cargo shorts have big ol’ pockets that can carry handguns of surpassing size, while jeans and khakis can only carry smaller, flatter guns in their pockets. We look at the latter here.

For our purposes and definitions, we arbitrarily define pocket guns as those with barrels 3.25 inches or shorter, and they inexactly may be called either compact or subcompact pistols.

Naturally, there are only a few such pocket pistols that both ride small and shoot big, but here are some 380 ACP handguns that our experienced testers believe you’ll like if you want to buy a handgun of this type. Some are current manufacture, and others available on the used market.

As always, Gun Tests Magazine is supported by reader subscriptions only, so you can depend on these recommendations being free of monetization considerations on our posts or videos or social media traffic, and we don’t accept display advertising in the magazine. The sole basis for these recommendations is how the pistols worked during our testing with various shooters and various ammunition.

10 Ruger LCP II 3792 380 ACP

GUN TESTS GRADE: B

The LCP II suffered break-in malfunctions that were easily corrected, in fact were self-correcting after firing, it seemed. The pistol is a good choice when the goal is maximum concealment. The LCP II is reliable, reasonably accurate for short-range use, and not difficult to control. Overall Length: 5.02 in. Weight Loaded: 11.65 oz. Barrel Length: 2.75 in. Magazine Capacity: 7.

9 RUGER LCP 3701 380 ACP

GUN TESTS GRADE: B+

This is the basic LCP that’s a light handgun. We would have liked better sights, and would pay more for the LCP Custom, which has better sights and trigger. But the stock LCP has appeal to those with limited funds. Weight Loaded: 10.9 oz. Overall Length: 5.2 in. Barrel Length: 2.75 in. Magazine Capacity: 6.

8 Ruger LCP Max 75th Anniversary Stainless 13775 380 Auto

GUN TESTS GRADE: B+

The Ruger LCP Max is reliable, lightweight, and makes a good pocket gun. It isn’t useful much past 10 yards, in our opinion. Across a bedroom or apartment, it will put all the shots into one hole. It is the archetypal “Get Off Me” gun. It suffered in comparison to the Smith & Wesson in combat accuracy, but not by much. A trained shooter is needed to mark the difference. Overall Length: 5.2 in. Weight Loaded: 11.8 oz. Barrel Length: 2.8 in. Capacity: 10 or 12.

7 Kimber Micro Carry Advocate Brown 380 Auto

GUN TESTS GRADE: A-

The Kimber was well finished and demonstrated excellent reliability and accuracy. It also fit in a pocket. Overall Length: 5.6 in. Weight Loaded: 16.0 oz. Barrel Length: 2.75 in. Magazine Capacity: 6.

6 Ruger LCP-CT 380 Auto

GUN TESTS GRADE:  A-

The laser sight was naturally activated with the user’s grip. Shooters did not have to think about which finger to use to activate or deactivate the laser. Ramp-up time was nil, but to fire the pistol without using the laser was a feat. Overall Length: 5.2 in. Weight Unloaded: 10.0 oz. Barrel Length: 2.75 in. Magazine Capacity: 6

5 Glock 42 UI4250201 380 Auto

GUN TESTS GRADE: A-

The Glock never failed to feed, chamber, fire, and eject, although it did fail to lock open on the last shot with one ammunition. The pistol handles well and offers the best accuracy of the test. We cannot fault choosing the Glock as a small carry piece or backup. Overall Length: 5.94 in. Weight Loaded: 13.76 oz. Barrel Length: 3.25 in. Magazine Capacity: 6.

4 Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 2.0 13926 380 Auto

GUN TESTS GRADE: A-

The Bodyguard looks like a miniature Military & Police 9mm more than a purpose-designed pocket gun. It handles more like a big gun as well. We like the manual safety. The pistol is very well thought out. It is our choice between these two if price is not the most important criterion. Overall Length: 5.5 in. Weight Loaded: 11.2 oz. Barrel Length: 2.75 in. Capacity: 10 or 12.

3 Springfield 911 Bi-Tone PG9109S 380 Auto

GUN TESTS GRADE: A

We liked the Springfield 911. Unlike the full-size 1911 it mimics, the Springfield is suited to carrying hammer down instead of cocked and locked, an important consideration for pocket carry. We are generally not comfortable with the power level of the 380 ACP; however, loads like the Black Hills Ammunition Honey Badger and the Federal HST make the cartridge much more attractive than the previous choice of ball ammunition or a JHP that underpenetrates. The pistol is a joy to fire and use. It is more than accurate enough for personal defense. Weight Loaded: 15 oz. Overall Length: 5.5 in.  Barrel Length: 2.7 in. Magazine Capacity: 6

2 Colt Government Model MK IV Series 80 380 Auto

GUN TESTS GRADE: A

The pistol is old school, no doubt about it. It has the Colt look and feel and is a well-made and reliable handgun. In combat accuracy, the pistol is the best of the four pistols tested. Overall Length: 6.1 in. Weight Loaded: 23.45 oz. Barrel Length: 3.25 in. Magazine Capacity: 7.

1 Ruger LCP-C Custom No. 3740 380 Auto

GUN TESTS GRADE: A

The visible rear notch and front post of the Ruger are a big help in delivering accurate fire, we found. Although designed purely for personal defense, the Ruger is accurate enough to pop a rodent or reptile at a few yards, which is always an advantage. The Ruger was a compact package, with a length of 5.2 inches and a height of 3.8 inches, and it was only 0.8 inch thick. The frame was polymer. The recoil spring was tight, even stiff, but this is the price you have to pay for a small locked-breech pistol. In the Custom version recommended here, the sights and trigger action are the primary improvements concealed carry consumers will want that earn it a slightly higher grade than previous versions. Overall Length: 5.2 in. Weight Loaded: 10.9 oz. Barrel Length: 2.75 in. Magazine Capacity: 6.

HONORABLE MENTIONS, BIGGER CHOICES

S&W M&P 380 Shield EZ 180023 380 ACP

GUN TESTS GRADE: B

As a carry gun, it isn’t smaller than some 9mm Luger handguns, but it is much easier to fire well. The demerit is for its power and terminal ballistics, and it is not a small gap.” The half-grade markdown was for the chambering, not the gun, which was compared to other EZ models chambered in 30 Super Carry and 9mm Luger. If you want a 380 ACP, this Shield is an EZ choice to make. Overall Length: 6.75 in. Weight Loaded: 1.35 lbs. Barrel Length: 3.675 in. Magazine Capacity: 8.

Bersa Thunder 380 Combat Plus T380PMC 380 AUTO

GUN TESTS GRADE: A-

The Combat Plus is a lightweight, compact pistol well suited for concealed carry. The double-action trigger is smooth, and accuracy is good. It has plenty of capacity, but only one magazine. Reliability and high magazine capacity in a compact package. This pistol is a Best Buy and would be our choice for concealed carry. Overall Length: 6.6 in. Weight Loaded: 24.9 oz. Barrel Length: 3.5 in. Magazine Capacity: 15.

Rock Island Armory Baby Rock 51912 380 ACP

GUN TESTS GRADE: A

If you like cocked-and-locked carry, or even hammer down in the pocket, then you should make room for the Baby Rock, because it is quite a shooter. In combat drills there were no malfunctions of any type, and the pistol fired 100 rounds of mixed ammunition without issue. In combat firing, the pistol was far more accurate than pocket pistols. At 5 yards, a smooth DAO trigger is good enough for center hits, but by the time you get to 10 yards, the heavier weight of this solid-feeling 380 and straight-to-the-rear trigger compression of the single-action lockwork are great advantages over DAOs. It is not a pocket pistol by any means, but in benchrest accuracy testing, the Rock shot a best group of 2.0 inches effort with the blistering hot Black Hills Ammunition 60-grain Xtreme Defense at 1250 fps. The Baby Rock is by far the most comfortable pistol in this list to fire from a bench. The 380 caliber Baby Rock is a true miniature 1911. The pistol features a plunger tube on the frame and also uses a grip safety, something the other small 1911 handguns do not. The slide is machined from steel. The extractor is an external type. The ejection port is generous. There are two sets of cocking serrations front and rear. The forward set is smaller but effective. The sights are excellent for a small pistol suitable for concealed carry. Overall Length 6.6 in. Weight Loaded 24.1 oz. Barrel Length 3.75 in. Magazine Capacity: 7.

GLOCK G28 380 AUTO

GUN TESTS GRADE: B+

There’s nothing innovative about this Gen3 Glock, but it is reliable. Recoil was soft, and the pistol was accurate. If you are a Glock fan, the G28 might be your choice for a double-stack 380 Auto, but there are less costly options, in our opinion. Overall Length: 6.5 in. Weight Loaded: 24.1 oz. Barrel Length: 3.4 in.Magazine Capacity: 10

Ruger Security 380 Lite Rack 03839 380 ACP

GUN TESTS GRADE: B

The Security 380 was indeed easy to rack, requiring less than 11 pounds of pressure to operate. Recoil was smooth and, very subjectively, the lightest of the three pistols tested here. Sights were easy to see and fast to pick up. As expected, that forward-hinged thumb safety was a bit more difficult to use than the 1911-style units to which we are accustomed, contributing to the slowest average times in the speed drills. It shot best with the Hornady Critical Defense ammo, with groups averaging under 2 inches. The Armscor ammo created a few problems in not wanting to go into battery, not only with the Ruger, but the others as well. Visual inspection shows that there is a serious taper crimp on that ammo that caught just a little when we cycled the action by hand. There were no malfunctions as the Security 380 was being fired. Overall Length: 6.5 in. Weight Loaded: 1.3 lbs. Barrel Length: 3.42 in. Magazine Capacity: 10 or 15.

CZ 83 380 ACP

GUN TESTS GRADE: A

This is a perennial winner in our 380 wrap-ups. Long out of production, this specific model is absolutely worth looking for at gun shows, pawn shops, and on line, but be prepared to pay more for one in tiptop condition. In our test, it did not suffer any type of stoppage. It was reliable, well made, and perhaps even overbuilt. Overall Length: 6.8 in. Weight Loaded: 32.0 oz. Barrel Length: 3.8 in. Magazine Capacity: 12.

Tisas Fatih B380 F380B 380 ACP

GUN TESTS GRADE: B

The Fatih is an attractive pistol with good fit and finish and good accuracy. Reliability was marred by a single short cycle. It also fired high, which isn’t easy to fix. Overall Length: 6.88 in. Weight Loaded: 26.3 oz. Barrel Length: 3.83 in. Magazine Capacity: 13.

EAA GIRSAN MC 14T 380 AUTO

GUN TESTS GRADE: A

The Girsan knock-off of the Beretta 86 is unusual due to the tip-up barrel, which makes loading and firing the gun easy, especially for those who find racking the slide difficult to manage. The Girsan MC 14T is an unusual pistol that allows easy loading without having to rack the slide. This would be a good choice for those shooters lacking hand strength to rack a slide. Accuracy was great. Overall Length: 7.6 in. Weight Loaded: 26.6 oz. Barrel Length: 4.5 in.Magazine Capacity: 13.

Note: Older pistols may still be available as NIB products or as used handguns. 

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