My wife and I were able to get out of the house for a little while last night and see the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall. Â We both really enjoyed the movie, and if you like action movies you’ll enjoy this. Â There are some great throwback references as the movie goes along, and the show ends with me wanting more.
BUT…
Why is Bond still carrying a .380 ACP pistol?
Just a couple of years ago, the .380 ACP was a secondary cartridge: largely ignored by professional gun toters, eschewed in the press by gun experts, and not a big seller for dealers. Â Now, it is the exact opposite thanks, in large part, to the Ruger LCP. Â Since then, nearly every manufacturer introduced a .380 pistol trying to cash in on this invigorated market.
The question asked at many gun manufacturers’ marketing and design meetings has undoubtedly been “What’s the next big trend?”
Some are looking at the .32 ACP.
On the surface, the state of the .32 ACP is similar to that of the .380 ACP from three years ago.  Guns and ammo can be found in the caliber, but nothing really new, and nothing really hot.  The “old” .380 and the current .32 are considered to be underpowered for “serious” self-defense, and no one will readily admit they have one for protection.  But, one good gun could change that.
The new Taurus M380 is a 380 revolver. Â Yes, that’s right a wheel gun chambered for the rimless .380 ACP cartridge.
IÂ love the panache of Taurus. Â They aren’t afraid to try new things, and they can often start a little stir in the industry. Â Who would have thought the original Judge would sell well, much less spawn specialty ammo and a whole series of revolvers based on the idea.
“It’s the neatest little gun you’ve seen in a long time,” said Bob Morrison of Taurus USA. Â Morrison appeared on the May 30, 2010 broadcast of Tom Gresham’s GunTalk radio program.
Since then, the revolver has been released and we have all of the specifications on the new handgun.
The Taurus 380 revolver is in the company’s Ultra-Lite line of handguns, and it comes in two finishes: Â stainless steel and black. Â Otherwise, the two guns appear to be identical.
The Taurus SLIM 708 pistol in .380 ACP was one of two new SLIM pistols announced at the 2010 SHOT Show. The Taurus SLIM 740 in .40 S&W was the other. The Taurus 708 is modeled on the very popular 9mm SLIM introduced by Taurus in 2009.
The 708 is a compact pistol that holds seven .380 ACP rounds in the magazine plus one in the chamber. It can be had with a blued or stainless steel finish. Barrel length is 3.2″ and weighs only 19 ounces unloaded.
The Taurus SLIM 708 has a fixed front sight, with an adjustable rear. The sights are very low profile, but they are usable.
As with the other pistols in the SLIM line, the frame is polymer and the pistol has Taurus’s DA/SA action with the “Strike Two” capability. The SLIM has a manual safety – sweep down to fire. The safety is on the left side of the frame.
The Walther PK380 pistol is a newest .380 ACP handgun for sale and is based on the very popular P22. Â It is a compact handgun with a polymer frame. Â The gun is hammer fired, not striker fired as many modern polymer guns are.
These Walther pistols are not the tiny, subcompact pistols like the Ruger LCP. Â Instead, the PK380 handguns are a little larger, which makes them easier to shoot. Â By having a marginally larger size, the guns tend to be more reliable and can have features typically found on large handguns like a larger capacity and better sights.
The PK380 magazine will hold eight rounds, giving the shooter nine on tap before a reload. Â Nine rounds is not a sure thing when it comes to stopping an attacker, but it is a darn sight better than the five rounds I carry in my J-frame revolver.
As I suggested earlier, the sights on the Walther P380 are much more visible than you might expect on a compact handgun. Â They are configured in a three-dot sight system. Â The sight radius is a very useable 5.4″. Â A nice bonus is that the sights are made of steel instead of plastic.