performance of .380 auto

[indian]

hi everybody i came across a beretta 86 cheetah in .380 auto for a reasonable price....is it worthy to bring this gun into india on aTR?the gun is in excellent condition ...is this caliber ideal for self defense??advise and opinions required

[indian]

any info would be greatly appreciated

[cottage cheese]

hi everybody i came across a beretta 86 cheetah in .380 auto for a reasonable price....is it worthy to bring this gun into india on aTR?the gun is in excellent condition ...is this caliber ideal for self defense??advise and opinions required

Well...indian, the 86 would be just as good as any other Beretta- Meaning very good. In fact they are among my favourites. As you mentioned, it's in good condition. Nothing better to ask for. While .380ACP ammo is not very plentiful in India and is very expensive, it is a decent NPB cartridge and packs a wee bit more punch than the 32ACP thats readily available.

Performance wise, most 380 pistols wont differ significantly from the other since most are in the same category (Compact)- Most have similar length barrels so the ballistic performance will be largely similar to other decent 380 pistols. What will matter most will be the reliability and fit of the gun- This is where you can differentiate a well made gun from a cheap poorly made gun. Also, features would be another factor though not too telling on the ballistics. In all these, Beretta Pistols are more than adequate.

If you have no issues with the expense and the trouble of getting it imported TR or otherwise, by all means do so.

Since getting spares and parts for guns from overseas will be equally painful, I suggest you spend a little more in spare springs, firing pins, extractors and of course- Magazines, during the initial import.

regards,
cc

[indian]

thanks CC for the advice i initially thought of a .357 S&W but canadian laws dictate the min barrel lenght as 4.1inch.but there is no revolver in that lenght i found the long .357s too bulky to carry so i opted for another caliber..a .357 was suggested by abhijeet and vikram but couldnt find anything easy to carry.all the S&Ws and rugers are 6 inch

[Hunter]

Hi Indian,

Is it easy to get a handgun licence out there,specially if u are an immigrant? I understand that Canadian firearm laws are very strict as even airguns that spit out more than 5ft.lbs of energy are classified as firearms! ..Pls advise.

Many Thanks

[indian]

u just need to pass the canadian restricted firearms safety course but there are so many rules about storing and carrying a restricted firearm.certain rifles likeAR-15s also are in restricted class..

[Risala]

A 380 is a good CCW,get one with a double stack mag.
I hope you are aware that you need to own it for a year overseas before bringing it in,lest that it gets taken in by the boys in white and some politician re MP picks it up for a few thousand rupees.
good luck & keep us posted.

[indian]

thanks for the advice sanjay i will wait for one year and im planning to apply for a license sometime this year........will post the pics as soon as i get the gun

[amk]

It is better than a .32 but only just

Be sure to get along 50 cartridges too. 380 Ammo is a biatch to find here.

You could also look at one of the other newer .32s.

AMK

[indian]

thanks amk i sure will bring 50 cartridges .32 is a PB for us.anyway,i paid for the gun today and it may take a week for the transfer.i will post pics once it comes home

[Sakobav]

Indian

congrats on purchasing the gun. Its considered to be one of the best gun in its class. The others being CZ 83, Browning BDA ( discontinued) - to name a few. In the end its all about whats available and Beretta produces some of the finest guns out there.

Have Fun.

[indian]

thanks ngrewal its pretty hard to get a 380 in canada as almost all of them have barrel lengths less than 4 inch which makes them PB...but this particular one is a 4.4 inch tip up barrel for easy cleaning and loading single round

[primerwalla]

thanks ngrewal its pretty hard to get a 380 in canada as almost all of them have barrel lengths less than 4 inch which makes them PB...but this particular one is a 4.4 inch tip up barrel for easy cleaning and loading single round

Did you import it into India? I sent a PM to you also.

[vishosingh]

had a 380 makarov at one point of time. nice sturdy weapon to carry and easily concealable..pretty good choice of caliber indian...would love to see some pics once you recieve it