![]() Colt’s made the guns for a little over ten years. The Pocketlite was introduced in 1987, and its all-steel brother a year later. The all-steel Mustang was available in three finishes: blued, stainless, and nickel. 380 Auto was available in blued or stainless finish while it was made. Gun Tests Reader 380 ACP Favorites Colt Mustang Pocketlite The sights are excellent for a small pistol suitable for concealed carry. The forward set is smaller but effective. There are two sets of cocking serrations front and rear. ![]() The pistol features a plunger tube on the frame and also uses a grip safety, something the other small 1911 handguns do not. The 380 caliber Baby Rock is a true miniature 1911. The Baby Rock is by far the most comfortable pistol in this list to fire from a bench. 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. Tested in the August 2016 issue, this got a Grade A ranking from our testers. 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. Then in the January 2014 issue, we tested a laser-equipped LCP-CT, fitted with a Crimson Trace red laser. 3718 with laser earned five months earlier. In the July 2013 issue, the #3701 model ranked a B+, the same grade as a Ruger LCP-LM No. In the June 2008 issue, the inaugural version of the 380 caliber graded an A. In the October 2016 issue, “380 ACP Shoot Out: Ruger LCP Takes On Remington, Rock Island,” we noted we have tested several iterations of the LCP 380 in the past. It would have earned an A grade except for its too-heavy trigger. The Advocate showed superior fit and finish, had tritium sights, and a spare magazine. Reassembly isn’t difficult, but attention must be paid to the small wire ejector, which must be depressed. When the pistol is disassembled, there is a loaded spring under the slide stop to maintain pressure on the stop. The Kimber also uses the angled camming surfaces of the Browning type instead of the 1911 swinging link. The pistol disassembled much the same as any other 1911, except that the pistol featured a metal one-piece guide rod and wound recoil spring. The frame of the Kimber extended in a generous beavertail tang that aided in comfortable firing. In this design, with a pistol bordering on tiny, a grip safety would have been difficult to incorporate into the design. However, the Kimber does not use a grip safety. The Kimber uses the internal extractor common to other 1911 handguns. The Kimber, tested in September 2015, featured three-dot sights with tritium inserts, a big advantage on a 380 caliber concealed carry pistol. 3: Kimber Micro Carry Advocate Brown 380 Auto Additional holster options are available from many holster manufacturers. This laser model automatically ignites instantly when drawn from a supplied leather and polymer holster. ![]() When we added a Viridian Green Laser R5-G42 Reactor to the G42, it unquestionably helped our shooters’ accuracy. How much aiming does a concealed-carrier with a 380 caliber handgun have to do with a bad guy 15 feet away? Lasers made us able to shoot them on par with much bigger guns. The function of the firearms in this test were as portable, concealed carry self-defense guns, and their sights weren’t made to win matches. Again, we had fun shooting it fast, so if you buy one of these, be sure to stock up on ammo because we think CCW shooters will like shooting it, too. There were no problems at all with the gun. It wasn’t beautifully finished inside, but the work was well done and extremely sturdy looking. We were impressed by the intricacy of this design. We got accuracy groups on the order of 2.5 to 3 inches at 15 yards. The all-steel frame gave this gun somewhat more weight than most 380s, a factor for concealed carry concerns. This 380 caliber test gun was slightly used, had modest bluing wear on the sides of the slide near the muzzle, and a few other signs of light wear. You’ll have to find this one used, because it was discontinued in 2012. With that said, here are five handguns I believe stand out above the others if you’re looking for a handgun with modest recoil. That requires very personal decision-making for the CCW licensee. But the final decision has to be made by the buyer, because a gun should fit the shooter like a pair of well-worn shoes. What many concealed carry consumers do is use Gun Tests grades and write-ups to identify problems and things to look for when purchasing a firearm.
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