Looking for some recommendations on a sub compact 380 for training. . Any suggestions
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Will a 380 be your standard carry or just for training?
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I am thinking both since having the carry size will give me more flexibility in the training , and the primary focus of this training will be concealed carry
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I understand however, you should practice with the same weapon you will be carrying concealed and use the 380 as a backup perhaps on your ankle, I like to carry three different carry weapons, a 9mm semi, a 45 semi, and a 44 special revolver, all three are compact and feel very comfortable on my side carry. It is always good to be proficient on all the guns you will be using, practice makes perfect and builds confidence.
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Sig P238. Small, but great shooters, and not overly expensive.
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I’m going to piggy back on Randolph.
The .380 doesn’t even meet the minimum standards in most states because of the low energy.
As a backup gun when everything else has failed it’s adequate but I would not want to bet my life on one.
For primary carry I would start with the 9mm.
Unless you have very tiny hands you’re going to find that most .380’s are too small for a good fit and thus difficult to control.
There are numerous subcompact 9mm on the market from quality manufacturers and I’d highly recommend any of them over a .380 as a primary carry weapon.
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I’ll join the party! My EDC is a 9mm Glock 26. I own but rarely carry a .380 Glock 42. The bad part of that is I also do not train with the 42 nearly often enough. Should look at replacing it with a single stack 9mm but do not like the feel of them in my hand.
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My EDC is a 9MM, but some of my first time clients prefer the less recoil from the 380. We cover stopping power, but for them it is a comfortable place to start, especially in early training. I have heard that the Kahr CW 380 has a lot of merits. I am open to ideas.
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I’ve shot quite a bit of both, in reality there’s not a whole lot of perceptible recoil difference.
The Kahr has a strong following but I’ve only handled and shot a few of them. They functioned well and shot ok but I wasn’t impressed with their accuracy beyond about 12’. Bug guns naturally suffer accuracy wise at a distance but I shoot a lot better with my XD and XDM sub’s.
The main advantage of the .380’s is that they use a much weaker recoil spring making them easier for people with limitations to rack.
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Thanks for the feed back .
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Just got a 380EZ… haven’t had as chance to shoot it yet, but I’d say for caliber, it’s not feeling that tiny. I prefer bigger pistols, I mostly shoot double stack .45s, and this one doesn’t feel dinky.
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Check out the Sig P365… 9mm with 10 or 12 rounds with extended mag.
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I prefer the Glock 26 9mm. I the great thing is you can keep an extra Glock 17 with 17 rounds in it, unless you live in California.
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I meant to say in my last text, you can carry an extra Glock 17 mag with a X-Grip for the Glock 26 which gives you another 17rounds. The 9mm is a better caliber and less expensive to train with than 380. But if you prefer to carry the 380 over the 9mm and train with it, go for it. In my opinion, I would check out a 38 revolver vs the 380.
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@Walter3 I think some women, maybe some men too, carry the 380 because of the lower recoil or racking effort. While a 38 revolver has no racking required, I really don’t like shooting them. In general I find them hard to get a consistent and firm grip on. We had a little Taurus and between the grip issue and the snappy recoil, well, we sold it. If grip strength is a problem. the 380 makes more sense to me.
I just got a 380EZ to use in teaching (I typically carry a .45) but I will get to shoot it for the first time today. I’ll post how it behaves later today 
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Great points Zee… I have to remember anybody that lives out of Cali has more verity of firearms than I have. Our Approved gun list is dwindling, getting smaller and smaller. I hope you like your 380.
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Keep in mind that unlike most semi autos there’s a wealth of aftermarket grips for most quality revolvers that allow you to get a very good semi custom grip.
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@WildRose we went through a number of grips on that little Taurus revolver - I could just never find the love. Hopefully the person who bought it loves it better than I did.
On the M&P 380EZ… just got back from the range. and the answer is… 
I like it.
It’s fun, accurate, easy to shoot. Definitely a lower powered recoil, and super easy to rack, as it’s intended to be. It will flip the steel plates on the dueling tree, but you have to get a solid hit on the center-to-outer edge or they don’t go over.
I got the model with the grip safety and external safety (I’ll be using it for teaching, not for CC) and had no issues with either. My friend who went with me has even bigger hands than I do, and she had a little trouble keeping the grip safety engaged… she’d probably need a grip sleeve to make it work perfectly for her.
Overall, a very handy little gun. Not too small, not too big, easy to handle and use. For someone who can’t use the 9mm or can’t rack one (grip issues, or arm/joint issues) this would make a very nice choice.