.38 Davis Industries P-380 question

[firefly]

I just bought a .38 Davis Industries P-380 auto, and now I'm stumped on the ammunition. For self defense, I wanted to use the jacketed .380 hollow-points, but I need to know if this handgun is compatible with the +P .380 rounds. Please respond....

[UncleFudd]

Firefly;

Welcome to the forum and IMHO you have come to the place with lots of knowledge and experience.

I suppose you know that the Davis firearms are not necessarily known as quality nor are they expensive. In fact my friend I don't think many would place their fate in those firearms. However if that is all you have then you must make the best of it and hope all works out for you.
First and foremost learn all that yo can about awareness and being vigil so as to avoid ever having to use a firearm to defend yourself.
That is of course excellent info for all of us as the use of a gun is a last resort and bacically an indication of having failed your best defense which is avoidance.

As for your gun and its' ability to handle the ammo you mentioned, I am sure it will handle the hollow point, even in the +P category. However I would not recommend the use of +P ammo for a regular diet as it will shake the gun loose very quickly.

So in answer, practice with quality 90 grain FMJ and load the HP, +P ammo for defense only. I might even suggest you get some of the Federal HydraShok ammo for your defense loads and stay away from the +P altogether.
The Federal ammo should be all you need for self defense and should feed in the gun and not cause any undue problems in the process.

I hope this helps a little.

UncleFudd

[Crpdeth]

I agree with the Uncle! Practice with regular ammo, but load the self defense mag with the +P hollow point ammo and feel confident with the fact that this ammo will be fine in a life threatening situation...

And practice with that thing! I am not assuming that you do not practice regularly, but I like to stay very aware of where the "controls" are on my defense weapon, so that in a stressful situation things will operate seamlessly and effortlessly, without thought to where the safety/mag release, etc is located.

Welcome to the forums...


Crpdeth

[firefly]

Thank you to those who've responded. I use this gun only for self-defense. Small, lightweight and even if you don't make contact, it is still heard. But it's accurate.

Originally Posted by UncleFudd

Firefly;
First and foremost learn all that yo can about awareness and being vigil so as to avoid ever having to use a firearm to defend yourself.
That is of course excellent info for all of us as the use of a gun is a last resort and bacically an indication of having failed your best defense which is avoidance.
UncleFudd

As I am aware of most non-violent ways of defense, I am a small woman and my attacker nearly murdered me twice. Sadly to say, my abuser was my husband. Avoidance is best defense, but a deranged husband is impossible. I've tried it all, which is why I'm still alive today. I thought I could use more stopping power. The D.I. P-380 does the trick.

Again, thank you for the info on +P ammo, I do use only the standard jacketed rounds non +P for target and practicing. I just wanted to bump up my defense with the +P jacketed hollow point. I didn't want to buy them if I could never use them though. The information is well appreciated.

[Crpdeth]

Originally Posted by firefly

Sadly to say, my abuser was my husband.

Geeze, what a hero... I am sorry about your circumstances, yet glad we could help in some way.

Are you currently away from that threat?

Crpdeth

[UncleFudd]

firefly;

I too am so sorry to hear about your particular threat. I don't think there is a greater danger than a formeer spouse who targets their family members. I do not envy you and having helped several women in the past I know how difficult it is and how hard to avoid.

Your situation clearly presents new and different particulars than any other form of threat. Especially knowing that you cannot get the police to help you. You are basically on your own and with that in mind, spend some time if you can becoming familiar with "justification", "immediate and unavoidable", reasonable and prudent person" to name a few terms that will make a difference in your actions or reactions when and if he continues to push this situation.

Best wishes and I will keep you in my prayers and thoughts to be able to handle this and that it will go away before you are forced to take any further action.

UncleFudd

[Xaiver56]

Firefly, you will be in my thoughts as well. I am in the DFW area and if you are in that area and need a range buddy let me know, my wife and I try to shoot at least once a week... Stay prepared and stay safe.

[Navy2]

I received a Davis Industries P-380 from a family member and need to know how it comes apart for cleaning. Can anyone help?

[hkruss]

Firefly. I hope you are out of you're bad situation and I wish you well. I think you made a good decision in buying a weapon for self defense. HOWEVER
As mentioned above, you NEED to practice at least periodically with it. I CANNOT EMPHASIZE THAT ENOUGH!!! You have a duty to yourself (and others) to be knowledgeable and proficient with your weapon. Learn how to break it down and KEEP IT CLEAN! Your life may depend on that one day.
Next, get your concealed carry permit if you haven't already. This will make things a lot easier on you (legally) if you ever do have to shoot someone.
Take a firearms self-defense class if you can. There is a lot to learn about defending yourself, and it involves more than just knowing how to fire a gun!
Finally, maybe most importantly, you need to resolve in your mind whether you REALLY could take a life to save your's. If you cannot, you probably should not have the gun as you will hesitate if THAT moment comes to shoot. The gun will probably be taken from you and (God forbid), used against you. I hope I have your attention because I want you to be safe. I truly wish you well.
HKR

[CampingJosh]

Originally Posted by Navy2

I received a Davis Industries P-380 from a family member and need to know how it comes apart for cleaning. Can anyone help?

You may just be out of luck. Davis Industries went out of business several years ago.

However, Cobra Enterprises does make some firearms using Davis drawings.

If your pistol looks like this one?


If so, then this link may be helpful to you: http://www.cobrapistols.net/content/...pg=1#cp_10_203
If not, then I think you're probably just going to be out of luck.

[Old Guy]

Practice, practice, practice!! That is the best way to become proficient with your self defense weapon. It is sort of like driving a standard transmission vehicle, you remember how, but the mechanics of smoothly changing gears will escape you after a while. Loosing the mechanics of smoothly firing your weapon is not a good thing.

Practice with solid or ball ammo as this is most economically feasible. Hornady makes a good self defense load called Critical Defense that I would recommend for this gun. I have found it at www.cabelas.com. I have had to wait a couple of weeks, but I have gotten it as well as practice ammo from this source.

As for your need for the weapon, I am sorry to hear that. A relationship gone sour is a bummer in any event, and one that has gotten really ugly is a shame. Go forward and be safe.

Old Guy

[hillbillyhank]

first of all if you need answers to these
questions i recomend,
some firearm training classes........
that way you won't hurt a friend or family member...
or wind up hurting yourself or in worst case
have your gun taken away from you, and
used on you...
please get some kind of training


hillbillyhank

[N1Spirit]

Originally Posted by Navy2

I received a Davis Industries P-380 from a family member and need to know how it comes apart for cleaning. Can anyone help?

This is an old thread so I don't know if you still monitor it or not. However, I have a D.I. P380 (I absolutely hate it and plan on replacing it next week, with a Glock 40). It took me some time to figure out how to take the gun apart for cleaning but there should be a pin on the back side of your slide, above the grip. Take the gun to an area (I prefer the floor, as I always have problems with the pin flying out as if trying to make a getaway when I life the slide up), push the pin and and life the slide up from the back. It will all come apart for you at this time and you can start cleaning the gun.

My complaint with the DI 380 is that it has ALWAYS been prone to jamming; even when my father was alive and would take the gun with him while riding his motorcycle. (He would take this one because it's smaller; easier to carry when you don't have a lot of room.)

It's because of the jamming problem that I'm going to replace it this next week. IMO, things are getting just a bit hairy in this old world and what's going on with the economy is not helping. People are getting desperate and while I don't relish the idea of taking a life, I've no problem doing so if my own life or that of my family is threatened in a "life or death" situation. I made that clear when I was staying home for four months while going through chemo treatments for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and we had a problem with some thugs kicking in the front doors of apartments in the building, breaking in to steal from the tenants. Had a neighborhood watch meeting and made it VERY CLEAR to all in attendance that I was an avid firearm supporter/owner and operator and that if ANYBODY kicked in my own front door they were going out in a body bag after two to the chest and one between the eyes. (Funny thing, that... with all the problems in the area, I never once had anyone give ME a problem or for that matter, any of my neighbors. ROFL! ...and I meant what I said; even told the police officer at the meeting that if the dept. had a problem with it, too bad. I wasn't going to be a statistic but I'd dang certain make sure that the perp's were. He said, "No problem. I'm in full support of those who know how to protect themselves with firearms doing so." (Nice guy)

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded story. Hope the response helps you but I really would think twice about depending on a DI P380 for defense. Last thing I want to happen when I'm depending on my gun to fire, is for it to jam and give the thug an opportunity to overpower me.

(Of course, at home I depend on either the Mossberg 12 gauge or the double-barrel 20 gauge. Pistol is ONLY for protection on the road, as I really would much prefer not to have to be concerned about my load going through three walls before coming to a stop --- and not knowing what's behind those walls, like my neighbors for instance.)

For those reading, I would reiterate what others have said. PRACTICE! And if you're afraid of taking a life should you have to, don't depend on a gun for protection. Odds are that it will only be used against you in your moment of hesitation.