would prefer striker fired..what are my best options?

While not striker fired. The Ruger LCP is a great gun.

my current pocket carry pistol is a G42... the Glock trigger makes quick, accurate shots possible

size comparison between the above mentioned LCP and G42

I've carried my 1st gen P3at off and on for many years as a bug. Never a problem. Ever. It's just so damn small and light you don't know its there. YMMV.

i just compared the 2 at a gun store near me.while the glock does indeed fit in my pocket, the ruger fits much better..but then i got to thinking if ,god forbid, i actually had to use it and fire the thing,the glock felt much more capable..glock it is..

After shooting a Kahr my LCP, well when I look at it, I want to give it over to charity. I guess it beats praying but the .380 Kahr is a GUN that actually has sights and points like a gun. Im sorry I ever bought the LCP, no matter the cost the Kahr will be my next pocket gun.

Glock 42.

I lik the Sig p238, about 400 rounds and no issues, ball & hp's

Kahr CW380

I carried a 42 for about a month and found it still outside what I considered great for a pocket. I'm 240 with a 36" waist so I definitely don't have small pockets my carry gun is smaller

I love my little Sig P232

This.  I've said here many times: My LCP is smaller and lighter than my wallet.  I forget it's in my pocket.  Gun's been 100%, pre and post recall.  I've had it quite a while now.

Ruger LCP Custom version with real useable visible sights and a real decent trigger is the answer.

For info see:

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_5_4/162173_Ruger_LCP__380acp_Custom_Test_Shoot___Excellent_Accuracy_and_100__Function__for_35_shots_.html

Been shot a bunch more since then.  100%.

Avoid S&W's BodyGuard .380acp versions.  Avoid KelTec.  Avoid Kahr plastic framed guns.  Avoid Walther PP, PPK, PPKs series.

Soft shooting and accurate.  

/thread

But a lot of people say it is a little too large for pocket carry vs other small autos

Funny you said that... I picked up a Gen 2 glock a couple of days ago on the way home from work, it fit in the pocket of my work pants.  But they have damn big pockets and it was unloaded without a holster.

Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380

You'll have to get used to a long DA trigger pull put that gun is ACCURATE.  I laughed putting two rounds almost on top of each other the first time I shot this.  It is really small and fits in your pocket quite nicely.

1908 colt pocket hammerless.

Short stroke kit from galloways is the best thing I've done to mine. I have done all the mods they offer and couldn't be happier. I know a lot of guys say you shouldn't have to do all that to a new gun but I enjoy it. If it loses reliability at any time I'll adjust accordingly.

You are gonna laugh but the Taurus tcp is a great little gun. I carry one when I wear khakis. It's so tiny but I have no problem with 15 yard plates. They are around $200. I actually blew one up due to freedom munitions reman ammo. Gun held together. Just a couple cracks in the frame. I bough another immediately.

And check this article out. Says his LGS has a rental with over 10k thru it
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/05/jeremy-s/gun-review-taurus-738-tcp/

I've had experience with three .380's.

Keltec P3AT

Smith and Wesson Bodyguard

Glock 42

P3AT is so small it hurts to shoot. This was lessened with a finger spur baseplate extension or with a long Promag brand mag. With the Promag this gun is actually enjoyable to plink with.  Dead reliable with any ammo I've shot through it. It is so small I often forget it is in my pocket. Sucky sights.

Bodyguard is softer shooting, slightly larger and also cycled any ammo I ran through it.  I did have an issue with a bad hot batch of Summit ammo. Kaboomed the mag out and a tiny chunk of lead stuck in my nose. Smith inspected it and replaced a broken mag catch that was damaged by the kaboom.  (Note here: The above mentioned Keltec ate the same bad  batch of Summit with no issues.) This gun also had a terrible trigger. Much worse than the Keltec.  It is supposed to lock back after the last shot.  It almost never does. Good sights.

42. Not mine. My brother's.  Larger than the previously mentioned guns.  Kind of a pocket gun when compared to the other two.  Easier to rack, softer shooting, good trigger and reliable. Good Glock sights.

Of the two guns that are mine and if I'm in need of a .380, I like the Keltec.  It is loaded with Underwood Lehigh Defense Xtreme Penetrators.

I would like to carry my brother's 42 for a while to see if I like it, but I can't get him to part with it for any length of time.

TCP 738!!!


HERE

This is what your looking for.......or also the p380

I would opt for an S&W 442/642 before any .380.

That said, if I was in the market for a sub compact pocket gun, the G43 in 9mm makes sense.

Friends don't let friends pack .380s.

I only have shooting experience with two (an LCP that I own and a G42 that I have shot) and indirect experience with two others (KelTec P3AT and S&W Bodyguard).

My LCP is an older, 1st Gen model. Sights are TINY but usable with a little paint on the front sight and concentration. I actually think that the trigger is OK, especially for what it is. I honestly don't know what the big deal is with people who say that it is brutal to shoot. I have shot 100 rds in a session when I first got it to verify reliability and I think it shot great and was no worse to me than, say, a S&W J-Frame with standard pressure ammo.. Not the most comfortable to shoot, but easily doable. I don't reload .380 yet, so I don't shoot it like that anymore, but I would if I could afford ammo. I've shot it at 50' (admittedly not really what the gun was designed for) and, while the sights are small and it takes slightly more time and concentration to line up the sights, it shot very well and I didn't have any trouble making hits on a silhouette target. The gun is small enough that it literally disappears in any pocket I have tried with the DeSantis Nemesis I bought for it. I'd easily rate it as excellent. The only thing that would make it better would be all stainless steel for the steel parts, including the magazine, for corrosion resistance. I haven't had any trouble with that, but I don't carry it much, either.

The G42 I shot belonged to a coworker at the PD I work for (it was actually his wife's carry gun). It was enough larger than the LCP that I don't know if I would classify it as pocket carryable. I know others have done it, but it really didn't fit in the pocket of my jeans anywhere near as well as my LCP. For me, it printed a lot worse than the LCP and was harder to draw because of the longer grip. The thing is, the longer grip and larger size made it a real pussycat to shoot. No real recoil to speak of and was accurate as all get out with the real sights. The trigger, while heavier than any other Glock I have shot, was very similar and contributed to it being very easy to shoot. If the grip was a little shorter, say the same size as the LCP, it would kick the LCP's ass any day and twice on Sunday. The way it is, though, it is enough harder to carry that I wouldn't buy one. If you wanted to carry IWB, it would work very well, but then you should be able to move up to something larger, like a S&W Shield or G43, without any trouble. Something like a G42, to me, doesn't make much sense when carried IWB when you can carry something just a touch larger and more effective. The only place it makes real sense to me would be for someone that is VERY recoil sensitive. .380 isn't the best for carry, but recoil was so mild that anyone should be able to handle it, even if they had, for example, arthritis in their hands, and couldn't comfortably shoot anything else. The longer grip would only help with that, too.

While I have never actually shot the P3AT, a coworker at the PD I work for has one. She constantly has FTFeed and FTEject malfs. This past qualification, she let her husband (who also works for my PD) shoot it when she had a lot of trouble with it. He shoots and qualifies with an LCP (so he shouldn't have had trouble with limp wristing,which is what we thought her trouble was) and he also had a bunch of malfs with the P3AT. She shot his LCP and, lo and behold, it ran perfectly for her. As a result, we're blaming the P3AT for being a POS. Maybe it is the individual gun, but based on what I saw, I wouldn't buy one.

I've never actually shot the Bodyguard, either, but have handled one that belongs to another coworker and heard about shooting it. Thge trigger on the example I played with was, to me, horrid. Much heavier than my LCP. The real sights were nice, but with the trigger, the safety doesn't make any sense to me. I have also read about lots of problems with the built in laser binding up the gun if the screws back out, which is BAD for a carry gun. It should be small enough to pocket carry, but I disliked it enough that I certainly won't be buying one. Again, it may have been this individual gun, but it was not for me.

Bottom line you need to handle and, if possible, shoot examples of the gun you want. See if they work for you and how you want to carry it, including trying them in your pocket if the shop will let you and that is how you want to carry it. Good luck with your decision.

Bub75

Considering experiences I've had with friends Taurus and Kel-Tec guns, I wouldn't look at either brand. Spotty quality and non-existent CS.

I bought a Beretta Pico and I like it pretty well.
Its been 100% and like only 3/4" wide. Its made for
+P's and its well built.

My wife has the 2nd gen lcp. I like it a lot. Trigger is almost too light for me in a pocket gun with no safety, but I don't know what the big deal is. Shoot it and be happy. She's carried hers in her bra holster (nothing like titties and guns) but most of the time, she just sticks it in her waistband in a nylon iwb holster.

I'm thinking I want one to replace my backup 5 shot revolver, just because of the size and weight. 380 is never gonna be a primary for me, always a backup.

The 42 is dope but it's not a pocket gun.

Many gun stores are having amazing deals on the Ruger LCP. It is a nice little pistol and can be had for $225.00. Kentucky Gun Company has a deal right now (where I got mine) where the LCP versions start at $209.00. I bought a LCP custom-bigger trigger and real sights(front is like the Glock sight and the rear dovetailed-$220.00). For the money, in my opinion, you can't get a better deal than this.

tcp or lcp at $250 or less, unless you want extravagant features like "sights" and a "slide release" in which case you can get a cw380 or pico for a few dollars more, and sig p238 if you are ok with spending double that.

Does anyone have the Kahr P380? How do you like it?

I pocket carry a G43 in a pair of Carhartt's daily and am 6'6" tall so the G42 would be easy.

I love my TCP. It goes everywhere with me.

Sig P238 SAS.  With the leather pocket holster I have it looks like a wallet in my back pocket.

Both my LCP and P238 have been good guns.  They are on opposite ends of the price spectrum but the P238 is way more accurate than it should be for such a small piece.

Got to agree.

Mine went through the washing machine a few times. It's still a great little pistol.

I have both as well and the 238 is so much better. I think the 238 is the best pocket pistol money can buy.

It is a true pocket pistol and is easy for me to shoot accurate for such a small package.

I have heard many people complaining they don't run 100%.  I have a theory most people who have had problems with them are trying to put target rounds through a SD pistol. I have only put stout SD loads through mine and it has ran since it came out of the box. Small pistols are hard to design for every type of load, run ammo through them for what they were designed for.

I have a Kahr P380, I like it a lot.  I shot the recommended 200 rounds for break in you'll hear about but I never had any problems since I got it.  A well made quality 380 that I can shoot better than any other small 380 I've tried.  Some don't like the longish trigger pull but it's so smooth I don't find it a detriment in any way.  I'm 5'10" and 155 lbs. and I carry it in a pocket holster anywhere I go without printing concerns.

As OP is asking about striker fired .380s, I just deleted a chunk of my post concerning hammer guns (Seecamp, Kel-Tec, Beretta, etc, - the Walthers and Sigs, etc., I've carried are too large for me to ever consider a pocket gun).

It comes down to what works for you for pocket carry. I tend to carry a .380 as a backup firearm, and typically do so in my front left pocket as my primary is positioned elsewhere for a right hand draw. As a front pocket carry, I want the smallest and lightest pistol that provides reliable performance (goes bang every time and provides acceptable accuracy). The .380 striker fired options currently made that many consider pocket guns are Beretta, Kahr, and Glock (everything else I can think of at the moment involves a hammer, although I think I saw something on a Solo .380 proposal a while ago). I have little experience with the Beretta Nano other than handling them and not liking how they felt or how the sights worked for me as much as the Kahr or some of my hammer options, so will address the Glock and the Kahr.

For me, the Glock 42 provides excellent reliability and accuracy, but is too large for me to reliably draw from the front pocket of all of the various types of pants that I wear. Remember, it's not just that the pistol will fit in the pocket in an appropriate holster, but that you can quickly and repeatedly draw that pistol from the pocket without any concerns of it hanging up. Plus you have to consider how it looks externally - many pockets will print that something is in the pocket - it's easier to mask something smaller. But if it works for you as a pocket gun, it's certainly reliable and soft-shooting.

Now to my suggestion - after numerous pocket guns, I have most recently become enamoured with the Kahr P380 (and I also have experience with a budget-priced CT380 that has absolutely just as good a trigger as the more expensive P380, so I'd be ok with a CW380 as recommended previously if my budget so dictated. And the CT380 is comparably-sized to the Glock 42, while offering an additional round capacity, plus is notably cheaper). It took a lot to replace my P3AT (with appropriate mods including extra power Wolff springs for reliability and reduced felt recoil), especially as the Kahr is nearly 2.5 ounces heavier, but the increased accuracy and shootability has won me over. The last two I purchased I put the first 6-round magazine of each into <0.25" perfectly regulated groups offhand at 5 yards. This is incredible practical accuracy - I'm amazed at how accurate I can be with these tiny guns with relatively long trigger actions (better than I often do with even full-sized single action pistols). Plus the tiny form factor (shorter than even the P3AT) and outstanding night sights suddenly moved my backup pocket pistol into something I'd be confident making long range shots with if called upon to do so with it.

I also finally broke down and got a Stellar Rigs pocket holster with spare mag holder. It now presents as a rectangular wallet-looking object in my pocket if I'm wearing more form-fitting pants, and provides a handy place for a reload that stays with the gun. I really like it (I've tried DeSantis, Uncle Mikes, Galco, Milt Sparks, Remora, etc., but have no second thoughts with this holster).

As to effectiveness of the .380 cartridge as others have mentioned, the first rule of a gun fight is to have one. I'd rather have this on me than a larger gun even nearby (of course I usually have both on me ). And I recently did ordnance gel testing and was extremely surprised with how well it performed. Through denim I was still getting 0.45-0.50" expansive every time AND 15" penetration with Gold Dots through the tiny 2.5" barrel! I also tested the CT380 at the same time and got slightly more expansion but less penetration (as expected). Interestingly the polygonal rifling of the P380 did not lose as much velocity as I expected to over the longer cut rifling barrel of the CT380. While on this tangent, the HSTs I tested at the same time did NOT expand but did provide considerable penetration - 17"+. I believe I read buried in Federal's testing that they used a 4.5" barrel for testing (who uses a 4.5" .380?!) so maybe higher velocities would help here.

P3AT or LCP is the only answer for a "pocket" .380.

Anything else....may as well bump up to 9mm.

I have a P380 and it has been very reliable for me and pretty accurate. I have had it for several years. Longer trigger pull, but smooth. It pockets just fine. I keep wanting to try a G42, but I think I will be pushing the limit in jeans.

I came here to say the same thing. Great gun, never jams

Glock 42. Duh.

Get an LCP custom for a small, light and reliable pocket .380
If you don't mind a single action trigger a Sig P238 is a great pistol.
If you can go bigger than those the Glock 42 is an awesome .380 (too close in size to a single stack 9mm for me to buy one. IMO the point of a .380 is a small pocket back-up pistol)

Stay away from the Kahr.
Mine has never been able to run a full six rounds through the mag consecutively. Reports like mine are all over. Research before you buy...buyer beware.
When I contacted Kahr they were quick to place blame on me for the gun malfunctioning and quick to point out the cost for shipping the gun back for warranty repair was my responsibility as outlined in the warranty card.
Kahr knows their guns are problematic and will try to push blame and liability onto the customer.

There are guys who point out their Kahr works fine so the hundreds of other people reporting constant failures must be doing something wrong. Don't believe that.
Do a search on Kahr frame crack, top round nose diving, problematic kahr mags and mag followers cracking/breaking, bent recoil spring, breaking firing pin, constant FTF and stove pipe.

Search for a thread called "CW380 (and P380) Modifications".
A lot of Kahr owners are jumping through all kinds of hoops to get their gun to function correctly. These guns have a defective design.

The feed ramp is too steep, and my theory is the ramp angle from barrel to barrel is not consistent and why some work and some don't.
The magazine follower is not designed properly. Add to that the rough finish on the internal slide parts that add resistance to the cycling and you have a gun that wont function properly.
Kahr says you need to run 200 rounds through the gun to break it in. What other manufacturer asks you to do that? Why would Kahr require that? It's because they want you to smooth the unfinished, roughly machined mating surfaces through operating the gun instead of spending the extra time to properly smooth and mate parts at the factory and apply QC.

I recently had some free time and got around to inspecting my CW380 closely.
I removed the firing pin and recoil spring so I could slowly cycle ammo through and inspect the operation through full cycle. Unlike every other pistol I own the Kahr has points of very high resistance in the cycle and points of low resistance. I'm sure this is obvious but reducing the high-resistance spots of the cycle will be the key to getting the gun to operate properly.

I changed the angle and radius (shape) of the feed ramp, moved the hump in the mag follower forward by sanding and filed the 45 degree angle in the extractor to a smooth (rounded off) arc. I then polished the extractor, breech face, feed ramp, chamber, underside of mag lips and mag follower.

I have some ammo on order and I'm considering doing a write-up on what I did if this fixes my problem.
Currently hand cycling ammo with the recoil spring removed (and firing pin removed) the action is MUCH smoother (even with WWB flat nose ammunition), so I am hopeful this mostly fixed the problem. The first round still nose dives against the feed ramp and the rear of the last round slides underneath and into (between breech face and extractor) the extractor causing more resistance of slide returning to battery so I still anticipate some FTF on first and last round (mostly on last round as first round seems to feed well enough).

I had one and it was a very cool little gun, but it is TINY!   Almost too small to hold comfortably.  I currently have a Kahr CM9, which is actually a tad smaller than my G42, yet is 9mm.  

LCPs plummeted in price recently. I suspect that a LCPs will be coming out soon. If that is the case, I would wait. There was a similar pattern between the LC9 and LC9s. The trigger in the LC9s is AMAZING and to have the same trigger in a pocket 380 would be dope.