Originally Posted by
Phaedrus
The .380 is sometimes called the 9mm Kurz (kurz is German for short). It's basically the same as a 9mm Parabellum but 2mm shorter. It has a smaller powder charge and couple with the shorter OAL vs the 9mm it's limited to lighter bullets. A further limitation of the .380 ACP is that there's not a recognized SAAMI spec for +P, so it's kind of crap shoot what the upper end of chamber pressure will be. All else being equal a gun chambered in .380 can be smaller than the same gun in 9mm. Modern manufacturing technology and the widespread adoption of polymer has resulted in a new breed of much smaller guns than the pistols of the mid 20th century. There's a practical limit as to how small a gun can be and still be usable; this is dictated by the human hand. The tiniest guns are already almost too small to get a decent grip on, especially for those of us with larger hands.
For the most part there's little reason to make a large .380 ACP. If you are going to have a gun as large as, say, a Glock 19 it might as well have 9mm power vs .380 power. The one good reason for larger .380's though is for places where civilians are barred from owning firearms of a military caliber (as if sometimes the case in Europe).
You're certainly right- my Beretta Nano is about the size of a Walther PPK and a bit lighter while packing a more powerful round.
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You should get rid of your canoe though so you can keep a gun or two for longer than a week.
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