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Well, I just completed my summer ensemble. My latest fashion statement is called the Taurus TCP 738 ...
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... and it is tiny and light, yet fearsome. I've been carrying it around in either my shirt pocket (with a buttoned flap), or the right pocket of my shorts since I purchased it, just to get used to it.
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This pistol is but one of the parade of tough compact .380 ACP pistols that have recently been put on the market. You may have read the article covering the many models available in the American Rifleman several months back. They are all quite comparable in size, weight and capacity, but do vary considerably in price - anywhere from $200 to $1,100.
I've looked at many in the recent parade, including the Kel-Tec P-3AT, Ruger LCP, Rohrbaugh 380 Stealth (most expensive of the bunch), the Kahr P380 Series, and one or two others that have escaped me. The Taurus TCP 738 appealed to me for several reasons - its DAO trigger pull is among the lightest (quite comparable to my Para CCO .45 ACP), its weight (unloaded) at 10.2 ounces, its warranty for the life of the gun, it is made in the USA, its "out-of-the box" reliability, the manufacturer's service reputation for the few times there are minor problems, and its reasonable price at $265.95, assuming you shop around. I believe I have done my homework well, at least I hope so. There is a Titanium version that costs a bit more, by the way.
There is a reasonably priced pocket holster, the DeSantis Nemesis Pocket Holster (shown here with the Ruger LCP) that fits it ...
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A pocket holster such as this, even in a tighter fitting pair of jeans, will eliminate even the slightest possibility of printing. The pistol is held erect in the pocket and the holster stays put when the gun is drawn. I got my holster from Midway USA, and as soon as short-barrel 90 grain Speer Gold Dots become available I will likely be ordering various .380 ACP reloading components as well.
If you are one of us who occasionally carries, you will agree that concealed carry is quite a challenge in the summer time when golf shirt, shorts, and sneaks, or sandals, are the uniform of the day. Heck, since everyone is familiar with the use of fanny packs, or PDA holsters, for concealed carry these days, one of the compact .380 ACP pistols in a pocket holster doesn’t give anyone a clue!
At any rate, there it is ... my new toy.
Well, I put the TCP through her paces today and thought I'd let you all know how she did. I want to have another similar session once I clean her up, but I had to take a break to do some other things around the house.
One hundred (100) rounds, magazine after magazine, and she performed flawlessly and I'm pleased to report that recoil was not at all intimidating ... no sore fingers whatsoever. There were absolutely no mis-feeds with Winchester 95-grain FMJ ammo, and the slide stayed back with authority and reliability after each magazine was empty. The only complaint I have is that the empties flew any direction they dang well pleased, my recovery rate on empty cases, for purposes of possible reloading, was 79%, and I was even using a big old army blanket to catch them, but the blanket was never at the right spot. Ejection path should improve in repeatability as the gun breaks in.
The little pistol, and the tiny sights, took some getting used to for the first couple of targets, but after that I started to get the hang of things. I shot 13-round targets … one in the chamber followed by the two 6-round magazines, taking approximately 2-3 seconds between shots. Another 100 rounds with this little sweetheart and I will be as confident in carrying it as I am my Browning 9mm High Power or my Para CCO .45 ACP. Obviously this little .380 ACP won't have the power of those two pistols, but she is a darn sight more concealable. As I said, I’ve been carrying it on me since I bought it, just to get used to it, and my wife never knew ‘til I came home from the range today and she couldn’t figure out what gun I had been shooting. I hadn't told her I bought it - she just kinda rolled her eyes and wagged her head. (She has her vices too!)
At any rate, the bottom line is that I am extremely pleased with the performance of this little pistol, for an autoloader weighing only 10.2 ounces and having a 2.84” barrel – tickled pink you might say.
Here’s what my last couple of targets looked like at 8 paces (approx. 24 feet) … 21’ is considered typical self defense distance for purposes of practice firing.
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This last target gives me confidence that I can improve with practice. Although my primary goal at this point was to gain confidence in the functioning of the pistol, my secondary goal was to try to put as many shots in the rings of the target as possible, and this target fell way short of that goal; however, I do like the tight group in the center area. I think I must have been jerking or squeezing my whole hand with the trigger pull on the 3 shots on the bottom area of the target. The grip is a bit tiny so I’d assume that was my natural tendency on those shots. That’s why we must practice, eh?
![]()
... and it is tiny and light, yet fearsome. I've been carrying it around in either my shirt pocket (with a buttoned flap), or the right pocket of my shorts since I purchased it, just to get used to it.
This pistol is but one of the parade of tough compact .380 ACP pistols that have recently been put on the market. You may have read the article covering the many models available in the American Rifleman several months back. They are all quite comparable in size, weight and capacity, but do vary considerably in price - anywhere from $200 to $1,100.
I've looked at many in the recent parade, including the Kel-Tec P-3AT, Ruger LCP, Rohrbaugh 380 Stealth (most expensive of the bunch), the Kahr P380 Series, and one or two others that have escaped me. The Taurus TCP 738 appealed to me for several reasons - its DAO trigger pull is among the lightest (quite comparable to my Para CCO .45 ACP), its weight (unloaded) at 10.2 ounces, its warranty for the life of the gun, it is made in the USA, its "out-of-the box" reliability, the manufacturer's service reputation for the few times there are minor problems, and its reasonable price at $265.95, assuming you shop around. I believe I have done my homework well, at least I hope so. There is a Titanium version that costs a bit more, by the way.
There is a reasonably priced pocket holster, the DeSantis Nemesis Pocket Holster (shown here with the Ruger LCP) that fits it ...
A pocket holster such as this, even in a tighter fitting pair of jeans, will eliminate even the slightest possibility of printing. The pistol is held erect in the pocket and the holster stays put when the gun is drawn. I got my holster from Midway USA, and as soon as short-barrel 90 grain Speer Gold Dots become available I will likely be ordering various .380 ACP reloading components as well.
If you are one of us who occasionally carries, you will agree that concealed carry is quite a challenge in the summer time when golf shirt, shorts, and sneaks, or sandals, are the uniform of the day. Heck, since everyone is familiar with the use of fanny packs, or PDA holsters, for concealed carry these days, one of the compact .380 ACP pistols in a pocket holster doesn’t give anyone a clue!
At any rate, there it is ... my new toy.
Well, I put the TCP through her paces today and thought I'd let you all know how she did. I want to have another similar session once I clean her up, but I had to take a break to do some other things around the house.
One hundred (100) rounds, magazine after magazine, and she performed flawlessly and I'm pleased to report that recoil was not at all intimidating ... no sore fingers whatsoever. There were absolutely no mis-feeds with Winchester 95-grain FMJ ammo, and the slide stayed back with authority and reliability after each magazine was empty. The only complaint I have is that the empties flew any direction they dang well pleased, my recovery rate on empty cases, for purposes of possible reloading, was 79%, and I was even using a big old army blanket to catch them, but the blanket was never at the right spot. Ejection path should improve in repeatability as the gun breaks in.
The little pistol, and the tiny sights, took some getting used to for the first couple of targets, but after that I started to get the hang of things. I shot 13-round targets … one in the chamber followed by the two 6-round magazines, taking approximately 2-3 seconds between shots. Another 100 rounds with this little sweetheart and I will be as confident in carrying it as I am my Browning 9mm High Power or my Para CCO .45 ACP. Obviously this little .380 ACP won't have the power of those two pistols, but she is a darn sight more concealable. As I said, I’ve been carrying it on me since I bought it, just to get used to it, and my wife never knew ‘til I came home from the range today and she couldn’t figure out what gun I had been shooting. I hadn't told her I bought it - she just kinda rolled her eyes and wagged her head. (She has her vices too!)
At any rate, the bottom line is that I am extremely pleased with the performance of this little pistol, for an autoloader weighing only 10.2 ounces and having a 2.84” barrel – tickled pink you might say.
Here’s what my last couple of targets looked like at 8 paces (approx. 24 feet) … 21’ is considered typical self defense distance for purposes of practice firing.
This last target gives me confidence that I can improve with practice. Although my primary goal at this point was to gain confidence in the functioning of the pistol, my secondary goal was to try to put as many shots in the rings of the target as possible, and this target fell way short of that goal; however, I do like the tight group in the center area. I think I must have been jerking or squeezing my whole hand with the trigger pull on the 3 shots on the bottom area of the target. The grip is a bit tiny so I’d assume that was my natural tendency on those shots. That’s why we must practice, eh?
