Thanx. I do like the P232 but yes, I am concerned about the 380 round. It was my first concealed carry weapon but now I only carry it when I can't carry the P239.
After carrying a couple of years now, and seeing what type of attacks are happening (like the recent church attack and VT) my views have changed a bit on round selection. If I'm caught in a restaurant with a nut I want to be able to stop him fast.
If I have to pull out a firearm to protect myself or others, I want to put the bad guy down fast. To do that I need to hit him in the head or penetrate deep into the chest, maybe thru heavy clothing and from a bad angle. (like from the side thru the arm and into the chest)
The 380 is 9mm short (Kurtz) and just can't penetrate heavy clothing and go deep enough (12") to reach vital organs if shot from a bad angle. It's better than carrying nothing at all though.
The 9mm Parabellum is better, especially in +P.
But I am more confident in the 40S&W, 357 SIG, and 45ACP.
This a 20 year old paper, and may have been one of the reasons the 10mm round was selected by the FBI years back. I wounder what the current experts say? Give it a read. It's long but has some very good points.
http://www.gunthorp.com/wounding_factors.htm
TA