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Colt Mustang Pocketlite .380 Auto

Courtesy Gun Tests

This light and tiny autoloader would be our first choice for backup, if we chose a .380 for that purpose. This particular gun has been carried in the pocket, hammer down on a live round, for a long time. Dust and time removed most of the oil, and the gun didn’t work when we first tried it. Note the wear on the front strap from long-time riding with keys, coins, etc. It worked perfectly after we oiled it.

The .380 cartridge has been around since early in the last century. It was another of John Browning’s designs, and has been known as the 9mm Kurz, 9x17, 9mm Browning Short, and .380 ACP. We also know it as the .380 Automatic, or simply the .380 Auto. It’s been chambered in a host of small autoloading pistols, some of them quite famous, such as Walther’s PPK.

The .380 is not a cartridge many of us would pick for all-around use. It’s hardly a plinking cartridge, because of the relatively high cost of ammunition, and because the pistols that chamber it are generally not all that accurate. Reloaders don’t exactly flock to the diminutive cartridge, for a variety of reasons. Ammunition manufacturers have produced some excellent fodder in recent years for the tiny guns, but none of it can make a mountain-size “stopper” out of the molehill .380 Auto.

Guns for the cartridge abound, some of them expensive, some of them — like the ones tested here — discontinued for a variety of reasons. Some .380s are great firearms, and some would make better table lamps.

The Colt Mustang Pocketlite .380 Auto, about $500
was available in blued or stainless finish while it was made. The all-steel Mustang was available in three finishes: blued, stainless, and nickel. The Pocketlite was introduced in 1987, and its all-steel brother a year later. Colt’s made the guns for a little over ten years. They were discontinued when the Colt company decided to concentrate on military contracts a few years ago.

Because of their usefulness as being among the smallest pocket-carry weapons in a meaningful caliber, both types of Mustang remain very popular. Prices for good samples of the Colt Mustang and Mustang Pocketlite may be expected to continue to escalate, and these Colts ought to be good collectibles in the long haul, in our opinion.

Both our test guns had matte-black (brushed) finishes, rounded hammers, large ejection ports, integral and wide front sights, driftable rear sights with big notches, plastic grip panels with checkering, and magazines designed like those of the 1911, with bottoms extending forward of the front grip strap so they could be ripped out or tapped firmly into place as needed. There were two magazines with each gun.

The front and back straps were smooth, and the bottom of the rear strap was rounded so it didn’t gouge the palm of the hand. These guns were obviously designed by someone, or by a team, with at least a fundamental idea of what’s needed in a fighting handgun, we thought.

Fit and finish were excellent in both guns. Some of us thought the safety levers could have been larger, or extended forward for easier access. The trigger pulls were very good. Both broke at about 4.5 pounds, welcome change from the 6.5- and 7-pound triggers of the first two. The Mustang Pocketlite had its name on the left side of

Courtesy Gun Tests

Colt’s Pocketlite is among the smallest, most powerful handguns available. If you can find one and are willing to pay the price, it should serve you well as backup.

At the range the Pocketlite gave us fits. On placing the loaded magazine into the gun, the first round fed just fine. After the first shot, the empty went away and the second round left the magazine and entered the chamber, but the slide didn’t go fully forward. We tapped the back of the slide, and that forced the Colt’s internal extractor to jump over the chambered round’s rim. The slide seemed to be sticky and had little spring pressure. We had many failures to feed in a like manner.

After a few more failures, we thought the gun might benefit from some oil. Its owner had loaned it to us for testing, having carried the gun for a long time in his pocket. All that pocket dust and the passage of time had removed most of the gun’s lubrication, and this is something that all pocket-gun carriers might take note of. We put some oil into the gun here and there and worked it a few times, but did not disassemble and clean it, which it probably needed. However, we wanted to see if lack of oil was the problem, and it was. From that point on, the little Pocketlite ran perfectly.

It didn’t exactly stun us with its accuracy, giving a best five-shot group at 15 yards of 3.4 inches with the Cor-Bon fodder. It didn’t seem to like the Federal, which ran fine but didn’t give good accuracy. The largest group we recorded with the Pocketlite was 6.4 inches with Federal ammo, but four of those went into 1.9 inches. However, the general scattering of shots with both Colts told us that these guns are not target pieces, so an occasional tight clustering of shots didn’t mean all that much. Average accuracy of the Pocketlite with all loads was about 4.6 inches. That of the all-steel Mustang was closer to 6 inches. Not tack-drivers, these. Only you can judge if that’s enough accuracy for you, based on your intended uses and expectations for a .380.

Reader Comments

I was able to find a Colt .380 Mustang in very good condition. I've been pleased with it and intend to hold on to it due to the history, utility and increase in collector value. One might also note that Sig has introduced it's version of the Mustang, P238 ! So, something was very right about this design.

R.Spencer

Comment by: Randall S | September 3, 2009

Great article...but today, you can carry a lighter, slimmer pocket gun in something that begins with a "4" like the Walther PPS .40 cal that's riding comfortably in my pocket right now (I think it's there...let me check...yep :-) .

Comment by: Law Dog in Philly | September 3, 2009

Nice guns, but there's several 9mm's in same or smaller package. Double action too.

Comment by: RICHARD V | September 3, 2009

I have carried and used my Colt 380 for 10 years, and for short use it is perfect. There are many kinds of hot loads that you can purchase for this gun. Jim

Comment by: gunreports | September 3, 2009

One of the strengths of this gun is its similarity to the 1911. It's always helpful if the operation and controls on your backup gun mimic your primary carry (and possibly dangerous to your health if you're in a hurry and they don't). For those who carry a 1911 variant, it's still a great choice...

Comment by: dras | September 3, 2009

Many years ago I had a Colt Government Model .380 which I liked other than the single action mechanism. I traded that away and later found a Colt Pony Pocketlite .380 which is double action and lighter than my old steel Government .380. Great gun and well worth what I paid for it at a gun show. Although the Sig Model P238 .380 appears to be a nice gun, it is still single action and heavier than my Pocketlite. Of course neither of them compare well to the Kahr PM9 in terms of power but for those who don't like the recoil of small nine's, the .380 is a good alternative.

Comment by: DAVID M | September 3, 2009

The .380 auto ammo is not a very clean ammo as it is a low pressure cartridge. Starting from a very clean, and well lubed gun, you'll find that with different makes of factory ammo that the gun will foul up at right around 200 rds. Reloading, using a single base powders will extend it's use much further.

Comment by: lotoofla | September 3, 2009

A. The Colt Mustang is arguably miscatagorized in this publication as "home Defense". It would be more logically slotted under the heading "Concealed Carry". Yes, any concealed carry gun can be pressed into service for home defense, but I would not buy the Mustang specifically for home defense.

B. How safe is it to carry concealed? It appears to lack to grip-safety of its 1911 big brother and it is single action. Would I have to carry it with an empty chamber or rely entirely on the thumb safety? I think that there are a host of more logical choices. I suspect that the real interest in the mustang is emotional (It Looks like a 1911!) Personally: "I show my 1911 to my friends. I show my Glock or my Kahr to my enimies".

I carry a Kahr PM9 concealed (with extended mag for better control), and a Glock 22 for home defense and unconcealed carry.

Comment by: OregonGreg | September 3, 2009

I like the colt mustang, but I prefer the kahrs and the walther pps 9mm because they are so slim and easy to carry and more powerful with the better caliber.

Comment by: carry9 | September 3, 2009

The Colt was well designed, but not ab Colt's personnel. It was copied from a design by Star Bonifaccio Echeverria is Spain and sold for many years under the Star name as a Starfire. Colt merely modestly modified the Star design. This isn't any different than the Colt .22 which came out in the late 90s; it was a copy of the High Standard Duramatic with the magazine release switched to the other side by Mike Gamache, its "designer." After the Colt .22 flopped, Beretta copied the Duramatic again and called iit the Neos, which is ironic because Neos means new, and it was a copy of a fifty year old design.

Comment by: Bullwrinkle | September 3, 2009

The "new" Sig 238 is also a copy of the Colt Mustang copy of the Star Starfire. If you want a real good .380 carry gun, find an old Astra Model 300; small reliable and they love hot ammo.

Comment by: Bullwrinkle | September 3, 2009

To give Star the credit they deserve look at the Star PD, the first generally available cut down version of the 1911.

Comment by: DAVID M | September 3, 2009

I have a question for all the Kahr owners here: I read on another board a long list of complaints trashing Kahr's quality control, customer service, and the PM9's durability, reliability, and serviceability. My dealer has a nice-looking used PM-9 for less than $400, but I got spooked by the bad press. What do you guys think?

Gaviota

Comment by: Lee W | September 3, 2009

The cheap plastic trigger turned me off as well as the crude outside workmanship. Accuracy is dismal to say the least. A much better gun is the original German and/or French made Walther PPK/S guns. Forget the American made Walther's as they are junk and do not work reliably, especially the latest S&W produced Walther's.

Comment by: wild romanian | September 4, 2009

I've carried a stainless steel Mustang off and on almost 20 years. Contrary to the review here, I have found it to be a very accurate pistol for it's size. Maybe just luck of the draw. I liked the design so much, I have also purchased the Sig P238.

Comment by: Jim S | September 4, 2009

Check out the Taurus PT 709 slim 9mm

Comment by: GARRETT G B | September 4, 2009

How do these 0.380s compare with the Sig 230 or newer 232...it seems oversight that the Sig 0.380 was not included in comparison

Comment by: BOB G | September 5, 2009

Glock 19 and a pocketlite have been carried by me for 15 yrs. Both function flawlessly as concealed carry or on my range. Not trying to tout them as great target guns but are as reliable as anything I've ever owned. I'll leave with two words....CLEAN THEM!!!

Comment by: Richard E | September 6, 2009

I have heard various negative comments on Kahr's over the years also, some in gun reviews most recently on the newer Kahr .45. A friend of mine has the Sig 232 in .380 and has nothing but good things to say. Let me just say this about that, I hear a lot of people talking about caliber size rather than if the guns are good or not. Everyone has their opinion on what size to carry, I know people who would not carry any thing less than a .45 cal.(I used to be one) and others who are perfectly comfortable with a .380. I think the arguement is mute since their are so many different conditions under which people carry for example: Small females, back up guns, beach apparel, sports apparel, physical limitations, low threat area. My point is not everyone is under the same conditions and it is my contention that any gun is better than no gun obeying the first rule in a gun fight: Have a gun!

Comment by: Robert J | September 8, 2009

To Lee W. The Kahr has gotten great reviews and is carried by many law enforcement professionals as a back-up and off-duty gun. When I bought mine (gently used from a favorite gun shop) was advised to lubricate it well and that I may have to put 100 rounds through it before it would function reliably. The gun dealer was right! The Kahr is built to extremely tight tolerances. My PM9 had plenty of failure to eject/feed for the first 50 rounds. By the time I was done with my 2nd box she ran great. Important tip: After inserting a fresh second magazine, use the slide-release lever to free the slide from the locked back position rather than using your off-hand to grab the rear of the slide to "sling-shot" release the slide. (The knowlegable and friendly Kahr customer service helped me with that info last bit.)

Comment by: OregonGreg | September 8, 2009

To Lee W. The Kahr has gotten great reviews and is carried by many law enforcement professionals as a back-up and off-duty gun. When I bought mine (gently used from a favorite gun shop) was advised to lubricate it well and that I may have to put 100 rounds through it before it would function reliably. The gun dealer was right! The Kahr is built to extremely tight tolerances. My PM9 had plenty of failure to eject/feed for the first 50 rounds. By the time I was done with my 2nd box she ran great. Important tip: After inserting a fresh second magazine, use the slide-release lever to free the slide from the locked back position rather than using your off-hand to grab the rear of the slide to "sling-shot" release the slide. (The knowlegable and friendly Kahr customer service helped me with that info last bit.)

Comment by: OregonGreg | September 8, 2009

Thanks, Greg, Robert. Appreciate the insight.

Gaviota

Comment by: Lee W | September 8, 2009

To OregonGreg That makes sense why the gun may get some complaints if it needs to be broke in. I heard the same thing about Kimbers, the tighter tolerances require break in time. I had heard several complaints about Kimbers, never had one, but I always assumed that people were not giving them a chance to break in. Thanks for the info, I had been tossing it around getting a Kahr also. The new compact .45 Kahr did have some problems in a test I read, seemed to be the small size and big cal. was creating the problems. Don't know if they worked out the bugs, might just be spring size or something. I tried to find the article last night however I just gave a whole box of gun magazines to the VA hospital.

Comment by: Robert J | September 9, 2009

To Lee W. A PM9 for under 400? Grab it! I have 2000+ rounds thru mine and after the first 250 it's been a machine! Also, the accuracy for a 3" barrel is amazing. It also has great balance and fits like a glove in my hand. Amazing little gun! 5 Stars to Kahr.

Comment by: larryh1108 | September 11, 2009

I carried a PPK back up for years, but sold it to a friend. I never even thought of buying another .380 until I was looking for a CCW for my wife and shot a Ruger LCP with a Crimson Trace laser sight. Now she has one, and I again carry a back up. Right out of the box, both ran flawlessly. We may have been lucky, but at this point I would recommend the LCP very highly.

Comment by: olderndirtcop | November 12, 2009