I want to thank you for sending the HC. I received it on Friday and took it to the range on Sunday. It was shot by myself and 3 other men. Neither of the 3 men had shot a small .380. They did have experience with full and mid-size auto pistols in 9mm and .40 S&W.

All stings of fire were loaded 6 + 1. The only ammunition that failed the reliability test was American Eagel 95gr FMJ. It failed to feed on round 4 of the first magazine and round 5 of the second.  I do not blame the HC. I know of 3 Ruger .380's that id not like AE.  I own one and have sold the other 2 to customers.  Some AE 9m has produced spotty results.  It ha a local reputation of being "under powered".  The proble was with the ammo not the gun.  The good news is that 2 full magazines with one in the chaber gave the fallowing results:

Winchester White Box 95gr FMJ, No Failures.

Bitter Root Valley 90gr JHP, No Failurs.

Remington 95gr GMJ, No Failures.

Aquilla 95gr FMJ, No Failures.

Monarch 94gr JHP, No Failures.

Blazer (aluminum case) 95gr FMJ, No Failures.

for a total of 84 round of perfect performance. I loaded a magazine with on of each o the above ammo with the same results.

Two of the men shot 7 round (mixed ammo) with no FTF or FtE. The third man fired on shot and put the HC back on the bench. He commented that he thought the pistol had "exploded". It should be noted he had been shooting a full size 9mm all day. The two men who fired 7 shot stings comented on the trigger pull and recoi. They are experienced shooters and are aware of the trade offs with small carry pistol and a full size firearm.  Both agreeed that it is an ideal carry gun especially in the summer when the small size becomes important.

If i count correctly this first test consisted of 105 rounds fired with out a problem.  Before I left the range I fired more of the Monarch and Bitter Root Vally JHP. JHP in .380 is very hard to find in Oklahoma.  I purchased 5 boxed of the BRV at a local gun show for $20.00 a box.  I have given 2 boxes to friends and am workin through the third box.  The Monarch is left over from days gone past.  I plan to carry the HC with the BRV ammo.

The HC will be displayed on the enclosed card.  As noted it is not for sale.  Customer will have a chance to pick it up, handle it and will be given my ammo testing results.  I have acquired one from RSR in Dallas, TX.  I am keeping it back for a good customer who is looking for a RELIABLE .380.

Boottom line: Itrust it, I carry it.

Again thank you for letting me have one to "run through the ringer".  My only suggestion is to get one to the American Rifleman ASAP for their evaluation.

Feel free to shar this information with customers or clients.

Sincerely,

W.E. Duff, Owner

Mastiff Arms