Ye Olde Colt .380 Mustang was an iconic gun, offering all the I’m-Too-Sexy-for My-Shirt coolness of a 1911 in a shirt-compatible size. When it was launched in 1986, the pistol’s sales burned hot—until 1997, by which time cool meant cool and everyone who wanted one had one (call it the Dodge Prowler syndrome). With the recent liberalization of concealed carry laws, little guns have come roaring back. SIG SAUER’s riding the wave with their Colt Mustang clone, the P238. Colt didn’t kvetch, probably as the Mustang was an imitation of the Spanish Star. In any case, at some point, Colt decided it should bring back the original Colt to suck up sales from the CCW boom. There are three main reasons that it’s a better gun that afore . . .
1. The slide is now made of stainless steel. Not to cast aspersions on the cast iron slide of the previous ‘Stang, but the new material makes the Mustang lighter (12.5 ounces). And lighter’s good in a carry gun, right?
2. The previous receiver was machined from plate. Again, newer, better materials and manufacturing techniques has made the Colt a more durable and reliable piece. The stock’s made out of black composite.
3. I’m not saying the old Mustang was as sloppy as a mining town whore, but Colt’s tweaked the new gun’s internals (so to speak) for finer tolerance. It’s a crisper feeling gun in all ways.
And then there’s what hasn’t changed. It’s still a 1911-style gun and it’s still a .380 caliber weapon with a seven round magazine.
The former raises the same old questions about carry safety. There aren’t many self-defense gun gurus who recommend a 1911-style weapon for their patients who want the bad guys to chew bullets, what with the external safety and all.
Even with better bullets than before, .380 is still not the caliber of choice for people serious about stopping an imminent threat of their life or the lives of their loved ones. The old argument—it’s better than nothing—has been superseded by the development of a new generation of mini-9mm pocket pistols (e.g. Ruger’s LC9).
I asked Colt Rep Paul Smarolli [above] if the Colt Mustang’s arrived too late to the party. Is the .380 still popular. He paused. “We hope.” If the Colt shoots as well as the SIG P238, he has good reason. If not, not. We shall see.
In 9mm, I’d consider it. Not in .380 though.
What’s with the Leatherman Micra?
Ed says he used it to prop up the ‘Stang for the photo. Needs must.
That size(ish), in 9mm and cheaper than the Springer EMP. Colt would sell ‘em like hotcakes.
12.5 ounces? That’s lighter than the Sig, and significantly lighter than the smallest 9 mm’s. It’s just a bit heavier than the ultralight 380s (Ruger LCP, Keltec P3AT), and it looks like this Colt may be closer than those two to being a ‘real’ gun (like it appears to have decent sights).
Still have my Pony Pocketlite.
Sits in the safe most of the time.
How the hell do you carry a gun like this? Unless you’ve got a custom-made ($$$) IWB thumb-break holster, the only safe way to tote a Mustang or the Sig clone is with an empty chamber.
These guns do not compare well to the new batch of micro-9s from Kahr, Kel-Tec and Ruger. The latter give more firepower, better ballistics, more carry choices and more rapid (one-handed) presentation. All for a few tenths of an ounce more empty weight. The .380s get the nod for lighter recoil and better old-school looks. And possibly a longer a service life, but few of us will ever shoot such small guns so much as to wear them out.
And it still has the same crappy sights. Like most modern Colts. They just don’t get it.
I never brought the Pocketlite had my chances but…. I will buy a new Colt Mustang in .380.
I’ve been waiting for this announcement for years. I’ll take the Colt SA over all the DAO .380′s combined !
I have a Colt Gov pockelite 380 and I love it and I will get the new Mustang it not how big the hole is that counts its where you put the hole that counts.
Had the old one and loved it
More accurate then all if the other 380 pistols I have shot most are junk
If it can handle the newer ammo then it will kick ass. I want one NOW ..
whoever said “These guns do not compare well to the new batch of micro-9s from Kahr, Kel-Tec and Ruger” is talking out of their a$$… 1911 style weapons have been getting a bad rap for a long time… but those in the know realize that they are MUCH more safe to carry cocked and locked that some other “plastic gun” which uses a striker and a trigger safety that is nothing more than a loose plastic lever hinged at mid-trigger (ask Plaxico Burress how he “currently” feels about those oh-so-safe “plastic guns” now THAT’S EXACTLY WHY HIS GUN WENT OFF PEOPLE). the current micro 9 batch are also plastic and also utilize a striker. i’ll carry a colt in my pocket cocked and locked ANY DAY before i put a plastic “striker” gun in my pocket… ANY DAY, ANY TIME.
the bottom line is… the 1911 platform IS safe and it IS reliable and it IS dependable. uh… THAT’S WHY THIS PLATFORM IS STILL AVAILABLE TO THIS DAY FOLKS.
i honestly get tired of people gabbing a bunch of useless hot air about the 1911 platform… it’s ridiculous… and shows that you know VERY LITTLE about what you’re talking about.
I agree. For some reason inexperienced people do not understand that a cocked and locked pistol may look very scarey to the ill informed but actually is safer than a Glock. To shoot a Glock you just press the trigger either on purpose or accidently as sometimes happens. To shoot a 1911 you need to flip off a manual safety lever that locks firmly in place, depress the grip safety and then press the trigger. If the manual safety somehow comes off safe (never happened to me in 40 years) and the grip safety also fails and the hammer safety fails you are left with a Gun that shoots like a Glock. This and the Sig P238 have about 5-6 lb trigger pulls just like a Glock. However since most gun owners know diddly about guns other than what they THINK or read other uninformed internet posters say, they will voice their opinions with authority and self rightousness to the end.
I have shot at people and been shot at and even have a scar to prove it but most of the posters just make up stuff in their heads and present it as the truth. Most will buy every accessory they sell for their gun but not a dime on training by professionals who DO know what is true and what is Internet BS.
Strongly agree with JR. “Cocked and Locked” is more than safe. Also single action only is much faster for double taps….and the mustang has a fully supported chamber.
You mean Colt is making NEW Mustangs? I have been on their website & what I see is New Agent and no mention of Mustangs. Personally I love the Mustang adn I don’t mind .380 either. Although I have all sorts of the new Ruger pistols which I really like my favorite pistol of all time is the Colt 1903 .32 only second to the Mustang.
Why isn’t shown on Colt’s website?
Rob Drummond
Hillsboro, NH
I’m still carrying my Pony almost daily after 15 years. After a few weeks carrying a striker fired 380 pistol paranoia set in and I went back to the Pony. Being able to see or feel the hammer when holstering IWB or shifting the holser when driving makes me feel better. With a striker, I felt I could never be sure what might be going on out of sight. Replaced the hammer spring with a lighter one from Wolf. It’s still a long heavy pull but reasonable
This is a nice looking .380. I had a diamondback .380. Had a lot of failure to feed problems with it. Gunbroker auctions are going for over $700 dollars though. I bought my Sig P290 pocket pistol for well under that. I feel like the 9mm is a more potent round. Think I will stick with it.
Why would anybody consider the single action 1911 unsafe? Sure, the new breed of polymer guns are safety oriented, but this Mustang, as with the 1911, give the user control over a manual safety and the hammer position. User input can only be safer. I own 2 Mustangs and absolutely love them.
I have a unique insight to this…..My first CCW was a Colt series 80 Gov’t Model .380-Nice gun,easy to carry,shot NOTHING reliably other than FMJ.Sold it for what I bought it,got an Interarms PPK(Stainless) and have NEVER had ANY failures in 1500+ rounds-Have worn the gun for a year at a time without shooting it and still no problems-feeds everything including baseball -bat-blunt Silvertip HP’s.When Keltec entered the market I fell for the hubub and bought a P-32.While slipping this dangerous POS onto my belt one day,it WENT OFF!Nicked my right testicle and lodged in my left calf.Spent all of one Florida vacation day at Orlando Regional.Cor-Bon.And I am as careful as can be,except this one time.Got smart.Now I carry only auto’s that have hammers and safeties. Kimber Pro Carry II,My trusty PPK,along with S&W 60,642,Colt Dick Spl.I have carried since 1985,Please think twice before buying Striker Fired Auto’s with No Safety!I just might consider the Mustang because of the safety features,weighs about the same as plastic garbage,and the reliability improvements.
I own and carry a Colt 380 Govt. model. One HELL of a shooter! At 20-25 yds, I can put the rounds in the bulls eye. No brag just fact. Of course I do this one handed as my left arm and hand are totally paralyzed. I do hope that you call me a liar. I am willing able and ready to back this up. I offer 1k to any one that can prove I can’t do as I claim. However if you do challenge me you must put up 1k as well. I shoot at the Desert Hills Gun Club in Boulder City NV. I am there every Monday and Thursday morning. The gun carries very well in a belt holster with the safety on, hammer cocked, and a round chambered. Please, oh please do challenge me! All it takes is a little guts, and willingness on your part to lose 1k!
Give me a break, as if your the only one in the world who can shoot a pistol with one arm. Back in the day shooting with one arm/hand was how it was done. Sorry about your arm, but it doesn’t make you that special