That's a common myth... the .380 isn't as weak as she thinks. It's up to you she and you of course, but there are other things to think about like balancing speed, precision and recoil from a small gun. This article points out:Yeah she’s not thrilled with .380 for stopping power so really want to stick with 9mm.
Yeah Inwas thinking about lighter spring for the shield.
- "While the .380 doesn’t work quite as well as the 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP in its job of stopping attackers, it’s also not that far off."
- "The difference between the .380 and the .40 S&W, to pick one at random, is less than the difference between the .380 and the .32 ACP."
- "Is the .380 half as good as the 9mm? If the data is accurate, it’s actually better than that."
- "The .380 is definitely not at the same performance level of the 9mm. We’re giving up some effectiveness, though as I pointed out, it might not be as much as we’ve been led to believe."
- "But when we factor in the controllability of the gun, the smart choice for some people may very well be the smaller round."
If she's comfortable shooting 9mm out of a smaller gun, can control the recoil, and get combat-accurate hits rapidly at 5-10 yds then by all means choose that.


