Every shooter’s met one—a pistol that feels fine in the hand, runs without issue, and still sprays rounds like you’re shooting from a moving truck. You line up your sights, slow your breathing, and still can’t keep a tight group once you stretch past 15 yards. Sometimes it’s a design flaw, sometimes it’s cheap parts or poor barrel fit, but the end result is the same: wasted ammo and growing frustration. These are the pistols that make you second-guess your fundamentals when the real problem is the gun itself.
KelTec P3AT
The KelTec P3AT is one of the most common pocket pistols out there, but accuracy isn’t its strength. The tiny sights are more decorative than functional, and the short grip gives you little to hang on to. Once you push past 15 yards, consistency drops fast.
Add in a heavy, long trigger pull and snappy recoil, and it’s easy to see why groups fall apart. The P3AT was built to disappear in a pocket, not to win any bullseye matches. At close range it’s acceptable, but farther out it turns into guesswork.
Taurus Curve
The Taurus Curve’s unique shape and built-in light were interesting ideas, but the accuracy suffered. Its curved frame and snag-free design come at the expense of proper sights. There’s no real way to line up a precise shot, which becomes painfully obvious beyond 10 or 15 yards.
The pistol’s mild caliber and short sight radius make it manageable up close, but accuracy degrades fast once distance increases. It’s a pistol made for point shooting at arm’s length, not precision at range. Beyond 15 yards, you’re relying more on luck than skill.
Ruger LCP (First Generation)
The original Ruger LCP became a runaway success, but nobody ever praised it for accuracy. Its long, gritty trigger pull and short barrel make grouping past 15 yards nearly impossible for most shooters. The minimal sights don’t help either—they’re small enough to lose in bright light.
You can hit a center-mass target at close distance, but trying to shoot a tight group any farther out quickly becomes an exercise in frustration. The later LCP II improved the trigger and sight picture, but that first generation still tops the list of pocket pistols that struggle at distance.
Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380
The Bodyguard 380 is reliable and easy to carry, but precision isn’t its strong suit. The short barrel, heavy trigger, and narrow grip all work against accuracy once you stretch it past 15 yards. The sights are usable, but that doesn’t help much when the trigger breaks inconsistently.
Even from a rest, it’s hard to keep groups tight beyond close range. The gun’s small frame makes recoil control tricky, and that inconsistency shows on paper. It’s a pistol designed for concealment and convenience, not one you bring to the range to prove your marksmanship.
Remington RM380
Remington’s RM380 is another ultra-compact pistol that suffers once you move past close distance. The DAO trigger pull is long and heavy, which tends to pull shots wide. Combined with a short barrel and limited sight radius, accuracy falls apart quickly past 15 yards.
The design emphasizes reliability and snag-free carry, but the tradeoff is precision. Even skilled shooters find themselves struggling to group consistently at range. It’ll fire every time you pull the trigger, but where those rounds land past 15 yards is anyone’s guess.
Beretta Pico
The Beretta Pico looks sleek and feels solid, but it’s notorious for being hard to shoot accurately. The trigger pull is long, the break vague, and the recoil sharp for such a small pistol. Beyond 10 or 15 yards, the combination makes it difficult to keep rounds in the same neighborhood.
Some owners claim it’s “minute of torso” accurate at defensive distances, but precision shooters won’t find much to love. The Pico’s reliability is respectable, but its accuracy issues make it more of a backup gun than a range performer.
SCCY CPX-1
The SCCY CPX-1 is lightweight, affordable, and American-made, but accuracy is inconsistent. The double-action trigger has a long, stacking pull that causes most shooters to dip or drift shots. While the fixed barrel should help, the overall build tolerances aren’t tight enough for repeatable precision.
At 15 yards or less, it’ll get the job done. Push it farther and the groups spread wide enough to make you wonder if the sights shifted. The CPX-1 is a serviceable carry piece for close work, but it’s not built for confident shooting at range.
Jimenez JA-380
The Jimenez JA-380 is one of those budget pistols that might go bang reliably but rarely in the same place twice. The cast frame and rough slide fit don’t allow for consistent lockup, and the trigger is heavy enough to move the muzzle before the break.
Even at 10 yards, it takes effort to keep a decent group. Beyond 15, luck takes over. It’s a carry option in name only, and accuracy-wise it struggles to keep pace with even the cheapest polymer pistols. For shooters who’ve tried one, “minute of barn” isn’t an exaggeration.
Phoenix HP22A
The Phoenix HP22A is a fun little plinker, but it’s not known for precision beyond short range. The sights are basic, and the light frame means the barrel moves under the slightest pressure. Once you reach out past 15 yards, those small inconsistencies turn into wide groups.
Some shooters manage decent results with match ammo, but it’s still not a pistol built for precision. The HP22A does what it was meant to—cheap fun at the range—but it’s not the gun you reach for if you care where every shot lands.
KelTec PF9
The PF9 is incredibly slim and easy to conceal, but accuracy is inconsistent at best. The long trigger pull and sharp recoil make it hard to hold a consistent sight picture. Past 15 yards, groups expand quickly as the pistol shifts slightly in the hand.
The barrel fit isn’t bad, but the overall design favors size and weight over stability. It’s one of those guns that’ll function fine, but precision simply isn’t in its DNA. For close work, it’s acceptable. Beyond that, it starts to wander.
Cobra CA380
The Cobra CA380 is one of the last of the budget blowback pistols, and it shows. The heavy trigger, soft metal frame, and loose tolerances combine for disappointing accuracy. The gun jumps in the hand and rarely locks up the same way twice, which makes consistent groups impossible.
You can get by at 7 yards, maybe 10, but once you stretch it past 15, the target starts looking like a shotgun pattern. The CA380 might be affordable, but it’s one of those pistols that remind you that cheap and accurate rarely go together.
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*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.
