Your carry piece must be 100% reliable, not 99,... 100. If you stay with the 380 (which in the opinion of many is not a good stopping round), shoot it in ALL conditions; you can even do this at the range. I held my Personal Protection (armed) license here in Virginia for many years and would frequently practice in a darkened booth at the range. You can even check muzzle flash for your chosen ammo that way and there are BIG differences; too much flash can bugger your eyes for follow up rounds. In your case, you could actually bring an ice chest to the range and when you try Spyder's idea regarding lubricant (a good suggestion) put your gun in a protective bag and get it good and cold and then fire. Somewhere out there in the world sit 1, 2, or 3 rounds of ammo that ultimately could save your life or that of a loved one. Make sure you can crank them off reliably when you must. Ed