What's the difference between 380 ACP and 380 Auto...

[Strat72]

I'm sure this has been discussed already.

[cyphertext]

Nothing... .380 Automatic Colt Pistol

[OldK22]

also the same as 9mm Kurtz

[legelegel]

ACP is an acronym for Automatic Colt Pistol. .380 is just a shorten name for .380 ACP, which is also know as 9mm short, 9mm Kurtz, 9mm Browning and 9x17.

They all are the same.

[gregintenn]

Other names for .380 ACP include .380 Auto, 9mm Browning, 9mm Corto, 9mm Kurz, 9mm Short, 9×17mm and 9 mm Browning Court (which is the C.I.P. designation). It is not to be confused with .38 ACP, 9mm Ultra, 9mm Makarov or 9mm Parabellum.

Now are you confused?

[Walter Rego]

I used to have an example with the headstamp .380 CAPH which is fairly scarce. I believe it stood for Colt Auto Pistol Hammerless and was not used for long.

[Strat72]

so can you shoot 380 in a 9mm? Like shooting 38 spcl in a 357?

[legelegel]

Originally Posted by Strat72

so can you shoot 380 in a 9mm? Like shooting 38 spcl in a 357?

Like Mrs. Gump taught her son, "Stupid is as stupid does."

9mm and 380 both head-space off the mouth, not the rim like a .38 or a .357.

[poordevil]

Originally Posted by legelegel

ACP is an acronym for Automatic Colt Pistol. .380 is just a shorten name for .380 ACP, which is also know as 9mm short, 9mm Kurtz, 9mm Browning and 9x17.

They all are the same.

I think the 9 mm Browning (9mm Browning Long [9x20])is a different round. It was used in the Swiss Army Browning pistol , model 1907. The gun looks like the Colt pocket model 1903 , but somewhat longer.

[aurora40]

Originally Posted by legelegel

Like Mrs. Gump taught her son, "Stupid is as stupid does."

9mm and 380 both head-space off the mouth, not the rim like a .38 or a .357.

Also the 9mm is tapered, so even if the 380 were held by the extractor, I'd think the 9mm chamber would be quite oversized.

[CaptRon956]

Originally Posted by Strat72

so can you shoot 380 in a 9mm? Like shooting 38 spcl in a 357?

I certainly wouldn't do it....

[Cal44]

What difference does it make what you call 380's?

They are not adequate for self defence anyway.

(Trying to start a caliber war here)

[litenlarry]

Originally Posted by Cal44

What difference does it make what you call 380's?

They are not adequate for self defence anyway.

(Trying to start a caliber war here)

A .380 in your pocket is better than a 45 left in the car...

[dufous]

A .45 miss is less effective than a .22 (or .380) put where it counts.

[legelegel]

Originally Posted by dufous

A .45 miss is less effective than a .22 (or .380) put where it counts.

The "ayes" have it.

[KEN L]

Originally Posted by legelegel

ACP is an acronym for Automatic Colt Pistol. .380 is just a shorten name for .380 ACP, which is also know as 9mm short, 9mm Kurtz, 9mm Browning and 9x17.

They all are the same.

And, don't forget 9mm Corto. The Italians liked that round too!

[fat tom]

Originally Posted by OldK22

also the same as 9mm Kurtz

Maybe I'm just picking nits,but that should be 9mm Kurz.
f.t.

[tops]

Originally Posted by dufous

A .45 miss is less effective than a .22 (or .380) put where it counts.

I have heard that all my life and I always wondered why miss with a .45. My .44s and .45s are as accurate as my smaller caliber pistols. Larry

[gwpercle]

Invest in a book called Cartridges Of The World, a wealth of information on a subject that can be very confusing. I keep this one handy to sort out the what is what when names and numbers get thrown around.
This book is handy to use for just sorting out all the different 9mm rounds that are in existence.
Gary

[CTG_COLLECTOR]

Originally Posted by gwpercle

Invest in a book called Cartridges Of The World, a wealth of information on a subject that can be very confusing. I keep this one handy to sort out the what is what when names and numbers get thrown around.
This book is handy to use for just sorting out all the different 9mm rounds that are in existence.
Gary

Actually, this book is the definitive book on cartridges:

Fortress Books - Manual of Pistol and Revolver Cartridges

COTW book tends to have errors in it.

[martybee]

Originally Posted by KEN L

And, don't forget 9mm Corto. The Italians liked that round too!

Other names for .380 include .380 Auto, 9mm Browning, 9mm Corto, 9mm Kurz, 9mm Short, 9×17mm and 9 mm Browning Court.

[FP2000H]

Originally Posted by CaptRon956

I certainly wouldn't do it....

A buddy of mine shot .380 out of my Sig P239 9mm once not paying attention and loading the wrong ammunition into the magazine. He was new to guns at the time. The Sig fed it like a champ, thankfully.

[Gamecock]

Originally Posted by dufous

A .45 miss is less effective than a .22 (or .380) put where it counts.

Not really. The flash/bang of a .45 is likely to be more effective at stopping a fight than the sting of a hit with a .22. In the heat of battle, the assailant is unlikely to even know he was hit.

[Florida J Frame]

Originally Posted by Strat72

so can you shoot 380 in a 9mm? Like shooting 38 spcl in a 357?

NO! NO! NO!

[Florida J Frame]

Originally Posted by Cal44

What difference does it make what you call 380's?

They are not adequate for self defence anyway.

(Trying to start a caliber war here)

Maybe Erich will pop in here and remind us how many people he has seen on a slab due to the inadequate .380.

[FloridaFlier]

And you're welcome.

[shouldazagged]

Originally Posted by Cal44

What difference does it make what you call 380's?

They are not adequate for self defence anyway.

(Trying to start a caliber war here)

There's one in every crowd...

[HarryD]

Thank you for asking, I didn't know either. Thanks for the education gentlemen.

[Biggfoot44]

Even morso than .45acp , a miss with .357 or .44Magnum will stun and awe with muzzleflash and report even better than a 100 Lumen tactical flashlight in the eyes. ( There is sarcasm there , guess which direction .)

Them gadgum furriners sure call all their ctgs funny names. (Humor). But in the USA context , Gun mfg who are not Colt are often loath to mark their products with the name of a competetor , hence .45 Auto , .380 Auto . Goes the other way also with .32 New Police , .38 New Police, and of course .40 Auto .

But the question of .380 in 9mm gun has come up in a serious context. Once upon a time in a nearby county , a miscreant used a 9mm pistol loaded with .380 with felonous intent. His defense included the concept that a 9mm loaded with .380 wasn't really a dealy weapon ( because not go bang , not the stopping power debate ). The expert testimony was that while not always perfect functioning , it would go bang and expell a bullet often enough to constitute ADW .

[RGVshooter]

Originally Posted by Strat72

so can you shoot 380 in a 9mm? Like shooting 38 spcl in a 357?

380 & 9mm are both .355" dia and both headspace off the case mouth so in short, yes.

HOWEVER it may not be powerful enough to cycle the slide in whatever pistol you use so don't expect very good reliability. I would not make a habit of it but it won't hurt the gun at all. I have fired successfully handfuls of 380's thru my M&P 9mm with no problem at all however it was basically a single shot pistol but in a survival situation and for whatever reason you're stuck with a 9mm pistol and a handful of 380's. go for it...

[Pisgah]

Folks are giving you the straight, if confusing, skinny --- unless you meant the .38 Auto...

[MCorps0311]

Thanks,good quesrion? ACP & AUTO.

[ispcapt]

Originally Posted by RGVshooter

….but in a survival situation and for whatever reason you're stuck with a 9mm pistol and a handful of 380's. go for it...

Hopefully Strat72 wasn't in a survival situation awaiting your answer. You just replied to a thread that is 3.5 years old.

[medic15al]

Originally Posted by legelegel

Like Mrs. Gump taught her son, "Stupid is as stupid does."

9mm and 380 both head-space off the mouth, not the rim like a .38 or a .357.

I accidentally fired a 380 FMJ thru a Beretta 92FS I had by accident once. It was lying in a box of 9x19 ball rounds in an indoor range. Just a pop compared to the other rounds and it printed on the target, ejected and fed the next round fine.

I don't recommend it.

[TomkinsSP]

Originally Posted by MCorps0311

Thanks,good quesrion? ACP & AUTO.

TRUTH: Stevens, Smith and Wesson et. al. were not about to roll mark "Colt" on thier products.

THUS: .38 Colt New Police = .38 S&W
.38 Long Colt = .38 Government

[Muss Muggins]

So is that yes or no?

Originally Posted by legelegel

Like Mrs. Gump taught her son, "Stupid is as stupid does."

9mm and 380 both head-space off the mouth, not the rim like a .38 or a .357.

[johngalt]

To further confuse things...

"ACP", or Automatic Colt Pistol, refers to the firearm. The cartridge is 'Auto'.

Example: the M1911 / Colt Government Model is chambered in .45 ACP. It fires a .45 Auto cartridge.

[LoboGunLeather]

Two significant differences:

1. Geography. In the US the cartridge is known as the .380 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol). In Europe and other continents it is known as 9mm Short (English), 9mm Corto (Spanish, Italian), 9mm Kurtz (German) and more recently as 9X17mm.

2. Market competition. Prior to WW2 many US arms makers developed proprietary cartridges for their rifle and pistol lines. Based upon market demand, many arms makers offered guns chambered for specific cartridges developed by other companies, but they did not wish to provide publicity or advertising to competitors (or be accused of copyright infringement), so they developed common names for the various cartridges. The .44 WCF became commonly known as the .44-40, .30 WCF became the .30-30, .45 ACP became widely known as .45 Auto, the .380 ACP became commonly known as .380 Auto, and a whole range of others. Even our beloved Smith & Wesson offered a semi-auto pistol using the .32 ACP, but marketed it as the .35 S&W.

Confusing? Only at first.

[Muss Muggins]

Originally Posted by johngalt

Example: the M1911 / Colt Government Model is chambered in .45 ACP. It fires a .45 Auto cartridge.

Where do I find them .45 Auto cartridges? All I can find online and at the LGS are .45 ACP cartridges . . .

[TomkinsSP]

Originally Posted by Muss Muggins

Where do I find them .45 Auto cartridges? All I can find online and at the LGS are .45 ACP cartridges . . .

And they misspelled (mis-abbriviated) Remington as "RIM".

[Triggernosis]

Originally Posted by OldK22

also the same as 9mm Kurtz

Kurz....Kurz No "t" in there, nor is it pronounced with one.

[kthom]

About all a miss will likely cause is a ringing in the ears and possibly tracks in somebody’s drawers! There an be other reactions, of course. And it is also true that hits occur without much if any visible reaction seen, at least for a short time.

Both description posted by the OP describe the same cartridge.

[johngalt]

Originally Posted by Muss Muggins

Where do I find them .45 Auto cartridges? All I can find online and at the LGS are .45 ACP cartridges . . .

You must have not looked very hard. Here are some pictures of both factory boxes and pages from Sierra and Hornady reloading manuals. Note the description in the Hornady manual.

[TomkinsSP]

Originally Posted by Triggernosis

Kurz....Kurz No "t" in there, nor is it pronounced with one.

Col. Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando).

[Gamecock]

Originally Posted by Muss Muggins

Where do I find them .45 Auto cartridges? All I can find online and at the LGS are .45 ACP cartridges . . .

You made that up.

[M29since14]

Originally Posted by ispcapt

Hopefully Strat72 wasn't in a survival situation awaiting your answer. You just replied to a thread that is 3.5 years old.

Well, better late than never!