I obtained a few rounds of .380 ACP ammo that I can not identify. It is loaded in new Winchester brass but I don't know if it was made by Winchester or some outfit that just uses their brass. The bullet is a truncated cone hollow point style with a core of birdshot that is suspended in a clear hard resin. I pulled one round and the "bullet" weighs 51 grs. I can not find anything like this on the Winchester website. Does anybody know what it is? It seems a bit light for defensive purposes.

Dave Sinko

sounds like a company called Magsafe.

Magsafe it is then! It looks like I have their .380 +P+ load. They make some pretty wild claims too...

It's funny that I should acquire this stuff now. A few days ago I shot a sick fox in the neck at near contact distance with a 9mm shot cartridge. The pellets barely broke the skin and almost couldn't get the job done. Since my 940 will chamber and fire .380 I'll keep these rounds with me to use next time I have to put down a sick or injured animal in an urban environment. Trusting 52 grs. of copper and bird shot to put down a man still sounds a bit iffy to me.

Dave Sinko

Dave, IIRC, you like heavy bullets and I like lighter ones. We might think somewhat differently, but FWIW, I don't trust frangible ammo either.

Using snake shot on a varmint almost seems cruel to me, I understand being concerned about being in a residential area but, I would prefer to use a strong air rifle or even a .22lr in that situation.

Snake/rat shot has almost no penetration. If you can't use at least a .22 to dispatch an animal, get a hammer. It will be more merciful.

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