Which do you prefer for self defense use, it is my understanding the 9X18 is a bit more powerful but I don't have any personal experience with it.

__________________
Stan

While I carry both I think with those two it comes down to a question of platform rather than caliber. IF a P3AT or LCP was available in 9x18 I would probably buy one not becuase the ammo is more powerful but because the ammo is cheaper.

I'd absolutely go with .380, simply because there are so many loadings made in that caliber specifically designed for self-defense. For the purpose of stopping an attacker, I'd rather rely on the expansion of something like Hornady Critical Defense, Federal Hydra-Shok, or CorBon DPX than 9X18 hardball.

__________________
SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

Good Heavens, I don't want to put hollowpoint "brakes" on anything as slow and light as a 95-grain sub-1k fps bullet. Ball for me in these calibers - I've never seen it fail to adequately penetrate in .380/9x18, and I have seen three cases in which .380 fancy-pants hollowpoints failed to penetrate to "the good stuff".

That said, I consider the .380 and the 9x18 so close to identical in performance that I'm with walnutred.

I have Makarov pistols in both calibers. I much prefer the 9mm Makarov, mainly for the cheap Russian ammo, but self-defense loads are also available from Buffalo Bore and Hornady. I have some of the old 9mm Mak CorBon ammo left over, too.
I feel so strongly about the 9mm Mak that I would have traded or sold the .380, but it is so accurate, like 1 1/2 inches @ 15 yards, that I can't part with it.