River Walleye Guy
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Jerry Miculek's 2 liter bottle shots video made a believer out of me on the efficacy of .380 *Hornady Critical Defense over ball ammo. (*HCD if memory serves correctly.)
38 Special vs 380 acp (wound balistics)
- Thread starter Bill ch
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Jerry Miculek's 2 liter bottle shots video made a believer out of me on the efficacy of .380 *Hornady Critical Defense over ball ammo. (*HCD if memory serves correctly.)
There isn't a .380 hollow point in existence worth carrying, unless you want to shoot jackrabbits. The cartridge doesn't have enough power, the bullets not enough weight and sectional density, to both expand and penetrate.
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I suppose it depends on which camp you are in; light and fast or heavy and slow. I personally like BB's 158 grain HEAVY +P 38 Special because it' s HEAVY & FAST. With just under 400 ft/lbs of ME I think it is a better choice for SD. IMHO the .380 is right on the fence and I personally like a bit more reassurance in a SD cartridge.
I am sure there are lots of bad guys who have fallen to the.380 acp but the real purpose of shooting a BG is to STOP the THREAT as fast as possible - not just to have them die later on. With almost 400 ft/lbs of ME from a 2" Chief's Special and the HEAVY BB's I feel that is the better package for me. YMMV.
I am sure there are lots of bad guys who have fallen to the.380 acp but the real purpose of shooting a BG is to STOP the THREAT as fast as possible - not just to have them die later on. With almost 400 ft/lbs of ME from a 2" Chief's Special and the HEAVY BB's I feel that is the better package for me. YMMV.
shotgun693
Member
I was in Law Enforcement 35 years. I have no clue how many shootings I helped work, way more than a hundred and way less than a thousand. With the perfect shot hitting exactly the right place anything .380 and up will end a fight. It's those not exactly shot in the exact best spot shootings that you have to look at. I'd never carry less than a 9mm/38 Spl with a good hollow point round. Both give good penetration and decent expansion. I don't carry short barrel guns. The barrel is not hard to hide. It's the rest of the gun that sticks out. I currently carry a M19/.357 with a 4" barrel or an older M59/9mm. I don't pick a carry gun because it's the smallest easiest gun to carry and I'll guarantee you that I never go unarmed.
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shouldazagged
Absent Comrade
I've carried the old .38 Special FBI load or its equivalent for seventeen years. I've done that because of its proven record on the street, from both four- and two-inch barrels, for several decades.
It's what I'm comfortable carrying, so I do. I don't like to go below .38 Special for self defense. I've read a lot of the research and pros and cons. I know bullet placement is the vital factor. I just have more confidence in a bigger, heavier, soft-lead hollowpoint bullet.
It's what I'm comfortable carrying, so I do. I don't like to go below .38 Special for self defense. I've read a lot of the research and pros and cons. I know bullet placement is the vital factor. I just have more confidence in a bigger, heavier, soft-lead hollowpoint bullet.
water will make almost anything expand. And I've never heard of water bottles attacking anyone
It's not scientific, and it's not people, but I used to carry a .380 routinely, and quit because barn raiding critters often just ran off when shot. I've found a warm .38 158gr semiwadcutter to be a much better critter stopper, often penetrating end-to-end.
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Just want to let you know that the "old" FBI Load is NOT the same as todays anemic one. The current Remington,Federal and Winchester versions are reduced 10 - 12 % and are about 100 - 120 fps slower than they were. I might suggest either using well stored older ammo or use the Buffalo Bore version which is excellent and better than the Big 3 ever were. This is not just my opinion, but my Chronograph tested results. Just want you to be aware.
People get too wrapped up in shot placement. Civilian self defense shootings tend to be at very short range, where the use of the sights is impossible.
Agreed. Additionally, flat point FMJ. Meplat is your friend.
Underwood makes a good one too. Standard pressure and plus p
ArchAngelCD
Moderator, SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
IMO velocity isn't everything. All the velocity in the world won't mean a darn thing unless you hit what you shoot at. It's true today as it was 3 years ago when this thread was posted.Why do so many jump on the new company bandwagon just because they claim super high velocities? No matter which gun you choose, load it with the ammo that's accurate in your gun.
franzas
Member
Agree. that's why I point-shoot my carry revolvers.
For the issue of penetration:
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=60
Florida J Frame
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It's worth taking a look at the Shooting the Bull .380 tests. No opinions, just repeatable facts and some surprising results. He found any quality .380 round loaded with the Hornady XTP bullet was the best choice. He also found some highly regarded ammo didn't get the job done.
30-30remchester
Member
I have read with interest the above 35 posts. The people who believe a 380ACP has not enough penetration need to YouTube some videos. With fmj ammo it often out penetrates the 357Mag with hollow point ammunition. A common theme "I have carried_______________ caliber with ___________ ammo for __________ number of years with no complaints" does not tell us much because it was never used. I have hunted big game for decades and was an elk guide for a number of years. I have over 100 projectiles recovered from downed game. I have documented every bullet at to distance shot, caliber, bullet weight and manufacture, and wound track. My great mistake was I never documented my handgun trials. Often when taking an animal, I would immediately prop him up and shoot his carcass with whatever handgun I was carrying to test bullet expansion. I probably did this 30 to 40 times. I recovered many bullets but did not document results as it was not the handgun that took the game. Dumb dumb. A few times I did and in archives you will find recovered bullets taken from an antelope I shot with a 380 ACP. I do remember the 2 mule deer I tested a snub nosed 38 Special using 110 grain hp ammo failed to exit on a broadside lung shot. I used a Ruger LCP with Buffalo Bore 95 grn fmj ammo to shoot through both sides and exit a mid sized mule deer's lung cavity. It was late winter and he had a heavy winter coat. An interesting note about the above story, that deer had stopped a Winchester 180 grain bullet from a 30-06 just minutes before.
HarryD
US Veteran
For those who carry a 380 watch this guys videos, he has done the testing and had some surprising results, this is the final wrap up but he has the test on his channel: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNtPHYwcDts&list=PLgNSGOEQko_MjOCGyqlMTiM2njdQQRbdg"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNtPHYwcDts&list=PLgNSGOEQko_MjOCGyqlMTiM2njdQQRbdg[/ame]
Goblin
Member
You might want to look at the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan as two data points.
