Friends -

I've been pocket carrying a Ruger LCP Max in .380 now for about a year and have come to believe that I can do better.

I am aware of the differences in weight, size, etc., but I recently purchased a neat S&W Model 49 (from 1973 per Supica's book) and like it immensely.



I know I'll be going from 11 rounds to 5 rounds, but that doesn't bother me. This is strictly a concealed, self-defense gun and my 49 is in great shape after being stripped down internally, well-examined and cleaned, and the rounds go where I point my arm. I deliberately picked the 49 because of the shrouded hammer and the resulting lack of "hang up" if and when it comes out of the holster, either IWB or pocket holster.

Some of the guys at the range don't agree about the change in rounds and/or calibers, so I thought the hive mind here might weigh in on this subject. So, the question is, would you feel comfortable makin this swap?

Thanks to all who respond.

Rich

Not sure I would personally make that change, but your "cool" factory just went up in my book.
That's a pretty revolver.

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Because of the metric system?

[QUOTE=444 Magnum;142041722]These discussions have been beat to death over and over. 9 mm v. .380 acp v. .38 S&W special...yada yada.[\QUOTE]

I should have added to my OP that while I respect your response(s), it's not helpful to me at all to have someone respond with the statement, ". . . these discussions have been beat to death over and over."

Please consider my question a serious one that is deserving of your own personal opinion - and thanks for putting up with my "here we go again post."

Recent research indicates 85 percent of armed citizen defensive handgun uses are successfully concluded without the handgun even being fired. Bad guys don’t like getting shot.

My sole defensive hand gun use ended exactly that way with the knife wielding assailant fleeing as soon as I bladed my body, slammed him in the chest to take him off balance and began to draw my pistol.

Past that in the other 15% where the gun is fired only about half of assailants are hit, and of those that are, half will surrender or flee after the first hit. Of the three percent or so that are left, 70 percent will go down or surrender in 3 shots or less ans 90% will stop in in 5 shots or less.

Assuming you use decent CA and good judgement to avoid going places where you’ll encounter multiple assailants the odds are extremely long that you’ll ever need more than 5 shots. And caliber really doesn’t matter.

Carry what ever you are comfortable carrying and proficient shooting.

Forget the caliber phonic opinions of catastrophizong mall ninjas and the misguided souls who think they need to be armed like the local SWAT team.

I did the opposite. Carried an LCR for almost 10 years. Then the Max was released and I switched back to semi auto pocket carry. A 160% increase in capacity in the day and age of criminals attacking in packs calls for more ammo.

I believe in "J" frames.

Multiply all of those statistics to the likelihood that you'll need a handgun at all.

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Because of the metric system?

And on the second day God created the revolver !
Really, I’d just go with the one that’s easiest to carry and comfortable.

FWIW, I swap back and forth a good bit, mainly driven by dress and activities. I have a Kel Tec P3PAT which is super slim and super light. But, I don’t shoot it as well as my J Frame. That said, with its built in clip, it carries invisibly when in shorts or sweats. Also, it has shown to be reliable, even though it is perceived to be “cheap.”

However, if the dress allows for pocket carry of a J frame, i usually swap, because I hit better with it, and I know it’s reliable too.

I’ve recently added a Colt Agent to the stable, so it will work its way into the rotation, once I know how it shoots.

All in, my findings are that no one will volunteer to let me shoot them with either the 38 or the 380.

There's been some great information posted, but when "push comes to shove," you carry what you decide is your best option.

I'm not going to argue if someone wants to carry a .22LR or a .454 Casull. The bottom line is..at least they're carrying.

Whether you choose the .380 or the .38 Special is strictly up to you. You get points for at least being armed.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

Makes good sense if you shoot it well. For a concealed carry gun, five rounds of .38 Special is plenty.

The textbook imaginary gunfighters who regularly dream of packs of bad guys attacking them would never be comfortable with five rounds but it appears they often take a quasi-law enforcement position without ever realizing it. Regardless, it's their business and they can carry all the ammo they wish.

I have my biases, but what really matters what you shoot well and carry every moment of every day. I'm of the age that my academy time came as the transition to auto pistols was in full swing and most of my training reflected that. I am thus more comfortable most of the time with a full size auto with lots of ammo. I did, however, start LE with a revolver, an S&W M58. I never felt undergunned.

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NHI, 10-8.

In accordance with your request, MY PERSONAL OPINION is that it is a toss-up. (Really helpful, isn't it?) A lot of it would depend on how well you shoot each weapon. 11 rounds of .380 that you can hit with is better than 5 rounds of a more effective cartridge that you can't hit with. Assuming you can hit about the same with each, I would tend to favor the .380 over the .38 special. By the way, that is a REALLY great choice for a carry revolver.

Can't say if it's better or worse without your criteria.

You mentioned that you carried the LCP for a year and decided that you could do better. What issues did you identify with the LCP?

How well/fast do you shoot each pistol? Is there a clear difference between the two? Have you shot a timed course of fire with both guns?

Is it easier to carry the wheel gun over the semi-auto? Which is easier and faster to draw?

Do you carry a reload? Anticipate using it?

Both are in the acceptable range for terminal ballistics, DEPENDING on ROUND SELECTION, some rounds have a better track record then others.

What is your training and practice regime look like? How often/how much do you regularly shoot?

In Standard Pressure loads, .380 ACP and .38 Special have similar performance, but once you get into heavy loads and +P, .38 Special completely outperforms .380 ACP.

Granted, a Revolver can only hold 6 rounds while modern double-stack .380 Micro Compacts hold twice that, but it's a trade-off of capacity for energy. Sure, 12 holes beats 6 in raw volume, but with good shot placement you aren't likely to need that many rounds.
Yes, yes, I know... "What if the Crackerjack Boys attack me?! Won't I need more ammo to fight 'em all off?!" Perhaps, but personally I don't plan for unrealistic scenarios, and frankly the odds of being able to successfully defend yourself and walk away from a gunfight in which you're facing multiple armed assailants at once isn't great.
Nevertheless, one is obviously better prepared to defend themselves if they're confident in their ability to do so, ergo if having a higher capacity firearm makes you feel more confident, then you're better off regardless of how likely you are to be able to make effective use of it.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

You have been carrying the 380 in your pocket for awhile now. How do you feel about that mode of carry with a firearm that has no manual safety and a light trigger? It makes me nervous just thinking about it. If I am carrying AIWB or pocket I always carry a J Frame. I believe the J Frame also has the advantage in handling qualities that are less prone to fumbling. As for the difference in the 38 Special and 380 ACP, I do not think it matters all that much in a close, self defense situation. What is the difference in loaded weight between the J Frame and LCP? That can be a factor as well.

I carry a P3AT most of the time now because it is thinner and I slip two spare mags in my pocket. I used to carry a 638 all the time but things have changed enough that I like having a couple of mags instead of a speed strip for extra ammo.

I carried a S&W 37-2 for several years but no longer do. Got sick of the feel of the cyl against my leg in a jeans pocket. In a jacket pocket the 37 lays upside down and can be hard to draw without grabbing the jacket with my left hand. Switched to the .380 in the Glock 42 and Ruger LCP.
I'll keep the 37 but will never carry it again. The G42 is basically the same weight as the alloy 37 but much easier to fire accurately in a hurry. An extra mag is very easy to carry also.

A number of years ago there was a credible article written by a gentleman whose church in South Africa was attacked by gunmen. He went after them with a j-frame he had in his pocket. Besides his comments about being alert, using cover and concealment he recommended to carry a reload. This is the only civilian use of a j-frame (that I can recall) where it did not have enough rounds. I can recall several law enforcement shootings where a Glock 22 or the like did not have enough rounds. But LEO run toward the shots and most civilians run from them.

I’d like to see stats on animal attacks. They don’t back off just because you’re armed. (Well, if you had a newspaper or a vacuum cleaner, maybe…)

My decision to put away the 22’s was because with animals, or with people at night, the scare factor of a gun may not work for you so I wanted enough power. 38+P or 9mm minimum since then.

While the J is a faithful companion, living in the burbs I do like the extra rounds of the CSX.

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Uvidíme se později, aligátore.

... but I think for carry I'd go with the .380 if I had to choose between those. My main choice is 9mm, but I got a .380 EZ for my wife and she likes it (and is GOOD with it).

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I have been carrying a first run, sightless LCP for a long time. I have never had to use it and doubt I ever will.

I am not giving up familiarity for .002".

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

I have a very similar assortment of carry handguns. I have the LCR 38 Special, LCP 380 and a S&W 49 no dash. I EDC the 49 with 135 gr +P Speer Gold Dot (which I use in the LCR also).

I find that The weight of the LCR on long hikes or 20 mile bike rides is more to my liking than the 49.

However the accuracy of my vintage 49 is outstanding. In my 30 year war with being overrun by raccoons. I killed them with just about every known civilian small arm! On a number of occasions, I had them lined up on the second story gutter. Using the 49's unique SA feature I easily got head shots aiming up with total distance in the 35-to-50-foot range! (You don't want to perforate the roof or gutters!)

I keep two Speed Loaders in my Pick-up console, and have an 8 round Speed Strip in a IHL belt carrier, giving me 13 rounds total on my person-as long as I have my pants on.

I have carried a first gen LCP in the DeSantis Wallet holster. It works and is quite light weight, but I like my SD revolvers.

My personal experience with going for the CCW runs off the bad guys is 3 for 3! (restroom and parking lot at movie theaters all 3 times)

But the guy casually talking to me (and reconning for a later burglary, stopped mid-sentence when he saw I was carrying a 1911 IWB while I was in my "Church Clothes", "Is that a 1911?" My casual reply was "What?, oh yeah" As I continued talking about his supposed interest in one of my tractors. All the while my youngest (then 19) was giving him a "I dare you!" look. Never saw, let alone heard from, him again.

Ivan

I have never carried, or for that matter owned, a .380 so I can't really look at it from the same factors as you and some others.

I own several J Frame revolvers and love them all greatly. I carried a 642, and later a 442PC, as a back up weapon for my career with the PD where I worked. I did so for very specific reasons.

-I carried in an ankle holster and figured it would perform better with all the dirt and debris it may come in contact with.

-It was light weight so I barely noticed it was there. I had tried a Glock 26 initially, but it weighed to much for this purpose for me to be careful.

-I figured if I ever needed to rely on the J Frame in these circumstances it would be up close and personal and I could get off 5 rounds quickly with no fear of jamming.

Once the truly smaller 9mm options began to appear I have moved away from the J Frame. Not because I fear that I am going to be in some grandiose shootout, I sure hope not and I try to avoid putting my self in bad situations since I no longer have to. Most are correct 5 rounds is enough, UNTIL IT ISN'T. And today's threat matrix is much different than it was 10 or 20 years ago.

I view the .380, with the advances in the rounds capabilities, as being just as efficient as the .38 Special for most uses. Obviously the nod goes to the 9mm but you aren't considering that. The main thing to consider is to review some ballistic tables that are out there and pick the .380 that will give you the best performance.

The other nod I give to the semi-auto is they tend to be easier to shoot than the J Frame. I carried one for the better part of 20 years and put a lot of rounds down range to get proficient. Once I retired, and wasn't putting the same time into the J Frame, I quickly noticed the difference in my accuracy.

I would also take into consideration carrying a second magazine with the semi or a speed strip/loader with the J frame. With the semi it is crucial because that is the fastest way to clear a malfunction that takes the weapon out of battery. With the J Frame you just pull the trigger again.

Good luck in your decision but I would suggest spending some time with that Model 49 and see how you like it/shoot it.

Then make an informed decision that you know is the right one for you.

There's a distinguished member here who reviewed several hundred homicide cases. The .380 is a toss up as far as ammo goes. JHPs, when they expand, generally don't penetrate sufficiently to reach vital areas. In short, while it beats a stern expression and a harsh word, it's a bit marginal. While placement is first, penetration second, having enough energy to make sure the job gets done is helpful.

FWIW, there's a federal regulation where defensive sidearms (at certain sites) have to generate a minimum of 200 ft/lbs. Seems a fair standard, .38+P meets it even out of a 2 inch barrel.

OP, do as you will, for the reasons that make sense to you and suit your anticipated needs.

I spent may fair share of my working years carrying duty and off-duty weapons that required belt scabbards (IWB & OWB).

Toward the end of my regular career I found myself returning to carrying one or another J-frame, but at the same time I was investing a lot of range time in using them (again). In those days we stocked a lot of Ball and JHP .38SPL ammo in our range inventory, so that helped a lot.

At one time we were given a lot of cases of the old Winchester 110gr +P+ Treasury Load by an agency who was transitioning away from revolvers. We didn't have a lot of revolver owners and users at the time, so it languished in the armory. I often grabbed a snub from our training inventory, an early M640 with the +P+ marking on the frame window, and burned a lot of the .38SPL +P+ for range work. Saved wear and tear on my own J's.

Suffice to say I rather like J-frames, owning more than half a dozen of them.

I eventually picked up a couple of LCP's approx 10-12 years ago, and put in some range work to adopt them as off-duty & retirement carry when I was wearing jeans/slacks with pockets a bit too short and tight to accommodate my J's.

The LCP's still see a lot of retirement carry for that same reason. However, given my druthers, I like the J's for the heavier bullet weights that can be used in the snubs. I look at the .380 as basically occupying the 'minimal/marginal' rung on the ladder of personal defense calibers.

I'm not what you might call a 'capacity enthusiast' (or snob), so a 6rd mag in a LCP (I don't top off the lightly sprung LCP mags after chambering a round) or a 5rd J-frame is a toss-up ... to me.

I look more at how well I can run either of them hard, fast, accurately and controllably in difficult conditions.

All decisions and choices can come with their own consequences. Making an informed choice is always going to involve a balancing act. TANSTAAFL.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

I always liked 38 snubs myself. Back when I started getting into firearms, the 380 wasn’t considered that great of a round power wise. Of course these days ammo has been improved in all caliber. Plus there’s the old saying if you hit what you’re supposed to hit the caliber doesn’t matter. if you shoot both guns well and you like both guns, no reason not to carry both guns or pick the gun you you feel like carrying that day. As I say, I started out with snubs always carried at least one usually two. These days I sometimes get caught up in the I need a boatload of ammo mentality. I’ll carry a nine on the waist or in the waist, but always that 38 in my pocket. If it were me, I would carry both guns or like I said just choose the one you feel like carrying that day.

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Two Handguns every day

Rich, a retired cop opinion is always better than 'guys at the range'.

I prefer six shooters like the Colt Detective Special or the modern classic the Kimber K6XS. But you are 'good to go'.

As a cop I had been to a lot shootings and the .380 ACP is marginal.

*
I can't carry AIWB because my dialysis catheter is right about there, so that is not a consideration for me. As for pocket carry, one must have a dedicated pocket and a quality holster appropriate to the platform.For my G33, it is a Kramer holster that I have had for over 20 years. Works great and I have no concern about the trigger, etc. For a couple of other platforms, a Mika holster, same outcome.

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NHI, 10-8.

I would recommend the one you can draw the quickest and put two accurate rounds on target the fastest. Pretty sure I would run out of time before I ran out of ammo, even with a J frame.

One thing that has not been mentioned is the fact that .380 is generally harder to find and more expensive than 9mm. Many years ago a .380 was usually smaller than a 9mm but that is not the case today. I teach and advise folks on gun purchases a lot. I recommend 9mm over a .380 due to cost and power unless someone has to have a tiny gun which I usually do not recommend either. I also have found that most folks shoot a semi auto better than snub revolvers. Snubs are for experienced shooters IMHO.All have their place. I have and carry a 649ND and a 432UC, a recent purchase but most often carry a 9mm medium sized semi for increased capacity, faster reloading etc.

I carried the LCP Max for about two and a half years and loved the size, capacity and concealability. After two trips back to Ruger it finally reliably shot any and all .380 ammo, but still shot low. As such, I looked high and low for a replacement for the LCP Max. Enter the new S&W Bodyguard 2.0. I bought one last week and it ran flawlessly. The size is comparable to the LCP Max but I shoot it so much better.

My go to for several years was a Ruger LC9 with a laser in my pocket but with changing job duties which include climbing on ladders and crawling around on the ground repairing things in busy public areas I found that it’s been easier to conceal a j-frame in an appendix holster and have been using my M&P 340 pretty exclusively. I don’t worry about the trade off in caliber/capacity but there are concerns about the blueing on that very nice model 49 you have. Depending where you live I would give it a once over with an oily rag every week and do a deeper cleaning every month or two. It’s amazing the gunk that builds up on a gun that’s carried daily and I e had rust sneak up on the blues steel parts of both my LC9 and 340.

38 Special is good to go and will do the job, if it's needed.

The plus side is, you pull this out, and a bad guy might have more of a response to what looks like a bigger/badder weapon (psychological response) vs whipping out an LCP.

Yes, it may be heavier, but chances are it'll run great, and you have a second strike capability a lot quicker then beating the magazine and trying to rack it if it fails on you. If it came down to that, of course.

Plus, old revolvers are just cool and classy. LCPs are a dime a dozen.

I say good find.

For comparison, I had a Glock 42 at one point. Never a problem. Ran well. Just didn't like 380, it's power or prices...

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Go ahead... make my day.

For me it depends on threat/paranoia level. Normally, I have a 642 with me with HST's and a reload of Gold Dot. It's easy to carry and I shoot it instinctively well. If the paranoia level is higher or the threat environment is different, I can swap to a Glock 48. From there it's a ladder based on threat environment. 10mm is probably as high as I would go in my region of the country. There's nothing around here that 10mm won't handle. I'm not a fan of 380 for self defense, but if someone shoots it well and they find it easy to carry, or it's the only thing they can handle recoil wise, I wouldn't criticize it.

As an afterthought, 38 special certainly did a number on Oswald.

I carried a S&W M60 for over 40 years and carried Buffalo Bore 158 grain SWCHP +P's in it. IMHO they are the best 38 special SD round anywhere. 5 years ago I switched over to a Sig P365 in 9mm which holds 11 on-board.

I do have a bunch of friends that have also switched from their trusted J frame's to the Ruger LCP Max in .380. While I doubt anyone with any sense would argue that the .380 is a better SD round, there is a lot to be said for the 11 on-board rounds of 380, smaller and lighter size than the J frame by 50%, faster reloads, easier to shoot and vastly easier to conceal. Much also has to do with the climate you live in, your daily dress and how you CCW as well as how you shoot both of them.

ADDED:
There is another consideration for you if I may. You could also step up to a Sig P365, a SA Hellcat, a FN Reflex, or any one of the other Micro 9's. They are all still smaller in overall size than a J Frame, thinner, lighter, carry 11,12,or 13 on board and the 9mm is an even better round than the 38 spl. is. Pocket carrying a Micro 9 is easier and more convenient than a 5 shot J frame as well. My personal preference is not to carry a .380 for SD.

I don't carry IWB. Appendix is so out of the question as to not even be considered. For many years I carried a sweet Colt Government Model .380 then I switched. Why did I switch, because if I needed to go to condition 1 and actually had to draw and fire I didn't want Johnny law taking my $900.00 Colt and adding it to his collection. Now I carry a 9-mm Kimber or a Llama .32 auto for EDC. Do I feel under armed with the .32? Not in the least. I shoot all three well enough that you don't want to me on the wrong side of the muzzle. As I have stated elsewhere on this forum; when I have to go into a major city where offensive action is likely, the small ones go into the closet, and I keep my M-59 handy. Not because I shoot it any less proficiently but because its size is intimidating. So far that has been all that was needed to ward off a possible altercation. That fella took one look at that big hunk of metal hanging there and decided someone else made a better target for his aggressive intentions. I'm pretty sure that in his eyes, I was an off duty or plainclothes officer. I've been told by some folks who have street smarts that in reality I have the look of an LEO.
Llance

"--------------and the rounds go where I point my arm."

That right there is the name of the game----never mind how hard they hit or how many you've got---one's aplenty so long as your arm is pointed at the right place.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I see groups proudly displayed here that look like they were made by a shotgun, noting they were fired at a whole seven yards!

There came a time, more than a few years ago, when carry permits were no longer passed out by the county Sheriffs, but by the state---and you had to go to school. At the end of the school you had to shoot 48 rounds(?) at a full size silhouette target at a whole seven yards. Most of the folks shot this "test" with .22's. I shot it with my everyday gun, a Colt Special Combat Government .45 (with loaded clips ready to go)---and I shot those 48 rounds just as fast as I could. Perhaps needless to say, I was showing off more than a little bit, and all 48 rounds were inside the center mass scoring ring. The instructor walked down the line, checking targets at the end---passed by, and just shook his head.

I figured I passed---never mind my neighbors fussed about the noise I made.

Ralph Tremaine

I would definitely go with the Model 49. No reason other than it is infinitely cooler than some plastic .380 and since you will almost certainly never need either one you might as well be cool.

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Rule of law, not a man.

I agree, but the newschoolers and the synthetic handgun followers are here to stay and their guns apparently work well, even if they fall way short on looks.

Sadly if you are carrying concealed that extra weight of the 49 in your pocket over the "plastic" .380 is all for naught. No one will be able to see how cool you are.

But I would know………

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Rule of law, not a man.

As you requested, there are plenty of opinions and good food for thought in response to your post. I'd like to turn it back to you and ask what your objective is by making the change. I assume you're looking for a "bigger bang" than the .380 offers. You've acknowledged the compromise it requires. Granted you have two guns available, but is it worth looking at a third solution? One that offers more "bang" but with a different set of compromises.

Good choice.
Caliber doesn’t matter, but a reliable design does. Spending a lot of money on ammo for functionality testing is required with any auto. A box or less of ammo will tell you what you need to know about a revolver.
Ballistically, the .38 is superior in almost every way to a .380 (and I really like .380) and alternately carry both calibers.
With two decent hits, all handgun calibers perform about the same. One-shot stop data is almost worthless.
Any attacker worth shooting once is worth shooting twice.

Both .380 ACP, and standard pressure .38 are both marginal calibers from a terminal ballistics perspective, but that just doesn’t matter in about 99% of armed citizen defensive handgun uses.

The important issue is what do you shoot really well? Go with that.

My EDC is a Glock Model 43X that I added a steel magazine lock and use 15 round shield magazines. (Agency furnishes 9mm ammo) However my B/U is a S&W Model 642. (modern dude but my old school upbring still likes a "Wheel Gun")

Agreed.

Reliability testing is important.

With a semi auto that normally involves 200 rounds of your intended carry load, with no malfunctions using all the magazines you intend to carry.

.380 ACP pistols in general can be un reliable with hollow points. The Walther PP series and their numerous FEG clones in particular are very hit and miss from model to model, pistol to pistol and from hollow point type to hollow point type.

——

With a revolver the main concerns are:

- light strikes (especially with a lighter hammer springs to reduce the DA trigger pull); and

- the bullet backing out of the case under recoil. If it gets out in front of the cylinder it will lock the revolver cylinder. I’ll test for this by leaving a round in the cylinder for 12 or so shots and ensuring it’s OAL doesn’t increase and repeat it with 3-4 different rounds.

Another concern is large unburnt powder grains that can get under the ejector star abs prevent a reload, but that’s more of a concern with colloidal ball powders used in .357, .41 and .44 magnum loads.

Timing can also be an issue in DA fire, as the cylinder can stop during a slow DA pull.

However as noted above a box of ammo is generally enough to verify that none of those issues are present.

——


From a terminal ballistics perspective, many of the shorter barrel .380 ACP pistols will not generate enough velocity to get consistent expansion and adequate penetration with many hollow points. Many shooters just opt to use FMJs, although .380 ACP hollow points and loads have improved to the point that good hollow point performance is possible, provided tou you match the hollow point to the gun and the velocity it generates. .380 ACP hollow points have very narrow velocity envelopes where they perform well and can meet FBI standards for expansion and penetration.

The Hornady 90 gr XTP performs well, but only if you can get 1000-1050 fps out of the pistol. That’s very tough to achieve in a 2.85” barrel but is much more obtainable in a 3.5”-4.0” barrel.

90 gr Sig V-crowns will expand well around 850-900 fps and give 12”-13” penetration but will under penetrate at higher velocities.

90 gr Hornady critical defense also gives 12”-13” penetration at around 900 fps but will also under penetrate in a longer barrel at higher velocities.

All the federal, Remington and PMC loads I have gel tested failed to consistently expand and over penetrated.

Now…that’s not all bad as while for example the 102 gr Golden Sabers might only expand 40% of the time, you get good performance when they do expand, and they perform like an FMJ with plenty of penetration when they don’t.

The 90 gr Speer Gold Dots, 85 gr Win silver tips, 95 gr MagTech, Winchester 95 gr PDX 1 and the Win train and defend loads all consistently expand well but under penetrate. I can live with 11” from a gold dot, but 8” from the MagTech or train and defend loads are just not acceptable to me and FMJ is a better choice than those under penetrating loads.

——

If you hand load you have a lot more control over velocity but you definitely need a chronograph and I’m personally only comfortable with a load after I have gel tested the load in my carry gun(s). Not many folks are willing to invest tiphe time or money into gel testing.

Hollow point bullet options are limited to the Hornady XTP, Sig V-crown, and Speer Gold Dot plus various old tech bulk rounds that perform like FMJs.

Berrys and Xtreme both make hybrid hollow points designed to expand for self defense purposes. So far I have not been impressed with the Berry’s bullets as they over expand ans or fragment and under penetrate. However I’ve gotten much better results from the Xtreme bphollow points in .380, 9mm and ,45 ACP. The velocity envelopes are very narrow, it within their envelops performance is superb and they are very cost effective.


——-

.38 Special can have similar terminal performance issues. However I’ve gotten good results in 2-3” barrels with 125 gr Remington Golden Sabers (particularly the +P loads), and the Winchester 130 gr gr +P loads.

The 110 gr Hornady Critical Defense does well in a 2-3” barrel but the 90 gr lite loads consistently under penetrate.

Sorry to stray a little, but I just picked up a 632 UC in .32 mag. 6 shots and .32 mag fills the stat sheet. Ammo is a little pricey and sometimes out of stock, but I just make sure I have 6 rounds on hand until I can restock.
It does everything a .38 can do, gives you a little extra capacity and .380 isn't even close in terms of ballistics.

Three decades OTJ. two decades retired. All carrying a J frame. While I carry a 442 a 340 PD is even lighter. Yeah, I own a G42 but I would much rather have the J frame for the day evil comes.

Why? Hotter +P load and I know if I pull the trigger five times, it will shoot five times. Dependability is #1 in my book.

Every auto I've ever had has had a problem of some sort at one time or another. Trust is one thing, so is training and comfort with your weapon. Eighteen years academy FA instructor most with autos. Yet for me a J frame is my happy place. It fits my hand, wrist and arm like it grew there. It does what I require. YMMV and that's OK too. Find what works and stick with it. Nobody else's opinion matters, just your comfort zone.