.380 duty ammo

[Wayne Dobbs]

Mike,

I would be very cautious about ANY expanding projectile ammo in the .380 ACP. The laws of physics cannot be changed by any ammo gimmick and this is one place that is fully under those laws. If a lightweight HP (which is all that the .380 offers) expands, it CANNOT penetrate deeply enough to handle an obstructed vital area (12-15" of consistent penetration). Conversely, if a .380 bullet penetrates deeply enough through a threat target, it has not expanded to any significant degree. That's why you consistently see penetration figures of 9-12", which are extremely marginal for any defensive use.

I've found also that the little guns must be thoroughly tested and kept properly clean and lubed. I've noted several cases where they fired the chambered round (usually in off-duty fights) and then failed to feed the next round, usually due to a dry and dirty gun. Some platforms I've seen have routinely failed 100 round function tests with ball ammo, so make double sure yours runs.

If you're going to carry the little gun, I would strongly consider something like the Winchester White Box load with its flat point. At least that flat meplat should create a better crush cavity than a round nose and it will penetrate deep enough to reach the vital area from just about any angle.

 

[enfield]

Fiocchi Extrema HP - the performance and price are right.

I'd leave the pistol at home before carrying target ammo - I've had target rounds come apart in my pocket.

 

[LouisianaMan]

On occasion I carry a classic Remington 51 in .380. I've fired several types of ball ammo in it, as well as Gold Dot and Critical Defense JHPs. Does OK with all of them, but you are right--JHPs are expensive for practice, yet you need to know that any carry ammo will feed & function reliably. . . .

Best I can tell, you pay your nickel & take your chance with a .380 If you were to get unobstructed frontal shots that didn't happen to hit the central nervous system (CNS), an expanding bullet is likely to cut a wider wound channel & perhaps cause a faster loss of blood pressure. . .unless a hardball or lead bullet were to hit a critical vein or artery precisely because it drilled deeper. And the possibility of a JHP failing to reach CNS because it expanded & failed to penetrate is scary.

Of course, if you shoot a solid bullet (lead or FMJ) & it doesn't hit bone or CNS, you pretty much drill a .356 hole--actually smaller, as the bullet slips thru softer tissues--and hope that the BG's relatively low rate of blood loss doesn't prove decisive in your instance.

The good news is that hits of any or all these types may prove sufficient in a crisis. The bad news, of course, is that they may not. Same as all handguns, really, just the .380 cuts the margin thinner than more powerful cartridges.

With my 1920s-era .380, I shy away from Buffalo Bore lead bullet loads due to their relatively high power. Before I carry it again, I'll load it with what Wayne recommends--WWB truncated cone FMJ. If you decide to spring for it, Remington Golden Saber 102g JHP may be a good balance of expansion and weight/momentum/penetration. You may want to use the cheapest available ball ammo, such as Sellier & Bellot FMJ, to ensure the gun is actually well broken-in, and then see how it does with TC or JHP bullet profiles.

Best of luck & stay safe.

 

[Harvester]

I have fired and carried numerous brands of ammunition and bullet weights/styles in my Cold Government Model Pocketlite .380 and I always come back to carrying Federal Hydra-Shok JHP.

It groups the best for me in the pistol (one ragged hole slow fire at 7-yards) and, a number of years ago when I did my research, the Hydra-Shok had the best track record in .380 for stopping evil other human.

As for the possible lack of penetration or stopping power others have mentioned, allow me to offer this: I can draw and fire 7 rounds out of my Colt center mass at 7 yards in about 2 seconds and reload in another 2 seconds and I am certainly not the fastest guy around.

I am pretty confident that catching that first 7 rounds center mass will put down just about anyone and, if not, I imagine that second 7 will stop whatever aggressive act invited the attention in the first place.

That being said, when I am not in the need to go light-and-small, I normally opt to carry my full-size 45 ACP... but taking that jogging is not really a viable option.

~Harvester

 

[27145]

I am barely a gun novice since I just carried guns as a tool and was told by the job what ammo to carry. I always go with hollow points because I thought it would have more of a chance of staying in their target rather than a fmj, which could pass through a perp and hit an innocent victim. People on gun sites seem to talk of hollow points as a super bullet. Can anyone please educate me?

 

[murphydog]

There are many theories regarding ammunition and stopping power. Having no direct experience but after reading too much on the subject , FMJ rounds do penetrate farther than expanding bullets and can cause damage past the intended target.

The effectiveness of hollow point rounds depends on several different factors - bullet construction and impact velocity among others. The ammo makers are much more advanced in this regard and make bullets that will expand at lower (handgun) velocities, but to be consistently effective in fight-stopping there seems to be a combination of bullet weight, velocity and caliber that works. The .380 is at best borderline in all these respects.

 

[DaddyzCrazy]

Has anyone researched the DiamondBack DB9 9mm almost the same size as their .380? I have both. Love em both. I'll be carrying the 9mm for self defense and the .380 for fun. The 9mm is WAY cheaper to shoot and has better ability to stop an aggressor. Much better ammo for the 9 as well. It's so small I can carry in my front pocket easily and it gives me greater confidence!!!!

Just my personal $.02

DC...

 

[lonewolf5347]

380 Cal. 95 Gr HP Fiocchi Extrema in my 380 PPK/S runs flawless
I will mix a mag: one HP one FMJ best of both works to stop a intruder
@ the price is right 50 rounds for 19.00 bucks not bad at all

 

[Odinkar]

I'm using Golden Sabre from Remington in my PPK and just paid 29.00 a box I think.

 

[j2flan]

For a second thought check out
Buffalo Bore Ammunition | Strictly Big Bore - Strictly Business
they have some interesting info on the 380. My everyday carry (P232) has been loaded with their 100gr lfp, reliable and accurate.

 

[30-30remchester]

A lot of theory and a lot of speculations are just that. The following picture is of 2 bullets that I removed out of recently deceased antelopes. Each animal had been dead less than 1 minute. On each antelope I fired 2 rounds of ammunition at a severe going away angle, aiming for the last rib toward the off shoulder. I used a Ruger LCP, I used a Cor-Bon DPX's on one antelope and Remington Golden Sabre's on the other. On each antelope only 1 bullet was recovered. First the DPX that was recovered had the bullet entering between the last 2 ribs not hitting any bone, and had made it to the off shoulder, again not encountering any bone on either the shoulder or ribs, approximately 18" of penetrition mainly lung tissue and light muscle. The other bullet failed to exit as well but was unrecovered. The next antelope was a very small antelope, not shot by me, again fired from the last rib angleing to the off shoulder. Again no bones were hit on the enterance or where it came to rest in the muscle of the off shoulder and the bullet had only 9" of penetration. The second Golden Sabre was at the same angle, had penetrated 11" and exited and was unrecovered, again hitting no bone. Later on that year I shot an average sized mule deer buck in his heavy winter coat, both shots were broad side lung shots. Both using the Cor-Bon DPX bullets, both bullets completely penetrated the animal and exited and were unrecovered. No rib bones were hit with either bullet. For some reason I just cannot seem to hit a rib bone with a .380 to determine its capacity and penetration. This as always is not a mine's good and yours isn't, these are just actual results.

 

[torrejon224]

PowerBall in all my 380s. Shoots to point of aim and is very controllable.

 

[ldp4570]

I have over the years shot lots an lots of .380acp an .32acp. The .32acp is more accurate than the .380acp(still doesn't make the .380acp a good choice). With either it boils down to shot placement. In gunfights most folks focus on the gun not the attacker, which is a bad thing, you need to focus under or above the attacker's weapon. This way you get a head or heart shot. Keep shooting till the threat stops, even if it means a reload. Will the .380acp or .32acp hollowpoints expand?? Maybe, maybe not. Even the .45acp does't stop all who are shot with it, an same goes for the 125gr .357magHP. There is no majic bullet, what there is, is a need to practice with your carry gun, or BUG to where you can place those hits where they need to go. This practice should include dryfire drills along with range time, and if your doing alot of shooting inside 10yds, start training yourself to point shoot, as you may not have the time to get a proper sight picture.

 

[getoff]

i keep my lcp in a galco horse hide pocket holster. great little holster. hornady critical defense is my round of choice. i know for a fact these expand. done a little testing. i carry a magtech 10 rounder in my other pocket. .380 is as small as any one should go for personal defense. i have never found any of the poo pooers of .380 willing to stand downrange yet...

 

[getoff]

A lot of theory and a lot of speculations are just that. The following picture is of 2 bullets that I removed out of recently deceased antelopes. Each animal had been dead less than 1 minute. On each antelope I fired 2 rounds of ammunition at a severe going away angle, aiming for the last rib toward the off shoulder. I used a Ruger LCP, I used a Cor-Bon DPX's on one antelope and Remington Golden Sabre's on the other. On each antelope only 1 bullet was recovered. First the DPX that was recovered had the bullet entering between the last 2 ribs not hitting any bone, and had made it to the off shoulder, again not encountering any bone on either the shoulder or ribs, approximately 18" of penetrition mainly lung tissue and light muscle. The other bullet failed to exit as well but was unrecovered. The next antelope was a very small antelope, not shot by me, again fired from the last rib angleing to the off shoulder. Again no bones were hit on the enterance or where it came to rest in the muscle of the off shoulder and the bullet had only 9" of penetration. The second Golden Sabre was at the same angle, had penetrated 11" and exited and was unrecovered, again hitting no bone. Later on that year I shot an average sized mule deer buck in his heavy winter coat, both shots were broad side lung shots. Both using the Cor-Bon DPX bullets, both bullets completely penetrated the animal and exited and were unrecovered. No rib bones were hit with either bullet. For some reason I just cannot seem to hit a rib bone with a .380 to determine its capacity and penetration. This as always is not a mine's good and yours isn't, these are just actual results.

nice work here. it may be small, but .380 still puts rounds downrange.