380 ez ammo

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Just got a new 380 ez what the best ammo to use? What's the best ammo any of you guys used? Thanks
 
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Maybe start with Winchester White Box...usually available in most all sporting goods/ local gun stores.
Then see what YOUR gun seems to prefer.....

Randy
 
I've found that (in my experience), the most reliable .380 ammo in both of my .380s ( Kahr P380 and S&W Bodyguard) is Hornady; either Critical Defense or American Gunner.:)
 
For range ammo whatever is cheapest.

For self defense in 380 I prefer anything loaded with the Hornady XTP bullet like Fiocchi Extrema, Hornady Custom/American Gunner.

ShootingtheBull410 on Youtube did a great comprehensive series of testing.

Also Lucky Gunners tests. https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/
 
For range, I have used use Magnum, Remington UMC, and American Eagle. For self-defense, gun reliably fires Hornady Critical Defense JHP and Ruger ARX ammo (this polymer bullet recoil is very soft).
 
Critical Defense in Sheila's EZ... For range use/paper punching. any ammo that is on sale..
 
My carry ammo is Hornady Critical Defense 95gr. My range ammo is Remington FMJ white box 95gr. I get the range ammo at Wal Mart in a 250 round box for $69.95. A lot of guys have reported problems with ammo under 95grain
 
My carry ammo is Hornady Critical Defense 95gr. My range ammo is Remington FMJ white box 95gr. I get the range ammo at Wal Mart in a 250 round box for $69.95. A lot of guys have reported problems with ammo under 95grain

Hornady Critical Defense is 90 grain.

My experience is that the EZ is extremely reliable with any ammo. With the exception of a couple of bobbles the first time out in cold weather while wearing gloves, using practice ball ammo, the gun has functioned 100%. For rapid fire shooting with low recoil, the Federal Hydra Shok low recoil ammo is very easy to shoot and the most accurate, with the Critical Defense just a smidge less accurate for me. Winchester PDX1 and Federal HST had the most recoil. Speer Gold Dot posted the highest velocity of any, and it came in just behind the HST for muzzle energy. I would carry the Hydra Shoks or Critical Defense for speed shooting or Gold Dots for the most energy. In addition to the ammo mentioned above, I have shot Winchester White Box, Remington UMC 95 grain, Hornady Custom and American Gunner, Buffalo Bore standard pressure 100 grain hard cast flat point, and a bunch of FMJ handloads. They all work. (I have had bad bullet setback with minimal rechamberings with Hornady Custom and American Gunner in a Glock 42, so I scratched them off my list.) Good luck!
 
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The EZ will happily eat anything you feed it so, just get whatever you want. If you're just looking for some inexpensive range ammo and don't mind ordering online, the best deal I'm seeing right now for brass cased ammo is at Foundry Outdoors. $9.10 for 50 count boxes.
Steel cased is a tad cheaper but, not by more than 1 or 2 cents a round.
 
Just got a new 380 ez what the best ammo to use? What's the best ammo any of you guys used? Thanks

Over the years I have tried various rounds in my .380's (Bodyguard .380 & Glock 42). As a result I have boxes of Winchester D, Winchester PDX1, Starfire, Federal Hydra Shock, Hornady Critical Defense, American Gunner and Federal HST Micro in my safe. No problems with any of them.

One knock against the .380 round by those who don't care for it is that it doesn't penetrate sufficiently to reach vitals. Using a heavier round "aids" in penetration, and for that reason my .380 is loaded with Federal HST MICRO. At 99gr, it is the heaviest available for the caliber. Because your 380EZ has a longer barrel than most .380's you will get greater velocity. That, combined with a heavier projectile should make your .380 as formidable as it can be. A bonus is that the Federal HST Micro round has noticeably less felt recoil than the others. For target practice whatever is cheapest will do - as long as it feeds.


I think MY recommendation is clear. ;)
Good luck with your new gun. May you never need it!
 
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A bonus is that the Federal HST Micro round has noticeably less felt recoil than the others.

That has not been my experience shooting the 99 grain HST out of the EZ during a session involving numerous other premium rounds, and the numbers backed it up from an objective standpoint. I found the HST to be very noticeable compared to all the other rounds with the possible exception of the PDX1. The HST chronographed at 1041 fps muzzle velocity in the 380 EZ, compared to 90 grain rounds Critical Defense (994 fps), Hydra Shok (974 fps) and Gold Dot (1059 fps). PDX1 is a "tweener" 95 grain round going 1024 fps. If you run all those numbers through a web based recoil calculator (I had to assume 3.5 grains of powder across the board), the HST has more recoil impulse, recoil velocity and recoil energy than all of the others mentioned.

Of course, felt recoil is subjective. But, if I were buying a .380 EZ for someone because of their inability or unwillingness to handle a 9mm, I would be recommending one of the lighter loadings and encouraging them to shoot more.
 
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Of course, felt recoil is subjective. But, if I were buying a .380 EZ for someone because of their inability or unwillingness to handle a 9mm, I would be recommending one of the lighter loadings and encouraging them to shoot more.

The OP said nothing about buying for someone else or inability to shoot a 9mm.

From the context of his post he is looking for self-defense ammo, which means that insuring adequate penetration is more important than felt recoil, especially since recoil is unlikely to be noticed in a actual shooting.
 
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Since I don't handload for it (yet), I like Winchester White Box for the range. Shoots great and accurate to boot. Don't know why some people hate it so but it always works for me. For SD, I switched from Hornady Critical Defense to Hornady American Gunner. The ONLY reason for the switch (and my 9mm Shield as well) is I always get an embarrasing round stuck when emptying the pistol. Both Shields (.380 & 9mm). HCD shoots quite well and the bullet might work better but the rubber tip simply gets caught when hand ejecting. There's 2 cents worth :-)
 
The OP said nothing about buying for someone else or inability to shoot a 9mm.

From the context of his post he is looking for self-defense ammo, which means that insuring adequate penetration is more important than felt recoil, especially since recoil is unlikely to be noticed in a actual shooting.

I realize all that. While felt recoil may not be noticed in an encounter, it does influence when the sights are aligned for another shot. And, depending on the shooter, it may or may not influence practice. My personal preference is to have a round that shoots accurately at a good pace. Others may choose differently.
 
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Here's some info you can use, Shooting The Bull's extensive tests of .380 self-defense ammo. Scroll past the the advertising button at the top of the article, watch his video of his final results, and continue scrolling though his data. I used these tests to choose the SD round I use in my SIG Sauer P250, Fioccchi Extrema XTP 90g. I chose it because it was one of the top performers in the tests, and it was easy to find.

Here is the link: Final Results of the .380 ACP Ammo Quest | Shooting The Bull

As to range ammo, I have found SIG Sauer .380 fmjs to be the most accurate of many I have shot from my P250. Good Luck!
 
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I have had great results using Precision One with the 90 Grain HP/XTP bullet. This one had the best results on the Ammo Quest Shooting the Bull video. I have been using it in my .380 EZ without any problems. It is my carry ammo....
 
Recently I believe, Shooting the Bull has changed his number one 380 choice results from Precision One to Lehigh Defense Xtreme Penetrator Ammunition. Either way, their both excellent choices.
 
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