The Bodyguard only has a 2.75" barrel. The terrible ballistic results from LuckyGunner's testing is out of a Glock 42 with a 3.25" barrel aka a half of an inch longer than the Bodyguard. Needless to say, 380 ACP out of the Bodyguard will be even worse than the numbers below.
Then there's the increased recurring cost to shoot 380 ACP.
Yes sir. As noted above .380 ACP takes a disproportionately large hit in velocity in a short barrel compared to a 9mm where the velocity loss per inch is much less.
Way too many shooters fail to consider this when selecting a concealed carry .380 ACP.
The results posted are consistent with my own gel testing where I’ve found the Sig 90 gr V-crown and the Hornady 90 gr FTX are the only two bullets that will reliably expand and give at least 12” penetration in a short barrel. Even then they both need to be loaded in the 900 fps range.
If you push them much faster they will begin to under penetrate, particularly the V crown. That can ironically cause a load that works well in a short barrel to slightly under penetrate in a 3.5”-3.9” barrel.
The Hornady 90 gr XTP gives good expansion and adequate penetration but only in a longer (3.5”-3.9”) barrel where it can achieve at least 1000 fps.
The Remington 102 gr golden saber also performs well in a 3.9” barrel but again needs a muzzle velocity approaching 1000 fps.
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One of the 3.5” or longer barrel .380 ACPs like the PPK/S, APK9S, AP9S, Bersa Thunder, RIA baby Rock, Browning Black Label 1911, or one of the Beretta Cougar derivatives are usually a much better choice when it comes to hollow points and terminal ballistics than shorter pistols like the Kimber Micro, SMC, Bodyguard, or Ruger LCP.
The Beretta 80X is arguably an ideal choice in terms of ballistic efficiency, handling, and magazine capacity. But it’s also not a micro sized pistol coming close to compact 9mm pistols like the CZ75 and Compact Hi Power in size, although it is still thinner, lighter and easier to conceal.
