380 Silvertip

[all5x]

I found several magazines of 380 Silvertip ammo recently and wonder if it is good for CCW usage..there seems to have been a resurgence of interest in this configuration for other calibers but have not seen or heard of one for the .380..it is for a Walther PP and soon to be PPK/S so not sure if the longer barrel is more suited to its potential or not..any recommendations for another style for this round?..thanks..all5x

 

[all5x]

I found several magazines of 380 Silvertip ammo recently and wonder if it is good for CCW usage..there seems to have been a resurgence of interest in this configuration for other calibers but have not seen or heard of one for the .380..it is for a Walther PP and soon to be PPK/S so not sure if the longer barrel is more suited to its potential or not..any recommendations for another style for this round?..thanks..all5x

 

[BreakerDan]

The Silvertip is an excellent round for self defense. I shot many of them in my 32 cal Walther PP. As far as 380 goes, if that is what I was carrying, I would put Silvertips in my gun over anything else.

 

[flop-shank]

A longer barrel is a really good thing in a marginal caliber like .380. Silvertips should be fine. Worst case scenario; they behave like a FMJ. That's not necessarily a bad thing because FMJs penetrate very well.

 

[ADash]

Originally posted by all5x:
I found several magazines of 380 Silvertip ammo recently and wonder if it is good for CCW usage..there seems to have been a resurgence of interest in this configuration for other calibers but have not seen or heard of one for the .380..it is for a Walther PP and soon to be PPK/S so not sure if the longer barrel is more suited to its potential or not..any recommendations for another style for this round?..thanks..all5x

What's this about a longer barrel? The PP barrel is only 9/16" longer than the PPK, or just a hair over a half-inch! That will hardly make any difference at all ballistically. The
.380 was designed for small pistols, so that powder & bullet combo is fine for short barrels. Other small .380 pistols have even shorter barrels.

In either case, the .380 is marginal for defense compared to a .38 Special. The only difference between the PPK and PPK/S is the grip length. The PPK/S has the longer grip of the PP, and the closed backstrap. So, the PPK is easier to conceal. If you want a REALLY SMALL .380 pistol, then the Ruger LCP is it, and cheaper as well.
Al Dash