.380 vs .38spl...

[Wise_A]

60 grains? Okay, this underweight bullet thing has gone too far. Sectional density is a real thing that exists: mass over cross-section, which allows an object to overcome resistance. In bullet-speak, we call that "penetrate". Go shoot a penny into ballistic gel and see how far it goes. Tip: not far, even if you shoot it really really fast.

But somewhere along the way, we lost our minds and decided that 90-grain 9mms and 78-grain .45 ACPs (I swear I wish I was making that up) were totally acceptable things to use.

Now this is the part where somebody blasts me about how great their 45-grain fused zintherium crystal .45s are, and how pretty they look when you shoot them into Jello bricks. And that's 'kay, this is America, you're allowed to waste your money on dopey stuff.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6FYr0N3xt8[/ame]

 

[TomkinsSP]

bowzette was talking about .22LR. The 60 grain Aguila SSS is a 60 grain .22LR. Massive momentum, long, good SD, barely stable to barely unstable depending on the gun (rifling?) as said my T****s is fine with it my Smith not so much.

I too think the tiny light ultra-accelerators and ultra-decelerators are funny. That's why I carry 148 to 160 grain bullets.

 

[RGVshooter]

There have been numerous cases of successful stops with 22lr. I am more than comfortable to carry a NAA for a backup. And at home it is always in my pocket, or around my neck.

For a different post but.....
New for 2018 NAA introduced a new 22 WMR break top revolver! It's called "Ranger 2".

 

[Wise_A]

bowzette was talking about .22LR. The 60 grain Aguila SSS is a 60 grain .22LR. Massive momentum, long, good SD, barely stable to barely unstable depending on the gun (rifling?) as said my T****s is fine with it my Smith not so much.

I too think the tiny light ultra-accelerators and ultra-decelerators are funny. That's why I carry 148 to 160 grain bullets.

Yeah, I was looking at it again. I think what happened was, I've been awake for far too long and read ".380" in the title, combined it with "60-grain" in the post, and baked a nice rage soufflé. But such is my blind hatred of the nouveau lightweight bullets.

Aguila SSS is actually a super fat-assed .22 designed for subsonic pest control with bolt-action rifles. Literally, it's sort of the opposite of what I'm pissing and moaning about (NEW FOR 2018 AT SHOT SHOW: 5-GRAIN 9mm HPs MADE FROM GENUINE ANGEL HAIR, 7500 FPS!!!!). I hear it's been discontinued.

I dunno how I feel about .22s. On the one hand, carry what you're going to carry and practice with, and all that. Plenty of little old grandmas with arthritis who, in my estimation, could take their Ruger SR-22s and murderzone some of the .40/.367Sig/9mm/.45ACP IDPA rats I know. On the other, for most people, is a shootable .38, .380, or 9 really much harder to manage?

As to bullet weight, my 9 works with 124s, so that's what I sling. I should probably try out 147-grain pills at some point, just to satisfy my curiosity. But I'm thinking of a ported or comp'd 9 fungun, and since PF doesn't matter to me, 115s beat the hell out of 147s in theory (more powder in the 115 loads, less bullet weight).

 

[Walkingwolf]

For a different post but.....
New for 2018 NAA introduced a new 22 WMR break top revolver! It's called "Ranger 2".

I saw that, it is listed on their web site. While it is neat the quick reload feature is not going to be a quick reload in a get off me fight. Which is what the guns are good for. My next one will probably be the Wasp.

 

[S&WsRsweet]

I like the 38 jframe but my reason is and I know tjis goes against conventional wisdom but ,I like SA/DA capability just if I need to get off a precision shot singl action capability might make th difference oh no oh no yes if tne situation is dire enough I have to pull my firearm and things ate where I have to make one shot and that shot de ides my fate live or die and I only get to try one time I am going to try to control my breathing concentrate on my sight alignment and get the job done and the very bet way to do that for me would be having a nice crisp trigger pull in single action to use. So my vote is jframe but with SA/ da capability .

 

[TomkinsSP]

My lovely wife carries a M49.

 

[shouldazagged]

I definitely prefer not to go below .38 Special +P for a defensive handgun (the only kind I've owned for years). I've only owned all-steel revolvers for around twenty years.

But having been weakened a good deal by illness in the last year, I thought I might try a lighter carry gun. I bought a Ruger LCP, then found that my arthritic hands made it virtually impossible to rack the tiny slide. I considered the risk of a malfunction requiring racking it, and am selling the little gnatweight and sticking with the J-frame I've carried for years.

I'm happier with the venerable and tested FBI load, or its standard pressure Buffalo Bore equivalent, anyway; but I liked the feel and trigger of the tiny LCP.

 

[adwjc]

New Shield .380

A lot of the above post will be upended with the introduction (announced today) of the Shield EZ 380.

Claims are that it is easier to rack the slide, better capacity, easier to reload,more comfortable to shoot, relieves anxiety in those that want a manual safety, it has a grip safety. The trigger is supposed to vastly improved too.

Looks interesting for those that don't think a .380 needs to be tiny.

 

[Protected One]

A lot of the above post will be upended with the introduction (announced today) of the Shield EZ 380.

Claims are that it is easier to rack the slide, better capacity, easier to reload,more comfortable to shoot, relieves anxiety in those that want a manual safety, it has a grip safety. The trigger is supposed to vastly improved too.

Looks interesting for those that don't think a .380 needs to be tiny.

That's interesting. I'll have to look into it, and it may become a "need".

 

[steelslaver]

I'll keep my answer simple.

I don't own any .380s