Bodyguard 380 ammo suggestions for concealed carry.

[BryanD]

Hello,
I just purchased a bodyguard 380 without the laser for my first concealed carry. I'm new to this and would like hollow point ammo suggestions. My local dealer sells Winchester, Hornady, & DRT. All info appreciated. Has anyone used the MagGuts for a extra round in there magazine? Thank you!!

 

[East River Guide]

Google will give plenty of info. I use standard FMJ ammo for all my .380 carry guns. YMMV.

 

[BC in TN]

Might also want to consider round nose ammo as well. Look at Buffalo Bore' website for additional options.

 

[CaptRon956]

I live in a part of Texas where its Tee shirt weather most of the year so I like the Hornday "american Gunner" 90 gr. XTP JHP for my M&P 380.....

 

[arkdweller22]

There's a YouTube channel named "Shooting the Bull" where they tested all major ammo brands in a short barreled 380ACP pistol and came to the conclusion that a 90 grain Hornady XTP as loaded by Hornady or Fiocchi is the most effective JHP in that caliber extant.
It's the only one that consistently hit the FBI minimum 12" of penetration while expanding satisfactorily.

That's what I load in my wife's Kahr CW380.

ETA: Precision One also loads an XTP bullet that performed well.
Here's a link to that test:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOwCXXpEP50

 

[Stratajema]

Federal HST in 380 acp will be available this year. It will hopefully solve the biggest problem with 380 acp self-defense rounds which is the reliability and repeatability of expansion and penetration.

You might want to try a box of Lehigh Defense XP in 380 acp to see if it feeds reliably in your gun. Much better than using FMJ as you can see from this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LczfeWK9lHw

 

[Jonzim]

Waiting for the HST's, but for now the Speer Gold Dot is my choice when I carry my .380.

 

[geminijk]

My bodyguard doesn't like Tuammo, so stay away from the cheap stuff. Aquila works fine for range time, but I have Hornady Critical Defense 380 locked and loaded.

John

 

[Protected One]

Of the ammo you said your local shop has available I would recommend the Hornady Critical Defense. In test, it has been the most consistent expander and the deepest penetrator of the hollow point family. Winchester PDX1 is good too, and though I do have a few boxes of it, as well as Gold Dots... my first choice is Hornady Critical Defense.

 

[BryanD]

Thanks Guys I appreciate it

 

[lmacrichter]

My BG has been a fun little gun to punch holes in paper at the range WHEN it fires. Unless you have put a couple hundred rds of various brands through it to make sure it is reliable I wouldn't carry it with any brand of ammo although in my other guns I trust Hornady for HD/SD.

 

[John R]

I use the Remington Golden Sabers in my 380, hollow point that might work, but still 102 gr bullet for a little deeper penetration.

 

[686-380]

I like Hornady Critical Defense XTP, Remington Golden Sabre 102 gr. and Lehigh Defense Xtreme Penetrator(LDXP).

The LDXP combines the best of both worlds - very deep penetration and a decent wound channel. My experiments with ballistics gel don't get nearly the 1" permanent wound channel that they claim but they tell me it's because the bullets work best on water-based media (human tissue). I would also caution you to take some time and ensure LDXP feeds and extracts properly. I have to make certain my BG380 is clean for it to be reliable.

 

[IamCaleb]

Of the ammo you said your local shop has available I would recommend the Hornady Critical Defense. In test, it has been the most consistent expander and the deepest penetrator of the hollow point family. Winchester PDX1 is good too, and though I do have a few boxes of it, as well as Gold Dots... my first choice is Hornady Critical Duty.

Do you have links to these tests? Because, I have heard/seem the opposite. Precision one, Fed Hydro shoks, and Fiocci are the top hp rounds for the .380s (just what I have seen).

 

[sbuttrick]

Winchester PDX1. Great stuff!

 

[db4570]

I still trust Federal Hydrashok. A lot of tests back this up. Nothing new-fangled or exotic- just time-tested reliability.

David

 

[mrmike7189]

Winchester PDX1

I've found that my bodyguard prefers usa made ammo to the foreign stuff. I found some PDX1 at Walmart today. I hope it works well in the bodyguard. (my 9mm&40S&W love the PDX1)

 

[Old cop]

I use HPR 90 grain hollow points (HP) in mine and the run just fine. This round has deeper penetration than most of the other HP. Pretty good stuff for a HP in this caliber.

 

[mrmike7189]

cor bons or PDX1?

I have a few boxes of cor bon 80 grain dpx and winchester PDX1 95 grain bonded for my bodyguard 380. Which is the better round for self defense?
I think it may be a tie. Corbon might be faster, but i think the heavy PDx1 will penetrate more?
What does everybody think?

 

[Flyordie]

I use a custom load from Hornady. "Hornady 90gr XTP +P" out of their "American Gunner" line. 2.78" barrel nets me about 1,080fps at about 5 yards. The standard loadout gives you about 975-980 @ 5 yards. So its about a 100fps increase with the hotter load. Spare Magazine has WWB 95gr FNFMJs.