Best self defense round for a .380

[cofi]

i know its a wimpy round but at least my wife is finally carrying :) whats the best ammo i can stuff into this little pistol????

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

.380 is not a wimpy round. Not a huge difference between that and a 9mm. I use the .380 as a summer carry gun because I can put it in my cargo shorts. Anyways to answer your question I use the gold dot personal protection round.

[SideShow Bob]

For my wife's .380, I use Federal HydroShoks.

[xjtwo]

Ditto to both of the above.....or you could just throw the gun at em [ROFL1] I'm joking, hate to get shot by a 22lr let alone a 380!

[kidicarus13]

Buffalo Bore lead hard cast. My personal experience with .380 hollowpoints out of small pistols is that they do not expand reliably. Others may have had different experiences.

[cofi]

hmmm lots of different responses.......kinda torn between heavy slower bullet and fast light bullet

[Colorado Osprey]

For back-up when I carried a 380ACP, I carried Cor-Bon 90 grain JHP +p loads
They were just shy of a 9mm standard 115 grain load.
I don't think they offer the +p and longer.

Current self defense 9mm loads don't even compare to the lowly 380. The 9mm has made leaps and bounds in performance since the 1986 FBI shout out.

[Busta Prima]

I did a LOT of wound ballistics research several months ago. I probably should have saved the references that helped me form my list but for .380 the absolute best I found was Cor Bon 80 gr DPX. It had the best depth for penetration, best expansion and all of that through thick clothing (probably the most important factor). One other came close but I don't even remember what that was after buying the Cor Bon DPX.

What I found overall in my research for .380 up to .45 pistol loads, the smaller the caliber, the more attention you have to pay to bullet design/load/weight.

[sabot_round]

I carry the Hornady Critical Defense.

[Byte Stryke]

I carry the Hornady Critical Defense.

Hornady 90gr FTX





edit: hit wrong quote button
[LOL]

[IShouldDoThisAllTheTime]

Buffalo Bore lead hard cast.

Lead hard cast +P from a premium brand is also Mas Ayoob's recommendation for .380, with the caveat that it's based entirely on "what makes sense" -- there haven't been enough shootings with modern .380s for there to be a body of data.

[funkymonkey1111]

doubletap Barnes:

http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_62&products_id=386

[DANGERTASTIC!]

.380 is not a wimpy round. Not a huge difference between that and a 9mm. .

Are you kidding?

The difference between .380 and 9mm is substantial.

The .380 is terrible. I believe that ANY gun is better than NO gun, but that comment about those two rounds are the same is ridiculous.

In my testing experience with the .380...

It RARELY gets good (if any) expantion.
Its under powered, the velocity just isnt there.

The energy from muzzle is substantial between the two
The energy at 25yards is almost TWO TIMES that when compared.

You add that with heavy clothing in the winter time or possibly kevlar....think about it.

[C Ward]

Repeat after me , there is no such thing as a magic bullet .

Self defense with a pistol is 100% shot placement , pick a quality hollow point / expanding bullet that runs reliably in the pistol and call it good . Then buy some more ammo and go practice . You can have all the depleted uranium secret squirrel ammo in the world but if you can't place the rounds where they need to be it don't matter .

As a general rule for defensive handgun ammo I pick the fastest load with the heaviest bullet for the caliber .

Have to agree that 380 is a poor choice for a defensive handgun especially with the availability of really tiny good quality 9's now .

[DANGERTASTIC!]

That is true. Shot placement means alot...however it wont mean much if the bullet wont even do its intended job.

Is everyone capable of making a goo shot under stress?

No one knows but that person in THAT situation. No one can say they can aim for eyeballs while an attacker on meth is coming after them.v

Bad guys dont stand still waiting for you to aim or make a perfect headshot.

That being said, shot placement means nothing if a bullet cant pass heavy layers of clothing and gets clogged.

You cant rely solely on shot placement when carrying a pellet gun

[C Ward]

A ball round center mass is going to be more effective than a periphery hit with any round . You shoot someone in the extremities and the fight is more than likely not going to be over .
All handguns by there nature are underpowered marginal stoppers . You only have to look at the survival rates from people shot with handguns to really illustrate this .

It is all about shot placement to think any less is kidding yourself . A miss with your super duper man killer ammo is still a miss . I stand by the comment to pick a quality hollow point / expanding round that functions reliably in your gun irregardless of manufacturer and PRACTICE . The only way to know how you will shoot under stress is to do it .

[SideShow Bob]

What is most important is which brand and bullet design will function reliably enough in your handgun to trust your life on. Get several brand/types and try them out. Even the best performing ones from a lab test will do you no good if it turns your pistol into a jam-o-matic.

[sabot_round]

Hornady 90gr FTX





edit: hit wrong quote button
[LOL]

Yup, I reload that one too. [Beer]

[Zombie Steve]

Buffalo Bore lead hard cast. My personal experience with .380 hollowpoints out of small pistols is that they do not expand reliably. Others may have had different experiences.

I don't think you'd need something hard cast, but I'm in this camp - lead flat point. To me, accuracy is first, penetration is second and everything else is arguing about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

[20X11]

.380 is the wifes preferred SD weapon...did a lot of experimenting with different pistols/calibers and she settled on a Colt Govt model in .380. So, naturally, I had to work up a load for it. Ended up about 10% over max powder charge from the Hornady manual with 95 gr XTP hollowpoints. I pity the fool she puts a Mozambique on. Her aim is superb to say the least and she always opens and closes range time practicing the Mozambique.

[C.hud]

I have a sig p238 and I use handloads in either 90 grain sierra JHP or 90 grain Gold dots. They both cycle well in my pistol and never jam. Prefer my 45, but also trust this gun too.

[DesertStorm1]

From what I have seen Hornady is best, besides the tests here is what they (Hornady) say,

"When lives are on the line, only the best will do."

Since their inception, conventional hollow point pistol bullets have performed well, but have never delivered 100% reliability especially in self-defense situations. The patented Flex Tip® technology used in Critical Defense® ammunition eliminates the clogging and inconsistency that often plagues hollow point bullets. Hornady® achieved this by using the same tip material as used in LEVERevolution® ammunition.

All Critical Defense® ammunition is loaded in nickel cases for increased visibility in low-light situations. Premium low fl ash propellants deliver proven performance, even in very short barreled handguns, and won't disrupt your vision. Reliable expansion and dependable terminal performance can be counted on for concealed carry/personal protection."

.

[Monky]

Ian.. see what her gun likes.. I know my 238 is picky when it comes to death dealing hollow uranium tipped heat seeking bullets.

The hornady critical defense didn't feed so well, had a few hang up. The Corbon DPX did well but were too hard to find.. ended up going w/ the gold dots. Didn't have any issues w/ them and I can actually find them to shoot :)

[IShouldDoThisAllTheTime]

From what I have seen Hornady is best, besides the tests here is what they (Hornady) say,

"When lives are on the line, only the best will do."


And if that particular marketing jingle doesn't make up your mind, maybe their other one will:


Supply yourself for the Zombie Apocalypse with Zombie Max™ ammunition from Hornady®! Loaded with PROVEN Z-Max™ bullets... yes PROVEN Z-Max™ bullets (have you seen a Zombie?).

*barf*