380 auto Vs 9 mm...you really give up a lot in power...

[dom1104]

wow I... am just amazed.

So much speculaton and no real information.

I think people totally MAKE UP information and situations in the gun world, moreso than any other.

whew. Its like Imagination Station.


People, there are a 2 rules.

Bigger is better.
Faster is better.

Period. when it comes to hunting (IE, killing things) this is just plain the case.

Pack the biggest, fastest largest caliber you can reasonably deal with. If its 380 fine. if its 9mm fine. if its 45 even better. But dont go making up situations where its better to be by something lighter and weaker.

its just plain not true. And it could cost you your life.

 

[rogerxd45]

im not a fan of the 380 at all and now there are quite a few guns that offer a 9mm in a 380 package so i dont see the point

now with same sized barrel and comparing standard 9mm to 380 a power gain of 70% seems to be on the high side but with 9mm +p i could see that. but i really like the 40 s&w i think its one of the best "standard" self defense rounds, but you do have to pay the price of recoil when useing it in a small BUG

 

[Northalius]

Too bad you cannot really put a Glock 29 in your pocket....

Meh! I'd still rather suck it up and be a tad more physically uncomfortable and carry my 10mm (aka .40 Magnum Auto) Glock 29 IWB, rather than be a tad more physically comfortable (yet emotionally uncomfortable) while carrying a more unreliable and not-so-durable pocket mousegun, which is a lot weaker, as well.

I'd have a 'mousegun' maybe for a 3rd backup gun, if I had to.

 

[DawgFvr]

The topic Northalius is

"380 auto Vs 9 mm..."

...and sure enough...you come waltzing in with a whole different agenda...per usual.

You will more than likely never...ever draw a weapon in defense in your life time...but you a certainly entertaining with your,

"I'd have a 'mousegun' maybe for a 3rd backup gun, if I had to."

 

[moooose102]

i have to agree, the more power, the better. but, i did just buy a 380 kel-tec. just for the size of the gun. as i have read here MANY times, the first rule of a gun fight is.... HAVE A GUN! and if nothing else fits, that little kel-tec does. if a larger pistol can be worn, it is my 45acp. if i could have gotten a 9mm, in a pistol THE size of the p3at, i would have (at least if it was in my price range).

 

[oneounceload]

wow I... am just amazed.

So much speculaton and no real information.

I think people totally MAKE UP information and situations in the gun world, moreso than any other.

whew. Its like Imagination Station.


People, there are a 2 rules.

Bigger is better.
Faster is better.

Period. when it comes to hunting (IE, killing things) this is just plain the case.

Pack the biggest, fastest largest caliber you can reasonably deal with. If its 380 fine. if its 9mm fine. if its 45 even better. But dont go making up situations where its better to be by something lighter and weaker.

its just plain not true. And it could cost you your life.

wrong - it all depends on WHAT you are hunting - you gonna use an '06 on a coyote when a 223 will do the job?? 12 gauge 00 buck on a squirrel?

BS

for SD is a nice big caliber going to give you an edge when you're not quite up to it or off a little?? Sure is...every time.........but a lot of folks like the 45 AP, a sllloooowwwww moving bullet compared to a 9 or a 357

a 380, at the correct distance, will dispatch your attacker to his 72 virgins post haste...as will a 32, 25 or even a 22.....

rule number 1 for a gunfight: BRING A GUN!...I would rather have my little Colt 1908 25 vest pistol than no pistol at all..not saying a .45 isn't a tad more better.....

 

[tblt]

I would much rather have a 9 but I'm getting an LCP because its smaller

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

yes but recoil will be worse and they are nowhere near as accurate.

Kahrs in 9mm have neither harsh recoil nor inaccuracy.

 

[mavracer]

Kahrs in 9mm have neither harsh recoil nor inaccuracy.

Not what I said.But if you wish to disagree with my statement.

yes but recoil will be worse and they are nowhere near as accurate.

recoil is easy enough to figure and any time you want to put your kahr up aganst my walther in a ransom rest for a grand your on.

 

[slzy]

a friend asked me what would i use to kill squirrels in the yard. i said an air rifle or a .22 short. but since this is not a sporting proposition,i would use number 4 shot out of my dove gun. gun fights are not comparable to hunting,exactly.

i feel comforable with my mak,for various reasons.

 

[EHL]

I think there is no argument that a 9mm easily beats a .380 acp. That being said, I carry a Walther ppks .380acp when I can't carry my Kimber ultra Eclipse. Which would I prefer in a gun fight? My .45, any day of the week. But I still feel pretty darn safe with my .380 acp. I can't imagine a scenario in which I hit a BG with 4 or 5 rounds center mass and he gets up and says, "Sorry you didn't hit me with a 9mm, otherwise I'd still be down." That said, I still think the 9mm is a better choice ballistics wise in ammunition. I just don't like any guns that are chambered for it, otherwise I'd carry one. (I don't like the Kahrs) I'd consider an EMP if it had front strap checkering. Just my .02 cents though.

 

[XDKingslayer]

Would anyone like to volunteer to be shot with a top of the line .380 self defence round to put this crap to bed?









I didn't think so...

 

[The Tourist]

a whole different agenda

I'm not going to pick sides, and I understand your displeasure on thread drift, but this the outcome of a true debate.

Sometimes the answer is "none of the above." And it's a valid position. You must then also disagree with me.

More than once, when leaving the house, I have considered my security options, placed the .380 back on the coffee table and pocketed a knife.

Now, I could have bought a 9mmx19, there is a good little neighborhood gunshop a few blocks from my home.

So after having this very same debate in my head, I choose "none of the above."

 

[DawgFvr]

"More than once"

...

"placed the .380 back on the coffee table and pocketed a knife."

Ok then...for the sake of debate, I will have to disagree with you here...eh? One of the "basic" rules of a gun fight is to not bring a knife to a gun fight...I keep hearing that over and over in my head...

 

[Lonestar49]

It comes down to "choices"

...

Given all the information, personal, or otherwise, the OP, or anyone, has a lot of good inside true information within this thread to make a given choice, based on what they garner..

Given that, I still carry my Sig P232, and a knife, when I'm out front doing my hard work, over any of my other guns.

But, my first choice, given in a one on one confrontation with a knife welding nut would be my weed-whacker, revved up for over-reaching, lethal, painful, contact, as I know how it cuts, and hurts, even when wearing shoes and it comes in contact with my toes, thru my shoes, let alone, contact with exposed flesh.. It is non-forgiving, when it comes to any skin contact, thru clothes, or shoes, but even far worse when it comes in contact with bare skin.

But as I said, given a choice, when going out into the concrete jungle, and a need of a smaller, size and weight, gun, than my 40cal, the EMP 9mm always gets the call over the 380..

It's just a better choice that I have, choose to make, that others may not. But any stand-off weapon is far better than a knife, and that is cutting to the truth..


Ls

 

[Bob79]

On average with a standard pressure 9mm round in 115/124 grain, you're looking at about 1100-1200FPS. This is about 340-370 Ft lbs of energy, and these figures are based on a 4" barrel.

380 rounds in about 90 grain usually do about 1000 FPS if you figure a little more velocity if using a 4" barrel. So this is about 200 Ft lbs of energy. So yeah its about 75% more energy, but the diameter is still the same.

No doubt the 9mm is superior, but the 380 is nothing to laugh at. Plus most small 9mm's that are the same size as the 380s are usually made by Kahr, or Kel-Tec. I know some people have had good experiences with Kel-Tec, but I have not. I know several other people first hand who have had bad Kel-Tecs, not to mention all the internet info on problems.

Kahrs are better quality then Kel-Tec, but are very tight fitting, and require a break in period, that is explained by the factory to follow. Does any other gun maker say to have a 200 round break in period with thier gun? I don't know the answer to that. Again I had a polymer Kahr, and had issues with it. I don't know anyone else with a Kahr, but again, a lot of internet info about bad experiences with the Kahr line, usually the polymer frames.

I just don't blame people for using the 380's when the very compact 9mm's seem to be of lower quality.

 

[EHL]

Bob 79, you hit the nail on the head! I just don't like any of the pocket 9mm available on the market. I think the Kahr is 1. overpriced, and 2. not a very nice design (aesthetics and function). The EMP is a really nice design, but they made it out of aluminum and it's not checkered. I think I could live with the aluminum, but no checkering???:banghead: I've yet to see a 9mm that really sells itself to me. that said, my wife carrys both a 9mm and a .380. I feel pretty safe with her carrying either one. (she has an XD subcompact 9mm) Anybody who says the .380 cartridge is superior to a 9mm cartridge is really stretching the limits of fantasy. I don't think that the .380 is insufficient to stop a BG though. I've seen enough ballistics tests and read enough personal self defense accounts to know that the .380 can and does stop a BG. Anybody who denies this is also living in fantasy land.

 

[wristtwister]

9x18 Mak

I like the 9x18 Makarov, and my little Bulgie is small enough to carry concealed in almost any scenario I can think of.

If the knockdown power of a 9mm vs a .380 worries you, just go buy one of those new .45 caliber sissie pistols that are designed for concealed carry and load both pockets with clips. Personally, I think it's "the shooter, not the gun" that's important. If I take my little Beretta 21 and put 7 rounds in you of .22lr, it's going to do some damage. If you take your "big mamu" and completely miss me... who's better off?

I pay attention at the range to how people shoot, and lots of the people there can be accurate if they stand there and aim... and don't rush their shots... and they're not under any stress. I practice combat shooting... ducking around corners, dropping a clip and clip feeds... dropping to one knee and selecting different targets... all the things that happen in a gunfight except having somebody shooting back at me. If I want that, I go play paintball.

I have an array of guns that I carry concealed. Mak is one choice, 9mm is one... .40 cal is my favorite bullet size, but my 9's give me more firepower (17+1). I don't have a double stack .380, but I have 2 single stacks that fit nicely in my pockets too... along with a .22 Beretta Bobcat. I've even got a couple of revolvers in .38 and .357 that make trips with me on occasion. You can play "mix and match" with whatever you want to carry on any particular occasion... and I like all my guns for different reasons. I don't think there is just one answer to what to carry.

I've got a couple of $200 guns that I bought just to throw in the car so I don't have to be caught without one if I leave the house hurriedly... so a little pre-planning about your accessibility to weapons can go a long way toward deciding what to keep available. A Smith model 36 in the glove box will more than get the job done in a pinch... but you have to plan your actions... like practicing combat shooting and keeping reloaders in the glovebox.

From observing other people's shooting, I've learned that it doesn't matter if you have a .22 or a .380 or a .454 if you can't hit the X-ring... and there are a lot of people who "shoot and hope" that somebody runs into their bullet. Your proficiency means much more than your caliber... and your skills in using whatever you're using is much more important than the bullet size.

WT