Cannonball888
Member
Buffalo Bore .380 +P flat nose unless your shooting a Kel-tec P3AT or Ruger clone then I'd use Corbon DPX
.380 ball or hollow point
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notorious
Member
Too bad we are limited to the Winchester Ranger SXT in all calibers.
jman_131
Member
I trust magtech guardian gold +P. 85 grain. 1082 fps. 221 ft. lbs its almost up to 9mm. good enough in my opinion. Feeds good in my browning BDA-380. Of course I do get 13+1 x 3-mags....
Jeremy
Jeremy
notorious
Member
The Federal EFMJ looked pretty promising!
380
Unfortunately federal does not have efmj for 380, similar ones in the market with some variant is the FTX hornady new load looks like good choice, defenetly the Cor bon power ball is like a 9mm, I bolive anything 1,000 fps and mor through these little guns, on comparison to sub 9mm velocities of 1059-1180 fps, ballisticly there equal..... this is why theres probably more people with 32 acp and 380 than 9mm and above do to confort in its size for constant carry, al though those same people will bash the caliber becouse they wan't to look good umong friends lets face it us Americans are hung up on bigger is better, but even our military uses a 223 witch is a 22 yes the velocities changes the game and the aplication to.
Unfortunately federal does not have efmj for 380, similar ones in the market with some variant is the FTX hornady new load looks like good choice, defenetly the Cor bon power ball is like a 9mm, I bolive anything 1,000 fps and mor through these little guns, on comparison to sub 9mm velocities of 1059-1180 fps, ballisticly there equal..... this is why theres probably more people with 32 acp and 380 than 9mm and above do to confort in its size for constant carry, al though those same people will bash the caliber becouse they wan't to look good umong friends
lets face it us Americans are hung up on bigger is better, but even our military uses a 223 witch is a 22 yes the velocities changes the game and the aplication to.notorious
Member
The 32 and 380 served European military and police for decades without problem.
380
Well the 32 acp in doble tap or defensive shooting, out of the holster, a mid section 2 taps , a little higher chest 2 taps and finaly one to the head at 5 feet to 0, will it stop any one, do a little work on your oun, you will be surprise, U just have not shot any one with it ha!!. Even with a 45 acp or shot gun, the person or BG can still come at you, it all depends on there conviction. so has it work in the world wars?, yes, always no, has rifles or shrapnells from bobms work? yes not allways, right, so do not show your lake of intelect in this sobject if you are going to coment. All calibers Kill, how fast is determand by shot placement.
Well the 32 acp in doble tap or defensive shooting, out of the holster, a mid section 2 taps , a little higher chest 2 taps and finaly one to the head at 5 feet to 0, will it stop any one, do a little work on your oun, you will be surprise, U just have not shot any one with it ha!!. Even with a 45 acp or shot gun, the person or BG can still come at you, it all depends on there conviction. so has it work in the world wars?, yes, always no, has rifles or shrapnells from bobms work? yes not allways, right, so do not show your lake of intelect in this sobject if you are going to coment. All calibers Kill, how fast is determand by shot placement.
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notorious
Member
Why don't you tell me how you know it doesn't work? Seems like you are quite the master of European small arms history.
I will go now and throw away all my books and studies on small arms history and police sidearms.
to me it seems like everyone who formerly had the 9mm vs .45 wars going on is now carrying one of them sissy-.380thingies 
i smell some paranoia of being undergunned here.....
And "notorious" has a point there.... well trained officers
placed many a shot with their PPKs during european service ....
... and i haven´t heard of the targets being less dead than
those being shot with colt.45s
If it´s comfy for EDC and the additional capacity gives you a good
feeling for choosing it over a 5shot .38 snubbie.... then all is good, eh?
i smell some paranoia of being undergunned here.....
And "notorious" has a point there.... well trained officers
placed many a shot with their PPKs during european service ....
... and i haven´t heard of the targets being less dead than
those being shot with colt.45s
If it´s comfy for EDC and the additional capacity gives you a good
feeling for choosing it over a 5shot .38 snubbie.... then all is good, eh?
BADUNAME37
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I have to agree with someone else
who stated HP's in the tube followed by FMJ in the magazine.
Or, if it were my .380 I would have no problem with FMJ all the time. See if you can find the type that are flat nosed as opposed to the round-nose FMJ's. I got some Winchester FMJ's in 38 at WallyWorld and they said "target loads" or something of that sort on the big box of 100.
If they feed properly and shoot well, it's worth a try!
who stated HP's in the tube followed by FMJ in the magazine.
Or, if it were my .380 I would have no problem with FMJ all the time. See if you can find the type that are flat nosed as opposed to the round-nose FMJ's. I got some Winchester FMJ's in 38 at WallyWorld and they said "target loads" or something of that sort on the big box of 100.
If they feed properly and shoot well, it's worth a try!
I've never seem on convincing argument to persuade me to carry FMJ instead of JHPs in the 380. You have to pick your load as some do have shallow penetration but with the better HPs I think the HPs will serve you better. The Critical Defense ammo from Hornady looks promising. Other than that the Federal Hydrashoks and Speer Gold Dots seem like good bets in 380. They give limited expansion and still allow good penetration for the power of the round. In really short barrelled weapons like the LCP or P3AT these might not expand much at all with the lower velocity but I think the JHP profile has better wounding capability and less chance of deflecting off bone or other surfaces.
zombienerd
Member
Box of truth covered the .380 in one of their tests.
The HP expanded slightly, penetrating 4 jugs of water, while the ball was pristine, probably able to be used again, penetrating 5 jugs... Both "sufficient" for SD.
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot26_2.htm
The HP expanded slightly, penetrating 4 jugs of water, while the ball was pristine, probably able to be used again, penetrating 5 jugs... Both "sufficient" for SD.
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot26_2.htm
makarovnik
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Both. Smaller calibers moving at slow speeds; better have some FMJ's in there somewhere for penetration.
Sometimes human targets are turned somewhat sideways. It's nice to be able to penetrate a big muscular arm and still get some good penetration into the body.
Many older model or military model .380's won't even feed hollow-points. If you have a newer weapon that will feed them, I would still load both in the mag. But that's just me, do whatever makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Sometimes human targets are turned somewhat sideways. It's nice to be able to penetrate a big muscular arm and still get some good penetration into the body.
Many older model or military model .380's won't even feed hollow-points. If you have a newer weapon that will feed them, I would still load both in the mag. But that's just me, do whatever makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
notorious
Member
Having a loaded gun on me makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over.
Yo Mama
Member
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Small arms are always looked at in other countries as an example in this topic. It baffles me, as in most of these countries a side arm was not even legal to use, and was only for decoration.
A .380 like any other round has a purpose. It's current purpose is for a small package ccw. If you're getting a bigger frame, no reason to mess with it.
I'm a history buff, and any time a military or police force had the option to upgrade, they did.
notorious
Member
Going bigger and better is human nature, unfortunately. But when it was the service cartridge of choice, it was fine, no?
Remember when the 38 special was the de facto choice for front line service and it defended society for a long time too until the wundernines came around?
Remember when the 38 special was the de facto choice for front line service and it defended society for a long time too until the wundernines came around?
dlistello
Member
2 factors to consider: function of ammo in your specific gun and type of climate you live in. The first is self explanatory, in general 380 auto's handle fmj much better than Jhp. If you live wear multiple layers of clothes are required, fmj seems to be a better choice. Fortunately, new ammo development has addressed both concerns. Pow'RBall(Corbon) and Critical Defense(Hornady) feed like FMJ but perform like JHP.
Dave
Dave
seeker_two
Member
robsc said:
Hit the claymores and call in an air-strike.....
Chances are...if you're in that situation...the guys breaking down your door are probably a police SWAT team serving a warrant....and getting into a gunfight with them is probably a bad idea....even if you somehow triumph, you'll be facing prison time....
How about a better scenario?.....
You're walking with your wife/SO/child in a mall. Suddenly, two men start randomly shooting people. You are carrying your [insert your CCW here]. Do you feel that, in this situation, your CCW is enough gun to defend yourself and your loved one in that situation?
Yes....there IS a trick to the question.....but I won't tell....yet....
notorious
Member
Okay, just got the new issue. We are now limited to the Winchester Ranger T-Series for all duty and off-duty so it's the 95 grain JHP for me in my Ruger LCP.
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