.380 in 9mm revolvers?

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Great Scot

Great Scot

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I recently saw a Charter Arms Pitbull in .380. I got me thinking, can you shoot .380 in 9mm revolvers? I’m looking for a low recoiling revolver CCW option for my wife, and .380 in a 9mm LCR might just be the ticket. Thanks for help!
 
Likely won't work since the 9mm Parabellum likely spaces on the case rim while the 9mm Kurz case is far shorter.
 
jar said:
Likely won't work since the 9mm Parabellum likely spaces on the case rim while the 9mm Kurz case is far shorter.
Click to expand...
9mm headspaces on case mouth as does the .380. 380 might be held against the slide face enough to fire but don't count on it.
 
I don't think so, not well enough to count on for self defense if it works at all.
.380 is smaller head and rim diameter than 9mm P and will not engage moon clip or trick extractor as securely.
I recall an old report on the Medusa multi-caliber revolver and it did not do at all well with .380.

If you think a .380 revolver is what she needs, what is wrong with the Charter?
A .38 Special with wadcutters is pretty mild.
A .327 would let her run up the scale from .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R, to .327 Magnum.

Already got the 9mm? Hornady Critical Defense Lite might be manageable for her.
 
Is your wife onboard with a revolver for CCW? Perhaps she might like one pf the many 380 semi out there
 
Not likely enough for self-defense.

I have seen .380 successfully shot in 9mm semi-auto, I tried it once in a 9mm revolver and the results were poor. With a semi-auto the round is held in place by the exacter. With the revolver there is nothing to prevent it from moving forward when hit by the firing pin resulting in light primer strikes.

The S&W 380 EZ is made just for people like your wife. With proper technique it will be easier for her to shoot than a revolver.
 
Low recoiling and CCW revolver are terms not usually used together. There are some but not many that I have fired. An all steel J frame or SP101 would have less felt recoil than the polymer and aluminum framed revolvers. I’d much rather shoot full house magnum loads in my larger revolvers than standard pressure .38spl in my J frame.
 
i like snubbie revolvers. i wanted to like a 2” charter arms 9mm but got rid of it fast, roughly made, it chewed up my shooting hand.

imho a 38 s&w or taurus snubbie remains the centerfire ccw sweet spot. my own rules: 1. pachmayr or hogue grips that fully enclose the grip frame. 2. steel frames with any 38 ammo. 3. 38 wadcutters or cbc shorts for airweight frames.
 
Somewhat primitive thinking, but guns work best with the ammunition they were designed for. And "may or may not work" is not a situation for defensive situations.

I understand Uberti makes a Single Action in .380. Likely not her thing, though.

Bob Wright
 
The .380 is not a short 9mm. The .380 case is straight walled while the 9mm is tapered. This makes the 9mm wider at it's base than the .380. In short, the .380 would likely fire in most 9mm revolvers that use moon clips, but the .380 case is likely to swell at the base excessively, possibly even rupture, might cause extraction problems. Just buy a .380 revolver.....
 
I would just reload a lighter charge in a 9mm case. If you don’t reload then see if you can find a local reloaded who would load a couple hundred rounds for you. I have done that for others in the past. But it’s best if you provide all the components needed to do the reloading.
 
Maybe I'm overthinking it, but is 380 from a revolver a good idea for self defense? I think typical charts has 380 making about 850 fps from a 3.5"ish auto loading barrel, which many figure is the bottom threshold for self defense. Now drop the barrel down to 2" and add a cylinder gap...that's got to drop the velocity down a bit. Even more so if its fired from a chamber cut for 9mm
 
Walnut1704 said:
The .380 is not a short 9mm.

It is not a short 9mm Parabellum, but it is a 9mm Short, or as it's alternate in Europe, is 9 mm K, or 9mm Short.

Bob Wright
 
You can buy low recoil 9mm ammo. I think that would be a lot smarter than trying to shoot 380 out of a 9mm, especially for defensive purposes.
 
LCR in .327 Federal. She can load and fire the very light .32 S&W Longs (super accurate target round), step up to the light .32 H&R for self defense, and then up to the full house .327 Federal Magnum. Very versatile combination, plus ya get a six shooter rather than five.
 
@Great Scot
The Charter 380acp is built on the Bulldog frame it is a 6 shot ...
I own 5 Charters at this time .. Im a Charter guy ...USA made , light for caliber , solid frame ..
My wife really likes my Charter Police Bulldog 6 shot 38spl ... And my Ruger LCR357 ... Loaded with 38spl ...
She practices with 130gr FMJ 38Spl
For carry , it is useally 90% of the time the LCR357 loaded with Hornady 110gr FTX standard pressure
image.jpeg
image.jpeg
 
"LCR in .327 Federal. She can load and fire the very light .32 S&W Longs (super accurate target round), step up to the light .32 H&R for self defense, and then up to the full house .327 Federal Magnum. Very versatile combination, plus ya get a six shooter rather than five."

Absolutely. 32 S&W long has barely more recoil than a 22. 32 H&R magnum doesn't have that much more. I'll take 32 H&R over 380 any day.
 
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