Mr_Flintstone
Member
I've had several 380s in the past, and I was always partial to the round. I've had other pistols that range from .22 to .45; several being 9mms, but I've always preferred to shoot a larger sized 380 than any other pistol. Maybe it's the fact that they don't have much recoil.
Recently I bought a Bersa Thunder 380, and I really like it. So I started a quest to try and figure out what ammo to carry on the occasions I might use it for CC: FMJ, JHP, Frangible, etc... Now, I want to state right up front that I'm not trying to start a caliber war. I know that 9mm is more powerful. That's not the point. What I want to know is what the best possible round is for a .380 ACP pistol with a 3.5+ inch barrel?
1. FMJ. Lots of people carry this saying they prefer penetration over expansion. I know this will definitely kill; at least up to medium sized animals. The largest thing I personally have killed with .380 fmj was a coyote. One shot through the chest dropped it like an anvil. The problem was that the round passed all the way through and disappeared in a tree trunk. 380 fmj frequently penetrates ballistic gel 27-32 inches. That runs a real risk of over penetration if you have to use it defense.
2. JHP. I personally don't have much real world experience using this. I've looked at lots of data and videos of testing, but they all seem inconsistent. Some penetrate fine in bare gel, but not in the denim test. Others don't penetrate that much in bare gel, but way over penetrate passing through denim. There doesn't seem to be many that can do both.
3. Frangible. I looked at this, but I'm not too impressed. It makes a big cavity in the first few inches and then just stops. I'm not too sure how effective that will be.
4. Other. I was real impressed with Underwood Xtreme Defender and Ruger Inceptor ARX. They seem very similar to each other in creating a fairly big wound cavity, and penetrating 14+ inches in ballistic gel. The Underwood seemed like it might over penetrate a little though; but not by much. I'm just not sure what it might do on flesh and bone.
Does anyone care to weigh in, and give me some advice or some helpful comments in choosing the right SD ammo?
Recently I bought a Bersa Thunder 380, and I really like it. So I started a quest to try and figure out what ammo to carry on the occasions I might use it for CC: FMJ, JHP, Frangible, etc... Now, I want to state right up front that I'm not trying to start a caliber war. I know that 9mm is more powerful. That's not the point. What I want to know is what the best possible round is for a .380 ACP pistol with a 3.5+ inch barrel?
1. FMJ. Lots of people carry this saying they prefer penetration over expansion. I know this will definitely kill; at least up to medium sized animals. The largest thing I personally have killed with .380 fmj was a coyote. One shot through the chest dropped it like an anvil. The problem was that the round passed all the way through and disappeared in a tree trunk. 380 fmj frequently penetrates ballistic gel 27-32 inches. That runs a real risk of over penetration if you have to use it defense.
2. JHP. I personally don't have much real world experience using this. I've looked at lots of data and videos of testing, but they all seem inconsistent. Some penetrate fine in bare gel, but not in the denim test. Others don't penetrate that much in bare gel, but way over penetrate passing through denim. There doesn't seem to be many that can do both.
3. Frangible. I looked at this, but I'm not too impressed. It makes a big cavity in the first few inches and then just stops. I'm not too sure how effective that will be.
4. Other. I was real impressed with Underwood Xtreme Defender and Ruger Inceptor ARX. They seem very similar to each other in creating a fairly big wound cavity, and penetrating 14+ inches in ballistic gel. The Underwood seemed like it might over penetrate a little though; but not by much. I'm just not sure what it might do on flesh and bone.
Does anyone care to weigh in, and give me some advice or some helpful comments in choosing the right SD ammo?
