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Opinions on .380 carry loads
Posted on 7/16/13 at 5:10 pm
Posted on 7/16/13 at 5:10 pm
For those of you with a .380 pocket gun, what is your carry load? I know there is some debate that with a .380 that your better off with FMJ because of the slower velocity. Right now I'm going with Buffalo Bore JHP 90gr. +P. Anybody have any experience with this load?
Posted on 7/16/13 at 5:13 pm to Palo Gaucho
I've been using hornady critical defense, but I'm looking for suggestions as well?
Posted on 7/16/13 at 5:23 pm to Palo Gaucho
From Buffalo Bore
I keep a hollow point in the chamber, and the mag full of flat nose
quote:
Here's the problem. The current 380 auto frangible ammo delivers a large amount of surface trauma, but lacks serious penetration. For example, if you shot me or another sane man in the face with modern frangible 380 ammo, it would blow off a big portion of my cheek and send a few teeth down my throat, I would undoubtedly fall to the ground in shock and pain, but I would be very much alive and functional if I could get past the shock and pain as that frangible bullet would have stopped some where inside my face, never making it to my brain. However, if you shot a drugged up maniac in the face with that same frangible 380 ammo and blew half his cheek off, he would keep right on coming because he is insane and is not thinking like you or I. Plus, he is likely pain free and fear free and wont know that half his cheek is missing and if he did know, he would not care. So whatever 380 ammo you shoot him in the face with, had better go through his face and blow his brain stem out the back of his head, because only a CNS (central nervous system) hit with a 380 is going to stop him. Likewise, a torso hit to the sternum needs to penetrate deep enough to blow all the way through his spine in order to shut him down spontaneously. If you fail to shut him down instantly, you and your loved ones are going to have to find a way to survive while you wait for him to bleed out and pass out. The best chance of survival for you and your family is to shut down the attacker instantly. So, we've designed a few 380 auto +P loads to keep you and your loved ones alive under the worst of scenarios.
This 380 Auto+P ammo will better all American made 380 Auto ammo by 150 fps to 200 fps in all bullet weights we make. This is a serious improvement in this typically anemic cartridge. This 380 auto+P ammo is more powerful than the typical 38SPL ammo made by most American ammo makers and you'll get 7 shots of it in a small/flat/light weight 380 versus 5 shots out of a bulkier 38 SPL J frame revolver. Additionally, with the 380 you'll get much faster reloads and the little magazines are flatter than a speed-loader used for a J frame.
Item 27A/20 is a 100gr. HARD cast bullet with a flat nose. It is traveling over 1,150 fps out of my 3.75 inch BDA (Browning Double Action). We've used a flash suppressed powder for all three of our 380 auto loads so that you wont be blinded by your own gunfire if you have to shoot in the dark and since around 95% of all civilian shootings in America occur in low light, the chances that your own gunfire will blind you while you are trying to save your life, are good - we've eliminated this variable by using flash suppressed powder. We've also chosen a flat nosed solid bullet. The flat on the nose ensures that the bullet will cut/smash its way through flesh and bone and do much more destruction than typical round nose FMJ bullets. Round nosed bullets tend to slip and slide through matter, doing little damage as opposed to a flat nosed bullet. The flat nose not only wounds much more than a round nosed bullet, but it actually keeps the penetration straight and thus deeper. Notice the below velocities recorded from my personal 380 auto pistols. These are real world guns and thus the speeds are realistic and not exaggerated speeds produced from laboratory test barrels. What you see with Buffalo Bore Ammo, is truly what you get in the "real world", where it matters. You can expect 20+ inches of straight-line penetration in flesh and bone with this load. If you are worried about over penetration with this load, DON'T! You chose to carry a tiny under-powered 380 auto pistol and the trade-off is that you are now going to have to stay alive with that pistol and over penetration will be the least of your worries if you end up needing this gun to save yourself or your family.
I keep a hollow point in the chamber, and the mag full of flat nose
Posted on 7/16/13 at 5:23 pm to Palo Gaucho
quote:
I know there is some debate that with a .380 that your better off with FMJ because of the slower velocity.
Even though some are proponents of it, I disagree with it.
If you shoot someone in his/her chest and the bullet stays there, that's the BEST thing that can happen. Why would you want it to exit and risk hurting someone else?
You'll constantly hear former military and law enforcement tell you that you need a load that does about 16-20" of penetration. The only thing is, law enforcement is protected by law if there is collateral damage. We aren't.
I would go with Speer Gold Dots, Hornady Critical Defense, Corbon DPX, or Federal Hydrashock. All are pretty good.
If you want indepth ballistics tests of each round, look up TNoutdoors9 and Brassfetcher on YouTube. There is some great information there.
EDIT: That Buffalo Bore round would also be a good candidate. The big difference is that it is hard cast and not jacketed. The jacket prevents the soft lead from deforming and causes deeper penetration in FMJ form. I think the regular cast bullet would get good penetration but not overpenetrate.
This post was edited on 7/16/13 at 5:26 pm
Posted on 7/16/13 at 5:26 pm to bapple
quote:
Speer Gold Dots, Hornady Critical Defense
Posted on 7/16/13 at 5:37 pm to bapple
quote:
If you shoot someone in his/her chest and the bullet stays there, that's the BEST thing that can happen.
I agree that a defensive bullet staying in the chest is a good thing for the shooter, from a liability concern, albeit w/ one small clarification......the bullet MUST penetrate enough to reach the vitals; if the bullets stays in the chest but doesn't penetrate enough to reach the vitals, it hasn't done its job. I suspect bapple feels the same way, but I'll let him speak for himself.
As for what I personally carry, my 380 has Speer Gold Dots in it. I've read the school of thought that suggests using FMJ bullets (not because they're slower, but because they will penetrate deeper) when carrying the 380 for self defense, but I've never fully bought in to it.
Posted on 7/16/13 at 5:44 pm to Palo Gaucho
FMJ out of pocket gun (P3AT). I don't think it is penetrating COM and going back out. In addition, HP have a tendency to get hung up on light pocket guns.
Posted on 7/16/13 at 6:34 pm to kkille1lsu
Thanks for the info guys.
Posted on 7/16/13 at 6:43 pm to Palo Gaucho
Hornady critical defense
Posted on 7/16/13 at 8:10 pm to Palo Gaucho
I use Speer +P Hollow Points with my LC9
Posted on 7/16/13 at 8:37 pm to Palo Gaucho
Hornady critical defense
Posted on 7/16/13 at 9:12 pm to Palo Gaucho
Did anyone say Hornady Critical Defense?
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