.380 HP vs. Ball for Defense.

[yatyas42]

I have a good friend who admittedly is much smarter than I when it comes to ballistics. He is a former S.F. Military Iraq vet. We agree that we hate carrying .380's but they do have a purpose every once in a while. He told me that he carries +p round nose ammo instead of hollowpoints in his. He said he does It for the penetration and the internal shock. He cited that the FBI test put .380 at 12" of penetration (I don't know how accurate that is). I see the logic in that theory, but I am curious what the knowledgeable folks here have to say about it. There is a similar thread just started but I did not want to hijack it.

[LaP]

The arguement will fall into predictable viewpoints. Shot placement vs. penetration vs. the ability of .380 to expand properly.

Take your pick. They're all good arguements. You just have to decide which one suits your situation and then you're all set to defend you choice.
Enjoy the debate.

[ltxi]

Ball is always just ball. I didn't even know anyone loaded it in +P. Don't see the point. Carry a decent modern hollow point round like Speer's Gold Dot for defense in .380.

[Bawanna]

Momma always told me never to disagree with Itxi but most I know that carry 380 carry ball ammo. I know some who do the same with 9 but not near as many.
I don't do 380 but I think I'd lean towards a good hollow point myself although I have serious doubts it would work.

[wyntrout]

I carry Buffalo Bore 90-grain +P JHP in my P380. I also have their 95-grain +P FMJ for cold weather and heavy clothing penetration. The Buffalo Bore is STOUT stuff and should be sufficient for my use. I would never carry regular ball .380 for every occasion. I DO use it at the range. The P380 is my around and about the house gun... and for short trips to the convenience store for lottery tickets... when that's my only destination and I don't change clothes... T-shirt, shorts with drawstring, and flip-flops... in any weather. I'm never more than 10 feet away from a more powerful weapon around the house.

Wynn

[ltxi]

Momma always told me never to disagree with Itxi but most I know that carry 380 carry ball ammo. I know some who do the same with 9 but not near as many.
I don't do 380 but I think I'd lean towards a good hollow point myself although I have serious doubts it would work.

Imo...used to be that .380 ball was a good choice or at least a wash. Kinda like .25 ACP. Why bother with hp that costs a lot more, has potentially worse penetration, and won't expand anyway. Modern bullet and cartridge technology has changed that.

[jaggedx]

I'm with wyntrout. Buffalo Bore 90-grain +P JHP for the P380. I started out at the range yesterday shooting my carry rounds. The BB stuff is strait shooting powerful stuff and they run like butter, even through my fairly new (<500 rounds) P380.

As for penetration, well I'm gonna bet most BGs won't be walking away from a few rounds of BB. But that's just MHO.

[kahrnut1]

corbon dpx expands perfectly shot from my p380 into wet phonebooks. some books fell over but none walked away.

[LaP]

corbon dpx expands perfectly shot from my p380 into wet phonebooks. some books fell over but none walked away.

That calls for a few follow-up shots. You don't have to be quick about it, those books move reeeeal slow.

[yatyas42]

I am guessing that he meant FMJ, I mis spoke by using "ball", if that helps the discussion. I have never tried the wet phone book method to test ballistics, but I will definitely use that one!

[wyntrout]

The Buffalo Bore FMJ is flat-nosed like the .40 S&W... not really "ball".

Wynn

[Bawanna]

I am guessing that he meant FMJ, I mis spoke by using "ball", if that helps the discussion. I have never tried the wet phone book method to test ballistics, but I will definitely use that one!

Usually Ball and FMJ are considered the same, at least with the 3 people I hang out with. Although FMJ isn't always round, it can have a flat front.

[Cokeman]

Usually Ball and FMJ are considered the same, at least with the 3 people I hang out with. Although FMJ isn't always round, it can have a flat front.

That's what I thought. I figured that HP was HP and ball was all non-HP. Is it more of a bullet shape thing? What's a wadcutter?

[wyntrout]

Here's where I videoed firing the P380 and posted comparisons and pictures of the ammo and flashes:

http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?p=76509#post76509

Wynn

[TriggerMan]

Here's where I videoed firing the P380 and posted comparisons and pictures of the ammo and flashes:

http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?p=76509#post76509

Wynn

Love your pictures of muzzle flash. I carry Gold Dots in my Sig P238 .380. It's a BUG.