Mas Ayoob on .380 for Self Defense

[Barth]

I prefer the Buffalo Bore +P Gold Dots... same GDHP but more fps.

Recent comparison with 2" .38 S&W shooting +P Short barrel 135-gr GDHP:

http://kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?p=160284#post160284

Wynn

I've got to say the Speer GDHP 135 gr P+ Short Barrel
kicks like a mule out of my S&W 342 ti 1 7/8" 11.1 oz titanium snubbie.
It does shoot dead on POA a close range.
But power wise it's plenty for me.
I wouldn't want more kick out of the little gun.

My S&W 640-1 only weights 21.9 oz.
And full house 125 gr GDHP 357 Mangnum kick like a mule out of it too.
Especially with bantam grips.
I've found that Winchester PDX1 or Remington Golden Sabers
are downloaded enough for me to be proficient with it.

I'm just saying...

[wyntrout]

I'll still carry the BB +P in my P380, but I just got 250 rounds of Speer Gold Dots for my wife's P380. I'll test those in the next few days.

I can't imagine shooting the loads out of those light pistols you just mentioned. In an SD situation and close range you probably won't notice the recoil, though you might be temporarily deafened!

Wynn

[kerby9mm]

I have 2 380's a 9mm a 40 and a 45. I trust all of them to do the jos. They all shoot multiple rounds so what is not to trust. Is the comparison of 380 to 9mm anything like 38 to 357. IMO it has to be about shot placement and who trusts that in a panic situation.

[les strat]

+1...all good choices for SD carry.

Hey Yogi! Glad to see you on this forum! So, you get you a Kahr???

[steveschu]

Yeah, they're good if you encounter a vampire, too!

Nope, silver bullets are for werewolves.

[JFootin]

Nope, silver bullets are for werewolves.

You're right. It is a stake through the heart for vampires.

[Longitude Zero]

It is better than nothing but not by much.

[jocko]

not really true

You're right. It is a stake through the heart for vampires.

the lone ranger used nothing but silver bullets. He had his own silvermine, didn't u know that. thats why he made silver bullets. thats my story and I'm stickin to it

[ScottSouth66]

I've got one .380 experience to share. A few years back,I carried a Colt Mustang,with Silvertips. At a friend's house in the boonies,he had a mangy and hostile large breed dog that would wander into his yard and try to fight his lab. There were no neighbors for miles,so it must have been a dump off,wild dog.

I was over for a cookout and the dog came for a visit. My buddy wasn't a"gun guy" and had nothing to dispatch it with,and animal control wouldn't respond that far out. So I threw a pork chop around back to lure it away from the other guests,and confronted it. I got about 10 feet away and aimed,while he stooped down in a charge stance and snapped at me. I fired once,and saw blood trickle behind his ear,but he stood his ground and started barking at me.

Then I emptied the other 5 shots all into his front section,and his ran around the fence toward the other folks,barking! My friend charged him with a shovel that we were gonna bury him with,and BRAINED the damn animal.That stopped him.

I soon sold the gun and NEVER relied on anything smaller than a 9+P.
I currently carry a K40 with PDXs. Just my personal observation,YMMV....

[kerby9mm]

I have heard that animals are harder to kill than people. A deer can be shot with a rifle and if a vital organ (heart) of the head is not hit they can in some cases escape until they bleed out. A drug crazed attacker could maybe be hard to kill also. Could be that in either situation a rifle would be best. A 380 is not a hunting gun but it is adequate to carry as insurance against something that in all likelyhood will never occur.

[muggsy]

I've seen a .22 short used to put down a 300 pound pig. It's all about shot placement.

[Longitude Zero]

I've seen a .22 short used to put down a 300 pound pig. It's all about shot placement.

Kinda but not 100%. I have witnessed trauma surgery to a 44 mag to the head that required almost 1/4 of the brain to removed with almost zero noticable deficit.

Shot placement is important but it is not the only factor involved. I have also seen a 32 to the thigh nick the femoral and death is relatively quick. There are really NO absolutes as to what will work and when, only relatively better choices vs worse.

[Planedude]

Kinda but not 100%. I have witnessed trauma surgery to a 44 mag to the head that required almost 1/4 of the brain to removed with almost zero noticable deficit...

So we are'nt talking about the shooting of an Einstein here are we?

Still, he did have a bad day.

[Longitude Zero]

Not really. He was a school teacher and after recovery went back to teaching. His wife, now ex went to prison.

[josp]

I agree that the 380 ain't the baddest of the bunch, but beats the hell out of a sharp stick when it's not possible to carry my 45.
I have killed a large whitetail buck, after it was struck by a car and had a broken leg, with one shot from my Colt mustang loaded with corbon. I have also had to shoot another doe, much smaller, with four 45 rounds to achieve the same effect. YMMV.