New favorite load for my P380

[HadEmAll]

I've made no secret of the fact that the only load in 850 rounds that has been 100% reliable for me is the Speer 90 grain Gold Dot JHP. Not promoting it, just sayin................ And I expect it's about as good a standard pressure .380 load as any.

Despite 2 trips back to Kahr, it still ejects erratically, even with those. Still gets me in the chest or head about 25% of the time. But I've had no stovepipes with it. It gets the casings far enough away either up or out that they are clear enough to not be caught by the closing slide.

This morning I tried a box of Winchester Ranger 95 grain JHP. Wish I'd had more as I was splitting them between the P380 and the LCP.

The ejection of the 22 that I put through the P380 were all out to the right. Like I want the damned thing to do all the time. Combination of rim thickness, mojo, or whatever.

Weirdly enough, they and the Speers chronographed exactly the same this cool 55 deg morning. 877 fps for an average of 5 rounds each. I even fired a 6th round to see if it would bump the Win average off 877 fps. It did, and I recorded 877 fps for both. The Speer was a little faster last time I chronographed it in the P380, but it was a warmer day.

Since the Win is 95 grains and the Speer is 90 grains, the Win is a little hotter round. Probably explains the better ejection.

The P380 and all 3 magazines are now full of this load.

I'm going to grit my teeth and order more of these expensive little pills for further testing. Anything that will get me at 100% reliability in the P380 is worth it to me.

Anybody else tried them?

[TominCA]

I have good luck with:

Rem UMC 95 FMJ
Federal American Eagle 95G FMJ

Black Hills 100 FMJ (this is not +P)
Magtech 85 G +P

The above are 100% even at 100 rounds of dirt.

My P380 hates Win White Box, 3 jams a mag average and dirty as can be.

Go figure.

[HadEmAll]

Agree about the Win White Box 95 grain FMJ and the P380. Never a feeding failure for me, which you might expect from the flat nose, but weak ejection, leading to a stovepipe now and then. My new LCP goes through it without a problem. But it throws it 5 feet up and 5 feet back. That's the biggest difference I see between the P380 and LCP.

I will see if I can find some of the American Eagle. I've had great luck with it in other calibers. I'd like to find some "range" ammo I can use in the P380.

[jocko]

hademall: wolffs makes some 12 and 13# recoil springs for the lcp, it willhelp that brass flying all over hell alot plus give a noticeable felt recoil sifference to. They work great. That lcp ony has a 9# factory spring in it...

[HadEmAll]

hademall: wolffs makes some 12 and 13# recoil springs for the lcp, it willhelp that brass flying all over hell alot plus give a noticeable felt recoil sifference to. They work great. That lcp ony has a 9# factory spring in it...

Interesting that you mention that. My first one, I ordered the Wolff 11# spring, and it cut the ejection distance down quite a bit. They had been going 15 feet or more.

Knowing I was going to get another LCP, I had intended to get a jump on it and order another one or two from Wolff. Didn't follow through, and was at the range this morning with the factory spring. Mentally kicking myself for procrastinating.

Well, maybe they've changed things, maybe this LCP was just different, but the ejects were going about 5 feet up, and 5 feet to my 4 or 5 0'clock. I kinda liked it. I may just leave it alone for now. Nice to know Wolff is there if I need them. They've got a lot of my business in the past.

[Rainman48314]

Ymmv

I've made no secret of the fact that the only load in 850 rounds that has been 100% reliable for me is the Speer 90 grain Gold Dot JHP. Not promoting it, just sayin................ And I expect it's about as good a standard pressure .380 load as any.

I have a Sig 380. When I sent it in, they polished the feedramp and then tested with 50 rounds of Speer LE , type 53606. I just ordered those for carry at about $0.80 per round to my door. At the range I shoot American Eagle in FMJ. Thse little 380 are finicky,so maybe the recommendation from Sig will help you choose.

http://www.prestostore.com/catalog.php/tds/pd1020110

[HadEmAll]

I have a Sig 380. When I sent it in, they polished the feedramp and then tested with 50 rounds of Speer LE , type 53606. I just ordered those for carry at about $0.80 per round to my door. At the range I shoot American Eagle in FMJ. Thse little 380 are finicky,so maybe the recommendation from Sig will help you choose.

http://www.prestostore.com/catalog.php/tds/pd1020110

Rainman, I'm not sure what you're saying. I just posted that that is the load I use with 100% reliability. Are you recommending it back to me?

I'm going to put 100 rounds of the 95 grain Ranger JHPs through the P380 tomorrow morning, and hope they will join the P380 menu for me.

[HadEmAll]

Had a stovepipe with the Winchester Ranger 95 grain JHP this morning. It is now LCP ammo.

On the bright side, I ran 65 rounds of CCI Blazer 95 grain FMJ through the P380 this morning. The light aluminum cases have the most "normal" ejection pattern of anything I've put through it. They clear the pistol just fine, and not one came back at me. I just ordered 500 more.

Average of 831 fps for 6 rounds.

Time will tell whether it is really dependable in the P380. Looked good this morning.

I even carried the P380 the rest of the day with the Blazers in it. Of course I always had a real pistol (PM40) close at hand.

[Rainman48314]

I've made no secret of the fact that the only load in 850 rounds that has been 100% reliable for me is the Speer 90 grain Gold Dot JHP. Not promoting it, just sayin................ And I expect it's about as good a standard pressure .380 load as any.

Despite 2 trips back to Kahr, it still ejects erratically, even with those. Still gets me in the chest or head about 25% of the time. But I've had no stovepipes with it. It gets the casings far enough away either up or out that they are clear enough to not be caught by the closing slide.

This morning I tried a box of Winchester Ranger 95 grain JHP. Wish I'd had more as I was splitting them between the P380 and the LCP.

The ejection of the 22 that I put through the P380 were all out to the right. Like I want the damned thing to do all the time. Combination of rim thickness, mojo, or whatever.

Weirdly enough, they and the Speers chronographed exactly the same this cool 55 deg morning. 877 fps for an average of 5 rounds each. I even fired a 6th round to see if it would bump the Win average off 877 fps. It did, and I recorded 877 fps for both. The Speer was a little faster last time I chronographed it in the P380, but it was a warmer day.

Since the Win is 95 grains and the Speer is 90 grains, the Win is a little hotter round. Probably explains the better ejection.

The P380 and all 3 magazines are now full of this load.

I'm going to grit my teeth and order more of these expensive little pills for further testing. Anything that will get me at 100% reliability in the P380 is worth it to me.

Anybody else tried them?

Hopefully not too far off track...Sig recommended the Speer Gold Dot LE for my Sig P238 .380. I was able to buy 100 rounds for under $80 to my doorstep. Their code is 53606 Are we talking about the same LE round or a similar non-law enforcement round? Curious what you're paying.

[Rainman48314]

sorry

Rainman, I'm not sure what you're saying. I just posted that that is the load I use with 100% reliability. Are you recommending it back to me?

I'm going to put 100 rounds of the 95 grain Ranger JHPs through the P380 tomorrow morning, and hope they will join the P380 menu for me.

Ignore me, I am lost.

[HadEmAll]

Rainman, I went to AmmunitionToGo.com where I got mine to compare price, and learned something. When Speer packages it in the 50 round boxes, they call it "LE-Law Enforcement Ammo", and promote it as such.

When they package it in the 20 round boxes for us mere civilians, they call it (same cartridge and bullet) "Personal Protection".

Right now, ATG only has the 20 round boxes. A few weeks ago, when I ordered 500, they had the same stuff you're talking about. That's what I got and for about what you did.

My P380 prefers it to anything else I've tried in the HP world so far.

So I agree with your (and my) recommendation