shootingthebreeze
Member
I had an interesting converstion with a local gun dealer relating to .380s and the type of ammunition he prefers.
Backgroud: When I was in the US Army, my side arm was the .45. We were issued ball ammunition. The reasons for ball were 1- penetration. Soldiers have a lot of clothing making ball ammunition a better choice for penetrating power. 2-Rules of war dictate that no fragmenting or distorting ammunition will be used in the battlefield relating to firearms.
This gun dealer followed the same logic the Army has relating to penetration and ball ammunition. He also added that ball is more reliable with less hangup in semi autos.
That's also why the US Army used ball with the .45-reliability.
Much hype and much discussion here has revolved around ammunition types from jacketed hollow points to hydroshock. I even did some checking on JHP and yes, it creates a large wound channel making it, it seems, a better choice for the .380 like Cor Bon 90 grain JHP.
Yet thinking back at the US Army logic and how a hollow point could mushroom prematurely when striking clothes, then the ball would be a better choice based on the gun dealer's logic. Penetration and reliability.
Perhaps ball is a better bullet, putting aside all the hype of hollow points and company. When using a .380, ammunition choice is really a critical factor.
Backgroud: When I was in the US Army, my side arm was the .45. We were issued ball ammunition. The reasons for ball were 1- penetration. Soldiers have a lot of clothing making ball ammunition a better choice for penetrating power. 2-Rules of war dictate that no fragmenting or distorting ammunition will be used in the battlefield relating to firearms.
This gun dealer followed the same logic the Army has relating to penetration and ball ammunition. He also added that ball is more reliable with less hangup in semi autos.
That's also why the US Army used ball with the .45-reliability.
Much hype and much discussion here has revolved around ammunition types from jacketed hollow points to hydroshock. I even did some checking on JHP and yes, it creates a large wound channel making it, it seems, a better choice for the .380 like Cor Bon 90 grain JHP.
Yet thinking back at the US Army logic and how a hollow point could mushroom prematurely when striking clothes, then the ball would be a better choice based on the gun dealer's logic. Penetration and reliability.
Perhaps ball is a better bullet, putting aside all the hype of hollow points and company. When using a .380, ammunition choice is really a critical factor.