Most effective .380?

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cls12vg30

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Now I expect this thread to receive some of the standard replies, i.e. why carry a .380 when 9mm is so much more effective, etc., etc.

But seriously, with the current crop of .380 autos out there, combined with the current state of defensive ammunition, a .380 is very attractive
to a lot of people who really need a compact weapon, are on a limited budget, what have you.

So here's the question: What do you think is the most effective .380 ACP pistol/ammo combination out there?

I always wanted a Colt Govt. .380. The slim miniature-1911 design, with its slim profile, is very attractive.

But I also think that its 4" barrel gives it an advantage over many of the other common .380 offerings with 3" and 3.5" barrels, (or shorter for the pocket .380s) in terms of muzzle velocity and accuracy.

As for ammo, awhile back a post on this forum turned me on to the Remington Golden Sabre. At 102 gr., it's about the heaviest .380 bullet out there. Combined with a 4" barrel, I believe this is the most potent .380 gun/ammo combination you will find.

What do you think?
 
When I carry 380, it is a gov 380 with rem 102's. They seem to feed great and the gov 380 goes great in an old ppk holster.

I used to carry a 84f in 380. This is another great gun but for the size, I can go with a P7PSP in 9mm instead.
 
I don't have a Gov Model .380 but I thought its barrel was only 3.25 inches? Are you sure it's four inches?
 
But the question is, why do you have to buy a .380 and be forced into asking what's the most effective. Just buy a 9mm and be done.

Maybe you have 237 9mm's and just want a 380? If so, that's fine. LOL ;)
 
If .380 is your bag then I would favor a Bersa Thunder. I have a P3AT .. but while the Thunder is larger it is for me the ideal .380 platform. I know extra barrel length is probably desirable and attractive but - I tend to think that if you are thinking 4" then - move up to 9x19 and be done with it!!


bersa_02_s.jpg
 
Doesn't corbon make a .380? And I like the Ranger SXT series of ammo in general. Is the .380 as good as the rest of the line?
 
I just finished firing a box through my Kel-tec P3AT a few hours ago. I am very pleased with it's size, weight, and accuracy. So far all I have shot through it is Winchester FMJ and Blazer HP's. So far I haven't had a single FTF or FTE. I've heard a lot of good comments about the Bersa.

kikilee
Your stables are enough to make anyone jelious. I'd love to find an old Colt (1907?) pocket or a '34 Beretta for the right price. Has yours been reblued?
 
I have a mint condition Colt 1908 hammerless in .380 that was originally issued to the Shanghai Municipal Police Dept. in 1927. It is my daily carry peice. SHoot great, smooth action, reliable and accurate. Use standard ball ammo in it. UNfortunately, I am having to give it up when I leave Cambodia in a few weeks. :mad:
 
I have a mint condition Colt 1908 hammerless in .380 that was originally issued to the Shanghai Municipal Police Dept. in 1927. It is my daily carry peice. SHoot great, smooth action, reliable and accurate. Use standard ball ammo in it. UNfortunately, I am having to give it up when I leave Cambodia in a few weeks
Click to expand...

Why? Can you ship it out of the country? Do you have to return it to someone?
 
Can not ship out of the coutry. Very hard to get a import license from USA and a export license from Cambodia. And it is registared now to the Border Patrol Poilce, ahd to do that for my weapons permit. So technically belongs to them when I leave (which means it will probably get trashed) it is a shame. But I have some other "stuff" that hurts even more to part with!!!
 
My wife has a SIG P232, and I love shooting it. The Novak style 3 dots make for quick sight picture, and it shoots where I point it. I use WinClean and Hydrashok alternating for HD loads. The Bersa and the SIG both look like they are based on the Walther PPK, for what it is worth.

If I could change anything about the SIG, it would be:
1. High cap mags, I would like more than 7+1.
2. External safety, I am a 1911 guy so decockers and no safeties seem wrong to me.
3. A slide catch. It sucks that I have to put an empty magazine in to lock the slide back.

But I love firing it, and I have had zero FTF or jams. It has an ergonomical grip that my wife and I can both fit our paws around.
 
What do you think is the most effective .380 ACP pistol/ammo combination out there?
Click to expand...

I'm going to say the KelTec P3AT.

Certainly there are better .380s out there (better made, more accurate, easier on the hands to shoot, etc) but every .380 I can think of that shoots better then the KelTec is also quite a bit larger.

If you're going to carry a pistol as large as a PPK or Bersa or Sig 232, then you might as well step up to a 9x19 or other higher power cartridge.

The real advantage of the P3AT is that you can carry .380 in a pistol the size of a .32 or .25

There's also a .380 Guardian out there but they aren't as easy to get your hands on as the KelTec (not as inexpensive either).



As for which type of ammo ... I've seen a lot of debate on this but I'm of the belief that in the .380 one might be better off with FMJ over JHP because the .380 isn't likely to overpenetrate with FMJ and may not have the power to expand JHPs reliably (plus less chance of feed problems).
 
I carry my Kel-Tek loaded with 90gr Cor Bon JHP

Haven't had to shoot anything with it yet so can't say much about the effectiveness of this round. It looks good in tests with reliable expansion and I hope to never have to find out what it will do otherwise.
 
For ammo, find yourself a round that will reliably penetrate 14+ inches in either plain or covered gelatin. Depth is more important than width.
 
I know you can load 380 with 115gr HP at about 900fps Seems to me that would do the 12" and get the 380 the respect it should get. Anybody tried loading that combo.
 
Get the Kel Tec,you'll never run out of places to hide it.Mine eats Winchester flat point FMJ.Penetration is a big issue with this caliber,a leather jacket will slow a hollowpoint down considerably...Better a small,deep hole than a large,shallow one...
 
It depends on what you consider to be the primary or ideal use of a .380.

Is it a near service size pistol and a minimum service caliber? Then the CZ83 and Beretta offerings are pretty hard to beat.

Is it a small CCW sized gun, maybe a semi-auto substitute for a snub? Then something like the Bersa is a good bet. It is inexpensive, very accurate, light, concealable, etc. Sure, there are plenty of nice 9mms for this role, but many are more expensive than the Bersa, and even in the more expensive options (Walther PPK, SIG 232) there may be plenty of reasons why a person may choose one of these over something else like a Kahr (for instance, they already have it and don't want to spend the money on something else, they may know and feel confident with the platform, it may work better for them ergonomically, etc).

To me, the ultimate use for a .380 is the new smaller pocket sized guns, a more powerful alternative to a .32 or smaller. In that case I think the Guardian or Kel Tec are good options.

As for ammo, .380 is a little underpowered. It has a poor reputation for penatration. Thus, many people actually prefer FMJ for these to aid penatration. I like a good HP (I like Speer Gold Dots). A good compromise may be alternating HPs for expansion (should you get enough penatration) with FMJ for penatration. I use just the Speer GD when I load up my Bersa for SD, but I think alternating HP and FMJ really is the best way to go in this caliber.
 
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