PD Ammo in .380

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I assume by PD you mean personal defense. My favorite .380 load is the speer gold dot 90 grain hollow point. It is accurate, functions in most autos and gives impressive expansion AND penetration which is something not always present in .380 hollow points. The recoil is also not bad. This is compared to my previous load the remington 102 grain golden saber. That was a handful in my ruger lcp, although it also performed very well even from the tiny 2.75 inch barrel. Although in your bersa the recoil probably wouldn't be so bad. Either of these two loads are great.

Some guys are going to tell you to only use fmj in .380. Most of those guys fail to realize or accept the advancements in .380 ammo that have happened in the last 10 years.
 
Most people I have talked to that carry .380s tend to carry Corbon, Corbon DPX, Hornady Critical Defense, and Speer Gold Dot.
 
Any name brand JHP.
Speer Gold Dot, Federal Premium Hydra-Shock, etc.

Just not FMJ.
The only reason to use FMJ is if your Bersa won't feed JHP ammo reliably, which is unlikely.

If I were you, I would scout around your area and see what brands are available.
Pick something, then try them in your gun to make sure they feed 100%.

You really can't go too far wrong with JHP ammo from any of the major manufactures.

rc
 
I load my SIG P232 with Rem 102gr golden sabers (or their newer packaging which calls them premium home defense ammo or some such). My SIG is all stainless steel and those shoot fine out if it - snappy recoil but very manageable in a larger all steel .380 like that.
 
When i carried my Sig P238 i did alot of research on carry ammo.
My results ended up with me buying the Hornady Critical Defense due to its higher percentage of fully expanding and still maintaining good penetration.
As a second choice the Corbon DPX was a close second and mainly due to price, Almost 50% more usually.
 
Our Browning BDA .380, Beretta 84FS Cheetah and Walther PK380 all are happy on a diet of the 102-grain Remington Golden Sabers.
 
Ben86 said:
Some guys are going to tell you to only use fmj in .380. Most of those guys fail to realize or accept the advancements in .380 ammo that have happened in the last 10 years.
Click to expand...

The advancements are that modern .380 ammo expands reliably and well, which in my view is the problem. I'd recommend non-expanding rounds because I prefer about 20" of penetration to the 10" or so you'd normally get with expanding rounds in this caliber. .355" bullets are already wide enough to do some damage, and 20" of penetration is just about right for maximum overall effectiveness against human targets, in my opinion. Use a load with flat-nosed bullets if you can find one--Winchester, for one, makes a truncated cone load that should work fine, as does Buffalo Bore (if you're into hot loads).
 
.380 ACP PD/SD ammo option

Although I don't have a .380 ACP I've found this Ammo maker to
put out a good product in .45 ACP, .45 AR, 9mm & .38 Special in termss
of good value/price, performance and reliability.

Reeds Amunnition & Research - Okla City OK
offers the

Rem 102 gr. GS @ 1050 FPS $22.88 per 50
&
Hornady 90 gr. XTP @ 1150 FPS $ 24.68 per 50

Makes me go hmmm, maybe a CZ 83

but that's just me .

Hey rcmodel how yah doing I've been gone for a while
hardrive cooked a fan back in decemeber lost everything
got the backup now....

Randall
 
Manco said:
The advancements are that modern .380 ammo expands reliably and well, which in my view is the problem. I'd recommend non-expanding rounds because I prefer about 20" of penetration to the 10" or so you'd normally get with expanding rounds in this caliber. .355" bullets are already wide enough to do some damage, and 20" of penetration is just about right for maximum overall effectiveness against human targets, in my opinion. Use a load with flat-nosed bullets if you can find one--Winchester, for one, makes a truncated cone load that should work fine, as does Buffalo Bore (if you're into hot loads).
Click to expand...
Are you referring to the WWB target rounds?
 
BlindJustice said:
Although I don't have a .380 ACP I've found this Ammo maker to
put out a good product in .45 ACP, .45 AR, 9mm & .38 Special in termss
of good value/price, performance and reliability.

Reeds Amunnition & Research - Okla City OK
offers the

Rem 102 gr. GS @ 1050 FPS $22.88 per 50
&
Hornady 90 gr. XTP @ 1150 FPS $ 24.68 per 50

Makes me go hmmm, maybe a CZ 83

but that's just me .

Hey rcmodel how yah doing I've been gone for a while
hardrive cooked a fan back in decemeber lost everything
got the backup now....

Randall
Click to expand...
Thanks for the site--though the $10.95 shipping is a bit steep. I'll keep it in mind if none of the stores around here have any ammo in stock.
 
Shipping costs.... I ordered some ammo from Double Tap and the next time my shooting buddy and I orderd just enough to get the minimym in
terms of S&H something like $11 minimum so we got 5 boxes instead of
the first order of 3 boxes it's all by weight for the minimum charge then it goes to the next level

Heck the SD/PD ammo on the shelf around here 20 rounds a box is over a buck a bang

do the math


Randall

\
 
I am in agreement with Manco. I carry the Winchester 95 gr FP (target) in my PPK/s. I am after penetration.The FP has the possibility of breaking bone. Byron
 
Manco, Bersa says that the end user should use only ammo loaded to the SAAMI standard rating. So do most other manufacturers.

So any use of Buffalo Bore ammo should be kept to the minimum necesary to ensure function and proper handling.
 
I prefer about 20" of penetration to the 10" or so you'd normally get with expanding rounds in this caliber.
Click to expand...

So you can shoot through multiple bad guys?
 
Water-Man said:
Take a look at the new Winchester PDX1 95gr. JHP
Click to expand...
I have some of that for the Rossi .38 that I have--those rounds look mean. The Wal-Mart here just got a shipment in, plus one of the sporting goods guys gives me a heads up when any .380 gets in. I put my 10% discount to work! But alas, no .380 PDX in sight here.
 
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