What is the most Lethal 380 ACP ammo on the market

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2'Bucks'11

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I have a short barreled 380 Acp (Kel Tec P3AT) and I was wondering if anybody has compiled stats on effectiveness of various brands, bullet grains, and type(fmj, Jhp,ect...)? Or if somebody can point me in the right direction for some hard facts it would be nice.
 
Ok... The the type of bullet that consistently does the most amount of damage? In case I'm off a bit.
 
I load my .380 with Buffalo Bore 100gr.+P HCFN. because I feel it's the most lethal in this caliber.
 
I'll echo what's been said. You need reliability and shot placement. If you do YOUR part and the gun does IT's part, the bullet will do the job. .380 has respectable penetration (and expansion if you use HP) enough to get the job done if you aim for vitals and hit were you aim.
 
Harnady makes some good ones...Buffalo bore is pretty good...but basically any jhp that will feed in your gun consistantly enough to trust your life with it..I use Winchester pdx1s in all my defense guns..if u remember the black talons its the same bullet..they just made it a different color to appear less aggressive
 
The most lethal of any cartridge is that cartridge with which you can consistently hit what you aim at and follow up with quickly enough to make a second, or third, well placed shot.

That being said, the most lethal round for the one .380 Auto I own is a standard velocity round nose jacketed bullet. That's the only round it will chamber reliably and therefore, ipso facto, it's the most lethal for that creature I'm trying to terminate.

Conversely, any JHP in the gun approaches perfect lethality too ... for me the shooter since they just won't run.
 
First off I have shot all sorts of ammo threw my P3AT. Never had a fail of any sort, even right out of the box. Accuracy is a mute point bc I have a 2.75" inch barrel. It is gonna be off a bit... Third It is a side arm, don't wanna hear it. Forth, thank you for the raw data kokapelli, and as well to the rest who actually suggested something helpful.
 
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To be fare you really have to watch the Brassfetcher data. They are NOT comparing bare gel across the board. This is an inherent skewing of the facts and a common error. However if you re-categorize the data to compare same variables it would be great.
 
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Once again, in gel tests it's important to learn about the variables and realize that it's an amalgamation of SOFT tissue density, and results in meat will vary (significantly)

But FMJ or hot heavy .380 seem to meet the penetration test.
 
I just read a forensics book about gunshot wounds and while in theory hollow points are more effective... in reality the author hasn't seen a single instance where the factor of hp vs fmj determined in wheather the person shot lived or died... the only issue was shot placement...
 
The way I see it 9 out of 10 ppl ain't worried about shot placement when there being attracted they just point and shoot...so in that case you may want a hp
 
Most lethal is one that digs deep enough and hits the right things.
 
The way I see it 9 out of 10 ppl ain't worried about shot placement when there being attracted they just point and shoot...so in that case you may want a hp
"author hasn't seen a single instance where the factor of hp vs fmj determined in wheather the person shot lived or died"
 
I guess it wasn't lethality that I want... I Just want to know what exactly the rounds gonna do. every time, just for comfort.
 
A 1/5 ounce of lead traveling at a speed sufficient to traverse three football fields in one second is going to cause significant trauma to any living organism that it contacts. Keep in mind that the objective of a self defense firearm is to disable an attacker so that you can safely extricate yourself from a dangerous situation. You're not a LEO storming meth labs nor do you have any need to shoot through plate glass or car doors. Doing so as a private citizen is likely to get you more jail time than your attacker. Any well placed shot with a .380 is quite likely to end the festivities.
 
I would try to find the ammo your gun cycles the best. The. 380 is not the most statistically lethal caliber. Its a small, light bullet where lethality is going to be based on where it hits...but the same is true for all handgun bullets. Lethality is something I would never base my ammo choice on. Something like 80+% of all people who are shot by handguns and get medical attention live.
Typically a .380 is something you carry for convenience that is just big enough to take the wind out of an attackers sails in you do your part.
In short, for me I go for feed/fire reliability and shot placement when it comes to what I shoot in my LCR.
 
Hollow points in the 380 cal are fine for summer time use. Tend to open fairly quickly. .32, and .380 hard to beat ball ammo.
 
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