380acp penetration

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I think your over estimating the difference in 380 and 9mm when fired from sub 3" barrels.

If you do some research you will find that 9mm shot from a 2.7" barrel is barely faster than Buffalo Bore 380.

Of course it's a whole different story with longer barreled guns.

Matter of fact comparing Buffalo Bore 380 to Federal 9mm 105gr Guard Dog which is what Jeff Quinn recommends for Rohrbaugh R9, the Buffalo Bore 380 is actually faster out of a P3AT than the Federal 9mm is out of the Rohrgough.

Maybe not that much faster, but with a significantly heavier bullet, which is a pretty big bonus.

And Federal's Personal Defense line as a whole seems to be based around lighter than normal bullets loaded to velocities that would be considered light for a heavier bullet in the same caliber. Maybe a great choice for a Rorbaugh, but there are plenty of 3" 9mm pistols that can easily handle a regular load.
 
We don't do those kind of "I shot someone" armchair commando discussions on here. Want proof .380 FMJ works? See Gandhi, or Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife.
 
We don't do those kind of "I shot someone" armchair commando discussions on here. Want proof .380 FMJ works? See Gandhi, or Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife.
I'm not saying it doesn't work and as a matter of fact I carry WWB truncated fmj in my P238 daily carry, but I have always wondered when someone says it works, or it will get the job done, or it works for me, is that from personal experience or just an opinion?

I carry WWB fmj Tc because I have done a lot of research on the subject and believe it's the right ammo for my siduation, but I have never said it works or will get the job done because I have never had to use it and can't say with any authority that it will get the job done, so when somebody says it works, how do they know it works? Just curiosity on my part.
 
"WW white box (Q4206) is what I suggest."

I will agree with Mr Dodson
any barrel 2" to 4"
and they feed well.
NO HP's for me in a .380
 
Got my Makarov .380 sitting here next to me on the computer stand loaded up with WWB truncated ammo.

Feeds great, I know this because it's cheap enough to actually shoot a whole lot of rounds, and I feel much more confident it will get decent penetration regardless of the angle of my shot or any barriers like clothing or arms and hands.


I'm not gonna count on the badguy standing there like a deer in the headlights with his arms at his side, while I carefully aim and squeeze off a perfect frontal shot.

HPs are just too iffy in a .380 for me to trust them.
 
You guys DO know that the FBI minimum penetration depth is AFTER barrier penetration. The FBI requested a minimum depth of 12 inches AFTER wallboard, sheetrock, plywood, sheet metal and laminated auto glass.
Never mind just "simple" penetration depth of "just" 12 inches.
Seems to me that is a tad excessive for your average civilian shooting scenario. That is unless you need a bullet to shoot people in cars with..
What is this obsession with the FBI requirement? I'm a big guy but I am not 14 to 18 inches thick, from any angle! I am also not made of K&K 250 ballistic gel. I have two huge organs called "lungs" that are empty and void of liquid.
I know... I know. We all want the terminal ballistics that the cops get. After all... If its good for them, it should be good enough for us! Don't sweat the little stuff. Unless your facing a deranged killer, hell bent on taking your life, most people tend to stop aggression after the first shot or two.
Carry your micro gun loaded with the nuclear tipped bullets and have at it!
 
In a good majority of .380 FMJ GSW's there will be over penetration (thru-n-thru)of a human target. Exponentially more with 9mm parabellum. We must remind the crows of .380 HP that two holes can oftentimes be much worse than one. Gandhi was shot with .380 fmj and had multiple thru-n-thrus. Ferdinand was hit by a .380 round, (FMJ steel core) which passed thru him and killed his wife. Browning and his contemporaries made ammo and weapons that were for the purpose of war. They did what they were supposed to do in countless wars on all sides, and all with FMJ.
 
Well don't forget you've got a ribcage made of bone around those "lungs".


I'll take that penetration over whatever energy dump or some increaeed psychological effects you might get from an expanding HP in a .380.

In a bigger more powerful caliber where a large percentage of the bullets energy is wasted when an FMJ blows right through then yeah an Hp makes sense.

But even with an FMJ a .380 isn't getting great penertration.

You gotta remember the FBI testing is through Ballistic Gel, these figures don't translate into the exact penetration you're gonna get through actual flesh and bone. It's simply a cailbrated medium for testing and comparing various bullet designs.
 
In my Sig P238 I load the mag with Buffalo Bore, alternating 100 gr lead flat point and 90 gr jhp's, the the lead bullet as the first round.
 
In my Sig P238 I load the mag with Buffalo Bore, alternating 100 gr lead flat point and 90 gr jhp's, the the lead bullet as the first round.
Which BB load do you carry and what do you think it does better than other ammo?
 
The Buffalo Bore 100 grain flat point'll do about 32" through gelatin.

I've never shot my loads (post #33) through gelatin but they're pretty hot.
 
The Buffalo Bore 100 grain flat point'll do about 32" through gelatin.

I've never shot my loads (post #33) through gelatin but they're pretty hot.
Ok, but since the WWB truncated round penetrates over 20" of ballistic gelatin, what real benefit do you think you get from BB over WWB at a fraction of the cost of the BB load?
 
There used to be a heavier loading for the Federal Gaurd Dog which had decent perfromance in gel, but the 105gr IMO is so similar to a 380 ACP that it takes the advantage of shooting a 9mm away. If you're going to load your Berreta Nano or Glock 26 with 105gr Federal Gaurd Dog, you'd get the same performance out of a much smaller and lighter, more concealable 380 ACP handgun.

I've read on The Rohrbaugh forum that Carl Rohrbaugh recomends the Federal Gaurd Dog. Maybe Jeff Quinn got that from Carl.


There are plenty of people on the Rohrbaugh forum who say their R9 cycles 124gr Gold Dots just fine, and a few people who shoot 147gr 9mm from their R9s and don't have problems.
 
The Buffalo Bore 100 grain flat point'll do about 32" through gelatin.

I've never shot my loads (post #33) through gelatin but they're pretty hot.
CD,

Where'd that penetration data come from? Did BB provide test results?
 
What in the world would you want 32" of penetration for in a self defense pistol?

A lot of people are concerned about 20" of penetration being too much.
 
I tested the winchester truncated fmj in my sig p238 and found it reliable,it's what I carry now till I do some more research on the speer gold dots.Thank you all for the replies.
 
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