380 ACP for Personal Protection?

[Tom Servo]

If you can, I'd say stick with the 9mm. .380 ammo is pricier, and it may be harder to find. The jury's still out on whether or not to pack it with hollowpoints, though. It appears that, with that weight at that velocity, you get expansion or penetration, but not both.

Still, if you do your job, it should be OK. Not great, but not bad. The big thing is practice. You really need to be able to place shots under stress with the smaller calibers.

That's not to say that a .45 to the pinky is going to stop a coked-up 350kb man-rhino, but with a smaller caliber, I'd like to be as precise as possible.

 

[Joshua M. Smith]

Nothing wrong with a .380, the cops in Europe have been carrying .380's and .32's for years and I don't hear them complaining. It has a reasonable history as a man stopper and is a proven cartridge the same way a .38 special is.

People can decry the lack of stopping power, but big calibers don't stop people, effective shooting does.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joshua M. Smith
There's a large gap between the 380's "stopping power" and the 9mm, 40, 45, etc. A 380 will not penetrate to optimum depth...

On paper, there is this OBVIOUS and GLARING difference... Roughly 350ft lbs for a 115grain 9mm and 180ft lbs for a 85 grain .380.

But on paper the 30 carbine generates 800ft lbs and no one would recommend that for game over deer, even though it out performs the .357 (by a wide margin) on paper. Paper projections can't be trusted, stopping power is more than just energy as converted above... It is a complex bit of experience, math, shot placement and the human body (being the big variable). Bullets sometimes do really weird things when they hit people. Anyone with hunting experience can verify that.

As I said above, the .380 has a long history of working. The police have used it in Europe for some time, the same way our police used the .38 special. It is a good round with a good history and I would feel well armed if while out at a movie, the SHTF so to speak. Obviously this is a CHL gun, not a primary service gun for real SHTF or hunting or whatever. There is a difference between what CHL considerations dictate you carry and what you would carry as a cop, while at war or while surviving an apocalyptic event.

I should have said "lack of penetration with hollowpoints."

A big part of "stopping power" is psychological, as in, "OH S***, I've been SHOT!" While bleedout and whatnot are recognized, it can take 10-15 seconds for this to occur, and a LOT can happen in that time frame.

If you don't realize you've been shot, the psychological factor cannot come into play.

I do not think the temporary stretch cavity of any common pistol round achieves anything more than to let the aggressor know he's been shot. In that case, the bigger the better. Permanent cavity will take care of the rest, and for it to be effective, it has to reach the vitals. That usually means ball ammo in this caliber since the bullet cannot be much heavier than 100 grains.

A 380 is not a 38 Spl. The 38 Spl will make a deeper hole loaded with most rounds.

Josh <><

 

[fletcher]

.380 is just fine for personal protection. 9x18 is comparable, and I wouldn't think twice about trusting my life with it.

 

[denfoote]

I carry a KT P3AT as my "micro mouse".
While I'm not enamoured with the obvious design flaw of NOT including a slide stop on the pistol, there are times where it is not practicle to carry anything bigger. Hence, it gets carried more times than I care to admit!!!

 

[ExtremeDooty]

I'd rather carry one of my XDs, but I have also carried a Bersa 380. It's reliable and accurate and beats the heck out of a pointed stick.

 

[wuchak]

Here in KC a box of JHP practice .380 only runs $1 - $2 a box more than the comparable 9mm. Hardly enough of a difference to make cost of ammo a consideration. Black Hills 90gr JHP runs 850fps out of the Kel-tec and was about $18 for a box of 50. DoubleTap 90gr JHP will do 1000fps out of the Kel-tec and costs $25 for 50.

For me the deciding factor was the size of the P-3AT. I can have it on me everyplace it's legal to carry in either a Smartcarry or a Desantis Nemesis. I carry with the +1 mag in place and an extra regular mag under the handle in the modified pouch on the Nemesis. The whole package-3AT, 14 rounds, and holster weighs in at 15 ounces and is so flat it just disappears.

 

[40SW]

I don't feel undergunned carrying a pistol chambered in .380ACP.
Examples that I rotate often.
1. Walther PPK
2. Bersa Thunder
3. CZ83
4. Beretta 84

The .380ACP is the minimum I would carry as a primary CCW. The .380ACP is effective with the proper shot placement.

 

[mjrodney]

Most lawful self-defense encounters are going to occur at in your face distances.

At that distance, I feel very confident that my P3AT and the .380 round will have a positive and deterent effect on a BG's intent.

 

[MCgunner]

I ain't real up on the .380, but I carry it when concealment necessitates.

 

[slow944]

I carried several BT380's. Sorry I sold them. Now I keep a KT P3AT in my front pocket all the time. Bersa IMHO is one of the best guns made.