.380 for Home Defense?

[Just One Shot]

I have a Bersa as one of my ccw

My choice when it comes to ammo is the Hornady hollowpoints.

But, I alternate ball ammo with hollow points in all of my ccw's (.380, 9mm and .40 S&W).

This way I don't worry as much about the penetration or expansion limitations of a particular type of ammo.

I guess you could say it's the best of both worlds.

 

[jocko]

12 gauge pump trumps all 380 for HD..

 

[JImbothefiveth]

If you don't have kids, why can't you leave it on your nightstand, then lock it up in the morning?

 

[bigfatdave]

People seem to worry too much if the caliber of thier weapon of choice is right for defense spend more time shooting whatever caliber your weapon is and you and it will not fail you in your time of need. Stop looking for a hardware solution to a soft ware problem.

Well said!

 

[makarovnik]

For home defense I would definitely go bigger. Why not, you're not carrying it?

 

[Greg_TX]

I have a WWII vintage Beretta .380 that still works just fine. Unfortunately, I can't find any ammo for it so my best chance is to throw it at the BG and hope to knock him out.

The Mossy 500 and the S&W .40 M&P keep it company, though.

 

[mljdeckard]

Until recently it was the police-issued caliber in Denmark. They also have orders to shoot to WOUND.

All handgun rounds suck. With modern loadings, a .380 is almost as good as a 9mm. I USED to say, "Carry a .380 if you are SO constrained by size that you absolutely MUST carry a sub-compact." But that really doesn't apply anymore. You can get a sub-comp in any caliber you want now, you don't HAVE to go with a small caliber to carry a small gun.

Use what you have, BUT, I keep a Remington 870 loaded with #4 buck as my primary, with the chamber empty, magazine full, slide locked as my primary, and my M-1 carbine empty, with full mags on the buttstock as backup, both in the closet.

 

[357sigRog]

I have a Bersa Thunder .380 and I feel confident with it. It is loaded with Rem. 102gr Golden Sabers.

 

[tostada]

If you're going to use a .380, the Hornady XTP 90gr and Remington Golden Saber 102gr are the best ammo. They expand to about .45" and penetrate to about 12" through denim. Most other ammo either doesn't expand reliably or else it overexpands and gets very poor penetration.

But .380 is not nearly as good as 9mm. If you have 147gr Federal HST 9mm, they expand to about .85" and penetrates about 12.5". That's a much bigger hole.

I know people have strong preferences for certain calibers, but you have to admit that the difference between 9mm and .40 and .45 is much less significant than the difference between 9mm and .380.

That said, I think the Bersa is such a nice little comfortable gun, and I wouldn't have a problem using it for defense with 102gr Golden Sabers.

 

[CZF]

I can recall an incident where a housewife caught a Burglar
in her home.

She was forced to shoot when he charged her with a knife.
After the first shot, he dropped the knife, then swatted his chest
and continued his advance. He finally dropped as she put her 8th shot into him.

Her husband carried a P226 at work, and soon upgraded her to a
9mm.

I have carried a .380 on assignment and as CCW but always
liked that it had 13 rounds of JHP on board.

You do get low recoil with a. 380, but at the cost of low velocity
and energy compounded by low pen with most JHP loads.

Same with a CZ83
in 9mm MAK, which offer a little more punch..but really prefer 9mm Luger or 38+P as the lowest that I'd go for HD.

 

[David E]

Choosing a gun based solely on the size of a cheap safe/lockbox is misplaced priorities.

.

 

[kd7nqb]

Let me put it this way, I am probably biased in favor of the .380acp since I like a lot of the guns that are built around it. I would have no problem using a .380 for home defesne as long as I was running "trick" ammo in it. Corbon DPX, Gold Dots, Tap, or any of the other premium self defense rounds.

 

[Coyote_Hunter_]

I have a 7-round Kimber .45 Compact, a 15-round Browning BDM 9mm Luger and a new-to-me Walther PPK/S in .380 ACP.

I also have a CCW. The pistol I am most likely to carry in the future will be the .380 ACP with handloads.

That said, If I have to go where I expect trouble, the 9mm or .45 will likely get the call.

 

[moooose102]

well, it is sort of a marginal caliber, but if you shoot it well, that make a world of difference. a well placed 380 is going to provide more stopping power than a 45 to the hand! i carry a 380 much of the time for ccw, so i am aware of its short comings. but if given the choice between a 380, and a 3' length of 2x4, i will take the 380. as for ammo choice, a lot of that is going to depend on what you can find right now. i do know from trials, that the magtec jhp's do not open up when shooting water jugs. winchester sivertips do, if you can find them, the remington golden sabres are supposed to be good also. me, i carry alternating fmj and silvertips. i have not found any rems yet. if i do, i will.