.380 sd ammo

[glockkeeper]

Hello all,
I know that this question has probably been asked about 1000000 times, but here goes what kind of ammo do ya'll recomend for a Bersa .380? It''s the only gun my lovely wife will carry. She has it loaded up with full metals now but I think she needs a good or great jhp.


THANK YOU

 

[WillBrayJr]

Federal Hydra-Shok, Hornady XTP, and Speer Gold Dot are all good loads for a 380acp.

 

[mete]

Corbon has some , now including their DPX load.

 

[Pilot]

I carry Corbon 90 grain JHP +P's in my Beretta 85FS. 1050 FPS, 220 Ft/lbs energy. I will have to look into their DPX load.

 

[M2 Carbine]

The MagTech Guardian Gold Series .380 +P 85gr JHP seems to work well and it's inexpensive.

From my short barrel Kel Tec P3AT it chronographs at 892fps.
In water jug tests it mushrooms well.

In most cases I don't think you can go wrong with Cor Bon.


Personally, I'm so much on the fence about the problems of bullet expansion or penetration in these less powerful calibers, that I'm considering loading every other round FMJ and JHP.

 

[MR.G]

My P3AT likes Federal HS and Corbon +P JHP ammo. Both feed well in the gun.

 

[RyanM]

No such thing as good hollowpoint loads in .380. The 12" minimum is just plain beyond what the cartridge is capable of with expanding ammo. I'd recommend sticking with FMJ. If you absolutely must use a hollowpoint, plug up the hollowpoint with epoxy so it won't expand. The hollowpoints which come the closest to the 12" mark are Hornady XTPs, at 10.9".

 

[DirksterG30]

Ryan,

Do you have a reference for the 10.9" penetration for the Hornady's?

 

[Mad Magyar]

If you really want a "mushroom" expansion; too bad rabbits can't testify: use the Winchester 85-gr Silvertip.

 

[Trip20]

Who's heart and lungs are 12 inches deep in their chest

I like Corbon for my 380.

 

[DirksterG30]

Who's heart and lungs are 12 inches deep in their chest

I like Corbon for my 380.

You may need to shoot through an arm to get to the vitals; that's why 12" is considered the minimum for penetration.

 

[1 old 0311]

I load the mags with a combo of S&B FMJ, and Hydra Shok's. Best of both worlds.

Kevin

 

[RyanM]

http://www.firearmstactical.com/test_data/380acp/hor380-90xtp-b85.htm

Another reason for the 12" minimum is the spine. Shoot someone in the heart, and they can take up to 1 hour to bleed out, if you used a .25. http://www.plusp.com/classroom/lesson30.php

A bullet that smashes through a vertebrae and severs the spinal cord will cause an instant drop. But the bullet needs to penetrate a minimum of 12", preferrably a lot more, in order to do that.

 

[kokapelli]

If the bullet expands most of the best hollow point 380 ammo will penetrate about 8-1/2" and will leave a fairly large hole in the front of an organ.

A full metal jacket that penetrates 12" or more, will leave a smaller hole, but it leaves two holes. One in the front where it enters an organ and one in the back where it exits.

I allways thought, two holes would be better than one.

 

[Newton]

Hollowpoints are a bad idea out of a P-3AT but from your Bersa you would likely do well with the new Corbon DPX.

If you did decide to play it safe with FMJ, then look no further than Santa Barbara 87gr FMJ open tip.

 

[Trip20]

You may need to shoot through an arm to get to the vitals

I'm not good enough of a shot to hit an arm.

 

[kokapelli]

I'm not good enough of a shot to hit an arm.

Sometimes the only way to the body is through an arm!

In this case, the upper and lower arm are covering almost the entire upper body!

 

[wally]

When I have to carry my little P3AT I use Remington Golden Saber as its 102gr JHP is the heaviest bullet you can get in .380 unless you reload your own. I do hope it doesn't expand as .380 needs all the help in can get in achieving adaquate penetration, hence my choice of the heaviest bullet I can find.

The "Santa Barbara" 87gr is truely a hot load, but the question is can it gain enough velocity in short barrels to make up for the low sectional density of the 87gr bullet?

+1 to the point of kakapelli's photos. Its instinctive to put a hand or an arm in front of a threat, hence in real shootings bullets end up having to go thru a hand or an arm first far more often than you might think. Its not that you are a good enough shot to hit it, its that the other guy will instinctively be doing his best to get it in the way!

--wally.

 

[ID_shooting]

"Hollowpoints are a bad idea out of a P-3AT but from your Bersa you would likely do well with the new Corbon DPX.

If you did decide to play it safe with FMJ, then look no further than Santa Barbara 87gr FMJ open tip."

HUH?

I carry Gold Dots in my P3AT. Shooting milk jugs full of jello at 15 feet causes 'em to expand out and they blow all the way through with a fairly nasty channel.

 

[RyanM]

http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/380acp.htm

Actual testing done by the FBI, under FBI protocols, as well as manufacturer data when available. Looks like CCI Blazer 88 gr hollowpoints also penetrate almost adequately, but then they fail to expand through heavy clothing. Unfortunately, Remington Golden Sabers are real stinkers in this caliber. They're great in all the other calibers, but not in .380.

If I still had a .380 backup, I'd be using flatnose FMJ in it.

I carry Gold Dots in my P3AT. Shooting milk jugs full of jello at 15 feet causes 'em to expand out and they blow all the way through with a fairly nasty channel.

Try taking a jello mold without the jug, and punching it. Really nasty wound channel, huh? Why bother with a firearm at all then? The hole size in the gelatin does not correlate to soft tissue damage. This is especially true for uncalibrated gelatin. All you can learn from shooting properly prepared and calibrated gelatin are the expansion and penetration depth.

 

[Trip20]

Sometimes the only way to the body is through an arm!

In this case, the upper and lower arm are covering almost the entire upper body!

Yeah, if your firearms instructor is drawling down on you!

This is more likely what you'll encounter!!! Look at that COM!!!

 

[wally]

http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/380acp.htm

Actual testing done by the FBI, under FBI protocols, as well as manufacturer data when available. Looks like CCI Blazer 88 gr hollowpoints also penetrate almost adequately, but then they fail to expand through heavy clothing. Unfortunately, Remington Golden Sabers are real stinkers in this caliber. They're great in all the other calibers, but not in .380.

I don't see any data in the page you linked to suggest the 102gr Golden Saber is a "stinker". No "FBI" data for it at all in fact, only an unspecified manufacture's "spec" with no real info as to test conditions. This does suggest it might over expand in longer barrels, but to the uninitiated expansion is what sells over-priced ammo. Few tests in real guns duplicate the manufacture's tests in terms of velocity, penetration, or expansion. But I'd tend to believe the FBI test data if there were any for the Golden Saber .380 round. Lacking this data I'm happy with the heaviest bullet I can find in a short barrel.

The only reason the 88gr CCI JHP has almost adaquate penetration is because it has the smallest expansion bare and no expansion clothed. Supports the idea than FMJ is probably the best choice for .380 and below. I want the heaviest bullet I can get for the caliber and generally figure below 1000 fps expansion is a very iffy proposition. YMMV.

Actually all these tests/comparrisons are pretty worthless unless they are repeated enough to give a reasonable estimate of standard deviation for the measured parameters (velocity, penetration, expansion, etc.) as small variations in entrance angle or velocity can make an unexpectedly large difference in the results.

--wally.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Any of the Corbon 380 will do you nice . It is the recommend ammo of carry at http://bersatalk

 

[Erich]

I've worked on a pile of handgun killings. Several were with .380s (and involved transversing an upper arm and then the chest sideways). Ryan and Dirkster are right, in my experience. Based on what I've seen, I tell people that I would only carry hot FMJ in a .380 (as does a pathologist who worked for us as an expert once). I would also study Gray's Anatomy to learn where one must precisely place these little penetrators in order to damage the heart/aorta, brain and upper spine.

 

[cookekdjr]

I'm with Erich on this one (having worked hundreds of homicides myself).
I have a pocket .380 and I've ordered a bunch of Santa Barbara fmj ammo. Does about 1100 fps, btw.
-David