Alternating .380 ammo in magazines?

[Drew78]

I have tried to do some research on alternating FMJ and HP .380 ammo in magazines for CCW but havent found much.

I am looking for any thoughts related to this as it seems like a decent idea to get both penetration from the fmj's and perhaps some expansion out of the jhp's. I figure if the jhps dont expand, they act like ball ammo anyway.

This would be in my LCP. I have been carrying some PDX-1 and in some informal tests of my own as well as some tests I have seen, it gets crazy massive expansion for a .380 but only gets ~9-10" of penetration.

So is this a good idea?

Thoughts, comments, concerns?

Thanks to all in advance!

-Drew

 

[Xfire68]

If your worried about under penetration then alternating the rounds in your mag is just fine as long as they cycle consistently as what good is a CCW if it fails when needed? You won't be worrying much about penetration if the gun does not fire.

If it works fine then your good to go.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Not a good idea just use HP. In case of SD you will be very close and the penetration will be fine. The 12" + is fine for FBI and Police But I don't belive a factor at less than 10' for us . We are not shooting thru walls windshields and so forth. In fact till the 1986 Miami shoot out 10 inches was fine . Then Government changed it to CYA and blamed the silvertip instead of their lack of preparedness.
I carry Corbon DPX in my KelTec and don't worry about it . If you want penetration then carry ball, To mix I think might just cause a feeding problem . Besides what if you want deeper penetration and HP next in pipe . Do you fire or eject the HP

 

[ColtPythonElite]

If those were my concerns, I'd be shopping for another caliber.

 

[Drew78]

My EDC's are Glock 9mm. But I carry my LCP as a BUG only, or in some cases as a primary. I understand the limitations of the .380 hence my question... I guess I am trying to get the best of both worlds by alternating rounds.

I have yet to find a true pocket 9mm that carrys like a LCP that dosent cost a fortune. And I dont trust Kahrs...yet.

 

[jhb]

i like fmj ammo for .380's. i think hp's and other creative sd designs will do better in larger calibers. not that i don't think they'll not work at all in a .380, but i want more penetration with this smaller caliber, but that's me and you are you.

i have shot mixed rounds in two of my .380 pistols and i had no bad effects or issues...so if it works in your gun, and make sure it does......i see no reason not to do it...other than what i said above.

jhb

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Yeah, but there's no guarantee you will make a hit with each round. Lots of misses happen in stressful situations.

 

[Drew78]

I completly agree. I am just kicking this idea around and asking because there dosent seem to be a whole lot of negative behind it. My only concern would be the same as someone else raised is feeding reliability. I guess I can check on that next time at the range...

 

[Drew78]

Well, it appears this has been talked to death by looking at the related threads at the bottom of this thread!

Some good negatives I didnt think of is the POI btw both types of rounds, the difference in recoil impulse my throw off your timing/rythem, ect...

It seems like a universally un-popular idea regardless of platform and cartridge!

 

[KimberUltra]

I wouldn't alternate rounds. Like someone else said, if you are worried about penetration then you should consider another caliber. I personally won't use anything smaller than 9mm for SD. I like the good and trusty .45 for my main carry.

 

[doorman]

I have a bodyguard .380 that I alternate FMJ and HP. I ran 200 rounds at the range doing this and had no problems what so ever. I was reluctant in going to the 380 platform and did a lot of thinking about this.

I don't plan on being in a "cartel style" shoot out where I would under gunned with a .45.

The purpose for me carrying a small .380 is an engagement of 10' or less. I mean think about it, the .32 acp was considered a large caliber back in the day.

 

[Loosedhorse]

Traditional DA pistols use a different trigger pull for the first shot as compared to subsequent shots. In hunting, especially large or dangerous animals, the first cartridge in the mag might be different than the follow-up cartriges.

With these examples, if we argue that the first shot of a defensive gun use might be substanitally different (target range, presentation, barrier presence--or even aim) than subsequent shots, we could logically decide to make that first cartridge different from the rest.

But beyond that, no, alternating cartridges in a mag doesn't make sense to me. I'd choose one load.

 

[zstephens13]

Only 9-10"? What would you need more penetration than that? I'm hardly a foot thick...

 

[PabloJ]

Some load one or two fmj/magazine in case they have to shoot through car glass or something similar I have no such concerns. With advent of slugs like bonded PDX1 I never load FMJs unless it's for range practice. I was surprised to see Winchester 9x19+P 124gr bonded PDX1s at local Walmart at $18.47/20.

 

[kokapelli]

Only 9-10"? What would you need more penetration than that? I'm hardly a foot thick...

Some times you may have to shoot through hands and arms in which case 10" may not be enough.

It's been pretty well established that a 380 fmj will go clean through most people and I'm pretty satisfied with that.

 

[shootingthebreeze]

I would stick with FMJ only with .380 just because you want maximum penetration power with lighter ammo. Second, sticking with one type of ammo in a magazine stick decreases malfunctions.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

Which cartridge will be in the chamber the "right" moment? FMJ or JHP?

Flip a quarter. Roll the dice. You have to play the cards dealt you. You don't get to choose.

.380 ACP is a tradeoff between concealability and wounding potential.

I suggest FMJ for consistent, reliable terminal performance.

In case of SD you will be very close and the penetration will be fine. The 12" + is fine for FBI and Police But I don't belive a factor at less than 10' for us . We are not shooting thru walls windshields and so forth.

The human target is the same whether private citizen, police or military.

Having to shoot through an arm can decrease a bullet's TOTAL penetration potential by as much as 30 percent. Thus a bullet that normally penetrates 10" may penetrate only 7 inches. There isn't much penetration potential remaining if an arm uses up 3-4 inches of those 7 inches.

Also, you may be knocked to the ground and have to shoot upward - and your bullet will have to negotiate more non-vital tissues to reach and damage vitals.

 

[Loosedhorse]

FMJ can get you about 16 inches of gel penetration, with a .355 width. HPs, when they expand, might get you to 10 inches with .55. That gives you theoretical crush volumes of 1.6 cu in, and 2.4 cu inches. Those figures may underestimate the FMJ volume because it may tumble, or overestimate it if the ogive lets the bullet slip through a smaller opening than its caliber; and they may overestimate the HP volume as the HP doesn't reach its full expansion immediately.

And both bullets can be detered or deflected by pesky things like arm bones.

Since the choice is so clear...no wonder some folks alternate cartridges.

 

[RidgwayCO]

I alternate between FMJ and GDHP in my Bersa 95 for HD, because I see the upside and downside of each. It's 100% reliable with either. In my Kahr P380 I load just commercial FMJ for pocket carry because the shorter barrel results in less velocity and I want the penetration.

These are compromises I can live with, but certainly wouldn't expect anyone to base their decision on what I do...