Best .380 Auto defensive round?

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in .380 or below, I'd only use FMJ. Penetration is the most important thing for "mousegun" calibers, IMO.

In .38 special and 9mm you have a ton more options because both cartridges can fire vastly heavier slugs at similar if not higher velocities.
 
FMJ definitely. Magic bullets don't even enter the equation.

You've got more margin for error with more power calibers (i.e. Glaser Silver or JHPs will work in 10mm) but for a marginal caliber, you can't fool around with that hypothetical stuff. You've got to put the bullets where you want them to go and penetrate reliably.
 
Some interesting info in this article:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/ammo_by_anonymous.htm

.380 ACP (9mm Short, 9x17mm, 9mm Kurz)

Now we're getting into some decent stopping power. The three or four best .380 JHP rounds have better stopping power than ANY bullet fired out of 2" barrel .38 Special snub-nose. All of the Big Five make good hollowpoints for this caliber. The Remington 88 grain JHP is the most reliably-feeding hollowpoint but slightly less effective than the Hydra-shok or Cor-Bon. Reliability is crucial, and thus you must test the rounds before carrying.

I recommend the following two cartridges above all others:

-Federal 90 gr. Hydra-shok (P380HS1 H) - the best standard-pressure .380 JHP load, period.
-Cor-Bon 90 gr. JHP - the most powerful .380 hollowpoint, bar none.

These are the two best .380 loads, and I recommend them for these guns:
SIG/Sauer P230, Beretta 84/85, Browning BDA, CZ-83, H&K P7K3, Walther PPK and PPK/s. The Russian, East German, Chinese and Bulgarian Makarov pistols are apparently perfectly reliable with the hot Cor-Bon, and the strong all-steel construction of these guns should stand up to an infinite amount of these potent rounds. I have heard that the Colt does also well with the hot Cor-Bon JHP, which you should definitely look into if you own a Colt .380. You have better stopping power than any .38 snub-nose revolver (the long-time favorite concealment sidearm) when you load your .380 with these two rounds.

Other good .380 ACP jacketed hollowpoints:

- Remington 102 gr. Golden Saber BJHP (GS380M) - Another excellent .380 load (the BJHP stands for "Brass Jacketed Hollow Point"), the heaviest one available. I prefer the Cor-Bon and Hydra-shok, but many (including Sanow) like this new Remington round for its deeper penetration. I'll stick with the Cor-Bon and Hydra-shok, but the choice is yours.
- CCI-Speer 90 gr. Gold Dot JHP A good all-around hollowpoint.
- Remington 88 gr. JHP (R380AI): A good high-velocity hollowpoint that feeds well in: Colt Government Model .380, H&K HK4, Taurus PT-58, older PP and PPK, Bersa .380, Beretta 70s, Makarov and Hungarian FEG. These are all good guns that might choke on other hollowpoints but they will probably feed the Remington fine. This hollowpoint was redesigned in 1993 and gives excellent performance while retaining its rounded shape for positive feeding. If your .380 chokes on other JHP loads, try fifty rounds of the Remington 88 gr. through your gun and see if it improves.

.380 ACP hollowpoints to avoid:

-Winchester 85 gr Silvertip (X380ASHP) I really cannot recommend this weak and jam-prone round. It works reliably in a few modern European guns (e.g. SIG 230, Beretta 84F), but every load named above offers better performance. The Silvertip will likely jam in any American-made .380 automatic. Russian .380 Makarovs and PPK series guns may jam with the Silvertip, as well. The .380 Silvertip was once state-of-the-art, but has since been superceded by superior designs. It is also quite expensive. Look elsewhere.
- PMC-Eldorado Starfire 95 gr. JHP This round is similarly weak and jam-prone.
- Federal 90 gr. JHP (380BP) (see below)
- Hornady 90 gr. XTP-HP (9010) Both the Federal 380BP and the Hornady XTP-HP never expand and may jam many guns due to their truncated-cone bullet nose profiles. Pass by these two.
Click to expand...
 
""Hornady 90 gr. XTP-HP (9010) Both the Federal 380BP and the Hornady XTP-HP never expand and may jam many guns due to their truncated-cone bullet nose profiles. Pass by these two""

I would like to see some data backup the above quote, especially with respect to the Hornady 90gr XTP-HP.
 
40SW, yeah what I didn't include from that article is that it's just one man's opinion. That said, it struck a chord with me because when I first bought my Walther PPK I bought a bunch of Winchester SHP for it, and it jammed near constantly. I thought the gun was junk. Then I tried different ammo and had no problems. The author of this particular article found the same result, so I then tended to heed his other warnings. I now use Remington 88 grain JHP and have no problems.
 
I use Remington 88gr JHPs often as well, in fact, Walmart sells them by the 100 pack, but I also use the Hornady 90 grnrs, with no problem whatsover. Its interesting, because I have never heard a Horandy JHP or HP of any kind be accused of non expansion. Typically, Any Hornady product is A+++ for its intended purpose.
 
Depends on the pistol ...or the barrel length involved.
Just 1/2 of an inch difference will affect muzzle velocity,
and then all the ballistic and terminal performance stats
provided by manufacturers have to be adjusted.
 
I'd take a gander at the new Cor-Bon DPX rounds.

Point taken above about "magic bullets," but that design really seems to be making a splash. I've never seen a test where one failed to expand, and penetration tends to be good.
 
Well, Chuck Hawks notwithstanding (never heard of him), I use the 90gr Winchester Silvertip in my KT...In fact, I use silvertips in every centerfire pistol I own. I've been shooting them for 30+ years without E-V-E-R having a failure of any kind. Thousands of rounds. These so-called 'experts' who wish to pontificate to us unwashed peasants about our choices on the strength of a few rounds through a gun I have no opportunity to examine mean less than nothing. You don't want to take advise from them or me about something as important as defense ammo. The only smart thing to do is buy several different types and see which functions well, performs adequately and is accurate and controllable for you.
 
I like the 102 gr Golden Saber. It feeds well in my guns, and I like having a little extra weight with such a light round.
 
Well, Chuck Hawks notwithstanding (never heard of him), I use the 90gr Winchester Silvertip in my KT
Click to expand...

so-called 'experts' who wish to pontificate to us unwashed peasants
Click to expand...

Well, like I said, silvertips in my Walther don't feed worth a damn. Also, that article isn't by Chuck Hawks, it's just on his site. It also recommends Winchester Silvertips for other calibers. Agree with it or not, it's an interesting read. No need to bash on Chuck Hawks. He even states in the prologue to the article that he doesn't agree with all it himself.
 
This is from Double Tap's website, regarding their loading of the 90 gr. Speer Gold Dot:

<<"This loading makes the 380ACP really perform like it should!
There is virtually no muzzle flash.
For those of you who carry a 380ACP, this is an excellent defensive load.
Standard pressure loading.

Velocity: 1000fps / Kel-Tec P3AT
3.5" bbl Bersa Thunder - 1100fps
Bullet: Speer Gold Dot JHP

Muzzle Energy: 200 ft. lbs. Kel-Tec
242 ft. lbs. 3.5" bbl Bersa Thunder">>

Sam
 
Originally posted by Clipper
The only smart thing to do is buy several different types and see which functions well, performs adequately and is accurate and controllable for you.
Click to expand...

Smart, yes.
Not the "only" smart thing, though.

Checking a cartridge brand/design for reliability is a must, surely.
So is verifying how well you shoot with it.

However, and particularly for expanding or fragmenting bullet designs,
it is important to know how ammo performs terminally, when it hits the target.
This is something no amount of range time vs. cardboard will determine.
In this we are largely dependent on manuifacturers' specs or paid ads.

It's important to know what test-barrel length was used in obtaining the
advertised results, because a shorter barrel produces less bullet velocity,
and this affects how much, or even if, a bullet will penetrate, expand or fragment.

Take the Brazilian MagTech JHP's...
They perform acceptably when 4" or longer barrels are used.
Once you drop down under 3.5" barrel length, the bullets too often fail
to expand as they are supposed to. Other cartridges behave similarly.

If a JHP isn't likely going to expand out of your particular pistol,
then you might as well get its FMJ equivalent: a wee bit more mass
to help with penetration, since the hollow is replaced with solid lead...
or find another JHP that is reliable, accurate, shootable
AND likely performs (terminally) as advertised, out of your particular gun.

JM2P, YMMV, TANSTAAFL,
:)
horge
 
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-Winchester 85 gr Silvertip (X380ASHP) I really cannot recommend this weak and jam-prone round.
Click to expand...

Besides FMJ, I use the above in my PPK which the author seems to think might jam a PPK. I've alternated many rds and never had a problem...Just goes to show you how subjective these reports are...:rolleyes:
 
Hydra Shoks in mine. I use 'em in all of my carry guns except in my Taurus 450 (45LC) and that's only because they aren't made in that caliber.

Biker
 
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