Can 380acp be better than 9mm?

The video is more about why the 380acp may be better for some shooters than 9mm. I think about the arthritis in my hands and can see the advantage. Hickok45 mentioned the p365, Glock 25 or 19, and the S&W EZ. Same size guns in 2 different cartridges.

How frequently do you shoot Lower recoiling loads in pistols? It's more fun shooting target loads than +p 🙂.
I have 3 different 380acp pistols and the one that is the most pleasant to shoot is the Glock 42 the largest/heaviest of the 3.
I added a link to a thread about the EZ pistols below.

 
Its been hashed out quite a few times. Garand Thumb has done comparisons. IV8888 I believe did some. I think TNoutdoors9 has also dabbled in comparisons.

I've never shot 9mm or .380. Was introduced with .38spl, .45acp and .357 magnum. All of which were pretty decent.
 
Better?

I'm more than tired of guntubers -like hickok45- who grudgingly admit .380 may be better than 9mm ... for people with some sort of disability. Usually but not always unsaid is the idea that anyone without a physical impairment would naturally choose the more powerful 9mm cartridge. BS! I don't see those guntubers naturally choose the .475 Wildey Magnum or even the meek and mild .45ACP over the puny 9mm.

The lower-powered .380 is easier to shoot more quickly and accurately than 9mm in the same gun. Those .380 positives are offset by 9mm's greater power and improved ballistics.

In the past -and to a far lesser extent today- the .380's lower power allowed its use in less-costly blowback designs while 9mm was relegated to more expensive locked-breech designs, although both caliber/design combinations produced largely similar felt or perceived recoil in guns of similar size and weight. The .380 is also more manageable in smaller guns of similar design than 9mm.

In short, some factors favor .380 while other factors favor 9mm. The "better" cartridge depends on what factors are most important to you.
 
Plus it's a much smarter choice that the personal protection rim fire people make.
It and 25acp will cause a stiff fingered , frost bite hot metal finger tip damaged , turret using handloader high anxiety.
 
I never gave the 380 much attention…until I got one of the surplus Beretta Cheetah 84f’s for a bargain price. I had no serious plans for it… I just got because it was a pistol I wanted when I was young.
However, after shooting it, that 84F has become a staple part of my EDC rotation.
 
I have, and carried, a 'full-size' .380 for a while... a Colt's Government .380. I found it to be a very handy and fun shooting pistol, and is a great training pistol for someone learning to shoot centerfire automatic. I parked it in the safe many years ago, trading it for a very similarly sized 9mm. Although the .380 and 9mm are similar in performance, the 9mm has a genuine advantage in power... easy pick.

I don't know that I ever shot the Colt side-by-side with my Kahr CW9... I would think the recoil impluse would be greater in the Kahr simply because the pistol is actually lighter than the Colt's stainless steel slide and frame, and because it's a higher energy round, but in a locked-breech pistol, they are very similar. I would not say that about my brother's blowback PPK/s.
 
A one-pound or heavier locked breech 9 x 17 pistol is easier to operate and faster to shoot accurately than any similar 9 x 19. If a person needs or wants that advantage and happily trades off superior 9 x 19 effectiveness, well, there you go.

I don't know why I posted in this silly thread. I need more coffee.
 
I need to splurge on some Hornady Critical Defense Lite 9mm with pink tipped 100gr bullet to see if it is enough milder to matter in a pocket pistol.
 
Gee whiz, I just found out there are a lot of older people out there by watching this video. I would never have guessed on my own that there was. :oops: I have to give Hickock45 credit for being able to talk the ears off an African elephant and never giving much informational at all on the subject he is talking about.

I am one of those older people he is talking about. After a little incident with a table saw 12 years ago left me with a numb and weak left thumb I learned about having trouble racking slides. Now arthritis has done a number on my fingers just this last year leaving them stiff and with little strength. I can still manage a 1911 or something as stout but it's not easy and has to be done a certain way or it's a no go situation. Not a good thing in a SD situation. Having handled a 9mm EZ that is my choice for a defensive firearm. It's as EZ to operate as the 380 version with little more recoil.

Humans vary a great deal in size and strength and its up to you to decide on your best option with anything mechanical.
 
I could probably come up with reasons my 310 HP Mustang Ecoboost is "better" than a 460 HP Mustang GT, like better MPG and cheaper insurance; but, if we measure "better" by 0-60 or 1/4 mile performance the Mustang GT is "better".

In the case of 380 versus 9mm if the criteria for "better" is penetrate at least 12'' and consistently expand there are more 9mm loads that will meet that criteria of "better".
 
I have a few micro 9mm's and micro 380's.
For comparison this is a Handgun Hero screenshot of the Bodyguard 2.0 and Shield plus 9mm. I have both and carry both.
Screenshot_20250111_111746_Chrome.jpg
The advantage of the 380 is size and weight. The recoil is similar. Yes, the 9mm delivers more energy to the target. The 380 is still effective, and smaller to carry.

This comparison is the 9mm and 380 EZ pistols. This would be a recoil decision. Less recoil in the 380. More delivered energy in the 9mm.
Screenshot_20250111_112006_Chrome.jpg
 
Here's my Colt .380 next to my Kahr CW9... you can see why I parked the .380...

Only slightly larger, actually a few ounces lighter when loaded (both 7+1)...

QtcoEFIl.jpg
 
There are so many variables in this calculus, there is no real singular answer as people are not uniform.
Size is not always the sole factor--my Colt Govt 380 on my SIG 365X
Govt on Sig.jpg
Now, I find both of those very similar for accuracy, so the only advantage is the 12 round mag on the SIG.
I am a fan of Govt 380s
Both Starbpard.png
I used that bottom one to qualify for the TX Instructor CHL test, so, I have no complaints about its accuracy.

Your choice probably ought be made based on the accuracy you can achieve with your preference, not what internet goober says (including me)
Maybe you like 9x18, perhaps 9x17, maybe 9x19, magazine capacity likely may matter.
 
I'm one of those gray-hair FOGs. This last year I'm really feeling it, mostly in grip strength and recoil-sensitivity.
Compact 9s are pretty much off the table now, but the G19s are marginal . My HiPower is still fun to shoot.

But I'm another 380 nerd. Last count I had 15 of them - mostly Rugers, Colts and Spaniards and one Hungarian.
I can still shoot those without a lot of pain, but the LCPs are marginal. My EDC is a LCP Max. The Hungarian SMC-380 is all steel and heavy, but it's the only blowback and it beats me up.
I do need to try a P365. It's too cool not to give it a chance. Besides, I haven't bought a gun in a while.
 
I'm one of those gray-hair FOGs. This last year I'm really feeling it, mostly in grip strength and recoil-sensitivity.
Compact 9s are pretty much off the table now, but the G19s are marginal . My HiPower is still fun to shoot.

But I'm another 380 nerd. Last count I had 15 of them - mostly Rugers, Colts and Spaniards and one Hungarian.
I can still shoot those without a lot of pain, but the LCPs are marginal. My EDC is a LCP Max. The Hungarian SMC-380 is all steel and heavy, but it's the only blowback and it beats me up.
I do need to try a P365. It's too cool not to give it a chance. Besides, I haven't bought a gun in a while.
That is great . Besides I've never been exposed to FOG but that's me.
 
All about tradeoffs. Size, weight, recoil, effectiveness, ergonomics, sights. Throw in action type, blowback no longer being the norm for .380s...
You pays your money and takes your choice. But choices are good, and the degree that both calibers have been fitted to smaller guns is pretty amazing.
I do have hopes for ever-better .380 ammunition.
Moon
 
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