"+P"/High Pressure Loads .380 Ammunition

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Jrrrrr

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What if any .380 Auto's are "+P" Rated or have Heavy Enough or Thick Enough Barrels to withstand the Higher Pressures?
 
Jrrrrr said:
What if any .380 Auto's are "+P" Rated or have Heavy Enough or Thick Enough Barrels to withstand the Higher Pressures?
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There is no SAAMI standard for .380 “+P” so it is doubtful that any mfg will actually state categorically one way or the other. Some specifically say “no +P” and some don’t. Personally I find the hotter “standard pressure” defensive loads kick hard enough for me.
 
I believe the OP will run into issues with battering and severely peening the frame and locking mechanism
on a blowback pistol (which the majority of .380's are)
before you would likely develop pressures that might be remedied with a heavier barrel or gun.

Said from experience when I wore out a Sig 230 working with some seriously wound out .380 loads.
The stainless frame just did not tolerate the hotter loads for long.
Parts wear happens pretty quick if you want that extra speed.

JT
 
I have a Beretta 84F 14 shot 380. It’s loaded right now with Underwood +P XTP. This particular load has proven to be one of the most accurate loads I’ve tried. I’ve put 100rds through my Beretta with no apparent ill effects
 
I don't know of any commercial loading for .380 ACP marked "+P". Being as transparent as I know how, I confess to not using such a caliber and not looking for such ammunition much. Coal Cracker mentioned "9mm" by which I think he meant 9mm Luger, Parabellum, 9x19mm et al. Handguns are produced in 9x19mm that are as small as many of the .380 caliber guns of past and current times.

I don't know if you reload, but reloading the round to achieve better performance can take a toll on the pistol. 'Going HOT' is like a dragster. One can fix them up to go really fast, but more or less rebuild them every use. Trading my life or safety of my family against the price of a sidearm is acceptable to me. For some, that price is too high at the moment. You decide for yourself. Getting a sidearm with a more suitable round is likely a better choice. Again, your choice.
 
Obturation said:
that said, there's no need to hotrod a 380
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Agree 100% here. I enjoy shooting my P238. I enjoy it because it's the smallest gun I own, in a caliber that isn't brutal to shoot in such a small gun. Sure, I could load at max (or +p-ish) for it, but to what end? It's still not going to hit plain old 9mm performance. And it would probably suck to shoot.
 
Yes 9mm lugar. I have pushed 380 up some in my 380 1911. But only 16 rounds. Just an experiment. It did nothing worth the extra little gain in power. Did not make a difference in accuracy either.
 
 
1KPerDay... I should have been able to guess about the Buffalo bore. The rest is welcome, as I said, I don't look much at .380 ACP ammo.
I should have mentioned European consumption ammunition. It all seems to be a bit more aggressive. (Not PPU for U. S. consumers...)
 
I’ve never owned a larger framed .380 like the Beretta, only a FEG SMC 380, a Ruger LCP and an AMT Backup .380.

None of these are guns I’d like to shoot with much, if any, +P ammo, I don’t know if they would hold up to the +P pounding for very long.

Stay safe.
 
The Colts with locked breech take a little hotter loads no problem and seem to run better actually. Corbon made a really nice couple of hot loads in .380. Their 90 grain hollow point load was marked +P and was rated 1050 out of 3.4" barrel
 
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Gordon said:
The Colts with locked breech take a little hotter loads no problem and seem to run better actually. Corbon made a really nice couple of hot loads in .380. There 90 grain load was marked +P and was rated 1050 out of 3.4" barrel
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In blow back pistols and the real tiny recoil operated pistols I would stick with standard fmj ammo. Maybe in a more durable blow back pistol such as 9mm Makarov design pistol with 380 barrel I would not have a problem loading the 380 up to 9mm mak loads for self defense loads to be shot sparingly only.

Bit of trivia on a 'hot' loaded 380
There was the Frommer Stop pistol that fired hot loaded 7.65 frommer and 9mm kurz(380) cartridges that were loaded hotter than standard ammunition. The Frommer Stop was a long recoil locked breech design with rotating bolt lockup.

http://www.hungariae.com/FromStop.htm
Ammunition: Original service pistols mostly chambered the 7.65x17mm Frommer Long cartridge (same dimensions as the .32acp, but loaded hot), some chambered the more powerful 9mm Frommer (.380acp loaded hot). Note: The pistol was designed for the 'hotter', more powerful 7.65mm and 9mm Frommer cartridges, so using standard .32acp is safe, but it may not result in a perfect operation. During the years popularity of the .32acp combined with the difficuties obtaining the original 7.65x17 Frommer Long cartridge lead to the common use of the .32acp in these pistols. This is the reason the use of .32acp 'stuck' with this pistol. It is also likely, that the exported 7.65 Frommers were commercially marketed as .32acp. The original 9mm Frommer was also a 'hot loaded' version of the .380 acp cartridge.
7-round detachable box magazine shown on the left. Original mags stamped '7,65 FROMMER' (or '9 FROMMER'), but not serialized.

The Frommer Stop was a fresh approach to long recoil operation, the vital feature being a double spring system lying in a tunnel above the barrel. One spring controls the movement of the bolt, while its companion absorbs the barrel recoil and returns the barrel to the firing position. This two-spring system is implicit in any long recoil mechanism where barrel and bolt move independently. The springs surrounded the barrel and bolt in the M1901 Frommer design, but placing them in the M1910 Frommer-type tunnel (though complicating maintenance) made the gun much more compact. At the instant of firing, the Stop is locked by a rotating head on the two-piece bolt, similarly to the M95 Mannlicher rifles. An inertia firing pin is struck by an external hammer, and the only safety device is a grip lever. Barrel and bolt then recoil for about an inch to unlock the bolt. The bolt is then held while the barrel runs back, stripping out and ejecting the empty case as it does so. The bolt is then released to run forward, chamber the fresh round, and rotate its head to lock the breech.
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FromStop.jpg
 
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I'm not a fan of just about all +P.

As CoalCrackerAI said, my idea of a +P 380 is called 9mm Parabellum. There are several 9mm guns out there not not much bigger than 380s.
 
Eh, especially for the locked breech guns I can see the validity in the buffalo bore hardcast round.

A light pocket 380 hiking or camping could be loaded up with that and still be viable for sub grizzly threats. Hardcast probably 36+ inches through muscle and bone. Gets the job done, more likely to have that on you in the boonies Vs the big heavy hi cap /or magnum.

I think I remember reading on bersa chat test the thunder is plus p rated for limited use.
 
7 rounds if bb hardcast 9mm trumped a grizz, probably not a massive penetration difference here.

Might turn your lcp inside out!
 
Agreed! But for folks already owning a 380 and unable/unwilling to purchase another gun, if the gun is up to it 30 bucks for some bb hardcast lets it punch above its weight class.
 
defjon said:
Agreed! But for folks already owning a 380 and unable/unwilling to purchase another gun, if the gun is up to it 30 bucks for some bb hardcast lets it punch above its weight class.
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$30? Ha that'll pay for shipping. Although I do have a box of bb 380 waiting for range time. Probably be the only box of bb I buy.
 
I bought a box of Buffalo Bore .380, loaded and shot two magazines full to make sure they functioned in my LCP. Worked fine.

Reloaded a magazine, and that’s my carry load. Probably would be considered +P, and probably not recommended as a steady diet for an LCP, if at all.

What I’ve shot will be it, the rest will only be carried.
 
Speedo66 said:
I bought a box of Buffalo Bore .380, loaded and shot two magazines full to make sure they functioned in my LCP. Worked fine.

Reloaded a magazine, and that’s my carry load. Probably would be considered +P, and probably not recommended as a steady diet for an LCP, if at all.

What I’ve shot will be it, the rest will only be carried.
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Keep an eye on the frame around the rear pin.
 
Some time ago I asked Beretta this very question. I asked:
Is the Beretta M84 series safe for .380 +p ammunition?
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Their response was:
Thank you for contacting Beretta Customer Support.

+P ammunition is not conducive to the longevity of many of the components in your firearm, therefore they will require far more frequent replacement and repair. Consistent use should be avoided, and reserved only for self defense ammunition, whereas standard FMJ is recommended. That said, your firearm should be +P rated.

Best regards,

Beretta Customer Support
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I will say that, knowing that there's no such thing as 380+P, I was surprised that they endorsed its use at all.
 
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